Rejected by the False Alpha, Found by My True Mate

The afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of Quentin's office as I methodically sorted through the Silver Creek Pack alliance documents. As Luna, maintaining these records was part of my duty—a responsibility I'd carried faithfully for six years. The familiar scent of cedar and leather from Quentin's desk should have been comforting, but today something felt different.

I reached for a stack of territorial agreements, my fingers brushing against parchment that felt slightly damp with humidity. That's when it hit me—a scent so foreign yet achingly familiar that my wolf stirred restlessly within me. Roses and sandalwood, intertwined with Quentin's pine and earth in a way that made my stomach clench with recognition.

My hands trembled as I brought the documents closer, inhaling deeply despite every instinct screaming at me to stop. The scent combination was unmistakable—the kind of perfect harmony that only existed between true mates. But it wasn't my scent mingled with Quentin's.

Talia Grant.

The name blazed across the signature line like a brand against my retinas. Daughter of Alpha Grant from the Moonstone Pack. The woman whose cold blue eyes had always held a secret satisfaction whenever she looked at me during pack gatherings. The woman who made my skin crawl for reasons I'd never been able to explain.

I forced myself to read the territorial agreements with clinical detachment, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. These weren't standard alliance documents—they were intimate negotiations that could only be made between true mates. Shared hunting grounds, coordinated patrol schedules, resource exchanges that spoke of a bond deeper than political convenience.

Six years. Six years of believing I was Quentin's mate, of wearing the Luna title with pride, of building a life around what I thought was the Moon Goddess's blessing. Six years of raising Jaylen, of managing pack affairs, of lying beside a man who apparently belonged to someone else.

My wolf whimpered in confusion, and I pressed my palm against my chest where the mate bond should have been strongest. The connection I'd felt with Quentin had always seemed... muted somehow. I'd attributed it to his Alpha responsibilities, his tendency to keep emotional distance. But now, staring at evidence of his true bond with Talia, I realized I'd been living a lie.

The office door creaked, and I quickly shuffled the documents back into their folder, my hands shaking so badly I nearly dropped them. But Quentin didn't enter—just the sound of his footsteps passing in the hallway, probably heading to the training grounds.

I sank into his leather chair, the scent of roses and sandalwood still clinging to the papers like an accusation. How long had this been going on? Had Quentin been seeing Talia secretly while I played the dutiful Luna? Or worse—had I been the other woman all along, unknowingly stealing another she-wolf's rightful place?

The thought of Jaylen made my chest tighten with protective fury. My six-year-old son, who called Quentin 'Papa' with such trust and love. What would