His Rejected Mate, His Obsession

Kiara.

I woke up in a room I'd never seen in my life. The lights were way too bright that my eyes stung like I'd been dragged out of sleep by force and not by my choice.

I bolted upright too fast which caused my whole head to spin and the blanket on me to slip off and then I froze.

I was naked.

Stark freaking naked.

I couldn't even scream. My breath choked itself before it could make a sound. I grabbed the robe at the edge of the bed like my life depended on it and yanked it over my skin hoping it could erase everything, or something?

What the hell?

What the actual hell?

Only after I covered myself did I see them.

Two men. One on either side of the bed. Watching me with smirks on their faces.

It was as if they'd been waiting. Almost like they'd already seen it all.

"Who... how..." Heck, my voice didn't even sound like me.

The last thing I remembered...no. I had to focus. The last thing was drinks. Just drinks. At the bar. With my sister. That's all it was. Just one glass. I only had one.

I felt dizzy almost immediately and now...

Now I was here.

Naked. In bed. With strangers.

With no memory about what had happened or how I even got here.

Something was wrong. No, everything was wrong. Nothing about this made sense.

I tried to remember what happened after I stood from the barstool. I tried so hard to chase any thought, any second of memory that could lead me to this room but there was absolutely nothing.

I couldn't remember anything.

I pinched my arm, hard. I wanted it to be a dream.

But the pain was sharp and very real. This is so not a dream.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" one of them said.

And then he laughed. Loud, obnoxious, rocking back and forth like it was a goddamn joke. Like I was the joke.

Like I asked for this.

My stomach twisted. My chest felt like it was caving in.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked. But my voice wasn't strong, not really.

It was scared.

I was scared.

I could barely stay upright. But I kept trying to think. Something had to connect. Maybe I left the bar with someone? Maybe I walked out? Maybe I made a mistake?

But there was nothing.

No faces. No streets. No scent trails. Just this room and this headache and my skin crawling.

And I was supposed to be getting married soon.

My wedding was coming up.

Yet I was in bed with two men.

"What the heck did you do to me?" I said, my voice rising now. I tried to push away, to move back, to get out...

But then a hand touched my shoulder, it was ice-cold and it shoved me back down like I was nothing.

And I didn't fight it.

Because I couldn't.

I should've been able to shift, claw, scream, or even rip them apart.

But it felt like my wolf was gone or silenced. Like someone had turned off a switch.

I couldn't feel her. I felt nothing. I was empty and weak.

I had to have been drugged. I just had to be.

"Did... did you touch me?" I asked.

My voice cracked, but I asked again anyway. "Did you?"

I didn't think they had. But what if I was wrong? What if I just didn't feel it yet?

"What do you think?" Blondie said, and he was still smiling. Still laughing.

I wanted to rip it off his face. I hated him. I hated both of them.

"Let me go!" I snapped, trying to rip my hand back as he grabbed it too tight, like he wanted me to scream.

His grip was rough but it wasn't the pain that shook me.

It was his eyes. They weren't right.

They weren't wolf like . They were empty and Soulless.

Just then we heard a knock sound on the door and we all froze. My heart stopped.

And then there was another knock.

The two of them looked at the door like it wasn't supposed to happen. Like whoever was out there had ruined their plan.

Soon, the sound of something started jingling. Keys.

It clinked and clinked then it was the sound of it turning the door knob.

Soon enough, the door flew open and Chase stood there.

Everything inside me dropped.

He was standing right there. One hand on the doorknob. The other frozen midair like he was about to grab something, do something, like he hadn't expected this either. Who would?

His eyes moved.

They saw me. And then the rest of the persons in the room.

And he didn't say a word. But he didn't have to.

His growl made the walls vibrate.

His eyes went red. Alpha red.

And just like that, the two guys were on their knees, heads lowered, shaking.

The weight of his fury hit them like a wave.

I'd never seen him like this. I'd never seen him look at anyone like this.

And it was because of me.

"Chase... no," I whispered. I didn't even know what I meant by that.

He didn't look at me.

He didn't move toward me.

He only spoke in a scarily calm and cold tone.

"Leave the room now, Kiara."

It wasn't a request. It was a warning.

And I knew what would happen if I walked away.

It'd be over. There would be no explanation. No fixing it, no fixing this.

"I don't want to," I said. My voice shook. "Let me explain myself, Chase. Please."

"I want you to go," he said again. This time with something dark in his voice. "Because I fear you will hate seeing what I'm about to do here."

