Rejected by the Alpha’s Choice

Seven years after my mate Yosef’s death, I stood before his grave, intending to honor his memory. But as I approached, I found his tombstone missing, the earth undisturbed as if it had never existed. My heart raced, and I quickly returned to Silver Moon Pack territory, seeking Alpha Ernesto.

“Alpha,” I said, my voice trembling, “Yosef’s grave is gone. Please, check the pack’s records. Where is he buried?”

Alpha Ernesto looked at me with a mixture of pity and regret. “Ariella,” he said gently, “Yosef’s resting place is not where you thought. He was buried beside Lorelai Wallace, the one he truly loved.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. Lorelai—the woman Yosef had always carried in his heart, even after our mate bond was formed.

“Yosef once told me,” Alpha Ernesto continued, his tone heavy with sorrow, “that he wished to be laid to rest with the one he had always loved, the one who truly held his heart.”

Lorelai. Of course it was Lorelai. I had given everything to save Yosef after he was injured in a pack battle—my strength, my healing energy—but he had dismissed my sacrifice. And in the end, he had chosen her, even in death.

The irony of it all left me hollow. I had been a fool, clinging to a bond that had never truly been mine.

But then, I opened my eyes, and I was back—before it all happened.

This time, I would not waste my heart on him. I would sever the ties that bound me to him and focus on my own strength. I would rise through the ranks of the pack, not as Yosef’s mate, but as Ariella Harris, the first female Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack.

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I spent the next two weeks in the forest, recovering from an injury sustained during a pack training session. The cough that had wracked my body finally subsided, and I returned to my quarters, only to find Yosef absent.

He hadn’t checked on me once during my recovery. Instead, he had been busy comforting Lorelai after she’d been reprimanded by Alpha Ernesto for her recklessness. My injury, it seemed, was of no concern to him.

As I packed my belongings, Yosef walked in, his expression darkening when he saw the state of the room.

“I’ve only been gone for two weeks,” he said, his voice laced with irritation. “How did this place get so neglected, Ariella? What have you been doing?”

I didn’t look up as I continued folding my clothes. “I’ve been recovering in the forest.”

For a moment, he seemed taken aback, as if it hadn’t occurred to him that I might have been injured. Then, his demeanor softened, and he stepped closer, helping me with the packing.

“How are your injuries now?” he asked, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. It had taken two lifetimes for him to ask that question.

“I’m fine,” I replied curtly, not meeting his gaze.

Yosef