Thrown Out Like Trash

Becca hit the cold floor hard, her knees brushing against the rough surface, her hands trembling as she held her stomach.

Pain shot through her, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.

The grand doors of the Alpha’s mansion towered behind her, their golden handles glinting under the moonlight. But the beauty of the castle was a stark contrast to the cruelty of the man standing above her.

Alpha Desmond.

He looked down at her with disgust, his piercing blue eyes sharp and unforgiving.

His dark hair fell over his face to make him look even more terrifying as his muscular body was towering over her.

He was every bit the powerful ruler their pack revered—strong, merciless, and utterly ruthless.

“Get out of my sight, Omega.” His voice was cold, void of any emotion.

The words sliced through her like a blade.

Becca clutched her breast, her breath coming in short gasps.

“Alpha, please… I—”

Desmond let out a cruel laugh, the sound echoing in the courtyard where his warriors and high-ranking wolves stood, watching the humiliation unfold.

“You don’t get to beg,” he sneered. “You’re filth. A weak, useless Omega who thought she could really be my mate. I REJECT you!!”

The gathered wolves murmured in agreement, their whispers sharp and unkind.

“She actually thought an Alpha would truly want her?”

“Disgusting. Look at her groveling.”

“She should be grateful he even pretended to acknowledged her.”

Becca’s fingers dug into the dirt as she tried to push herself up.

Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall.

“But the Moon Goddess—”

Desmond’s foot slammed into her shoulder, sending her crashing onto her back.

A pained gasp left her lips as she stared up at him in shock.

“Do not speak of the Moon Goddess to me,” he snarled. “I don’t care if she had said you’re my mate. I don’t want you. You are a disgrace to my bloodline.”

Her heart shattered.

She had known the bond between them was fragile. She had sensed his resentment. But she had never imagined he would reject her so publicly, so brutally.

She forced herself up on her elbows, her vision getting blurred.

“Desmond, please… rejecting me will ruin me. If an Omega is rejected—”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted, his voice laced with finality. “I reject you, Becca. You are no mate of mine. You never were. Now, leave before I have you thrown out like the trash you are.”

Becca felt the world go upside down.

A sharp, searing pain shot through her chest, her wolf howling in agony.

The mate bond shattered inside her, ripping her soul apart.

The warriors standing around them chuckled, shaking their heads.

“She actually thought he would keep her.”

“She deserves this.”

“Pathetic.”

Becca let out a broken sob as she curled into herself, the pain unbearable. But no one cared. Not Desmond. Not the warriors. Not the pack that had raised her.

She had lost everything.

And she hated them for it.

She hated him for it.

As she lay there, her heart filled with anger, with pain, with loathing—

Becca jolted awake from her nightmare which had been a very painful memory.

Her breath came in rapid pants as she stared at the ceiling of her tiny room, her chest rising and falling erratically.

It had been a dream.

No. A nightmare. A haunting memory.

One that visited her every night without fail.

She rubbed her face with shaky hands, trying to steady herself. But even awake, she could still hear their laughter, still feel the sting of Desmond’s words, still feel the weight of rejection crushing her.

Her wolf whimpered inside her, still broken and aching.

But Becca had learned something in the past few months since that dreadful night.

Being bound to an Alpha… being the mate of an Alpha…

It was all fake.

Mates were supposed to cherish each other. They were supposed to protect one another. But all Desmond had done was destroy her.

She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to push the pain away. The past was in the past.

She had a new life now.

A life she was proud of.

She turned to look at the clock on the wall. It was barely dawn.

It was time to open her clinic.

Becca stepped outside, the crisp morning air brushing against her skin.

Her small house sat at the edge of the town, far from the grand estates of the warriors and high-ranking wolves.

Attached to it was her clinic, a small building with a sign that read Becca’s Healing Center.

It wasn’t much. But it was hers.

She grabbed a broom and began sweeping the front steps, her movements firm and determined.

She had worked hard to become a doctor/healer to build this clinic, to prove that she wasn’t useless.

She had spent years learning about herbs, about medicine, about healing.

If she couldn’t be an Alpha’s mate… she would be something greater.

A healer.

The pack may have cast her aside, but she would make sure they regretted it.

Laughter echoed from the street.

“She really thinks anyone will come to her?”

“She’s pathetic. No wolf would trust a rejected Omega.”

“She should just leave. No one wants her here.”

Becca’s hands tightened around the broomstick.

She turned, her gaze sharp as she regarded everyone within earshot.

“Anyone who needs treatment, my clinic is open! If you’re injured or sick, I can help you!” she announced.

A man scoffed loudly.

“I’d rather die than be treated by a worthless Omega.”

Becca felt something snap inside her.

She crossed her arms, her tone sharp.

“Well, then, don’t come crying to me when you’re lying half-dead in a ditch, begging for my help.”

The man’s face twisted in anger, but before he could retort—

A deep voice cut through the air.

“I… need your help.”

Becca turned sharply.

A man stood behind her, dressed in a long black robe.

His hood concealed most of his face, but she could see the way his body wavered, his breathing unsteady.

Then—

He collapsed.

Becca rushed forward, catching him before he hit the ground.

Her hands gripped his shoulders, his body heavy against her.

He was burning up. Feverish.

Her heart pounded. Who was he?

And why did it feel like this moment would change everything?