He meant it. He was seconds away from killing them.

I shook my head.

"I can't let you taint yourself like this, Chase," I said, even though my throat was dry. "Please."

He still wouldn't look at me. His eyes were on them. Locked.

"You didn't think you'd get away with this?" he said.

His voice was quieter now. Which made it worse.

"You didn't think there'd be consequences?"

The blonde one stammered. "She asked us to accompany her. She said she was lonely. Seduced us and-"

"That's a lie!" I snapped, my hands grabbing the sheets like I could tear through the truth.

Chase's eyes finally turned to me.

"You are pitiable, Kiara."

Each word landed like a blow.

"You're naked in a room with wolves and you think you still have the guts to tell me you can explain?"

"I wasn't... I'm not-"

My voice didn't work. Nothing came out right.

Why couldn't I speak? Why now? Why did every word feel stuck in my throat?

"Chase..."

He looked at me. And what I saw there was still red.

But now infused with pain. And rage.

The kind of rage that could destroy everything.

And then he lunged. He grabbed the blond guy by the throat with one hand and lifted him like he was nothing.

The other guy didn't

"An Omega?" Chase growled. His voice was filled with pure disgust. "This is what you fall for? This is what you risk everything... me for?"

His grip tightened.

The guy turned red and started struggling.

Just then, Chase stopped.

He let him go. Not because he forgave but because he seemed to remember who he was.

The Alpha. The Leader. Not a killer.

"Get out before I snap your necks in two," he snarled.

They immediately ran, leaving no room for any form of hesitation.

And now it was just us. Alone.

I stood there, robe clutched around me.

I wanted to explain. I needed to.

"Nothing happened," I said. "Chase, I swear, nothing happened."

There was no response.

I moved closer and reached for him.

My hand touched his shoulder and he immediately flinched. Recoiled even, like I was dirt.

He finally turned to face me, even though it seemed like it took every of his willpower to do that.

His eyes were unreadable now.

"I don't want you anywhere near me," he said.

Even then, his voice had that Alpha edge. Even though it was soft, it stung a lot.

"Chase, this isn't what it looks like."

I was pleading now. It was pathetic, but I didn't care.

"I, Chase Knight, Alpha of the Valley Pack..."

He said it like a final sentence.

"...reject you, Kiara Farkas, as my mate and future Luna."

Kiara

I'd always known how to prepare for things that were going to happen in my life.

The end of my training, the first time I shifted into my full wolf form without screaming through it and many more. I knew how to brace for most of my life happenings.

But not this.

Not being rejected.

Not by my mate. Definitely not by Chase.

I couldn't move after he left. My body was still there, legs planted to the floor, but everything else inside me had collapsed. My chest felt like it was being torn open. I kept trying to breathe.

But every breath came with pain. Real, unbearable pain.

The door slammed open again.

This time it was my parents.

And just like that, the pain doubled.

My cheeks were already soaked in tears but I couldn't even wipe them away fast enough.

I looked up-just once.

My mother stepped inside, her eyes sweeping over the room like it made her sick.

And my father, his face said it all before it even came out of his mouth.

"You've embarrassed this family, Kiara!" he roared. "I am so disappointed in you."

I flinched.

Not because he yelled. I'd heard him yell before, so many times at Kylie.

But never at me. Never me.

"I didn't do anything, Dad," I said, my voice hoarse. "I swear, I don't even know how I got here. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh really?" My mother's voice was colder than I'd ever heard it. "So you did nothing wrong? You just casually slept with two wolves right before your wedding, then?"

There was something dead in her tone. Like she didn't even recognize me anymore.

"I don't know what happened," I said again. I was barely breathing now.

"I am done with this nonsense!" my dad snapped. "You disgust me! As of today, you're no longer a part of this family. You're off the family tree!"

I froze.

He meant it.

I saw it in his face.

"What?" I said, heart in my throat. "Dad, I've always been good. Always. Doesn't that count for something? Just one mistake. One... I don't even understand how it happened. I think I was drugged... someone set me up. I don't even remember how I got here..."

"It was one mistake," he shouted, fists clenched. "But it's the kind that destroys legacies. You've disgraced not just yourself, but us. The family? The entire pack even! Everything we built. All because you couldn't keep your legs closed. No child of mine will ruin my name. Not even you."

My knees gave out. I was still standing, but only barely.

I sobbed into my palms. My whole life, everything I thought I was was ripping into pieces in front of me and no one cared.

He turned and my mother followed.

I reached out.

