Rejected by My Alpha, Poisoned for His Mistress

Iris spread the tablet across Elena's exam table like she was laying out evidence at a crime scene. Cooper's weight pressed warm against my ankle. The clinic smelled like antiseptic and old coffee.

"Start with this one," Iris said quietly. She tapped the screen. A journal entry dated six years ago. The day after Victor and I celebrated our fourth anniversary.

I read.

*He finally kissed me tonight. In his office while she was upstairs putting Oliver to bed. He said he's been thinking about me for months. I told him I'd been waiting longer than that.*

My hands stayed steady on the tablet. I scrolled.

The entries came in clusters. Timestamps. Locations. The pack house guest room. His truck parked behind the old training facility. A hotel two towns over when I thought he was at a territory negotiation. Jemma documented it all with the obsessive precision of someone keeping score.

*She made him that ridiculous cake today for the pack gathering. Everyone praised it. He smiled at her in front of everyone and I wanted to scream. But tonight he came to me. Tonight he chose me.*

I kept reading. The entries shifted. Became operational.

*Started researching wolfsbane extraction methods. Healer Marcus says micro-dosing is undetectable if done correctly. Small amounts in food or drink. Cumulative suppression over time. No acute symptoms. Just a slow fade.*

My throat felt tight. I swallowed and kept scrolling.

*Oliver asked why Mom seems tired all the time. I told him she's just getting older. He's such a sweet boy. He'll understand eventually that this is better for everyone.*

Cooper shifted against my leg. I reached down and touched his head without looking away from the screen.

Then I found the entry dated three years ago. Late November. Two weeks before the rogue raid.

I read it twice.

*Victor keeps saying we have to be patient. That exposure would destroy everything. I told him I'm done being patient. I'm done being the secret. If he wants me—really wants me—he needs to prove it. Not with words. With action. She's pregnant again. Another pup to tie him to her forever. I can't let that happen. I won't.*

The next entry was dated three days later.

*He agreed. Paid the rogues himself. Timed it for when she'd be alone. He said it has to look random. A tragedy. No one can know. I asked if he was sure. He said he's never been more sure of anything.*

I stopped reading. Set the tablet down carefully on the exam table. My hands were still steady. My breathing was still even.

Iris watched me. Waiting.

"There's more," she said quietly. "The entry from the day of the burial."

I picked up the tablet again. Found the date. Read.

*Watched her stand at the grave today. Victor's arm around her shoulders. She was crying so hard she could barely stand. And all I could think was: I'm finally ahead. For the first time in my entire life, I have something she'll never get back.*

I closed the tablet. Handed it back to Iris.

"I want copies of everything," I said. My voice sounded normal. Calm. Like I was discussing grocery lists. "Authenticated. Timestamped. Cross-referenced with pack records and financial transactions. I want a file so airtight the Lycan Council couldn't ignore it if they tried."

"Already working on it," Iris said. "Victor used a shell account for the rogue payments. Sloppy digital trail. My tech team traced it in under an hour." She paused. "The Summit is in three weeks. Every Alpha on the Eastern Seaboard will be there. Lycan Council representatives. Media coverage. If you're going to do this—"

"I'm doing it," I said.

She nodded once. Pulled out her phone and opened a secure folder. "Summit schedule. Ceremonial hall has display screens for the opening address. I can get you access to the control systems. You'll have about ninety seconds before security responds."

"Ninety seconds is enough."

Iris met my eyes. "Nora. Once you do this, there's no taking it back. You understand that?"

"I understand."

She held my gaze a moment longer, then handed me a small USB drive. "Everything's on here. Encrypted. Password is the date we met."

I took it. Slipped it into my jacket pocket next to Elena's toxicology report.

"Thank you," I said.

Iris's expression softened slightly. "We're going to destroy them."

"Yes," I said. "We are."

---

I drove back to the exile cabin as the sun set. Parked in the small clearing. Carried Cooper inside and locked the door behind us.

The cabin was cold. I built a fire in the woodstove and sat on the floor in front of it, Cooper's head in my lap. The USB drive felt heavy in my pocket.

I thought about Oliver. Thirteen years old. Slipping poison into my tea while Jemma coached him. Smiling.

I thought about Victor standing beside me at our daughter's grave. His arm around my shoulders. His voice so gentle. *We'll get through this together.*

I thought about Jemma writing that she was finally ahead.

My wolf stirred inside me. Stronger now. Angrier. She wanted blood.

*Soon,* I told her silently.

The fire crackled. Cooper's breathing was steady and warm.

I pulled out my phone. Sent Iris a message. Two words.

*I'm ready.*

Her reply came immediately.

*Good.*

I set the phone down. Stared into the flames.

Three weeks until the Summit.

Three weeks to play the broken, compliant Luna one last time.

Then I would burn their world down and walk away without looking back.