Rejected Love: Mated To A Ruthless Alpha

Mira's POV

The men standing before me were pack house guards with grim, forbidding eyes and heavy-looking armour. I knew that scary look on their faces; I had seen it before. The look in their eyes made my skin crawl with discomfort.

Today, however, things were slightly different. The joy within me could not be bridled. Untamed it burst through my veins like tongues of flames, setting my nerve ends on fire with excitement.

I bounced on the balls of my feet as I faced them, and I could not stop the grin from spreading on my lips. "Where is Luca.... Alpha Luca?" I asked, quickly correcting myself.

"The alpha is busy. He asked not to be disturbed." One of the guards answered me.

"Yes, Miss Mira." The other guard replied. "Kindly wait, or go back home."

The guards paused for a while before answering, as though picking their words around me. I could sense their reluctance, and a sliver of impatience moved through me. I peered through the metal gates of the pack house, balanced on the ends of my toes, trying to catch a glimpse of my future mate.

Future mate....even the sound of that sent sparks of giddiness through me. I could feel my Wolf, just at the tips of my fingers, aching to come out.

"Oh, to hell with it!" I snapped. Pushing past the guards, I stumbled through the half-open gate and into the compound. A part of me was expecting the guards to chase after me, but they didn't.

Filled with a giddy happiness, I moved through the front door of the pack house, weaving through the familiar corridors to where I knew I would find Luca. On late afternoons like this one, he was either to be found in his bedroom, or in the library, blonde head buried in a large book.

I decided to try his room first-he could be having a siesta. I ran through the corridors, almost tripping against my own feet with my impatience and excitement.

And the sight of his door made me reel back in surprise.

I felt my brow furrow in a frown, as I stopped before Luca's room door. It was slightly ajar, and I could see what looked like a shoe, edged between the door and its frame.

The shoe was so sudden, so out of place, that I blanched at the sight. Luca was nothing if not neat; my mate loved everything to always be in its place.

A part of my mind urged me to pick up the shoe, but another part of me forced me to stop and wonder. Luca never ever left his door ajar; amongst other things, he loved a closed door.

Had he stepped out for a moment? Or had he left the door open out of forgetfulness?

Several questions and possibilities raced through my head. Strange sounds began to filter from the room and into my head as I stood there.

Was that....groaning? Was Lucas in pain?

Finally, pushing my riotous thoughts aside, I decided to walk in and find out.

I picked up the stray shoe from where it was wedged. My other fingers closed around the warm wooden doorknob, and I pushed inside. The door swung open with barely a creak as I walked in.

"Luca?" I called out. "Are you in here?"

The wider I opened the door, the wider my eyes and mouth went.

Luca was lying on the bed, wrapped in the embrace of another woman.

********

Their moaning and groaning buzzed in my ears. Their rhythmic movement, the creaking of the bed and the sheets draped over their sweaty bodies made me stand in one spot, frozen with shock.

The single shoe slipped from my hand, slamming against the ground with a loud clatter.

Luca and the woman hastily separated at the noise, and their nervous, jerky movement reminded me of thunder splitting a tree, of wind tearing a leaf apart, of sparks and crashes and devastating, agonizing breaks.

"Wh....what is going on here-" I stuttered. I had one hand still on the doorknob, another hovering between myself and Luca.

"What are you doing here?" My mate asked. There was a look of shock and a slight anger on his face-apparently his actions did not have the same effects on him as it had on me.

I was all alone in this experience.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screamed. "What are you doing with that woman?!"

"What woman?" The female asked. She pushed past Luca, stepping into the light pouring from the open window.

It took me all my strength to pull my gaze from Luca's apathetic face to the woman he had been kissing. And as I stared at her, I was hit with a double blow.

The woman who stood there was my step-sister, every smug line on her face still in place.

"Annabelle!" I screamed. "You....!"

Suddenly, my former excitement seemed to shrink in my chest like a tiny ball of yarn, until it was nothing but a shadow, a flicker of something I once felt, something I could no longer identify with.

