When My Alpha Rejected Me, I Transformed

I stood in the grand hall of the Moonstone Pack house, my eyes fixed on the polished marble floor as Alpha Alexander's voice boomed through the space. The massive chandelier above seemed to tremble with each word he hurled at me, each syllable another knife to my already shattered heart.

"If you can't even prepare a proper welcome feast for Victoria's return, what use are you to this pack?" Alexander's voice cut through the air, sharp and cold. "Perhaps it's time I finally follow through with the rejection ritual. Would that motivate you to be less of a disappointment?"

I kept my face carefully blank, years of practice allowing me to hide the storm raging inside. This was the fourth rejection threat this month alone. The hundredth since I became his Luna three years ago.

"I apologize, Alpha," I said softly, the words so familiar they felt etched into my tongue. "The preparations will be completed by tomorrow morning. I promise."

He scoffed, his amber eyes narrowing as he looked down at me. Even after three years as mates, he never looked at me with anything but contempt.

"Victoria would have had everything perfect weeks ago," he said, his voice softening slightly at the mention of my sister. "She understands what it means to be a proper Luna."

The irony wasn't lost on me. Victoria, my adoptive sister, who had never actually been a Luna, somehow knew better than I did what the role entailed. The same Victoria who had stolen the credit for saving Alexander's life during the rogue attack—the attack that had cost me my wolf.

"Victoria's flight lands tomorrow evening," Alexander continued, pacing the length of the hall. "She's been having those anxiety attacks again. The European pack says they're getting worse."

I nodded dutifully, though I knew the truth. Victoria had never had a single genuine anxiety attack in her life. It was all an elaborate performance, one that had successfully kept her tied to my mate for years.

"I'll make sure everything is perfect for her arrival," I promised, my voice steady despite the trembling of my hands, hidden in the folds of my dress.

"See that you do." Alexander's eyes raked over me dismissively. "Or this time, I won't just threaten the rejection."

With that, he turned and stalked away, leaving me alone in the cavernous hall, surrounded by the suffocating silence that always followed his departures.

Something inside me finally snapped.

* * *

Moonlight streamed through the window of my small room as I carefully packed a single satchel. Not that I had much to take—three years as the unwanted Luna had taught me to live with very little. A change of clothes, a small photo of my parents before they'd revealed their true nature, and the silver pendant that had been with me since before I could remember.

My hands shook as I penned the note, tears blurring my vision and occasionally dropping onto the paper, smudging the ink.

*Alexander,*

*For