Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

The antiseptic smell of the pack clinic usually brought me comfort. Today, it only heightened my senses as I stepped through the sliding glass doors for my routine Luna visit. Dr. Elena Frost had requested I stop by to discuss the upcoming full moon ceremony's medical preparations—a task that should have been straightforward.

Instead, my wolf Luna immediately bristled within me.

*She's here.*

I didn't need to ask who. The jasmine and rose scent hit me like a physical force, making my nostrils flare and my eyes narrow. Giovanna.

"Good morning, Luna Carolina," Dr. Frost greeted me, her expression professionally neutral. "I've prepared those reports you requested."

"Thank you," I replied, my voice steady despite my wolf's growing agitation. "Were you expecting anyone else today?"

Dr. Frost hesitated, just long enough for me to notice. "Just the usual check-ups. Nothing out of the ordinary."

A door opened down the hall, and Giovanna emerged from one of the examination rooms. Our eyes locked immediately.

She looked exactly as I remembered—beautiful in that calculated way, with her dark hair falling in perfect waves and her smile revealing teeth too sharp for comfort. But something was different. Her scent was stronger, more deliberate.

"Luna Carolina," she purred, gliding toward me with the confidence of someone who believed they'd already won. "What a surprise."

My wolf surged forward, nearly breaking through my skin. I felt my eyes flash gold as Luna fought for control.

"What are you doing here, Giovanna?" I kept my voice low, aware of Dr. Frost's presence.

"Just some important pack business." Her smile widened. "I've been meeting with certain Alphas about... various matters."

The emphasis she placed on "Alphas" made my stomach clench. She was talking about Dylan. My mate.

"I'm afraid I don't recall seeing any visitors scheduled in the pack logs," I said, fighting to maintain my composure.

"Some meetings are too important for logs." She stepped closer, her scent overwhelming now. "Some bonds run deeper than paper trails."

My wolf snarled, and I felt my nails lengthening into claws. "You're trespassing on pack territory."

"Am I?" She glanced at Dr. Frost, who looked uncomfortably away. "I have permission to be here. From someone who matters."

Before I could respond, she brushed past me, her shoulder deliberately touching mine. "Give my regards to your Alpha," she whispered.

---

I found Dylan in his office later that afternoon, hunched over territory maps with Marcus. They both looked up when I entered without knocking.

"Carolina," Dylan said, his tone carefully neutral. "We're in the middle of something."

"It can wait," Marcus said quickly, gathering his papers. "Luna, Alpha."

After he left, I closed the door firmly behind him. "Giovanna was at the clinic today."

Dylan's scent shifted—alarm mingled with something else. Guilt? "What did she want?"

"That's what I'm asking you." I moved closer, watching his face. "She mentioned meetings with 'certain Alphas.' Your mother's birthday celebration is next week. Is she invited?"

"Carolina, you're being paranoid." He wouldn't meet my eyes, focusing instead on straightening papers that were already aligned. "Giovanna has pack connections. It's not unusual for her to visit."

"She's marking our territory," I insisted. "Those ducks—they're hers, aren't they? Some kind of reminder?"

"This is ridiculous." He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "You're making connections where none exist. First the ducks, now this? What's next?"

"The truth," I said quietly. "What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything." But his eyes darted to the door, then back to his desk. "You're being controlling. This isn't like you."

"Don't." I stepped closer. "Don't try to make this about me. I'm not paranoid or controlling. I'm your Luna. I can sense when something's wrong."

"Maybe you should trust me instead of your instincts," he snapped.

"And maybe you should remember who you're mated to," I countered.

He turned away, his shoulders tense. "I have work to do."

---

That night, my phone chimed with a message from an unknown number. My hands trembled as I opened it.

A photo loaded on my screen—Dylan, sleeping peacefully in what looked like a hotel room. His hair was tousled, his shirt unbuttoned. And on the pillow beside him, a single yellow rubber duck.

My breath caught as I read the accompanying message:

"Some bonds run deeper than Moon Goddess magic."

The phone nearly slipped from my fingers as the implications sank in. This wasn't just a taunt—this was proof. Someone had been close enough to Dylan to take this photo. Someone had access to him in his most vulnerable moments.

Someone who wasn't me.

My wolf howled inside me, a sound of betrayal and rage that echoed through my bones.

I stared at the photo until my vision blurred, memorizing every detail—the hotel room's generic beige walls, the way Dylan's hand rested on the duck, as if even in sleep he clung to it.

To her.

The message was clear: Giovanna wasn't just making a play for my mate. She already had him.