Chapter 1 Rejected by My Mate

DAHLIA

“You believe me? You think I, the Alpha of the Moonshade Pack, would mark the ugliest she-wolf in the pack?”

Kael’s voice thundered through the room, deep and cold enough to freeze my heart. Each word cut through me like a sharpened blade.

“But you promised!” I shouted, though my voice shook as badly as my hands. “I’m your mate, Kael!”

He laughed, It was a cruel humorless sound that echoed in my ears.

“You have nothing to show for it,” he said bitterly, his golden eyes blazing with fury. “Two years, Dahlia! Two years, and no heir! You’re nothing but a barren, ugly mate.”

His words hit me harder than any physical blow. My throat burned as tears gathered in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of him. Kael’s expression was one of disgust, as if I were a curse the Moon Goddess had forced upon him.

Then, with one last glare, he turned away and slammed the door behind him. The sound echoed through the room, leaving an emptiness that made my chest ache.

He didn’t return that night.

It wasn’t unusual anymore.

Kael rarely touched me. In two years of being mated to him, I could count the times he had laid a hand on me. The night he found out I was his fated mate. It had been more of a duty than a choice, and last week, because he was drunk,

I hated my life. My mate despised me. My pack avoided me like I was cursed. It was as if every breath I took offended them.

Two years ago, I had believed the Moon Goddess had shown me mercy. When Kael, the powerful and feared Alpha of the Moonshade Pack, turned out to be my mate, I thought it meant a new beginning. I thought I’d finally escape my father’s cruelty, my stepmother’s constant ridicule and my stepsister, Sienna, who never missed a chance to remind me how ugly and worthless I was.

But I was wrong.

Kael had only accepted me because it was required by pack law because rejecting the Moon Goddess’s choice before the ceremony could bring a curse. He never loved me. He only tolerated my presence because it was what an Alpha was expected to do.

He had promised to take me to a healer who could remove the scar that marred my face, a scar I’d been born with. I had tried to heal it myself, tried every potion and healer I could find, but none worked. The scar remained, an ugly reminder of the life I couldn’t escape.

Now, Kael used it as a weapon.

The same man who once swore to protect me now looked at me like I was the reason his life was miserable.

He called me barren, ugly, and a disgrace.

All because I had dared to ask when our official marking ceremony would be held.

I stared at the empty room, the cake batter still on my fingers from earlier. I had been preparing his favorite, chocolate and red berries, the one he loved as a pup. It was supposed to be a peace offering. A reminder that I still cared, even when he didn’t.

But he hadn’t come home.

He didn’t come home the next morning either.

It was his birthday. Even if he hated me, I couldn’t just stay behind. I had to try one more time.

I packed the cake carefully, slipped on a simple blue dress, and headed outside. The pack driver looked startled when I told him where to take me.

“Luna… Are you sure you want to go to the headquarters today?” He asked quietly, his eyes darting away.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “Take me there.”

He hesitated before nodding and starting the engine. I noticed how stiff his posture was and how nervous he seemed, but I brushed it off. There were more important things to worry about.

When we arrived, I walked into the headquarters, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The receptionist glanced up, her expression faltering for a second before she forced a fake smile.

“Good morning, L… luna,” she stammered, the title sounding heavy on her tongue.

It was always like this. No one liked calling me Luna. To them, I wasn’t worthy of being their Alpha’s mate, not with my scar, not with my face.

“I’m here to see the Alpha,” I said.

Her eyes flickered with discomfort. “The Alpha is… in a meeting right now,” she said carefully. “With an alliance pack.”

Something in her tone felt off, but I ignored it. “Then I’ll wait,” I replied, my voice firm.

I started walking toward the elevator, but she reached out and gently grabbed my arm. “Luna, maybe you shouldn’t—”

“I said I’ll wait,” I interrupted, pulling away.

I rode the elevator to the top floor, my heart pounding in my chest. The silence was deafening. Something deep inside me whispered that I shouldn’t be there but I couldn’t leave. I needed to see him. I needed to understand why he was acting this way.

When I reached his office, I hesitated for only a second before turning the handle and pushing the door open.

The sight before me made my world crumble.

Kael was there, standing behind his desk his hands were tangled in Sienna’s hair as he kissed her passionately. My stepsister. The one who had tormented me all my life.

Her eyes fluttered open first. When she saw me, her lips curled into a smug, victorious smile.

“What are you doing here?” Kael’s voice snapped through the room as he pushed away from her.

My throat went dry. “What am I doing here? What is she doing here?”

He glared at me, his jaw tight. “It’s none of your business, Dahlia. Leave. I don’t even want to look at your face.”

“Dahlia, he said you should leave,” Sienna added, her tone dripping with mock sweetness. Then she placed a hand on her stomach, and my heart stopped.

No.

No, it couldn’t be.

My gaze darted between them. “Why are you…”

Kael turned to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a file. He tossed it at me. The bold letters across the top made my breath hitch.

Divorce Agreement.

I froze, unable to speak. My lips trembled as I forced the words out. “Kael… what is this?”

He met my gaze, his voice like stone. “Sienna is pregnant with my heir.”

My chest constricted. My entire body felt numb.

Without hesitation he added, “I, Kael Knighthood, Alpha of the Moonshade Pack, reject you, Dahlia Johnson, as my mate and Luna.”

The world tilted. My vision blurred. The papers slipped from my hands as my knees buckled.

The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me whole was Sienna’s smirk—triumphant, cruel, and dripping with satisfaction.