Rejected By The Alpha Who Vowed Forever

The day Zaiden and I officially became mates, he suddenly proposed a promise.

He held my hand tightly, his voice low but intense. "Jolene, no matter what I do in the future, give me one chance to make it right. Please."

I didn’t understand why he would say such a thing, but I agreed.

Eight years later, his chosen mate, Scarlett, knelt outside our packhouse, her swollen belly a glaring symbol of betrayal.

The man who had vowed to never take another mate now cradled her fragile form, his voice laced with anger. "Jolene, you’ve been unable to give me a pup for eight years. Are you trying to kill the heir Scarlett carries?"

My eyes welled with tears, my fingers brushing against the rejection letter I’d hidden beneath my pillow.

In the next moment, a flash of white light filled my vision, and there stood Zaiden, the eighteen-year-old version of him. "Jolene," he said, his voice trembling. "You promised me one chance, didn’t you?"

---

I clutched the rejection letter, tears spilling down my cheeks.

Seeing me like this, Zaiden’s expression faltered. He hesitated, his hand reaching out as if to touch me.

"Jolene, I didn’t mean it like that… In my heart, you’ve always been the one I love. Taking Scarlett as my chosen mate was just to satisfy the pack’s expectations."

But then Scarlett let out a soft cough, and Zaiden immediately withdrew his hand, his attention shifting to her.

"Alpha," she murmured, her voice weak. "The pup… it hurts."

Zaiden panicked, scooping her up and rushing out the door.

Over his shoulder, he tossed a careless command. "Tomorrow is Scarlett’s official mark ceremony. She has no family, so you’ll handle her arrangements. Make sure she’s treated with respect."

The pain in my chest was like a thousand needles piercing my heart.

"Did you see that?" I whispered, my tear-filled eyes locking onto the ghostly figure of the young Zaiden.

He stood frozen, his familiar combat uniform hanging on his broad frame, the scent mark I’d woven for him still tied to his belt.

His hands trembled as he tried to reach for me, his eyes bloodshot.

"Jolene, this can’t be true! How could I love anyone but you?"

His hand passed through me, leaving only a faint trail of light.

I laughed bitterly, pulling up my sleeve to reveal the deep scars on my arm.

Zaiden and I had grown up together. I became his Luna the moment I came of age.

My mother was an Omega, and to marry me, Zaiden had knelt at the gates of the Lycan King’s territory for a day and night, his knees bleeding.

Back then, his eyes had been full of love. "Jolene, I promise you. Whatever I say, I’ll make it happen."

And he did. He gave me a grand mark ceremony, treating me like a treasure.

But by the fifth year, he’d already taken Scarlett as his chosen mate.

The day my packmate told me she’d seen