Rejected Mate, Rising Alpha

I found a condom in the trash can, paired with lace panties that were definitely not mine. Mathias, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, and I hadn’t been close for a year, and owning such underwear was never my style. Just as I was about to call him, I stumbled upon a post from his so-called "adopted sister," Vanessa, a Gamma from the Crimson Fang Pack, on Facebook. There he was, head bowed, planting an affectionate kiss on her foot.

My wolf stirred faintly in the back of my mind, a low growl of betrayal rippling through me. I turned off my phone, choosing not to cry or throw a fit, and continued with my life. Eventually, Mathias noticed something was off. He looked at me with bloodshot eyes, his Alpha aura pressing down on me like a weight, and asked, "Why aren’t you upset that I’m involved with someone else?"

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While tidying up in the bathroom, I stopped in my tracks at the sight of the trash can. Draped over it were a sultry pair of black lace panties, and next to them, a used condom. Mathias and I hadn’t been intimate for a year. Plus, I’m not the type to own such provocative underwear. This could only mean one thing: while I was at a friend’s place yesterday, Mathias had invited another woman into our home—our *pack home*.

I reached for my phone to call him but hesitated when I saw his message on WhatsApp. "I’m really tied up today. Can you handle things on your own?" Today was the anniversary of my mother’s death. Every year, Mathias would join me to pay our respects. I had assumed he’d remember and even asked him this morning if he’d be back. He said he would.

But now he claimed otherwise. What was he so busy with? Just then, I noticed Vanessa had updated her Facebook status. I had added her back when he introduced her to me as his "adopted sister." When I clicked on her post, it felt like a bomb going off in my head. She had uploaded a photo taken in a hotel. Mathias was holding her foot and kissing it tenderly, with eyes full of adoration. The caption read, "He said he loves everything about me."

At that moment, any affection I still had for him completely vanished. My wolf, usually so quiet, let out a low, pained whine, echoing the ache in my chest. I could feel the mate bond between us fraying, unraveling like a thread pulled too tight.

I stared at the screen, the weight of his betrayal pressing down on me. Mathias, my Alpha, my *mate*, had chosen to spend this day—this sacred day—with her. The bond that had once felt unbreakable now felt like a fragile chain, ready to snap.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t scream. I would face this with the strength my wolf had always tried to coax out of me. But as I set my phone down, I couldn’t help the thought that echoed in my mind: *This is the beginning of the end.*