All I felt was agony that seemed to tear at my bones.

"You....I just came with the news that my father finally agreed to our mating ceremony, and I meet this?!" I roared.

Luca moved forward, shoulders hunched, standing beside Annabelle. "I was going to tell you about our romance." He murmured. "I have been meaning to tell you about it, but I never got the time nor the chance...."

His voice sounded mechanical and bland, as though he had practiced his lines before delivering it, and the agony in my bones intensified.

"You've been meaning to tell me what? That my sister was your secret lover? That you've been cheating on me for Goddess knows how long?" I retorted.

Tears rolled down my cheeks in wave, and I wiped at them angrily. "Tell me this is some sort of hoax. Tell me this isn't true-"

"Oh, but it is true, sister." Annabelle replied instead. I could see the satisfied look in her eyes, and something inside of me shrivelled up and died.

"I am sorry, Mira, but we cannot be together." He spoke up. "Perhaps you should find your way out now."

I locked eyes with Luca, my gaze meeting his aquamarine blue eyes, but not a sliver of hope was in his gaze. I knew, there and then, that I had lost my mate long before I even realised it.

And without a final word to either of them, I turned and dashed out of the room, taking my shattered heart with me.

Mira's POV

I stood outside the imposing doors of Luca's throne room, flanked by two guards. Anxiety had turned the insides of my mouth bitter, and fear rolled in my chest.

I took a deep breath, tapping my hand against my thigh nervously. This was a day after my encounter with Luca and my step-sister. The sight of them tangled on that bed was still emblazoned against my eyelids like a tattoo.

I shuddered involuntarily. The thought of them together intensified the bitterness in my mouth. I wanted to run into a corner to escape this reality, but I kept my back straight and my feet on the ground.

Soon, the doors swung open, their creak reverberating through the vast outer chamber. A guard stepped out of the throne room.

"Alpha Luca will see you now." He announced.

"Thank you." I muttered. I stepped into the opulent throne room, my heart thudding uncomfortably. My eyes caught Luca, sitting regally on his imposing throne at the far end.

He lifted his head. "You're here!"

With customary respect, I approached and offered a courtesy, though my expression betrayed my simmering anger.

When I straightened from the courtesy, my eyes caught his. I channeled all my anger into my gaze, and it felt as though I was burning right through with rage.

"You sent for me, Alpha?" I growled in question.

"I simply want to talk, Mira." He replied, his voice carrying around the throne room like a roll of thunder.

Something deep within me softened-perhaps he wanted to set things straight, perhaps he wanted to make amends. I loved Luca enough to forgive him for what he'd done. I knew I loved him enough to forget as well.

I hoped for an apology, a shred of remorse, but what followed stunned me.

A door to Luca's left swung open, and I turned my head towards it. Annabelle emerged from the door, dressed in her best clothes.

"Why is she here?" I demanded. Annabelle scoffed at my question, a smirk on her face. She folded her hands before her, then began her walk over to where Luca sat.

And before I could realise what was going on, Annabelle sat beside Luca, taking her place on the smaller throne beside him.

The throne meant for the Luna of the Pack.

The throne meant for me.

"What is she doing here?" I asked again, my words were edged with disbelief and outrage.

Luca gestured for calmness, but his gesture only fueled my frustration. "Why did you bring her here?" I demanded, my voice quivering with a mix of hurt and fury. "After cheating on me with her, you went on to allow her sit on the throne meant for me!"

Annabelle's smug demeanor mocked me as she settled beside Luca, her presence a brazen affront. She folded her legs slowly, and her smug smile felt like tiny needles of pain against my skin.

"Surprised to see me, sister?" Her words dripped with satisfaction.

I turned to Luca, seeking an explanation, hoping for something, anything to make sense of this betrayal. "Is this some sick joke to you?" My voice wavered, my heart aching with betrayal. "Why are you-"

"Would you let me speak, Mira?!" Luca roared suddenly, and the sound of his voice killed the next words in my mouth.

