Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

When I was nineteen, during a scorching summer, I left everything behind to run away with Amazon. Through tears, the young Beta of the Blue Moon Pack promised he’d never let me down. Seven years later, in the heart of winter, I was diagnosed with a rare illness while Amazon celebrated Vienna’s birthday, his childhood friend and a Delta in the pack.

Leaving the pack’s healing center, I stepped into the season’s first snowfall, clutching the thin paper with my diagnosis in one hand and my phone in the other, debating whether to call Amazon. Our last conversation was still on the screen, dated a week ago. After Vienna returned from a neighboring pack’s territory, we had a big argument and had been giving each other the silent treatment. He barely came home anymore, his duties as Beta seemingly overshadowing everything else. Staring at my empty contact list, I realized I had no one to turn to. The healer’s words echoed in my mind—I had only a few months left to live.

After a long pause, I dialed Amazon’s number. The phone rang endlessly; unsurprisingly, no one picked up. Cold wind mixed with snowflakes hit my face, chilling me to the bone. I quickly pulled out a scarf to wrap around my neck. Maybe it was psychological, but ever since I got sick, I was much more sensitive to the cold. The scarf was a simple white one, with a cute little teddy bear carefully stitched at the end. Amazon had knitted it himself as a special gift for my eighteenth birthday. That winter, it was all the rage in our pack for mates to knit scarves for each other. I was hopeless with my hands, my fingers pricked red with every attempt. Amazon, worried, wouldn’t let me continue knitting. But on my birthday, he wrapped his own handmade scarf around my neck, marking it as a symbol of our mate bond.

The warmth from the scarf surrounded my neck, and suddenly, I felt an intense longing to see him. My wolf stirred within me, a quiet whimper of pain that I quickly silenced. I didn’t need her reminding me of the bond that still tied us together, even as it frayed at the edges.

I glanced back at the healing center, where Ashton, the pack’s Gamma, had been overseeing my treatment. His broad frame stood out even from a distance, his protective aura unmistakable. He had been a constant presence since my diagnosis, offering support in ways Amazon no longer did. But I couldn’t bring myself to burden him further. Not now.

The snow continued to fall, blanketing the pack territory in a soft white silence. I tightened the scarf around my neck, the familiar scent of Amazon—sandalwood and pine—lingering faintly on the fabric. It was a scent that had once brought me comfort, a reminder of the mate bond we had sworn to uphold. But now, it only deepened the ache in my chest.

I turned away from the healing center and began walking, my boots crunching against the snow. The path led toward the heart of the pack territory, where the grand hall stood as a testament to our hierarchy. I avoided it, knowing that inside, Amazon was likely celebrating with Vienna and the others, his role as Beta demanding his presence. The thought twisted something inside me, but I pushed it down, focusing instead on the quiet of the winter night.

As I walked, I couldn’t help but think of the life we had once dreamed of—the life we had promised each other when we were young and foolishly in love. The life that now felt like a distant memory, buried beneath the weight of his duties and my illness. The scarf around my neck was the only tangible reminder of what we had once been, and even that felt fragile, like it might unravel at any moment.

I stopped at the edge of the forest, where the trees stretched tall and dark against the snowy sky. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the faint howl of a wolf, a sound that once would have stirred my heart. Now, it only reminded me of what I had lost—and what I was about to lose.

My wolf stirred again, a soft, pleading whine that I ignored. I didn’t need her to tell me what I already knew. The bond between us was still there, a thread of connection that refused to break, even as it grew weaker with every passing day.

I wrapped the scarf tighter around me, the warmth of it a small comfort in the cold. And for a moment, I let myself imagine that Amazon was still the young Beta who had promised me the moon and stars. That he was still the mate who had vowed never to let me down.

But the snow kept falling, and the howl in the distance faded into silence. And I knew, deep down, that the life we had once dreamed of was gone, buried beneath the weight of our choices and the relentless march of time.