"Alpha Nathan, please," I said sharply, my voice trembling with frustration, though I tried to keep it steady. I knew better than to raise my voice at an Alpha, especially my mate, but the weight of his betrayal was crushing me.

"Maeve, stop acting like a child," Nathan shot back, his Alpha tone slicing through the room like a blade. His broad, muscular frame towered over me, his dark eyes cold and unyielding. "I’ve explained this to you. Siena’s condition is more severe. The medication was hers by necessity, not choice."

"Can’t you see how this feels?" I demanded, my voice breaking. "You’re my mate. My Alpha. You’re supposed to protect me, to put me first!"

The pack’s whispers were relentless, buzzing in my ears like a swarm of bees. "She’s just an Omega," someone muttered. "Why is she even questioning the Alpha’s decision? She should be grateful he’s even bothered with her." Another voice chimed in, "Omegas like her are meant to serve, not complain. She’s lucky he hasn’t cast her out already."

My hands clenched the edge of the bed, my knuckles turning white. Why is my life worth so little? Why does Siena get to live while I’m treated as disposable? Even Nathan, my mate, seems to agree.

Years ago, Siena was the one who infected me with this rare blood disease. When I’d confided in Nathan, he’d brushed it off, his voice calm but dismissive. "I’ll find a cure for you, Maeve. Siena didn’t mean any harm. You’re overreacting."

For the last five years, whenever Nathan developed a new treatment, Siena was always his priority. I used to believe he was just being cautious, testing the drugs on her first to ensure they were safe for me. But now, it’s painfully clear—I was wrong.

His only concern was ensuring Siena’s survival.

I’d loved him for ten years, been his mate for five. Never in my wildest nightmares did I imagine he would treat me like this.

Now, my heart felt hollow, a void where our bond once burned brightly. "Alpha Nathan," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest, "I’ve made my decision. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the pack elders and formally reject our mate bond. We’ll divide our assets equally, and I’ll leave the pack."

Before I could finish, Siena stirred from the bed across the room, her voice weak but filled with false concern. "Sister Maeve, please don’t do this. It’s my fault. I should be the one to leave."

Her pale, delicate face was framed by golden hair, and her wide, innocent eyes glistened with tears. She looked every bit the perfect Delta—beautiful, selfless, and utterly infuriating.

"Siena, don’t say that," Nathan interrupted, his voice softening as he turned to her. He stepped closer, his towering presence protective, his hand brushing her arm gently. "Your illness is more severe. You need the medication. Maeve will understand."

His affection for her was always on display, yet the pack insisted he still cared for me. "He’s just trying to do what’s best for the pack," they’d say. But if he truly loved me, how could he prioritize her so blatantly?

"Alpha Nathan," Siena continued, her voice trembling as she inched toward the window, "if I hadn’t taken the medication, none of this would be happening. I deserve to die."

Nathan rushed to her side, his strong arms wrapping around her protectively. "No," he said firmly, his voice laced with panic. "You have to live. I owe you for what happened five years ago, and I intend to make it right."

Five years ago, when Nathan and I were still unmated, he’d already fathered a child with Siena. And I’d been completely in the dark.

What a cruel joke the Moon Goddess had played on me.

I clutched my chest, the pain of our bond fraying almost unbearable. The pack’s whispers grew louder, their judgment harsh and unrelenting. "She’s just an Omega," someone sneered. "She should know her place. The Alpha’s decision is final." Another voice chimed in, "She’s ungrateful. She doesn’t deserve him."

These wolves, with their perfect lives and their blind loyalty to Nathan, could say whatever they wanted. But I was just an Omega, a pawn in their world. I wanted to live. Was that too much to ask?

If they were in my position, they’d want to live too.

Nathan held Siena tightly, his cold gaze turning back to me. "Maeve Lynch," he said, his voice dripping with disdain, "I’ve never been more disappointed in you."

"I never said I wouldn’t help you," he continued, his tone cutting. "I’ve always been there for you. Are you only satisfied when someone else pays the price?"

I stood my ground, though my legs felt like they might give out. "You’ve always been there for her," I said, my voice quiet but firm. "Not for me."

I stared at him in disbelief, my heart pounding in my chest.

He had never spoken to me like this before. No matter the situation, he used to say, "Maeve, you're my mate, my Luna, and you'll always come first." Throughout all our years together, he had never raised his voice at me, let alone used his Alpha tone to assert dominance. Yet now, because of Siena, he called me disgusting, his words laced with a venom that cut deeper than any physical wound.

["She deserves it; she brought it upon herself."]

["Alpha Nathan wouldn’t have gotten angry if she hadn’t insisted on rejecting the mate bond."]

["Exactly, what’s the point of fighting for a life that feels like it’s slipping away?"]

The whispers of the pack members around me echoed in my ears, their voices cold and judgmental. A bitter laugh escaped my lips as blood surged up, forcing me to cough it out. Nathan didn’t notice; he was too busy carrying Siena out of the lab, his focus entirely on her. The stark white floor was stained with my blood, a stark reminder of my frailty. Beside me, the machines beeped urgently, signaling my irregular heartbeat.

