Rejected by My Fated Alpha

Sterling found me on the edge of the Rogue territory, my body covered in the scars left by the Silver Moon Pack's brutal punishment—thirty-two lashes that had stripped me raw. He carried me back to the Silver Moon Pack, his hands gentle as they brushed over the wounds. "Cleo," he murmured, his voice soft but firm. "You are not what they say you are. You are not your mother."

Everyone whispered about my mother, Jasmine Jordan, the Omega who had dared to catch the Lycan King's eye. They called her a traitor, a disgrace. But Sterling didn’t see me that way. He gave me a place in his pack, treated me with respect, and told me, "You are the purest soul I’ve ever known."

It was easy to fall for him after that. So easy that when he was poisoned with a potent aphrodisiac during a rogue attack, I didn’t hesitate to offer myself to him. His lips were desperate against mine, his hands trembling as he held me close. I thought it was love.

But when he woke, the look in his eyes shattered me. He slapped me—hard—and his voice was cold, sharp. "Cleo, how could you be so reckless? So... like your mother?"

His words cut deeper than any lash ever could. And then his mate, Saige, came for me. She shoved me into the freezing waters of the Moonless Creek, her laughter ringing in my ears as I struggled to stay afloat. Sterling watched from the shore, his expression unreadable. "You brought this on yourself," he said, his voice devoid of any warmth.

That was the moment I knew. I was nothing to him.

---

“Cleo, are you sure about this? The Blood Moon Cavern is a death sentence. The rogues there will tear you apart. Why not accept the offer to join the Red Pack as a subordinate? At least you’d have some protection.”

I looked up at Jenesis Berry, the former Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, Sterling’s mother. Her tone was soft, almost maternal, but I wasn’t fooled. She had always been calculating, always looking out for her own interests.

I shivered, still soaked from the creek, my body trembling with cold and exhaustion. “Luna Jenesis,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “The Red Pack’s Alpha is mated to the Lycan Queen’s daughter. You know as well as I do that she would never let me live. Not after what my mother did.”

Her eyes flickered with something—guilt?—but she quickly masked it, sighing dramatically. “Your mother’s actions brought this on herself. What else can you expect?”

My mother, Jasmine, the Omega who had dared to love the Lycan King. She had been executed for it, her body left to rot as a warning to others. I had been there, a child, forced to watch as the Lycan Queen, Kenna, had her torn apart. “This is what happens to those who forget their place,” Kenna had sneered, her voice dripping with venom.

I had been lucky to survive, though barely. Sterling had found me, bleeding and broken, and taken me in. He had been my savior, my protector. But now, he was just another person who had betrayed me.

---

When Sterling first brought me to the Silver Moon Pack, I had been terrified, cowering in the corners, hoarding scraps of food. “For my mother,” I would whisper, clutching the bread tightly. “She hasn’t eaten yet.”

The pack members laughed, but Sterling didn’t. He knelt beside me, his voice gentle. “Cleo, your mother is gone. But you’re not alone. I’ll take care of you. No one will hurt you again.”

He gave me clean clothes, taught me to stand tall, and held me when the storms came, his scent—warm and woodsy—comforting me in the darkness. I clung to him, desperate for the safety he offered.

But it was all a lie. The same man who had held me so tenderly was the one who now looked at me with disgust. “Cleo,” he said, his voice shaking with anger. “Why would you do this? Why would you lower yourself like this?”

I had no answer. Only the bitter realization that I had been a fool to believe in him.