"Mom... Dad... please. Don't do this. Don't abandon me. Not now. Please."

They didn't turn back.

They just kept walking until they vanished from my view.

And I broke. But I didn't get time to fall apart.

Because then, Kylie walked in.

She crossed her arms and watched me cry like she was watching a play.

And said nothing.

I blinked through tears. My vision shook. My throat burned. But I moved toward her anyway.

"Please help me, sister," I said, my hands clasped together. I wasn't even thinking straight anymore. I just needed someone, anyone. Everyone was turning on me. I needed someone to believe me.

"You'll have to get out of the Valley," Kylie said. Just like that.

"Huh?"

The words didn't register at first.

And then I saw it.

The look on her face.

That wasn't pity. That wasn't worry. That...

That was a smile. A smirk she was trying to hide.

No. No, I was imagining it. I had to be. My mind was playing tricks on me. Right?

"We're not having this discussion," she said. "You'll leave the Valley and never return."

"What are you talking about, sis?" I asked, stunned. "This is my home. My life is here. Chase-"

She laughed. Like she actually laughed.

"You think you still have Chase?" she said. "Oh no, dear sister. Chase was never yours. And this, everything that's happening right now? This is proof you were never meant to beat me to him."

"Kylie-"

She smacked her lips and began circling the room like she owned it. Like she owned me.

There was something dark in her eyes. Something I'd never seen before.

"What are you talking about?" I asked again. "I said I need your help. You could vouch for me, we were at the bar together, remember? We were both drunk, we-"

"The rules never applied to you." She said so casually out of nowhere ignoring my words.

"What?"

"You were always the pretty one. The sweet one. The smart one. The one everyone trusted. Me? I was always the mistake. Always being judged. Even now, Chase was mine. He was always mine."

I stared at her.

None of this was making sense.

Where was this coming from?

She wasn't even making sense anymore.

"Come on," I said. "You know I can't control who my mate is. I didn't choose Chase. It's not like that. You were his best friend but I didn't take anything from you."

"You took everything," she hissed.

And suddenly she was laughing again. Spinning around, fingers in her hair like a mad woman.

I bit my tongue hard to stop myself from screaming. I only stopped when I tasted blood.

"I want you to feel it now," she said. Her voice dropped into something venomous. "I want you to feel the whole world turn against you."

"How could you do this to me?" I shouted. "We're sisters!"

Were we?

Nothing felt real anymore.

Chase had rejected me. My parents had disowned me. And now the only person left, the one I thought would help, was circling me like a predator.

"Sisters?" she spat. "You're a weak little wolf that everyone adored just because you had a pretty face. Sisters? Don't make me laugh."

It hit me.

Right then.

All of it.

And I said it.

"You spiked my drink."

It wasn't even a question.

But my voice trembled anyway.

"You did this to me."

"Yes!" she screamed, eyes wild. "So what? You ruined everything! You took everything from me! You deserve what you get!"

And then, her hand suddenly snapped forward and slapped me. Hard.

"That? I've always wanted to do that." She said afterwards.

My face burned and I stumbled backward, stunned.

Hot tears poured again.

I covered my cheek, but I couldn't cover the ache in my chest.

This... this was betrayal. Real betrayal.

"I don't understand," I whispered. I wanted to believe this was some kind of mistake. That I'd wake up soon and this would all make sense.

But she was still there. Still grinning.

And it only got worse.

"Chase was mine all along," she said. "And you took him. You just showed up like always and pointed. And got everything."

"I didn't take him away," I said, wiping my face with the back of my hand. "He's my mate. That's not something I chose. You know that."

"Oh, but we can choose," she growled. "We can. I would've chosen him a hundred times. But no one ever asked me. Because no one ever cared about what I wanted."

"That's not true."

But the words were weak.

And I could feel it all now.

Anger.

Pain.

Betrayal.

Twisting together into something sharp and suffocating.

She ran a hand through her hair, laughing again, and I bit down so hard I thought I'd scream.

"I want you to rot," she said. "You bitch."

"How could you do this?" I screamed. "You're my sister!"

She didn't care.

She sneered. "You were loved for nothing. You had everything. And now? You have nothing."

Her grin widened.

"Guess who's going to be Luna now," she said. "Guess who's going to marry Chase now, me! So do not wast your time begging, say goodbye to the Valley. No one wants you here anymore."

I wiped my eyes again. My body still shook but I wasn't crying this time.

I couldn't.

Not now.

Not after everything.

I had only one card left.

"I'm carrying Chase's child."

