When He Rejected Me for My Sister, I Mated His Alpha Brother

The matchmaker, her face flushed with frustration, still refused to back down.

"How could this be? Does the Alpha truly have his eyes set on the eldest daughter?" she scoffed, her voice laced with disbelief.

The attendant stepped aside, turning to me with a respectful bow.

"Alpha Ryker has instructed me to convey his message to you, Miss Iliana. He acknowledges his physical frailty and worries he may not fulfill his duties as a mate to the fullest. Therefore, he has prepared additional gifts to ensure you are not slighted in any way."

He paused, his tone careful yet firm. "Should you find his condition unsuitable and wish to pursue another, he will not stand in your way. Instead, he will prepare another lavish gift and, in the name of the Taylor pack, send you off with the utmost honor."

The room fell silent, the matchmaker's face twisting as if she'd swallowed something bitter. She had no retort left.

"Miss Iliana," the attendant continued, "Alpha Ryker and his father are waiting in the hall for your response."

Ryker Taylor, the Alpha of the Taylor pack, had been raised under the care of my late aunt. If not for his fragile health, I would have been his mate from the start. Now, fate had circled us back to one another.

In this world, a female werewolf’s life is often dictated by the mate she chooses. The greatest measure of success lies in securing a considerate, ambitious mate and raising a family that thrives. From the way the Taylor pack had stepped forward to defend me today, it seemed my mother’s gamble had paid off.

If I refused now, my father, swayed by his chosen mate’s venomous words, would likely cast me out to live as a rogue, dooming me to a life of misery.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I retreated to my room to change into something more presentable, preparing to face Ryker.

As I entered the hall, the shrill voice of my stepmother, Davina Diaz, filled the air. She was relentless in her attempts to undermine me.

"Alpha Desmond," she said, her tone sweet but laced with poison, "Iliana is stubborn and difficult to manage. How could she possibly serve as the Luna of the Taylor pack?"

Alpha Desmond, Ryker’s father, calmly sipped his tea, ignoring her entirely. Davina, realizing her words had fallen on deaf ears, turned to my father, her eyes pleading.

My father, always quick to side with Davina, chimed in. "Indeed, my daughter is not fit for such a role. Perhaps, Alpha Desmond, you should consider another..."

I stepped forward, cutting him off.

"Father," I said, my voice steady despite the weight of the moment, "I am willing to accept Alpha Ryker as my mate."

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to me as I stood behind the screen. My voice carried clearly as I continued.

"The bond between the Oliver and Taylor packs was the wish of my mother and Alpha Desmond’s late Luna. If I become the Luna of the Taylor pack, I believe they would rejoice in the afterlife."

Davina’s face turned ashen, her fingers tightening around her handkerchief until her knuckles turned white.

Not long ago, she had been smug about her own daughter’s engagement to Ryker’s younger brother, Omar. But now, the disparity in our dowries was glaring—while Mikayla had received only twenty-eight boxes, I was offered forty-eight. And to make matters worse, Alpha Desmond and Ryker had personally come to deliver the gifts.

This was a public declaration that the Taylor pack valued me, the eldest daughter, far more than my stepsister. Davina, who thrived on appearances, was now being humiliated in front of everyone.

The satisfaction of her defeat was fleeting, however, as the weight of my decision settled over me. I was stepping into a role that would demand more than I had ever given, and the future stretched before me like an uncharted forest.