Rejected Mate's Revenge

The familiar scent of pine and earth should have welcomed me home, but something felt wrong the moment I stepped out of my car. After three days helping the neighboring Moonridge Pack with their injured warriors, all I wanted was to rest in the sanctuary of my inherited territory—the main lodge that had been in my family for generations.

But as I approached the grand wooden structure nestled in the heart of Silver Creek Pack's domain, my wolf Luna stirred uneasily within me. *Something's not right,* she whispered, her anxiety bleeding into my consciousness.

The front door stood wide open, and unfamiliar laughter echoed from within. My hand instinctively moved to my still-flat belly, protecting the precious life growing there. At three months pregnant, my senses had become sharper, more attuned to threats.

I stepped inside and froze.

The former Luna, Jamison's mother, sat regally in my grandmother's antique chair, directing two pack members as they moved furniture. Her silver hair was perfectly coiffed, and she wore the expression of someone completely at home. Beside her, Xiomara Castillo—Wells' chosen mate—lounged on my family's heirloom sofa, painting her nails a blood-red color that made my stomach turn.

"Excuse me." My voice cut through their casual conversation. "What exactly is happening here?"

The former Luna looked up with those cold blue eyes that had never shown me warmth. "Esperanza, dear. How was your little healing trip?"

The dismissive tone in her voice made my jaw clench. "This is my territory. My inherited land. Why are you moving furniture?"

Xiomara's laugh was like breaking glass. "Oh, sweetie, didn't anyone tell you? This is our temporary residence now. Wells and I need somewhere more... appropriate for our status."

"Temporary?" I stepped further into the room, my wolf's protective instincts flaring. The scent markers throughout the lodge had been deliberately altered—they were claiming this space. "This property belongs to me. It was left to me by my grandmother."

"Was being the operative term," the former Luna said smoothly, rising from the chair with practiced grace. "Things change, dear. Pack needs evolve."

My heart began to race. "What are you talking about?"

Xiomara set down her nail polish and stood, her movements predatory. "Listen, Esperanza, I know pregnancy hormones can make she-wolves... unstable. But you can't just waltz in here making demands like some rogue trying to seduce another she-wolf's mate."

The accusation hit me like a physical blow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard her," the former Luna interjected, her voice gaining that authoritative edge she'd perfected during her years as Luna. "Your behavior lately has been concerning. Questioning pack decisions, challenging authority. Perhaps your condition is affecting your judgment."

Rage built in my chest, hot and fierce. "My condition? I'm carrying the future heir of this pack!"

"Are you?" Xiomara's voice dripped with false concern. "Because the way you've been acting, throwing yourself at Wells, trying to undermine pack unity... it makes one wonder about your fitness as Luna."

The room spun slightly. They were twisting everything, making me sound like the problem. "I have never—"

"Haven't you?" The former Luna circled me like a predator. "Always questioning Jamison's decisions, always putting your wants above pack needs. And now this territorial dispute. It's quite telling."

My hands shook with suppressed fury. "This isn't a dispute. This is theft."

"Theft?" Xiomara gasped dramatically. "How dare you accuse Wells of such a thing! He's Beta of this pack, devoted to its welfare. Unlike some people who only care about their own inherited privileges."

I needed to find Jamison. He would straighten this out. He had to.

I turned and headed for his office, ignoring their continued whispers behind me. The familiar space felt foreign as I rifled through his desk drawers, searching for anything that might explain this madness.

Then I found them.

Legal documents bearing official pack seals. Transfer of ownership papers dated three months ago—right around the time I'd discovered I was pregnant. My name crossed out, Wells Dixon's name written in its place. Jamison's signature bold and decisive at the bottom.

My legs gave out, and I sank into his chair, staring at the papers that destroyed everything I thought I knew about my mate.

Three months. He'd been planning this for three months.

The office door opened, and Jamison walked in, his Alpha presence filling the room. When he saw me holding the documents, his face went carefully blank.

"Esperanza."

"Explain this." My voice was barely above a whisper.

He ran a hand through his dark hair—a gesture I'd once found endearing. "It's for the pack's stability. Wells needed—"

"You transferred my inheritance without my consent." I stood slowly, the papers trembling in my hands. "Sacred mate bond laws require both partners' agreement for property transfers. You violated our bond."

"I did what was necessary for pack unity," he said, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. "Wells can better utilize the territory for training grounds. It serves the greater good."

The betrayal cut deeper than any physical wound. "The greater good? Or your brother's greed?"

Jamison's jaw tightened. "You're being emotional. The pregnancy is affecting your judgment."

There it was again—the dismissal, the reduction of my legitimate concerns to hormonal instability. I stared at the man I'd mated with, the father of my unborn child, and saw a stranger.

"For pack stability and unity," I repeated his words back to him. "Is that what you call betraying your mate?"