Luca's eyes met mine, lacking the remorse I desperately sought. "I called you here, like I said, to have a conversation. I need you to understand."

Understand what? That my trust had been shattered? That the man I thought was my mate had turned my world upside down? Words choked in my throat, emotions swirling inside me like a tempest at sea.

"Things were never going to work out between us, Mira." He murmured. "This-You finding out about Annabelle and I-was bound to happen, anyway. I have been meaning to tell you, but...."

His voice trailed off, but he kept his eyes on mine as he delivered blow after blow of words.

"What are you saying, Luca?" I stepped forward, desperation etched in every part of me. "We're supposed to be together. You and I....we're supposed to be mated soon! I told my father about you, and he agreed!"

Annabelle snorted loudly, her entire stance mocking me. "Get a grip on yourself, sister. Things happen."

I stood there, grappling with the weight of disbelief and hurt. "I trusted you. I trusted both of you!" I whispered, my voice breaking. Tears threatened to spill, but I refused to let them.

"Telling your father changes little to nothing between us!" He retorted, cutting me off. "You and I, Mira, we're not meant to be."

At these words, he turned to Annabelle and reached for her hand. I watched as he held on tight, as their eyes met, as he smiled lovingly at her.

He holds her the way I want to be held, I thought.

"Annabelle is the love of my life, my mate and the future Luna of this entire pack." Luca continued. "And there is nothing and nobody, including you or your father, who can separate us. The bond between us is too strong, Mira."

Desperately, I clawed my way forward, until I was directly below the throne. "This isn't love, Luca. All of this cannot beat the love I have for you. You..." I smiled, fear etched into my eyes, desperation in my voice. "You're just infatuated with Annabelle. You're-"

"No!" He bellowed, rising to his feet. The mild gentleness I had seen in his eyes had disappeared now, and there was nothing but a manic rage in his gaze.

Luca was never this way with me. What had changed?

"No!" He growled, his voice a notch lower now. Slowly, he stepped down from the dais, coming for me.

He stopped several feet away from where I stood, and the words I dreaded came slipping out. "I, Alpha Luca, reject you as my mate. Leave my premises!"

A sharp emotional pain attacked my chest, and I gasped, staggering backwards. "You cannot be serious-"

"We're done." He interrupted, eyes blazing like a thousand infernos. "Leave while you still can. Do not make me lose my mind."

I had no idea which one hurt more: the fact that Luca had cheated, or the fact that he'd cheated on me with my own sister, under my own nose. Turning away, I left the room, leaving behind shattered hopes and a heart heavy with betrayal.

Mira's POV

I loved Luca enough to forgive him for cheating on me. But rejecting me was the height of it.

Heart pounding, tears streaming down my cheeks, I raced away from the pack house. The agony of Luca's rejection clawed at my chest. The betrayal was too sharp to bear; it was just too much. How could he do this to me? How could the man I loved rip my world apart so callously?

How could he look me in the eye and pick my sister over me?

Each step through the familiar grounds felt like daggers in my heart, and the weight of disbelief and devastation was heavy in my chest. I couldn't breathe; it was as if the air around me had turned thick and suffocating.

I didn't know where I was going, only that I needed to escape the torment of their presence, the crushing reality of their betrayal. My feet pounded against the earth, the sound muffled by the rustling leaves and my racing thoughts.

Soon, I dashed into the pack's forest, wanting to get as far away from Luca and Annabelle as possible. Bushes and trees blurred past me as I raced further away. Tears blinded my vision, but I pushed forward, driven by the pain that threatened to consume me from inside.

I stumbled, my breaths ragged, but I didn't stop. Anguish propelled me forward, away from the pack house, away from the heartache I couldn't bear to face. The distant howls of the pack echoed in the background, but their calls were lost in the chaos of my emotions.

The rustling of leaves and the whispers of the wind became my only companions as I plunged deeper into the forest, seeking refuge from the pain that threatened to engulf me.

