After My Mate Humiliated Me, the Rogue Claimed Me

The silk of my ceremonial gown whispered against my skin, a stark, pure white that seemed to glow under the twilight sky. I stood at the center of the Sacred Gathering, the ancient clearing where every Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack had taken a mate for generations. The air was thick with the scent of pine, damp earth, and the nervous anticipation of three hundred wolves watching their leader.

I am Charlotte Carter, the Alpha. I told myself this as I smoothed the fabric over my hips, trying to calm the tremor in my hands. It was a mantra I had repeated since my parents died, leaving me to shoulder the weight of the pack alone at twenty-two. Today was supposed to be the day that burden became lighter. Today, I would mark Cade Ross.

Cade stood opposite me, looking devastatingly handsome in his formal black suit. He was my Beta, my childhood friend, and the man I had chosen. Not because the Moon Goddess had pulled our souls together in a fated collision, but because he was safe. He was loyal. Or so I thought.

My wolf, Hera, paced restlessly in the back of my mind. *Something is wrong,* she growled, her hackles raised. *He smells like sour milk and deceit.*

"Quiet," I murmured internally, forcing a smile for the Elders standing in their hooded robes.

I looked at Cade, expecting to see the same nervous excitement mirroring my own. Instead, his jaw was clenched so tight a muscle ticked beneath his skin. He wasn't looking at me. His gaze kept darting over my shoulder, toward the edge of the crowd.

I followed his eyes. Gwen Scott.

She stood near the treeline, a low-ranking she-wolf with a penchant for drama. She was dabbing at perfectly dry eyes with a lace handkerchief, looking fragile and tragic. Why was my future mate staring at her while I stood before him, ready to bind our souls?

"Alpha Charlotte," Elder Marcus intoned, his voice raspy with age. "Do you accept Beta Cade as your partner in life and leadership?"

"I do," I said, my voice ringing out clear and strong, the voice of an Alpha.

"And do you, Beta Cade..."

Cade flinched. He looked at me then, but his eyes held no warmth. They were cold, hard flint.

"I do," he muttered, the words sounding like they were dragged out of him.

"Then seal the bond," the Elder commanded.

This was it. The Marking. I stepped forward, closing the small distance between us. My heart hammered against my ribs. I tilted my head, exposing my neck to him, waiting for the claim. But he didn't move. I frowned, confused, and leaned in toward him instead. My canines lengthened, sharp and ready to leave the mark of the Alpha on his shoulder.

Just as my breath ghosted over his skin, Cade shoved me.

It wasn't a playful push. His hands slammed into my shoulders with shocking force. I stumbled back, my heels catching in the soft grass, barely keeping my balance.

"Stop!" Cade shouted, his voice cracking like a whip across the silent clearing. "I can't do this!"

A collective gasp ripped through the pack. My face burned. "Cade? What are you doing? The ritual—"

"To hell with the ritual!" he roared, pointing a shaking finger toward the back of the crowd. "How can you stand here in your expensive dress, playing house, when Gwen's father is dying in the infirmary right now?"

My blood ran cold. "Mr. Scott? The Healers said his condition was stable this morning. Cade, this is the Mate Ceremony. We cannot stop the blessing of the Moon Goddess for—"

"Stable?" Gwen’s wail pierced the air. She threw herself forward, falling to her knees in the grass. "He's dying! And you don't care! You heartless monster!"

Murmurs broke out among the pack. I saw doubt flickering in the eyes of my people.

"Cade," I said, my voice dropping an octave, infused with the command of the Alpha. "This is a sacred rite. You will stand down and complete your duty. We will attend to the infirmary immediately after."

"Duty?" Cade sneered, stepping into my personal space. The smell of his aggression was pungent. "Is that all I am to you? A duty? A stud to secure your bloodline?"

"I command you to submit!" I bellowed, letting the Alpha aura flare. It should have brought him to his knees. It should have forced his neck bare.

But he didn't buckle.

Instead, his eyes flashed with a strange, unnatural light. He drew in a breath, and when he spoke, his voice boomed with a power that a Beta should not possess—a stolen, twisted echo of a command.

**"Sit down, Charlotte!"**

The force of his voice hit me like a physical blow to the chest. My knees locked, and then gave way. He shoved me again, harder this time.

I flew backward.

I landed hard in the mud that had gathered near the altar from the morning rain. The pristine white silk of my gown soaked up the filth instantly, turning heavy and gray. The impact knocked the wind out of me, leaving me gasping on the ground, my legs sprawled ungracefully.

Silence. Absolute, terrified silence.

I looked up, mud streaking my cheek. Cade loomed over me, looking like a giant against the darkening sky. He didn't offer a hand. He looked down at me with pure, unadulterated disgust.

"Look at you," he spat, loud enough for every wolf to hear. "Weak. Pathetic. You think because your daddy was Alpha, you deserve that title? You're nothing without a man to prop you up."

I tried to scramble up, my claws digging into the dirt, but the shock held my limbs heavy.

"If you don't learn your place, Charlotte," Cade hissed, leaning down so only I could see the malice dancing in his eyes, "I won't just stop the ceremony. I will reject you. And I will take this pack for myself."

He turned his back on me, marching toward Gwen, leaving his Alpha sitting in the dirt, the stain on my dress spreading like a bruise.