Rejected By My Fated Alpha

I looked up, puzzled. "When did I ever make gingerbread for you?"

Ada didn’t bother to answer, but Alpha Atharv’s expression faltered briefly, guilt flitting across his face. Then he suddenly raised his voice, his alpha tone sharp and commanding. "Just follow orders, Omega. No questions asked."

I wondered if he remembered how he’d spent an entire month trying to convince and beg me before I agreed to make gingerbread for him indefinitely. Back then, he’d been so persistent, his alpha aura softened with what I’d mistaken for genuine care. Now, it felt like a distant memory, buried under the weight of his betrayal.

The small spark of resistance in my heart completely died out. I clutched my grandmother’s heirloom closer, trying to soak in its warmth. Holly’s scent—faint, like lavender—still lingered on the fabric, a comforting reminder of her love and wisdom.

At that moment, Ada’s voice took on a playful lilt. "Alpha Atharv, I’m not feeling well. Could you stay with me tonight?"

Atharv instinctively glanced my way, his smile stiff as he attempted to explain. "We’re just friends, Sariah. Don’t read into it."

I didn’t bother to call him out, pretending not to notice the faint trace of Ada’s perfume on his collar. She tugged him away, her movements deliberate, her eyes glinting with triumph.

My gaze fell on the rings on their fingers. A pair of antique rings symbolizing eternal love—the very ones I’d been with Atharv when we bought them at an auction for three million dollars. That night, he’d held me close, weaving dreams about our future together, his alpha aura warm and reassuring.

But now, he’d given the rings to someone else.

Unwilling to witness their affection any longer, I turned around and went home to pack. But as soon as I walked in, I noticed the photo of Atharv and me was missing from the wall. In its place was a cute picture of Ada’s pet. I recognized that dog instantly—it was the same one from Atharv’s phone wallpaper.

In the end, his affection had never shifted. He’d always loved her. I was just a placeholder. Not that it mattered anymore. Our engagement was always a formality, a mate pairing contract born out of necessity rather than fate. I had only come back to retrieve the Victorian-style dress my grandmother, Holly, had crafted for me.

Atharv returned then—I didn’t even need to look to know it was him. His alpha aura filled the room, heavy and oppressive. With a disdainful snort, he knocked the dress from my hands, his voice dripping with contempt. "Getting sentimental, are we?"

"Why did you upset Ada? She’s the heiress of the Wright family. You’re just an Omega. How could you possibly compare?"

His words cut deeper than I cared to admit, but I held my ground, my wolf stirring faintly in the back of my mind, a quiet growl of defiance. I wouldn’t let him see how much it hurt. Not again.