Rejected by the Alpha Who Claimed Me

Ashton, the Alpha of the Crimson Fang Pack, once again brought up breaking our mate bond while keeping his gaze fixed on Colette Adams’ tearful social media story. Colette, a Delta warrior in our pack, had caught his eye during the pack’s centennial celebration.

"Just go along with it," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "You know she’s sensitive and can’t deal with pressure."

I touched the faint mark on my neck where his bite once rested and pursed my lips as I looked at him. Every time he found a new interest, he’d suggest severing our bond, claiming it wasn’t actually cheating. His arrogance was as towering as his muscular frame, a testament to his Alpha status.

Gunner Washington, a Gamma warrior and Ashton’s friend, teased, "Are you serious this time, Alpha? Amaya’s been by your side since you were pups."

Ashton chuckled, cutting a piece of ravioli and feeding it to me as if for his own amusement. "My dear Amaya is the best, isn’t she?"

I swallowed the ravioli along with the swirl of emotions inside me and nodded in agreement. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, but I silenced her. This wasn’t the time.

As I turned away, I overheard his confident bet, "In three days, she’ll definitely come begging me to take her back."

The phone heated up in my hand.

[Amaya, won’t you let me stay by your side?]

Wiping the crumbs from the corner of my mouth, I tapped out a reply:

[Okay.]

---

As soon as the message was sent, my phone rang.

All eyes, including Ashton’s, turned toward me.

Before I could answer, Gunner started mocking, "Wow, so Amaya does have a phone after all? I thought she was just waiting at the door every day for the Alpha to come home."

"You know," another warrior chimed in, "I commented on Alpha’s Instagram photo of Colette doing ballet, saying they look perfect together. Amaya, you didn’t get upset, right?"

Their laughter rose in unison, sharp and cutting.

I clutched my phone tightly, feeling trapped.

Ashton laughed along with them, then tapped his glass with a fork, silencing the room with his Alpha tone. "Alright, that’s enough. Teasing my dear Amaya like that, you better watch out or I’ll get angry."

"Yeah," Gunner said, smirking, "Alpha loves Amaya more than anyone."

"Though he goes around, Amaya is the one who stays true."

Taunting eyes kept shifting toward me.

Feeling a chill run down my spine, I hurried out.

Ashton grabbed my arm, his grip firm and unyielding. He unclasped the silver chain from my neck, the one he’d given me on my eighteenth birthday.

"Colette likes vintage jewelry. You wouldn’t mind if she borrowed this, would you?"

His fingernail pressed into the scab from a burn I got making coffee for him two days ago. He didn’t notice my slight wince as he smirked, looking all too pleased with himself.

I lowered my gaze to his hand—the