As I raced on, I began to hear voices behind me. I staggered to a stop, then darted behind a tree. Heart thundering, I heard the voices of men as they drew ever nearer to where I stood.

"....this way," one of them called out. "I can smell her scent in the air."

I didn't need to guess who these men were. Their wolf scents were familiar, and I knew that they were from my pack. Most probably guards from Luca's army, as far as I could tell.

I could not let them capture me. Who knew what would happen, then? Who knew what these men would do to me in the solitude of this forest?

Slowly, I moved away from the tree, tiptoeing across the forest grounds and away from the voices of the men. On and on I walked, until their voices faded into the background.

Soon, I got to a darker, denser part of the forest, filled with tangled vines and shoulder-high shrubs. It was hard trying to navigate through the forest, harder still to see where I was going.

My foot caught against a knot of vines on the ground, and before I knew what was happening, I hit the ground, hard.

A startled yelp slipped from my lips, and I struggled to my feet. The moment I rose, I felt a wave of dizziness over me. Colours blended into one another, and images divided into twos and threes before me.

"Goddess....!" I swore, as I found my way to the ground again. This time, I was not as lucky as the first time. My head made contact with a large stone, and my world went black.

*********

My head pounded with pain as I slowly regained consciousness. Blinking against the bright light filtering through the trees, I groaned, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The voices of several men hovered around me, their tones hushed and urgent.

As my vision cleared, I saw several guards kneeling beside me, their faces etched with worry. "She's awake," one of them announced, relief evident in his voice.

Confusion clouded my thoughts, and I struggled to sit up, the pain in my head intensifying. "What... happened?" I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible.

Then, the reality of my surroundings slowly sank in.

The moment I realised who these guards were, I rushed to my knees, my breaths coming out in huffs. I heard all the guards fall silent, and I knew they were watching me with mild confusion.

"Kill me!" I screamed. "Get on with it!"

The silence persisted, and I lifted my head to glare at their faces in turn. "Kill me this instant! There is no hope for me left. My mate just rejected me, and my sister betrayed me. My life is hopeless and inconsequential. I am breaking from within. There is nothing left for me, please. Just get it over with!"

A loud sob slipped from my lips, and I collapsed into a fetal position at the feet of these men.

"Please.....just get it over with. Kill me!" I screamed. "Kill me already! Run me through with your blades!"

"Do it!" One of the guards said to the other, nudging his side. "She asked you to do it, anyway. She is ready for death, as it is."

"Wait." The second guard snapped to his partner. "Remember that Lady Annabelle asked for a clean, seamless death. We do not want any mistakes."

"Lady Annabelle....?" I echoed. The sound of my sister's name was like several sledgehammers bludgeoning my ears.

My sister had sent these men to kill me!

The weight of my sister's decision to end my life was too much to bear. My hopelessness curdled, solidifying into a ball of vengeance and anger.

I knew I was going to die, anyway. But if I found my way into this world again, I swore to make my step-sister pay for everything she'd done to me.

I closed my eyes, clutching my knees to my chest. Death was at the door already, and I was accepting it with open arms.

Then I heard the harsh, tinny sound of metal as swords left their scabbards, and the whoosh of air as the swords were raised high, ready to strike me into death. But before I could embrace the cold arms of death, I heard several arrows whizz past my head.

I opened my eyes just in time to see the two guards above me, sharp and poisonous arrows buried into their chests. Blood blossomed on their torsos, from the arrow points.

And with a great thud, the guards fell to the ground, life bleeding out of them.

I stared at the still bodies of the guards, as though I was struck dumb. I could hear steps approaching me, but they faded into a distant noise in my ears.

Suddenly, the bushes around me parted, and a man burst through to where I sat, on the forest ground.

And my first impression of him was angelic.

This man had long, flowing blonde locks; as long as my own hair. I could not see much of his face, but what I could see spoke of lines and edges, of coarseness and a grim, dependable strength.

"A woman!" He exclaimed, as though I was the most unusual thing in the world.

I glanced up at him, my brows furrowed. "Who are you?"