Rejected by the Alpha’s Choice

By the time I arrived at the hospital with the stew, the first light of dawn was already breaking. The room was empty, and no one responded to my calls. Reluctantly, I dialed Jay, Kingsley’s Delta assistant.

“Luna Josephine? Alpha Kingsley took Beta Angel to Brighton, said they needed a break.”

The weight of his words crashed over me like a tidal wave. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, sensing the betrayal before I could fully process it. I made my way back to the den, each step heavier than the last. Just before I lost consciousness, I instinctively shielded my belly. My pup.

When I woke, I was lying in a hospital bed, an IV attached to my hand. Both arms were immobile, so I stared at the ceiling, feeling the dull ache of emptiness. With some difficulty, I unlocked my phone and saw dozens of missed calls from Kingsley. A faint smile tugged at my lips as I prepared to call back.

Just then, the door swung open. Kingsley entered, his broad frame filling the doorway, his Alpha aura dominating the room. He looked tired, his usually sharp eyes softened by exhaustion. Behind him, Angel trailed in, her presence like a thorn in my side.

Kingsley visibly relaxed when he saw I was okay but couldn’t stop himself from scolding, “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well, Josephine? Beta Angel insisted we cut the trip short. She was worried about you.”

My heart sank. So, he only came back because Angel wanted to return?

Watching my tears fall, Angel’s smile widened triumphantly. She approached with feigned concern, her voice dripping with sweetness. “Don’t listen to Alpha Kingsley, Luna Josephine. He was worried about you; that’s why we came back.”

She curiously poked at the bandages on my hand, her touch light but deliberate. “But really, Luna Josephine, aren’t you being a bit too fragile? I got burned too, but I’m not making as much of a fuss as you.”

The jab sparked pain, and my hand lifted instinctively.

“Ah!” Angel stumbled back, pulling at my IV stand.

“I didn’t touch you!” I protested, desperate to prove my innocence to Kingsley. He helped Angel steady herself, his strong hands gentle on her arm, only to then strike me across the face with the full force of an Alpha.

A ringing filled my ears as my cheek swelled instantly. Kingsley’s gaze was full of concern for the small cut on Angel’s face, his voice soft as he comforted her.

Then he turned his anger on me, his Alpha tone sharp and cutting. “You vicious woman! Beta Angel came with good intentions, and this is how you treat her? She’s right, you’re so dramatic. I should have never come. It’s just a cold; it won’t kill you.”

With that, he left with Angel, their closeness a cruel reminder of what I had lost. I stared at my hand, bleeding from where the needle had scraped it.

You call me dramatic, but wasn’t it you who once cherished me like this? You promised me, right after our marking ceremony, that you’d never let me suffer, never let me feel wronged.

So why, why have you brought me nothing but pain and hurt?

Alpha Kingsley, what do you want me to do?

Amidst the chaos, a nurse chided me as she changed the IV, chatting with another nurse.

“Alpha Kingsley really dotes on his Beta. Such a tiny cut on her face, and he’s losing his mind.”

“Yes, and last time, she only had two red marks from hot water, and he called the entire medical team.”

“But doesn’t Beta Angel look like she’s only in her twenties?”

“Well, the wealthy always have good maintenance.”

Listening to them, I let out a bitter laugh.

“That’s because she’s not the Luna. She’s just the Beta,” I said.

The nurses looked at me as if I had uttered something blasphemous. The younger one couldn’t hold back, retorting quickly, “You must be jealous, sour grapes! You’re just envious of their love and beauty.”

The other nurse covered her mouth, apologizing before dragging her out.

I lifted my hand and looked at my noticeably swollen fingers, swollen from pregnancy. A wry smile tugged at my lips as tears flowed.

This pup seems to have come at the worst possible time.

Pup, why did you have to come now, when your daddy loves mommy the least?