Rejected by the Alpha, Embraced by Fate

The scent of vanilla and cinnamon filled the cottage kitchen as I pulled the small birthday cake from the oven. Twenty-five candles—I'd counted them twice, my hands trembling slightly as I arranged them in neat rows. Today was supposed to be different. Today, Joaquin had promised, would finally be the day we completed our marking ceremony.

Seven years. Seven years of waiting, of being patient, of understanding why an Alpha needed time to make such an important decision. The mate bond thrummed beneath my skin, that constant pull toward him that had defined my existence since I'd returned to pack life at eighteen. Late bloomer, they'd called me then. The girl who hadn't shifted until the scandal broke, revealing I was the true Alpha's daughter, switched at birth with June Price.

I smoothed my hands over the deep blue dress I'd chosen carefully—Joaquin's favorite color. The fabric hugged my curves in all the right places, and I'd spent an hour perfecting the loose waves in my dark hair. Everything had to be perfect for tonight.

The front door opened with a familiar creak, and my heart leaped. His scent reached me first—pine and leather, with that underlying musk that made my wolf purr with contentment. But something was off. The usual warmth was muted, replaced by something that made my stomach clench with unease.

"Alani?" Joaquin's voice carried from the entryway, formal in a way that made my skin prickle.

"In the kitchen!" I called back, forcing brightness into my tone as I lit the candles with shaking fingers.

When he appeared in the doorway, my breath caught. Even after all these years, Joaquin Morgan commanded attention without effort. Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair that perpetually looked like he'd run his fingers through it and those piercing green eyes that could make me forget my own name. Tonight, though, those eyes held something that made my chest tight with dread.

"Happy birthday to me," I whispered, gesturing to the cake with a smile that felt brittle on my lips.

He didn't smile back. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair—a tell I'd learned meant he was about to deliver bad news. My wolf whimpered, sensing the shift in his energy.

"We need to talk." His voice was gentle, but there was steel underneath that made my knees weak.

"Can it wait? I thought maybe we could—" I gestured vaguely between us, hope clinging to my words like morning mist.

"Alani." The way he said my name, soft but final, made the candle flames blur through sudden tears. "Sit down."

I remained standing, my hands gripping the counter behind me. "Just say it, Joaquin. Whatever it is, just say it."

He took a step closer, and I caught another scent clinging to him—something floral and cloying that definitely wasn't mine. My wolf snarled, recognizing the threat before my conscious mind could process it.

"June is back." Two words that shattered my world like glass.

June Price. The woman who'd