After My Mate Chose His Brother's Widow

When my mate’s widowed sister-in-law moved into our pack, Stephen presented me with a rejection letter while I was three months pregnant.

“Marley’s pup is still young,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “Without someone to care for her, she’ll be vulnerable to the cruelty of others. As her brother-in-law, I can’t turn a blind eye.”

I didn’t argue. Instead, I nodded quietly and accepted.

Stephen’s relief was palpable. That very night, he slipped into Marley’s room.

The sounds of their intimacy—her soft moans, the creak of the bed—echoed through the packhouse until dawn. I sat alone outside, the cold biting into my skin, until the first light of morning. Then, I instructed Nori to prepare a cup of wolfsbane tea.

In my past life, I had refused Stephen’s rejection. I had even threatened to end my life outside the Lycan King’s palace to preserve our bond.

Though I had kept our marriage intact, it wasn’t long before Marley, a young widow, caught the attention of a rogue.

Her screams had lasted for three days and nights. By the time Stephen arrived, she was already gone.

He blamed me. When we returned to the pack, he spread rumors that I had betrayed him with a rival pack’s Alpha, tarnishing my name.

I was sent to the pack’s borderlands, where I was subjected to the cruelty of the warriors. I lost our pup and bled out in the snow.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment Stephen handed me the rejection letter.

---

I calmly took the letter and signed my name without hesitation.

The moment the ink dried, Stephen snatched it from me, his eyes scanning the document with relief.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window.

It was the first day of spring, yet a sudden snowstorm had blanketed the pack territory. The heavy snowfall muted the world outside, the air so still it felt suffocating.

Stephen cleared his throat, perhaps realizing his eagerness was unseemly. “Valentina,” he began, his tone formal, “thank you for understanding.”

He paused, then added, “Once Marley’s pup is older, I can still make you my chosen mate.”

His words were laced with condescension, as if he expected me to be grateful for the offer.

His expression darkened, and his voice took on a warning edge. “Also, it’s best if you don’t speak of this rejection to anyone. It could cause unnecessary trouble.”

I nodded quietly. “Of course.”

He was afraid my father, Julien Watson, a high-ranking Gamma, would seek retribution from the Alpha King.

Stephen left without another word, his car disappearing into the snowstorm.

The cold bit into my skin, numbing me to the point where even a bitter smile felt stiff.

Love and indifference—how stark the contrast.

---

The next day, I decided to take a walk through the pack territory.

But I hadn’t gone far before I overheard whispers about my supposed infidelity with a rival pack’s Alpha.

A