Rejected By My Alpha Mate

After my parents' tragic death, Alpha Reed, my father’s close friend, took me into the Reed Pack. As an Omega, I was grateful for their kindness, though I always felt the weight of my status. On my sixteenth birthday, Rohan Reed, the future Alpha of the Reed Pack, got drunk at the pack’s celebration. He cornered me under the moonlight, his dominant aura pressing down on me, and kissed me with a possessive fervor. “You’re mine, Malia,” he growled, his voice low and commanding. “You’ll always be mine.”

By eighteen, our bond deepened, though he refused to mark me as his mate. Still, he promised me a lifetime of protection, and I believed him. But by twenty-four, when I was ready to solidify our bond, he coldly declared he’d never mark me. “You’re not Luna material,” he said, his tone cutting. “You’re an Omega. The pack needs more than that.”

The tension between us stretched for a month, thick and suffocating. Hoping to mend things, some of the pack organized an outing. That evening, Rohan arrived with a younger female, an Omega like me. Her shy smile mirrored my younger self, and it stung more than I cared to admit. James Crawford, the pack’s Gamma and my loyal friend, was the first to confront him. “What the hell, Alpha Rohan?” he snapped, his voice tight with anger. “What do you take Malia for?”

Rohan’s gaze flicked to James, his expression icy. “Why the strong reaction, Gamma?” he replied, his voice dripping with condescension. “I only see Malia as a sister. Just because she’s lived in the Reed Pack all these years doesn’t mean I have to mark her, right?”

He leaned down to kiss the girl’s hair, his tone softening only for her. “Don’t go spreading rumors about me and Malia,” he warned the room. “My girlfriend might misunderstand. She’s young, not easily reassured.”

James clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. “Alpha Rohan, are you serious?”

We had all grown up together. James knew the truth of our bond, and his protective instincts flared. Rohan looked at him indifferently before lighting a cigarette, his expression cold. “Gamma James, since when did you and Malia become so close? When did it become your place to defend her?” His gaze flickered over mine before he turned to pinch the girl’s cheek. “Be good, wait for me outside. It’s too loud here. I’ll take you somewhere quieter later.”

The girl obediently cast a shy glance at him and left. Once she was gone, Rohan fixed his eyes on me, his voice laced with mockery. “Is it fun, Malia, having everyone push me into marking you?”

Before I could respond, he exhaled smoke, his smirk cruel. “I never claimed you were my mate, did I?”

I looked at the face I’d loved for eight years and suddenly felt its unfamiliar coldness. James stood up, ready to challenge him. “Alpha Rohan, saying things like that—do you even respect the mate bond?”

I held James back firmly, though my hands trembled. “It’s fine, Gamma James,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “He’s made his choice.”

Rohan’s gaze hardened, his voice cutting through the room. “Gamma James, are you so protective because you like her? Fine, I’m done, you go ahead. After spending so many years together, if she isn’t tired, I am.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Darwin Bell, the pack’s Delta, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, smashed his glass against the table. The sound echoed sharply, drawing everyone’s attention. His stern eyes locked on Rohan, disapproval etched into his features. “Alpha Rohan,” he said, his voice low but firm, “you’ve crossed a line.”

The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to choke on. I felt my wolf whimper in the back of my mind, a quiet, pained sound. But I squared my shoulders, refusing to let Rohan see me break. “I’m leaving,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.”

As I turned to go, I caught a glimpse of Rohan’s expression—something fleeting, almost like regret. But it was gone before I could be sure, replaced by the cold detachment of an Alpha who had already moved on.