Betrayed by My Alpha Mate

The summons came at midnight, a formal request from my Alpha that couldn't be ignored. I'd been preparing for tomorrow's Phoenix Summit announcement for months, my fingers tracing the roster predictions posted on the pack house bulletin board earlier that day. My name had been at the top, alongside Nash's—as it should be. We were the Moonveil Pack's premier mated warrior pair, destined for greatness.

But something in Nash's message felt wrong. *My office. Now. Alone.*

I smoothed my training gear—still damp with sweat from evening drills—and made my way through the silent corridors of the pack house. The moonlight streaming through the high windows cast long shadows across the polished floors, making my footsteps echo with an ominous rhythm.

Nash stood by his desk, his broad shoulders tense beneath his white Alpha shirt. He didn't look at me when I entered, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the window.

"You wanted to see me?" I kept my voice steady, though my wolf, Emma, stirred uneasily within me.

"Jessica." He finally turned, and the nervous energy rolling off him made Emma whimper. "There's been a change to the Summit roster."

The world tilted. "What kind of change?"

"I'm giving your position to Veronica."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I staggered back, my hand catching the edge of his desk to steady myself.

"Veronica?" My voice cracked. "But she only returned to the pack last month. She hasn't even completed basic reintegration training."

Nash ran his hand through his dark hair, a gesture I'd once found endearing. Now it just seemed like he was stalling.

"She has... special circumstances." His eyes darted away from mine. "Her wolf suffered severe trauma during her time away from the pack. The healers say the sacred energies at the Phoenix Summit are her only hope for recovery."

Emma howled in anguish inside me, the sound echoing through my mind with such force that I pressed my palm against my temple.

"You're taking my position—my *earned* position—and giving it to your former chosen mate?" The words tasted bitter, each one cutting my tongue like glass.

"It's not like that." But his defensiveness only confirmed what I already knew.

We'd built something incredible together, Nash and I. From the moment our mate bond snapped into place, we'd been unstoppable—training together, fighting together, rising through the ranks as the pack's golden couple.

And now he was throwing it all away.

---

That night, I couldn't sleep. Nash had taken the guest room, claiming he needed to "process," leaving me alone with my thoughts and Emma's mournful whimpers.

I reached for our mate bond, that sacred connection that had once felt like coming home.

*Nash?* I pushed my consciousness through the link, feeling the familiar warmth of his presence.

*Jessica.* His response was guarded, distant.

*How could you do this?* My mental voice broke. *Everything we've worked for—everything we've built together—you're just throwing it away for her.*

I felt his anger flare through the