For three years, I was Alpha Laurence's fated mate, a title he never honored. He was in love with another woman, Rosalie, and I was just an inconvenient placeholder he refused to mark. The night my father lay dying, I begged him for the life-saving medicine he had promised to deliver. He was with Rosalie. Through our mental link, I heard her laugh in the background before he cut me off. "Stop bothering me with trivial matters," he snarled. His lover then faked an illness, pulling every senior healer away from my father's side. He died while my mate was choosing a tuxedo with another woman. My father's life was a "trivial matter" to the man who was supposed to be my other half. In his obsession, he had become an accomplice to murder. But he had no idea what I had done. Days earlier, while he was distracted by a call from her, I slipped a single page into a thick stack of documents. He signed it without reading, and with a flick of his wrist, he severed his own soul. He had just signed the Ritual of Rejection.
For three years, I was Alpha Laurence's fated mate, a title he never honored. He was in love with another woman, Rosalie, and I was just an inconvenient placeholder he refused to mark.
The night my father lay dying, I begged him for the life-saving medicine he had promised to deliver.
He was with Rosalie. Through our mental link, I heard her laugh in the background before he cut me off.
"Stop bothering me with trivial matters," he snarled.
His lover then faked an illness, pulling every senior healer away from my father's side. He died while my mate was choosing a tuxedo with another woman.
My father's life was a "trivial matter" to the man who was supposed to be my other half. In his obsession, he had become an accomplice to murder.
But he had no idea what I had done. Days earlier, while he was distracted by a call from her, I slipped a single page into a thick stack of documents. He signed it without reading, and with a flick of his wrist, he severed his own soul. He had just signed the Ritual of Rejection.
Chapter 1
JOSIE POV:
The rain hammered against the windows of the Rolls-Royce, each drop a tiny fist beating against the glass. Inside, the silence was just as violent. It pressed down on me, heavy and cold like a gravestone.
I sat on the edge of the plush leather seat, my hands clenched in my lap. My knuckles were white.
"Laurence, please," I whispered. My voice was thin, a fragile thing in the oppressive quiet of the car. "It's been three years. The pack elders are... they're starting to talk."
He didn't even look at me. His gaze was fixed on the storm-lashed road ahead, his handsome face carved from stone. The scent of him-like a winter forest after a fresh snowfall, sharp pine and cold earth-usually brought a sense of peace to my soul. Tonight, it just made my lungs feel tight.
"The marking ceremony is just a formality," I pressed on, hating the desperation in my own voice. This was the ninety-ninth time I had begged. I had counted. "It would solidify your position as Alpha. Our pack would be stronger."
His jaw tightened. "I am already the Alpha. My position needs no solidifying."
Just then, his phone chimed. A soft, melodic sound that was completely out of place in our cold war. He glanced at the screen, and the granite of his expression melted. It was a subtle shift, but to me, who had spent three years studying his every micro-expression, it was like the sun breaking through the clouds.
"One moment," he said, his voice now a low, warm murmur. He wasn't speaking to me.
He answered the call, and the change was complete. The ice was gone, replaced by a warmth that I hadn't felt directed at me since the day we met.
"Rosalie," he breathed. "Are you ready for the Full Moon Gala? I was just thinking about you."
My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. Rosalie. Always Rosalie. His childhood friend, the woman he believed was his true mate, even though the Moon Goddess had screamed my name to his soul.
I stared out the window, watching the world blur through the rain and my own unshed tears. He continued to talk to her, his words weaving a picture of a life I was supposed to have. A life of galas, of shared smiles, of being seen.
When he finally ended the call, the ice returned, colder than before.
He pulled the car to a screeching halt on the side of the deserted road, miles from the pack house.
"Get out," he said. The words were flat, devoid of emotion.
I stared at him, confused. "What? But it's pouring..."
His eyes flashed, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. I felt the power of his Alpha's Command wash over me. It was a physical force, a pressure behind my eyes and in my bones that demanded obedience. My body tensed, my muscles preparing to follow his order against my will.
"I said," he repeated, his voice laced with that undeniable power, ""Go home and reflect on your place.""
My hand moved to the door handle on its own accord. My wolf whimpered inside me, cowering before his dominance. This was the curse of the pack hierarchy; my own will was secondary to his command.
As my fingers closed around the cold metal, my hidden phone vibrated in my pocket. A single, short buzz. It was the signal from Chris. A lifeline.
"The route is set. One week. Freedom."
The message, which I knew would be waiting for me, gave me a sliver of strength. I could endure this. Just a little longer.
"My father's medicine..." I said, my voice shaking. "The pack apothecary said the herbs are running low."
Laurence sighed, an annoyed, impatient sound. "I'll have the funds transferred. Don't bother me with such trivialities." He gestured to the back seat. "My assistant had some dresses delivered for you. For the gala. Wear one of them. They are from Rosalie's favorite designer."
Of course they were. Five identical boxes, probably filled with the pale pinks and whites she adored, colors that made me look washed out and frail.
Another chime came from his phone. Rosalie's exclusive ringtone. The cold mask on his face melted away again as he opened a Mind-Link with her. The Mind-Link was a sacred connection, usually reserved for pack business or the deepest intimacy between mates. He used it to flirt with another woman right in front of me. I could feel the low thrum of their connection in the air, a private world I was locked out of.
"I'm on my way," he said, his voice a caress. He looked at me, his eyes now completely empty of any recognition. "Get out of the car, Josie."
This time, there was no command in his voice. Just cold, simple dismissal. He didn't need the command. He knew I'd obey.
I opened the door and stepped out into the deluge. The cold rain soaked me instantly, plastering my thin dress to my skin.
He didn't even wait for me to close the door. He hit the accelerator, and the Rolls-Royce shot forward, sending a wave of muddy water splashing all over me. The grit stung my legs.
As the red taillights disappeared into the storm, my inner wolf didn't just whimper. It howled. A silent, agonizing cry of pure humiliation.
He thought I was weak. He thought I was a pathetic Omega who would cling to him forever. He had no idea.
For a month, his study had been my target. I'd finally cracked the hidden safe behind a portrait of his grandfather. The password, pathetically, was Rosalie's birthday. Inside, it wasn't pack secrets or financial documents. It was a shrine. Filled with her clothes-scarves, gloves, even a silk nightgown. They all pulsed with her scent. And next to them, a worn, leather-bound journal detailing an ancient, forbidden ritual. A ritual to try and force a mate bond where one didn't exist.
He wasn't just ignoring me. He was actively trying to erase me from our bond, to replace my soul with a ghost. And that was a betrayal the Moon Goddess would never forgive.
---
Chapter 1
17/09/2025
Chapter 2
17/09/2025
Chapter 3
17/09/2025
Chapter 4
17/09/2025
Chapter 5
17/09/2025
Chapter 6
17/09/2025
Chapter 7
17/09/2025
Chapter 8
17/09/2025
Chapter 9
17/09/2025
Chapter 10
17/09/2025
Chapter 11
17/09/2025
Chapter 12
17/09/2025
Chapter 13
17/09/2025
Chapter 14
17/09/2025
Chapter 15
17/09/2025
Chapter 16
17/09/2025
Chapter 17
17/09/2025
Chapter 18
17/09/2025
Chapter 19
17/09/2025
Chapter 20
17/09/2025
Chapter 21
17/09/2025
Chapter 22
17/09/2025
Chapter 23
17/09/2025
Chapter 24
17/09/2025
Chapter 25
17/09/2025
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