Thirty-Three Times My Alpha Left Me At The Altar

After my Luna Ceremony, my fated mate, Alpha Ryker, still hadn’t marked me.He even crashed my victory feast—the one celebrating me ending the three-clan war in just eight hours—with his student, Isla, on his arm.I fought back the crushing pain in my chest, the ache from a mate bond left incomplete. I watched Ryker walk toward me."Freya. You look stunning tonight." He gave me a routine kiss on the forehead.Isla trailed behind him, her tone cruel as she showed off."Sorry to interrupt your celebration, Freya. But I finally had my 100th successful shift today. Ryker said we could celebrate it along with your party."Her 100th shift?Ryker was celebrating the most basic werewolf skill like it was a major victory.Bile rose in my throat."Is that so? Congratulations," I said with a smile, my voice perfectly smooth.The feast began, and the hall filled with guests.Every important figure in the supernatural world wanted to talk to me. They wanted to know how I’d gotten three generations

At midnight, of all times, Ryker came home.I was lying in bed, my back to the door, pretending to be asleep.I heard him tiptoe into the bedroom, then stop short."Dammit, what the hell..." he muttered.He'd seen the shattered Blood Amber on the mantel."Freya?" He walked toward me, his voice tight with panic. "Are you awake?"I turned over and opened my eyes. "What's wrong?""The amber... how did it break?" He crouched by the fireplace, carefully picking up the pieces."It fell," I said calmly. "Maybe it was just old."He let out a breath, but I could still see the guilt in his eyes."It's okay, I can have a craftsman fix it," he said, pulling a fine box from his suit pocket. "This is... a little something as an apology for last night. I saw it at the Alliance auction today and thought of you."I sat up and took the box.Inside was an obsidian bracelet, beautifully designed and sparkling.But one glance was all it took. I froze.It was identical to the one he'd given me last year.A

Each word was a lash across my face."You don't understand. Isla needed my help. Her situation is special...""Special, my ass!" Sophia finally exploded. "Did you know Freya submitted her request to leave the pack two days ago? Did you know she wanted to tell you herself, but you were too busy with your 'special student' to even give her five minutes of your time?"I froze.Two days ago?What was I doing two days ago?I was at the academy with Isla, helping her practice her shift, calming her down when she cried, holding her hand when she said she was scared…And Freya had wanted to tell me she was leaving. But I never even gave her the chance to speak."No... that's impossible..." I shook my head. "If she really wanted to tell me, she could have...""Could have what?" Sophia cut me off. "Waited for you to grant her an audience, like the other thirty-three times? Begged for your attention like a stray dog?"Thirty-three times.She was talking about the thirty-three postponed bonding ce

Freya’s POVThe sun in the South was warmer than in the North.The moment I stepped off the plane, a humid sea breeze hit me. It smelled like freedom."Welcome to the Southern Lands, Ms. Blackwood."Gabriel Moreau, the Alpha leader of the Southern Alliance, had come to the airport to greet me personally.He was an elegant man in his late forties, with wise gray eyes."It's an honor to serve the Alliance," I said with a smile as we shook hands.It was the first genuine smile I’d had in three years."I'm sure you'll like it here," Gabriel said. "The South welcomes all talented individuals, no matter where they come from."No matter where they come from.Including the North. Including Ryker's former mate.As the car drove through the city, I saw a world completely different from the North.The buildings were more modern, the streets more vibrant, and the wolves' faces were full of life and hope.There was no oppression, no rigid hierarchy, no fragile "Alpha pride" to tiptoe around.Even t