Rejected When Life-Saving Herbs Became Rabbit Food

My father's health has finally improved.

It has been a month since Silas and I completed the rejection ceremony, severing our mate bond. The formal words still echo in my mind, sharp and final: "I, Silas Watson, Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Mila, as my mate." The bond had burned through me like wildfire, leaving behind only ashes and a hollow ache in my chest.

After finalizing the paperwork for my return to the pack's healing center, I ran into Silas and Phoenix Montgomery as I was leaving the packhouse. Phoenix was wearing Silas's jacket, the dark fabric draped over her shoulders like a claim.

"Luna Mila," she said, her voice dripping with faux concern, "I accidentally spilled some wolfsbane extract on my clothes in the training grounds, and Alpha Silas was worried about the potential harm, so he lent me his jacket."

I looked at Silas silently, my gaze steady despite the turmoil churning within me. My wolf whimpered faintly in the back of my mind, a soft, pained sound. I nodded, unwilling to engage. Just as I was about to step around them and leave, Phoenix spoke again.

"Luna Mila, where are you headed? Aren’t you here for the farewell party Alpha Silas and I are having?"

Farewell party?

I frowned slightly, confusion clear in my eyes. Phoenix noticed my reaction and pretended to be surprised.

"Alpha Silas and I are heading to the northern territories in three days. The pack has arranged a farewell gathering for us. Didn’t Alpha Silas mention it to you?"

"I came across the rejection papers in Alpha Silas’s office a few days ago. I thought you two were joking. Is it real?"

Phoenix’s voice was loud enough for those heading to the dining hall to hear, and their eyes fell on Silas and me in disbelief. We had been the pack’s model pair, the Alpha and Luna who seemed inseparable. The murmurs began immediately, whispers of shock and curiosity rippling through the crowd.

Hearing the murmurs, Silas frowned and walked over to me, draping his jacket over my shoulders. His Alpha aura, usually so commanding, felt distant and cold.

"I’ve been caught up with pack responsibilities these past few days and forgot to mention the gathering. Since you’re here, why not join us?"

The dining hall was filled with pack members whom I had known for years, so I didn’t want to spoil the mood. At the gathering, Silas sat with Professor Judson Murphy, the pack’s senior Healer, on his left, while Phoenix naturally took the seat on his right. I found a random spot, ignoring Silas’s searching gaze.

This was the first time Silas and I were sitting so far apart in such a setting.

"Luna Mila," Professor Murphy said, his tone respectful but warm, "I heard your father’s health is improving. I’ve been so tied up with pack healings lately that I haven’t had the chance to visit."

Silas heard this and glanced over too. All this time, he hadn’t once asked about my father’s condition. Yet, when he was caught up in a controversy over misallocated pack resources, it was my father who vouched for him, proving his innocence and saving his position as Alpha.

"Yes, he’s much better. He shouldn’t have major issues for the next few years."

Phoenix, overhearing, turned to me with a tone of mock surprise.

"Luna Mila, where did you find the medicine? If there’s any spare, could you share some with me? The supplements Alpha Silas got at the pack auction last time were a hit with my pet rabbit, Fluffy."

Her words hung in the air, a subtle reminder of where Silas’s priorities had lain. The rare ingredients I had painstakingly acquired for my father’s recovery, Phoenix had fed to her pet. I clenched my fists under the table, my wolf growling softly in my mind, but I kept my expression neutral.

"Unfortunately, the medicine is specific to my father’s condition," I replied calmly. "I’m sure Alpha Silas can find something else for Fluffy."

Silas’s gaze flickered to me, a flicker of something—guilt, perhaps—crossing his face, but he said nothing. The meal continued, the distance between us growing with each passing moment.