The Alpha's Rejected Mate: Awakening The Secret White Wolf

For three years, my family's merchant wealth filled the empty vaults of the Obsidian Pack. I was their Luna, bleeding to keep them afloat.

But my Alpha mate, Xander, spent my gold on his childhood friend Serena, while his mother secretly fed me Wolfsbane mixed with silver dust to destroy my fertility.

They drained my private dowry to buy Serena a mansion and plotted to kill me so she could take my place.

When I suffered a severe hemorrhage from their poison, Xander's mother locked my door and priced a cheap pine coffin for me.

Even when I risked my life to save a royal pup and got crushed by a burning silver beam, Xander only rushed to comfort Serena's fake tears.

"Look what you are doing! You are cruel, Wynne."

He used his Alpha Command to force me to my knees, accusing me of bullying a sick orphan while my own flesh was melting from the silver.

I didn't marry up; I bought him. I gave them everything, but they treated my life like worthless dirt to make room for his true love.

I finally realized that this mate bond was nothing but a rotting chain around my neck.

When the Supreme Luna asked what royal grace I desired for saving the pup, I dragged my bleeding, ruined body to the center of the hall.

"I ask for permission to reject my Alpha, Xander."

I spoke calmly, ready to tear down his pack brick by brick.

Chapter 1

Wynne POV:

A thick perfume of roasted game and spiced wine hung in the air of the grand courtyard, heavy as a shroud. Gas lamps sputtered along the ancient stone walls, throwing long, dancing shadows that clung to the velvet gowns of the assembled nobles.

It was the Royal Pack's grand celebration. I stood near the edge of the wooden grandstand, the hem of my silk dress, heavy with embroidery, dragging in the dust.

Suddenly, a percussive crack, sharp as a rifle shot, echoed through the air.

The scent of splintering pine struck my nostrils a second before the massive pillars of the grandstand buckled and gave way. Screams erupted, thin and sharp against the sudden bass rumble of collapsing timber.

My eyes darted to the center. A small Royal Pup, barely old enough to walk, sat directly under the falling structure.

My body moved before my mind could form a thought. I lunged, every muscle coiling and releasing like a sprung trap. I shoved the pup out of the way just as a massive support beam crashed down across my back.

A blinding, unnatural heat tore through my flesh.

It was silver. The support beam had been decoratively inlaid with a tracery of pure silver to deter Rogues.

The metal sizzled against my skin. The cloying, sickening scent of my own burning flesh filled my throat. My lungs seized, and I tasted copper on my tongue.

Deep within my chest, something ancient stirred-a cold, white presence that flinched at the silver's burn but did not retreat. For three years, it had been kept dormant, shackled by the steady drip of Wolfsbane and silver dust that Elder Xenia forced into my nightly tea. The poison had suppressed my bloodline so thoroughly that even I had forgotten its existence. But now, with the poison's hold weakening from my recent bouts of hemorrhage and the silver's agonizing touch, the White Wolf stirred for the first time. The pain woke it, and for a fleeting moment, I felt a surge of power that was not my own, a silent promise whispered through my veins: Not yet. Wait.

Royal Warriors rushed forward. Their heavy boots slammed against the stone. They lifted the silver-laced beam off me.

A frantic nanny scooped up the crying, unharmed Royal Pup.

"Step aside," a voice commanded. It carried the weight of a gathering storm.

The crowd parted. The Supreme Luna walked forward. Her scent was like ozone and ancient pine. She was the absolute ruler, the mate of the former Lycan King.

She looked at the safe pup, then down at me. Her eyes were sharp, judging.

"You saved royal blood," the Supreme Luna said, her voice echoing in the silent courtyard. "Speak your desire, child. What royal grace do you seek?"

The silver burn on my back felt like a raging fire eating my bones. Every breath was a battle.

But my mind had never been clearer.

The coarse cobblestones seemed to greedily suck at the blood dripping from my wounds. The moment I pushed myself upright, a searing pain in my back threatened to tear my spine apart. Ignoring the sharp intakes of breath from the surrounding crowd, my legs dragged the tattered silk of my gown forward like a machine until my vision narrowed to nothing but the cold, empty space at the heart of the hall.

My knee, stiff with protest, made a dull sound as it met the stone. I looked up at the Supreme Luna.

"I ask the Supreme Luna for permission to reject my Alpha, Xander," I said. My voice was steady, cutting through the night air.

A loud gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Wynne!" a furious roar erupted from the side.

Xander, my mate and the Alpha of the Obsidian Pack, stormed out of the crowd. His scent, which I once found a comforting mix of dark earth and rain, now seemed soured by the sharp tang of panic and rage.

His eyes flashed golden. He opened his mouth, unleashing the Alpha's Command.

"Shut your mouth!" his voice boomed.

The command hit the air like a physical weight. It was designed to force any lower-ranking wolf to their knees, to strip away their free will.

I felt the heavy pressure pushing down on my shoulders. But deep inside my chest, that dormant, icy presence stirred again-not in fear, but in defiance. The spirit of the White Wolf, now slowly uncoiling as the poison's grip loosened, rose to meet his command.

The White Wolf inside me growled. The immense pressure of his command did not shatter; it simply dissolved, like a dense fog burning away under an unseen sun.

I stood tall, looking directly into Xander's shocked eyes.

"I will not be silenced," I said, my voice cold. "I am tired of being your fake Luna. I am tired of watching you and Serena play house while I bleed for your pack."

"You are out of your mind from the pain!" Xander yelled, his hands balling into fists.

"Am I?" I laughed, a bitter sound. "For three years, my family's merchant wealth has filled your empty vaults. My caravans brought the rare potions to heal your warriors. And in return, I get to watch your childhood friend wear my jewels and sit at your right hand."

"How dare you bring pack matters to the royal courtyard!" an old, harsh voice snapped.

Elder Xenia, Xander's mother and the former Luna, stepped forward. Her face was twisted in disgust. She wore a heavy velvet cloak bought with my gold.

"I am bringing it to the light because I want the pack bond severed entirely," I stated.

A soft, pathetic sob broke the tension.

Serena stepped out from behind Xander. She looked fragile, her pale skin glowing under the gas lamps. Her knees seemed to lose their bones, and with a rustle of fine silk against stone, she crumpled to the ground like a vine deprived of water.

"Wynne, please," Serena cried, her voice shaking. "I am so sorry if my presence offends you. I am just a weak, sick orphan. I will leave..."

Xander immediately rushed to her side. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, lifting her up with practiced ease.

He glared at me. "Look what you are doing! You are using your aura to press down on a sick female. You are cruel, Wynne."

My chest tightened. Not from heartbreak, but from utter disgust. The mate bond, which should have been a source of peace, felt like a rotting chain around my neck.

"I want to leave," I said, looking back at the Supreme Luna.

"I will never accept this Rejection!" Xander roared, his fangs extending. He dropped Serena and lunged toward me, his hands reaching out to drag me away by force.

But the White Wolf inside me coiled tighter, a warning shiver running through my spine. He would not touch me. Not again. Not ever.