Rejected by My Alpha Mate

At the marking ceremony, the Alpha of the Silverfang Pack, Julio Riley, forced me to kneel before his beloved muse, Daphne Aguilar, a Gamma warrior, to console her tears.

I refused, and he ordered his Delta warriors to escort me out of the grand hall.

To the applause of all the guests, he slipped the marking band meant for me onto her finger.

Someone urged him to stop and go after me.

He waved them off casually, saying, "Don’t worry, she won’t be angry. She can’t live without me!"

Right then, I tore off the marking band and canceled our mate bond report.

Without hesitation, I signed up for a volunteer teaching position in a distant frontier pack.

---

After signing up, I headed to the healer’s den.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Julio and Daphne, who had been cozying up at my marking ceremony.

Seeing me, both looked briefly stunned.

Soon, Daphne’s eyes welled with tears, as if she was the one whose ceremony had been wrecked by me.

"I’m sorry, Ayleen," she said, voice trembling. "I didn’t mean to cry at your marking ceremony. I was just scared Julio wouldn’t want me anymore."

Julio gently patted her head, his alpha aura radiating sympathy. "Don’t worry, no matter who I mark, you’ll always be the most important person to me."

Turning to me with disdain, he said, "Ayleen, do you realize Daphne was so worried about your sudden exit that she nearly fainted?"

"Apologize to her, and I won’t hold it against you. But don’t expect me to reschedule the marking ceremony!"

Whether it was the pain in my stomach or the heartache, my clenched hands trembled.

My sudden exit? Wasn’t it him who had me thrown out?

Before Daphne showed up, Julio had also told me I was the most important person to him.

Yet in just a year’s time, that position in his heart had already shifted.

He humiliated me at our own marking ceremony for her.

I said nothing, just curled my lips in self-mockery and turned to enter the healer’s chamber.

When I came out, I had two bottles of medicinal herbs in my hands.

When Julio publicly forced me to kneel, my stomach condition had already flared up.

I didn’t show it then to preserve what little dignity I had left.

My face was pale; I could barely stand upright.

After several attempts to hang the IV bag on the stand, I failed.

At that moment, Julio appeared behind me and hung the bag for me.

"Thank you," I said politely, seating myself on a nearby chair without looking at him.

Julio furrowed his brow as if he wanted to say something.

Suddenly, Daphne coughed beside him.

Julio immediately returned to her side, his alpha tone softening. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Daphne glanced at me nervously, speaking softly, "I cried too hard earlier; my throat hurts."

"Ayleen’s spiced honey cake was good last time. I kind of want some."

Julio commanded me, "Ayleen, once you’re done here, go home and make some tea for Daphne. Her throat discomfort is your fault, after all."

Hearing this, I looked at Julio incredulously.

"Alpha, not only do you ignore my illness, but you also want me to make her tea?"

Julio said nothing, averting his eyes awkwardly.

Then he continued to shower Daphne with attention.

I looked at him deeply.

This Julio was no longer the person who prioritized me.

With that realization, the last bit of hope I had for him faded away completely.

Then I heard Daphne speak again. "It’s okay, Alpha. Let’s not trouble Ayleen."

"I don’t know why Ayleen fell ill so suddenly, but I’m sure she wouldn’t pretend to deceive you."

The moment she finished, Julio looked at me with suspicion.

"Ayleen, are you lying to me?"

---

I seemed to ignore Julio’s accusation, gazing quietly out the window at the forest.

Seeing this, Julio decided to ignore me too.

He devoted himself to talking with Daphne, his voice a few decibels louder than before.

Daphne clung to Julio’s arm, her smile sweet. "Alpha, remember when we first met? You promised to take care of me for life."

Julio chuckled, his alpha tone warm. "Of course I remember. It’s a promise I made to your brother and to you."

Hearing the word "promise" brought back memories of the vows Julio had once made to me.

He had promised to protect me for life and never let me suffer.

Yet, in my twenty years, he was the source of my deepest pain.

Daphne was the sister of Julio’s late comrade.

The first night she was brought into our pack, she wet her bed and blamed it on me.

She told Julio I didn’t want her around and aimed to drive her away.

I believed Julio would see through her act and clear my name.

To my shock, he not only believed her but, in a show of support for her, expelled me from the pack house, leaving me to sit outside all night.

That incident was just the beginning.

Time and again, Daphne drove wedges between Julio and me.

My once solid belief in our relationship became increasingly fragile as Julio repeatedly chose her over me.

It turns out promises are often just hollow words.

A lifetime, it seems, is much shorter than I had thought.

I chuckled softly to myself.

Luckily, in five days, I would be gone.

Before the marking ceremony, I learned about the frontier pack’s need for volunteer teachers.

Although tempted, my lingering hope in Julio had held me back from signing up.

Today, I finally awakened to reality, completely letting go of Julio.

My world shouldn’t revolve around just him.

I should not confine myself to such petty emotions.

What I needed was to serve my pack and forge a new path for myself.

With this realization, I felt a spark of anticipation.

Even the previous gloom seemed to lighten a bit.

Daphne, seeing my silence, suddenly spoke up. "Ayleen, you must be thirsty sitting there. How about the Alpha gets you a glass of water?"

Turning to Julio, she said, "Alpha, would you kindly get Ayleen a glass of water?"

Julio glanced at me and then walked off without a word.

When he returned, he held a cup of water.

Presented with the water, I coldly said, "No, thank you."

Seeing my refusal, Julio’s face darkened instantly.

"Ayleen, don’t be ungrateful!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Ungrateful?"

"What, you’ll force me to drink it if I don’t want it?"

In front of all the patients, Julio poured the water over my clothes.

"Ungrateful! Ayleen, if you were half as good-natured as Daphne, I wouldn’t dread coming home."

A week before the marking ceremony, Julio moved to stay at the warriors’ barracks because I refused to have Daphne as my witness, delaying our mate bond report.

Today, Julio and I had only submitted our mate bond report, without officially completing the marking.

Until now, I had been upset about it.

But now, all I felt was relief.