Rejected by My Mate, Claimed by the King

The crack of Vera’s hand against my cheek echoed through the hallway like a gunshot. The force of it knocked me off my feet, and I hit the marble floor hard, pain shooting through my shoulder and hip.

I lay there for a moment, dazed, the coppery taste of blood blooming on my tongue. I looked up at her, my vision sharp with a stinging disbelief. Vera. My best friend since childhood. The girl I had shared my secrets with, the one I thought would stand by me when the world crumbled.

"Ren, you think I don't know?"You like Alpha Kane." Vera cut me off, her voice high and mocking. She sneered, looking down at me."Don't you find it absolutely revolting? A man actually wanting another Alpha male... it’s pathetic. You’re disgusting, Ren."

I froze, my blood turning cold. How did Vera know? That was a lifetime ago—a flicker of a crush I had buried and killed long ago. I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could utter a word, she lunged.

Her fists rained down on me, heavy strikes to my arms and sharp kicks to my ribs. I curled into a ball, gritting my teeth to keep from crying out as I shielded my head.  This wasn't just anger; it was enjoyment. She enjoyed this. She enjoyed the power she now held over me.

In the brief moment between her kicks, I saw her. Behind Vera, standing near the alcove, was a young maid I had spoken to just that morning. I had only paid her a compliment, a passing remark about how Alpha Kane was very charming. I had thought it was harmless gossip between servants.

But the maid was staring at me with a smirk, her arms crossed over her chest. She had betrayed me. She had taken my innocent words and twisted them into a confession of lust for the Alpha, handing them to Vera on a silver platter to curry favor.

I looked back at Vera, who was panting with exertion, her face flushed with cruelty. I sneered, though my lip was split and bleeding. A deep, suffocating sadness welled up inside me, heavier than the physical pain.

Since I was fifteen, something happened that changed my life. Since then, my family has been demoted from Beta to Omega. We are bullied by everyone. Now, even a maid can bully me.

Vera stopped hitting me. She took a step back, smoothing down her dress, examining her nails as if she hadn't just beaten her former friend into the floor.

"Tonight, Alpha Kane invited me to make love with him," she said, her voice dripping with venomous delight. "Since you like Alphas so much, then come and watch us make love. Maybe you’ll learn what a real wolf looks like."

The air in the Alpha’s bedroom was thick, heavy with the scent of sweat and sex. I stood in the corner, my back pressed against the wall, my hands clasped tightly behind my back to stop them from shaking.

I never imagined that as a man, I’d be forced to watch a man and a woman fucking right in front of me.I thought Vera’s words were just a cruel threat. But Kane had allowed it. He hadn't even glanced at me when I entered, his focus entirely on the woman writhing beneath him.

On the massive bed, Vera screamed. It was a wild, pure scream of ecstasy, raw and unfiltered. Her voice soared, a mixture of cursing and pleading, her breath coming in ragged gasps. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling a heat creep up my neck not from excitement, but from profound shame.

I always knew Kane was a playboy. I often saw him change partners in the pack, leaving a trail of broken hearts and satisfied smiles. He was sexually potent, a virile Alpha that the she-wolves in the pack were fanatically devoted to. They would do anything to share his bed for a night. But I never imagined he’d allow someone to watch him, to witness his intimacy like a spectator at a show.

"Slut, scream louder!" Kane’s voice was a rough growl.

Smack.  

His hand came down on Vera’s firm ass with a loud crack. He thrust into her forcefully, dozens of rapid, punishing strokes, before changing positions. He rolled onto his back, and Vera straddled him, landing heavily on his erect penis.

She began to ride him, rising and falling with frantic energy, occasionally grabbing her own breasts and screaming his name. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, wet and obscene.

"Oh god, I'm... I'm cumming!" she wailed.

A heat slowly rose in my lower abdomen, traitorous and unwanted. My biology was reacting to the pheromones in the air, to the sight of an Alpha in his prime. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block it out. I wanted to leave. I couldn't bear to see the friend I once loved debasing herself like this, and I couldn't bear to see the man I had secretly admired since childhood using her so carelessly.

"You filthy Omega!" Vera suddenly screamed, twisting her head to glare at me. "I didn't give you permission to move a muscle!"

I froze in my tracks. I was about to explain, to apologize, when Vera suddenly threw her head back and screamed again.

Kane had suddenly sped up his thrusts, gripping her hips hard, and ejaculated inside her. "Take it!" he snarled.

Good heavens, he had orgasmed too. The scent of his release filled the room, musky and dominant. From my angle near the door, I could clearly see Kane's member as he pulled out of her, still throbbing, glistening with their fluids.

I instinctively looked up, only to find Kane staring directly at me.

My heart stopped.  

He was propped up on the pillows, his chest heaving, sweat slicking his skin. His eyes, deep blue and piercing, were locked onto mine. There was no lust in them now, only a cold, predatory focus.

Panic seized me. I was afraid of Kane. Not just because he was the Alpha, but because of history. My father was accused of killing the previous Alpha. I was the son of a "murderer," and Kane was the son of the victim. I was lower than dirt to him.

I quickly lowered my head, dropping to my knees on the ground, pressing my forehead to the carpet. "Alpha... I apologize. I was leaving."