Am I going to perish? I still have so much to do. I mustered all my strength to get up, only to be stopped by one of Nathan’s Deltas.

"Luna Maeve," he said, his tone formal but firm, "Alpha Nathan has instructed that you cannot leave."

"Why?" I asked angrily, my voice trembling despite my best efforts.

What right does he have to imprison me? I’m his mate, his Luna, even if he seems to have forgotten that.

"Because… Alpha Nathan said Delta Siena just took her medication and is still under observation. Seeing you could unsettle her."

I stumbled backward, overwhelmed. It’s Siena, always Siena! And what about me? What am I to him? Nathan once told me he couldn’t bear to see Siena suffer, not after everything she’s done for the pack. That’s why he brought her into the lab. But ever since that day, Nathan’s every action has revolved around her. Whenever there’s something good, he thinks of her first, as if I’m nothing more than an afterthought.

My wolf whined softly in the back of my mind, a sound of pain and confusion. *Why does he treat you like this?* she asked, her voice tinged with sorrow. *You’re his mate. He should protect you, not push you aside.*

I didn’t have an answer for her. All I knew was that the bond between us, once so strong and unbreakable, now felt like a chain, binding me to a man who no longer seemed to care.

The room felt suffocating, the weight of the pack’s judgment pressing down on me. I could feel their eyes on me, their silent accusations. To them, I was weak, unworthy of being their Luna. And maybe they were right. Maybe I was just a pebble under their feet, something to be discarded without a second thought.

But I couldn’t give up. Not yet. I still had a spark of defiance left, a refusal to let Nathan or anyone else dictate my fate. I wiped the blood from my lips and straightened my shoulders, determined to fight for myself, even if no one else would.

I unlocked my phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I saw the notification on WhatsApp. Siena had posted something.

It was a picture of a heart-shaped spiced honey cake, with a man’s hand slicing through it.

"Happy Thanksgiving. I’m really grateful today because I know I have a future ahead," the caption read.

On the man’s ring finger was a silver band engraved with the insignia of the pack—a mark of commitment. I instantly recognized the hand. It was Alpha Nathan’s.

In the five years we were mated, we never celebrated Thanksgiving together. He always brushed it off with that dismissive tone of his, "What’s the big deal about Thanksgiving? Aren’t we together every day?"

I let out a bitter laugh, realizing how naive I had been. All those years, loving a man like him. An Alpha who could crush me with a single word, yet I’d thought I was special.

"Now you know heartbreak, don’t you? Serves you right. If you hadn’t asked to reject the bond, he wouldn’t be spending Thanksgiving with her," a voice sneered in my mind.

"This is the first time I’ve disliked a heroine so much. She’s so melodramatic."

"I don’t even want the Alpha to regret leaving her. She doesn’t deserve it."

Regret later? Do they think that’s some sort of consolation prize for me? It’s the last thing I want.

I lay in my hospital bed for what felt like forever before Alpha Nathan finally opened the door and strode in.

The strong scent of jasmine—Siena’s scent—filled the room immediately. There was a faint red mark on his collarbone, barely visible beneath his open collar.

The eternally immaculate Alpha now had the evidence of his indiscretion written plainly on him.

I blinked, trying to understand what he was signaling. Was he showing me this on purpose?

"Do you realize your mistake?" he said, his voice icy, the alpha tone lacing his words with authority.

"Maeve, it’s not like I don’t have wolves interested in me. If you start acting out again, I won’t put up with it."

"Finally, the Alpha is putting the foolish Omega in her place."

"He should be like this. Otherwise, she’d think she was indispensable."

"For the first time, I’m okay with the Alpha being a jerk."

A slow-burning anger began to build inside me. Why does everyone think it’s my fault? What exactly have I done wrong? Must I resign myself to a tragic fate, just because I’m an Omega?

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Alpha Nathan’s tone softened slightly, though it still carried the weight of his rank.

"Don’t blame me for being harsh; you really crossed the line today."

"We’ve been mated for so many years. How can you casually mention rejecting the bond?"

"Maeve, I’ve treated you well all these years. I don’t know what else you could be unhappy about."

Each word felt like a needle piercing my eardrums. My ears were buzzing, unable to take in any more.

Then, with a sudden "splat," blood splattered again, staining Alpha Nathan’s white shirt red.

His pupils shrank abruptly as he rushed over to hold me, his voice shaking, "Maeve, don’t scare me. What’s happening to you?"

I could feel my wolf whimpering in the back of my mind, weak and barely audible. She’d been silent for so long, her voice a faint echo of what it once was.

"You’re stronger than this," she whispered, though her voice was barely a thread. "Don’t let him break you."

But I wasn’t sure if I believed her anymore. Not when the man who was supposed to protect me, to cherish me as his mate, had chosen someone else.

Alpha Nathan’s arms tightened around me, his scent—once comforting, now tainted with Siena’s jasmine—overwhelming me. "Maeve, I’m here. I’ll fix this," he said, though his words felt hollow.

I closed my eyes, the pain in my chest not just from the disease but from the bond that felt like it was tearing me apart.

And for the first time, I wondered if I could truly heal—not just from the illness, but from the wounds he’d inflicted on my soul.