Rejected, Then Given a Chance

I stared at the treaty documents spread across my desk, my fingers frozen mid-turn on the final page. There, at the bottom of the parchment, was a signature I'd sworn never to see again—one I'd tried for five years to erase from my memory.

Alpha Ryan Matthews, Shadowmoon Pack.

My wolf, Selene, whined restlessly inside me, recognizing his scent before I consciously processed it—that distinctive musk of pine and midnight rain that once made my heart race for entirely different reasons.

"Quiet," I muttered, pressing my palm against my sternum as if I could physically silence her. "It's just business."

But it wasn't just business. It never could be with him.

I squared my shoulders and focused on the alliance proposal with clinical detachment. The Shadowmoon Pack wanted to expand their hunting grounds into the eastern territories—lands that bordered our own. On paper, the proposal was reasonable, even generous in its terms.

Yet all I could see was his name, his signature—elegant yet strong, just like the man himself.

"Beta Victoria?" My assistant's voice came through the intercom. "The car is ready. The council meeting begins in an hour."

"Thank you, Claire. I'll be right down."

I gathered the documents with steady hands that betrayed none of the turmoil beneath. Five years of carefully constructed emotional walls wouldn't crumble over a single signature. I was Beta Victoria Sterling now—respected, powerful, unbreakable.

Not the pathetic, heartbroken girl he'd left behind.

* * *

The grand council hall buzzed with the low murmurs of pack representatives. Alphas, Betas, and their advisors from seven different packs filled the circular chamber, their scents mingling in a complex tapestry of power and politics.

I kept my posture perfect as I took my seat at the Moonstone Pack's table, my father—Alpha Sterling—nodding approvingly beside me. Across the room, I felt eyes on me before I saw him.

Ryan Matthews.

He'd grown broader in the shoulders, his jaw sharper, his presence more commanding. The Alpha aura that surrounded him now was nothing like the uncertain Beta he'd been when he'd rejected me. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I saw the flash of recognition, followed by something else—surprise, perhaps even regret.

Good. Let him regret.

Elder Gideon called the meeting to order, and one by one, pack representatives presented their concerns and proposals. When the Shadowmoon Pack's alliance request came up for discussion, I felt my father tense beside me.

"The Moonstone Pack would like to address this proposal," I said, rising before my father could speak. He shot me a questioning look but didn't stop me.

All eyes turned to me, including a pair of intense gray ones that I refused to acknowledge directly.

"While the terms of this alliance seem beneficial on paper," I began, my voice cool and measured, "I must question the leadership history that stands behind them."

A ripple of whispers spread through the chamber.

"Alpha Ryan Matthews has held his position for barely three years," I continued,