Her face cracked.

She went completely still.

This wasn't how I imagined it.

I thought it'd feel magical, beautiful even when I tell my family this news, preferably after the wedding. I'd thought about how chase would jump around at the news when I told him on our honeymoon, it was all me at to be a surprise, to be a thing of joy.

But now?

It felt like mud.

Like filth in my throat.

Her nostrils flared. She stepped away from the window like she wanted to lunge.

And I finally saw her for what she was.

Not a sister.

Not family.

A stranger.

"You're lying," she said, voice rising. "You're lying again."

"What do you think?" I said, my voice quieter now. "I'm pregnant. With Chase's child."

She laughed. A harsh, empty laugh. "You think anyone's going to believe that? After being caught in bed with two wolves? To everyone else, you're trash now. A slut. You lost an Alpha over two omegas. You're nothing."

"They'll believe me. I'll find someone from the bar. Someone who saw us. Someone who knows the truth."

She stiffened. I saw it.

She hated that.

Good.

"You won't find anyone," she said. "No one cares. No one's listening to you anymore."

"When I get proof," I told her, "you'll pay for this. You'll take responsibility. I'll make sure of it."

"Shut the hell up!" she screamed.

"I'll make you pay for this, Kylie. I swear to the moon-"

Then she moved. So fast that I did not see it coming, claws flashed before my eyes and before I knew it, fresh pain exploded through my stomach.

I gasped. I couldn't even scream.

Her claws pushed in deeper, and her hand twisted like she wanted me to feel every inch of it.

"You deserve to die," she said.

Blood filled my mouth. A single tear slipped from my eye.

She pulled back, and my knees buckled.

"You don't deserve him," she whispered, smiling as I crumbled.

I couldn't breathe. Heck, I couldn't even speak.

She watched me fall. While she kept laughing.

"Looks like you'll be heading to hell before me, dear sister," she said as the darkness swallowed me whole. "Greet the devil for me, will you?"

Kiara

Six years later,

I slipped through the mannequins like I wasn't even there, quiet, invisible, just trying to move fast enough to not be seen. I ducked into the side door and pushed my way toward the reception.

My feet ached already.

I sank behind the counter and breathed out like I'd just finished running a marathon no one clapped for.

The computer beeped in that annoying way it always did. I typed in my passcode like muscle memory, and just like that, the beeping stopped.

Then a man walked in from the side door.

His eyes were heavy, swollen like he hadn't slept in days.

"Is my order ready?"

His voice was sharp. I could Immediately tell that he was already irritated.

"What's your name, sir?" I asked, fingers already hovering over the keys.

We got people like him every week. The type that wandered from the first floor all the way to the third just to start a fight.

I could already tell what kind of customer he was. His whole energy screamed confrontation. But I tried-I really did-to keep my face still.

Don't judge. Don't assume. Just stay neutral. Do the job.

"Don't look at me like that," he snapped.

I blinked. "Like what?"

"You're talking back, huh?" He leaned in, close enough that I could smell his breath. His hand lifted, reaching toward my face.

I instantly slapped it away, hard.

I didn't even have the time to think it through.

I glanced toward security just in case. I wasn't scared.

If I wanted, I could rip him apart right here. Tear him into meat and not feel a damn thing.

But I couldn't afford that.

Not now.

This job was everything. My only lifeline.

So instead, we argued.

He tried to reach for me again and I told him off. My voice wasn't sweet. I didn't fake it for him.

When he finally stormed out, the tension snapped like a rubber band in my chest.

I breathed in, then out.

Then-

"Stop acting foolish at the very least!"

It was Erica. My boss.

I didn't need to turn. I already knew the voice.

I winced.

"Why would you speak to a customer like that?"

I swallowed. "You didn't even bother to ask why I did it."

"Again with the excuses!" She shouted, loud enough that my headache pulsed harder.

Unfair. She didn't even care what he did. She never cared.

"I work long hours," I muttered. "And someone comes in here-"

"You can quit then! Go find somewhere else to hide your pathetic self, huh?"

I sighed.

I clenched my hands, fingers curling into dry fists.

I couldn't say anything else.

I could've. God, I wanted to. But I didn't.

Because she was my boss. Because I had responsibilities now.

Because this wasn't a life I chose. It was one I was dragged into.

I had to survive.

I thought back. Back to that night.

The betrayal. The blood. The claws. My sister's face.

I had crawled my way out of hell with nothing but grit and silence and a hunger to stay alive.

