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Author: Alyssa J
I forced myself to get up, my newly scarred body protesting every movement.

Marcus's study was just next door. The safe in his desk had a familiar combination - the date we first met.

"I'll never forget this day," he'd told me then, eyes shining with what I'd thought was love. "The day my wolf first recognized her mate."

But nothing inside belonged to our story.

Instead, I found dozens of bottles of prenatal vitamins for werewolf mates, still sealed, pressed against Rachel's pregnancy test results.

The most recent date was three years ago - the very day Marcus had proposed to me.

A phone lay among the evidence. Its cloud storage synced to a folder labeled "Our Pup's Journey."

Weekly ultrasound images filled the screen. Each one had Marcus's handwritten notes: "Oliver's first heartbeat!"

"Look at those tiny paws!"

"Our little princess is growing so strong!"

There were pages of carefully crafted recipes - special dishes to support a pregnant werewolf through each trimester. Marcus had noted Rachel's cravings and reactions to each meal.

The nursery plans were elaborate.

"Oliver's room should face the morning sun," he'd written. "My little wolf will love watching the sunrise."

The messages showed bookings at the pack's premier birthing den. The date matched exactly when Marcus claimed he'd be away on pack business.

I remembered how he'd insisted he wasn't ready for pups, how he'd said we should wait until after the marking ceremony.

"I want to focus on us first," he'd said. "Pups can come later."

Now I understood - he didn't want pups with me because he already had the family he wanted.

The safe's lower compartment held the design for a marking ceremony ring, sized for Rachel's finger.

Then I found the notifications Marcus had sent to neighboring pack Alphas. From the very beginning, he'd introduced Rachel as his true mate to everyone.

The sacred scrolls bore both their signatures - Marcus and Rachel, Alpha and Luna.

His message to the ceremonial master was clear: "Ensure everything is perfect for my true mate's ascension to Luna. The other matter will be handled discretely."

The "other matter" was me.

I laughed until the sound turned to sobs.

With shaking hands, I messaged my friend in the Northern territories.

"I need a healer," I wrote. "Someone who can reverse silver poisoning. And I need to disappear."

I began the formal process to remove myself from the pack registry. Let them think I was accepting my fate as an Omega.

My friend didn't question much, assuming I'd finally seen Marcus's true nature.

Her messages radiated relief that I was escaping.

I put down the phone and let exhaustion pull me into darkness.

But this time, when I closed my eyes, I didn't dream of Marcus.

I dreamed of freedom.

I woke to the sound of Marcus's sobs.

He clutched a report from the pack healer, his broad shoulders shaking with what appeared to be grief.

"Sarah... the healer discovered during the examination. Your wolf was critically damaged in the fire. She can't heal herself."

"Without your wolf's strength, you'll never be able to bear Alpha pups. Our bloodline..."

He reached for my hand, his touch gentle but calculated.

"But I won't abandon you. No matter what happens, you'll still be my mate."

"Once you're released from the hospital, we can adopt a pup. A strong Alpha pup to carry on the pack line. Having a child to care for will help you heal."

I was the one who had lost my wolf, yet he acted more devastated than I felt.

His performance was flawless. I didn't bother exposing the lie.

After a long silence, I stared at the report in his hands and nodded slowly.

Marcus's eyes welled with tears as he pulled me into his embrace.

"I'll take care of you, always. Don't be afraid. No matter what anyone says about an Alpha with an Omega mate, I'll stand by you."

"After the marking ceremony, I'll transfer ownership of the northern pack territories to you. It's the least I can do to secure your future."

Our chests pressed together, but our heartbeats told different stories.

His heart raced with hidden excitement while mine beat steady with cold understanding.

Finally, Marcus spoke hesitantly:

"About the marking ceremony... it's all prepared, but with your condition..."

"Find someone to take my place," I interrupted. "We can't let the pack lose face."

I knew exactly what he wanted to say.

Better to suggest it myself than be cornered into it.

At least this way, I could maintain some dignity.

Marcus seemed amazed by my sudden compliance.

But with his goal achieved, he didn't question my change of heart.

His phone rang, shattering the moment.

He glanced at the screen, then looked at me in confusion.

