When He Rejected Me for My Sister, I Mated His Alpha Brother

After hearing rumors of my unattractive appearance, Omar Taylor hastily rejected our mate bond, turning his attention to my alluring stepsister instead. Left with no other choice, I was forced to accept a mate bond with his cold and distant older brother.

"The ugly girl and the sickly Alpha—a match made by the Moon Goddess herself," they mocked.

We became the laughingstock of the pack overnight.

But when Omar came to offer his respects after the marking ceremony, his eyes lingered on me, unspoken regret flickering in his gaze.

Ryker, my mate, stood beside me, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Brother," he said smoothly, "pay your respects to your Luna."

---

After the official announcement of Omar’s mate bond with Mikayla Hoffman, the Taylor pack spared no expense in preparing for their union. Gifts and offerings flowed into her quarters, nearly overflowing her chambers. The entire pack buzzed with excitement, servants and warriors alike bustling with joy.

Meanwhile, my own quarters remained silent, untouched by the festivities.

"Alpha Iliana," one of the pack’s older Omegas sneered as she delivered the news, "it’s clear you couldn’t capture Omar’s heart. Not like Mikayla. The moment he caught her scent, he was smitten. Twenty-eight crates of gifts! Who else in the pack would go to such lengths for a mate?"

Her words were meant to sting, and they did. Omar had been promised to me by his mother, Davina Diaz, my late mother’s closest friend.

My mother, a noblewoman from the Oliver pack, had defied her family to marry my father, a scholar with little status. She never complained about the hardships of their life, dedicating herself to raising me and caring for my father’s family.

But when my father rose through the ranks and gained favor with the Lycan King, he grew tired of her reserved nature. He brought in a chosen mate, a cunning and manipulative woman who quickly won his affection. My mother, bound by the traditions of her upbringing, couldn’t compete.

Heartbroken and betrayed, she fell ill. On her deathbed, she reached out to Davina, the Alpha Queen of the Taylor pack, to secure my future.

Davina, a fierce and loyal friend, held my mother’s hand as she spoke her final words.

"You’ve always been so strong, so steadfast," Davina said, her voice thick with emotion. "But this... this was a mistake."

My mother smiled weakly. "My time is over, but Iliana is still young. Without me, this pack will devour her."

Davina understood immediately. "She will be my Luna," she vowed. "No one will take that from her."

Yet here I was, the rejected mate of Omar, bound instead to his brother Ryker—the Alpha who had always been seen as weak and distant. The pack whispered behind my back, and even the Omegas dared to mock me.

But as I stood beside Ryker, his aura steady and commanding, I felt a flicker of something I hadn’t expected. Perhaps this wasn’t the end of my story, but