Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by His Rival

The silver-tipped whip cracked against the stone floor, just inches from my bare toes. I didn't flinch. If I moved, Sancho would find a reason to make the next one land on my back. "Scrub harder, Thorne," Sancho sneered, his heavy boots clicking as he circled me like a vulture. "The Alpha’s son returns today. If he sees a single speck of dust on this floor, I’ll make sure you spend the night in the silver cages." I dipped my brush into the bucket of lye, the caustic chemicals burning the raw cracks in my hands. I was the daughter of Alpha Rector, a man whose name was once whispered with respect. Now, I was nothing but the Blood Moon Pack’s favorite punching bag. An Omega slave kept alive only to remind the world of my father’s failure. "Is the mutt finished yet?" The voice sent a wave of nausea through me. Fabiana stood at the top of the grand staircase, her silk dress clinging to her curves. She was the Beta’s daughter and the woman everyone expected Xander to claim, regardless o

The morning sun felt like a mockery. I woke up in Xander’s bed, my body aching in ways that made my wolf hum with a misplaced sense of victory. The sheets still smelled of us. For a few beautiful, delusional seconds, I thought the world had changed. I thought the Blood Moon had finally washed away the hate in his heart. Then I saw him. Xander was already dressed, standing by the mirror as he fastened his Alpha insignia to his collar. He looked at me through the reflection, his eyes as cold as a winter morning. There was no trace of the man who had held me so tightly last night. "Get dressed," he said. "There’s a pack assembly in ten minutes. You need to be there." "Xander," I started, sitting up and clutching the duvet to my chest. "About last night... I thought..." "Don't," he snapped, finally turning to face me. "Last night was a biological necessity. Nothing more. Don't go making up fairy tales in that empty head of yours." My heart did a slow, painful somersault. "But we bon

Tricia’s POV Pain. It wasn’t the dull ache of a bruise or the sting of a slap. It was a war inside my veins. My neck felt like it was being branded by a hot iron over and over again. I groaned, my eyes fluttering open to a ceiling that wasn't mine. The room was too large, the air too heavy with the scent of ozone and expensive leather. "Careful, Tricia," a deep voice rumbled. I bolted upright, my head spinning. Tristan was standing by the window, his silhouette dark and imposing. Behind him, a man in a white coat was packing a medical bag, looking at me with pity. "Where am I?" I gasped, clutching the silk sheets to my chest. My hand brushed my neck, and I hissed. The skin was raised and weeping. "What did you do to me?" "I saved you from a gutter," Tristan said, walking toward the bed. "And I marked you. You’re in the Shadow Pack manor." "Shadow Pack?" The blood drained from my face. "Tristan, no. I have to go. Xander... if he finds out I’m here..." "Xander rejected you!" Tri

The first thing I felt was fire. Not the kind that warms your skin. Not the comforting heat of a hearth on a winter night. This fire lived inside my bones. It clawed through my veins like molten metal, burning every nerve it touched. I couldn’t breathe. My fingers curled into the rough stone floor of the tower as another wave of pain crashed through me. It began in my neck where Tristan’s mark throbbed violently, then spread downward into my chest where the ghost of Xander’s rejection still lived. Two forces. Two Alphas. Fighting inside my body. I screamed again. The sound tore from my throat before I could stop it. Somewhere far below, I heard shouting. Heavy footsteps thundered up the spiral staircase leading to the tower. The iron door rattled violently as someone slammed against it. “Move!” Xander’s voice roared. Metal shrieked. The door burst open with a crash. Through the haze of pain I saw two figures rush into the room. One smelled like winter pine and rage. The o

Sleep didn’t come easily.Even after the pain in my neck faded, my mind refused to quiet. Every time my eyes closed, memories forced their way back in. The courtyard. Xander’s voice rejecting me in front of everyone. The cold look in his eyes the morning after the Blood Moon.Then Tristan’s teeth sinking into my neck.Then the doctor’s words.Pregnant.The word still felt unreal inside my head.I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling while the candles burned lower along the stone walls. The room had grown quiet, but it wasn’t peaceful quiet.It was the kind of silence that came from two predators trying very hard not to attack each other.Tristan remained seated near the bed, his arms folded loosely across his chest. His posture looked relaxed, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.Across the room, Xander stood with his back against the wall, watching everything.Watching Tristan.Watching me.Watching the space between us.No one had spoken for nearly an hour.I finally coul