"Sarah, why are you canceling your pack registration?"
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Kyrie Wise Smith
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  • My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony   11

    I focused on healing at the foreign pack's den, ignoring news from home.Oliver visited nearly every day to help with my recovery.The days passed peacefully enough.But for Marcus, everything spiraled into chaos.After a week without finding me, he lost control.He drowned himself in wolfsbane-laced whiskey, barely staying sober.In a drunken rage, he challenged another Alpha in the streets.The fight left him critically wounded in the healers' ward.His old friend, the pack healer who had poisoned my wolf, finally confronted him:"Shall I tell you the truth? Sarah was conscious during the silver injection. She heard everything, even though she couldn't move.""I saw her tears fall as the silver burned through her veins.""Marcus, you broke her completely. She won't return.""I warned you from the start - you and Sarah were true mates. Rachel was just a college fling, a shadow that should have faded.""You were lost in memories. Sarah could have been your salvation.""I thought your c

  • My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony   10

    Tears fell onto his phone screen.Marcus sent message after message.Professing his enduring love.Confessing his betrayals.But each message bounced back undelivered.I had blocked him completely.Marcus didn't hesitate any longer, driving frantically to join the search parties.But it was too late.They found no trace of me at the rogue attack site.Meanwhile, my flight had already landed overseas.The staged rogue attack had been my parting gift.My carefully laid trap for the Alpha who had tried to destroy me.He wanted me scarred, wanted my wolf dead, wanted me living in his web of lies.So I'd left him a gift of my own.My friend Oliver waited at the airport, gasping when she saw my burned flesh.She touched the scars gently, tears streaming down her face."How could this happen? Marcus promised to protect you! He swore a mate's oath!""Did he do this? Why can only foreign healers help you? It was him, wasn't it? Sarah, why are you still protecting him? Can't you see his true nat

  • My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony   9

    Guilt and regret warred in Marcus's heart like battling wolves, his Alpha power fluctuating dangerously with each surge of emotion.After a long moment, his voice emerged cold as winter, each word carrying the weight of an Alpha command:"Sarah is my only mate," he growled, fangs dropping. "My wolf chose her, even if I was too blind to see it.""Whether she lives or dies, she is the only one I will claim. The pack bonds don't lie - they never accepted Rachel."His claws emerged as he continued, "I don't care if Rachel is mated or single. It means nothing to me now. All her lies, all her manipulations - they're worth less than dust.""That night three years ago was a mistake," he spat the words like poison. "If I'd known Oliver would come of it, I would never have touched her. Never have started this chain of destruction."His power crackled visibly now, making the ceremonial candles flicker. "This ceremony was what you wanted - you can deal with the aftermath. I'm done with your scheme

  • My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony   8

    The pack elders approached Marcus through the crowded hall, relief radiating from their expressions.But their words struck like pure silver to his heart, burning deeper than any physical wound."Now that Sarah's gone, you can finally claim Rachel properly," his mother said, satisfaction dripping from every word. "No need to keep up these tiresome pretenses anymore."She adjusted her ceremonial robes with practiced elegance. "That Omega was worthless anyway. An Alpha can't have a mate without a wolf - it's unnatural. The pack would never have truly accepted her.""Choose a date soon," his father added eagerly. "Make your mating official. The pack hasn't had such cause for celebration in years! After the ceremony, we'll have Sarah's rooms cleared out immediately. Rachel can move in tonight - no point in waiting now."Marcus stood frozen, staring at his parents' jubilant faces. His claws dug into his palms, drawing blood that he barely felt.For the first time in his life, he felt pure r

  • My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony   7

    The Beta hurried away, face pale with fear of his Alpha's rage, nearly stumbling in his haste to escape.As soon as he left, Rachel glided closer with practiced grace, her ceremonial dress rustling softly against the marble floor.She maintained her usual gentle demeanor, the one she'd perfected over years of deception - head slightly bowed, eyes wide with concern, every movement calculated to appear harmless.Her hand slipped softly around Marcus's arm, her touch deliberately light and soothing."What's wrong, my love?" she murmured, voice honey-sweet. "Did something happen to Sarah? I knew she'd be upset about me standing in for the ceremony. She's always been... sensitive."Her lips curved in false sympathy. "But this is an important pack event. All the neighboring Alphas are here, the pack elders are watching. Even if she's angry, she shouldn't try to ruin this moment with false rumors about rogue attacks! It's so... beneath her.""Marcus," she pressed closer, her perfume wrapping

  • My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony   6

    The marking ceremony began in earnest.Marcus stood at the ceremonial altar, but his mind kept replaying our last phone call. Something in my tone had unsettled his wolf, an unease that grew stronger with each passing moment.He turned to his Beta urgently, interrupting the ritual preparations."Find Sarah. She won't let me mate another without causing trouble."As they finished the ceremonial toasts, Marcus led Rachel through the crowd of well-wishers.The Beta rushed back, face ashen."Alpha!" he gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "There's been an attack on the northern border! Sarah... she took a car to leave pack territory. A group of rogues ambushed the vehicle at the crossing point."His next words fell like stones: "The patrol found the wreckage. No survivors. The rogues..." he swallowed hard, "they left nothing to find."The ceremony fell silent.The joy drained from Marcus's face so quickly it was as if someone had pulled a plug, leaving him ghostly white.His ceremonial

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