No one knew me here. No one asked questions. I hadn't spoken to anyone from my past in six years. No Chase. No family.

Last I heard, Chase had left town.

Good for him.

I didn't care.

My boss turned with her usual exaggerated sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you-standing here means you're the face of my shop. At least try to look like it."

"I'm doing my best," I said.

"No, you're not," she said with that fake little smirk she wore like perfume. "You think I should do everything around here too? You look like you're ready to scare the clients away."

I said nothing.

Because I'd learned.

You don't fight her. You just wait. Let her talk herself out. She always did.

She'd hated me from day one, and I still hadn't figured out why. Maybe I reminded her of something. Maybe she just needed someone to hate.

"And you're not the type to be left alone," she added with a snort. "That's the problem, Kiara. You don't know the first thing about business."

"I should get back to my post," I said, my voice low, tired.

I circled around, one hand on my waist, not even sure where I was going.

Standing in one place made my knees scream.

Then the bells rang. The doorbells from the front.

I turned.

"We have a VIP," I said.

She stopped mid-rant. Her eyes snapped to the entrance, then lit up.

Money.

That look she got-it wasn't even excitement. It was hunger. Greed.

Because VIPs meant cash, cash meant prestige. And Prestige meant she could keep pretending I wasn't the reason her business was still afloat.

She wouldn't fire me. She couldn't. I was her best designer.

If there was a big name walking through that door, she'd shove me out front no matter how much she hated me.

It was just how people worked.

She practically skipped away, her heels clicking too loudly on the tile.

Her laugh echoed through the showroom.

That was definitely not just another VIP.

It had to be someone big.

I peeked out and saw her lead him toward the back. The measuring room. The private one.

She sounded... different.

Excited. Breathless. Giddy. Like a girl on a date, not a boss handling a client.

I tiptoed closer.

The door was slightly cracked. I pushed it open just enough to peek in.

His back was broad. Posture confident. He leaned slightly as he walked like the room itself didn't matter. Like nothing mattered.

Erica was practically bouncing beside him.

"You haven't been in here in three years," she said in her overly sweet voice. "I thought you abandoned my business ."

He chuckled.

Smooth.

Deep.

That sound alone made me pause.

I didn't know him.

But just from that laugh, that voice, I could imagine.

He was the type of man people didn't forget. The kind women whispered about after he left.

I shut my eyes. Just for a second. And imagined what it would be like to have someone like that as my own client, mine, not Erica's.

I loved what I did. I did. The joy of clients seeing my designs, the way they lit up when they wore something I made.

But Erica...

She stole everything.

Every piece I made, she claimed. Every compliment, she swallowed.

And I let her because I needed the job.

"I haven't been in town in five years," the man said.

Erica clutched the necklace around her neck. "I heard about the carnival. You missed it."

"Gillian made sure I didn't miss anything," he said. His hand touched the tabletop casually, like even furniture bowed to him. "But I'm back. And planning to stay."

"You're welcome anytime," she said. "You're my favorite, just so you know."

He nodded. "I like when you pretend I matter."

She laughed like it was a joke they'd shared for years.

And it probably was.

I started to turn away.

But just then, Erica saw me.

"I was just about to call you," she said, surprisingly polite. "Come in."

That rare politeness-it wouldn't last. But I took it. I savored it while it lasted and licked my lips as I walked in.

The warmth from the man's presence hit even though I had still not seen his face.

There was something about him... Something Familiar.

Familiar in a way that made my stomach clench.

I clutched the measuring tape close like it could protect me.

I'd dealt with plenty of expensive clients before.

But this man-he was different.

He didn't just wear luxury. He breathed it.

He had that air. The kind that made people listen. The kind that told you he wasn't just rich. He was dangerous. Important. Untouchable.

"Don't just stand there," Erica snapped.

Before I could move, his voice cut in.

"Let her be, Erica."

He was amused. I heard it in his tone.

Erica melted under it.

"We wouldn't want you looking bad for the reception party," she said, too breathy now. "Although I doubt you could look bad in anything."

"Well, if you're willingly allowing her to handle the measurements," he said, "then I'm not worried."

She gave me a quick glare before turning the smile back on him like nothing happened.

He beat every other client who'd ever walked through that door.

I stepped forward.

And Erica stepped back.

"I'll leave you to it then."

I moved to him, heart kicking at my ribs.

I reached to tap his shoulder.

He turned.

And I froze.

The smile dropped from his face.

His eyes sharpened.

Anger. Recognition.

And just like that- The color drained from my face.

Chase?