Omega’s Rejection, Luna’s Rise

Brielle’s POV

They said having an Alpha as a mate was a blessing, but what if that Alpha was more devoted to another—a childhood sweetheart—over you, his fated mate?

“Alpha, please, let’s proceed with our marriage before Mom dies,” I pleaded, my voice trembling as my knees dug into the cold stone floor before my mate.

I had lost count of how many times I had begged, and how long I had waited for him to fulfill our bond. We were fated mates, destined by the Moon Goddess herself, yet he resisted, always finding a reason to delay, to avoid.

Aziel’s brow furrowed as I spoke, and I braced myself for yet another refusal. But this time, to my utter shock, he sighed and finally relented. “Fine! You set the date.”

For a fleeting moment, I was elated. My heart soared, believing that at last, we would be united as we were meant to be. But that joy was cruelly short-lived. On the day of our wedding, I stood at the altar, waiting, surrounded by the pack including my mom. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the truth sank in—Aziel wasn’t coming. Not even his shadow graced our ceremony. And that night, as if the Moon Goddess herself mocked me, my mother took her last breath.

I was just an Omega, while Aziel Crassus was the Alpha of our Crimson Shadow Pack. Maybe that was why he wouldn’t bind himself to me. But deep down, I knew the truth. It wasn’t the rank—it was Kaia Hutton.

Kaia was his childhood sweetheart and the daughter of the Alpha from the Storm Forest Pack, our allied pack. Born without a wolf, she was fragile, and after her parents were killed in a rogue attack, Aziel made a vow to care for her, a vow that seemed to overshadow our own bond. He brought her into our pack, into our lives, and into the space that was supposed to be ours alone.

I didn’t shed a tear. I didn’t make a scene. Instead, I went to my mom’s favorite spot where she always went whenever she was stressed. There, I silently buried her, alone, and with each shovelful of earth, I buried my hopes for the life I thought I’d have with Aziel.

Afterward, I returned home, my mind made up. I would end things now.

Heaving a deep breath, I enounced, “I, Brielle Ellis, reject Aziel Crassus, as my mate.”

I felt my chest burning after that for Moon Goddess knew how long. But as soon as I recovered, I swiftly packed my things, ready to leave the place that had once been my sanctuary, when suddenly, Kaia walked in assisting Aziel. With his face twisted in pain, he snapped, “Brielle, what did you just do?”

His tone was laced with rage as if I were the one being unreasonable.

Kaia’s voice was soft and apologetic, but her grip on Aziel tightened, and a smug glint in her eyes. “Brielle, I’m so sorry. I burned my hand with a potion that day, and Aziel rushed to help. I didn’t know it was your wedding day.”

I glanced at the small bandage on her hand, the supposed reason Aziel abandoned me on the most important day of our lives. A bitter laugh escaped me. In his heart, my dying mother and I were less important than a burn on Kaia’s hand.

But I wasn’t surprised. After five years together, I was used to Kaia calling him away, always with some excuse that made her need seem more urgent than mine.

“I’ve just rejected you, Aziel,” I answered, my voice devoid of the warmth it once held.

The moment my mother died, my love for him died too. But he didn’t see it; he thought I was just jealous. His eyes narrowed as if he couldn’t comprehend my words. “Brielle, be considerate enough. We can have the wedding anytime, but Kaia was hurt at that time. I couldn’t just ignore that.”

Be considerate? He always demanded that of me. Why, didn’t I ever try to be one? I allowed a third person into our bond. I allowed him to carry medicine for her, to leave me behind when I needed him most, to let her occupy half his heart. But being what he called considerate only invited more pain. This was the breaking point. I was done being considerate.

I met his gaze, my voice cold as ice. “You can do whatever you want, Aziel. I won’t care anymore.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm, desperation flickering in his eyes for the first time. “Was your mom upset with what happened? I can explain—”

His words cut through me like a knife. If he had cared even a little, he would have known. “There’s no need,” I snapped, yanking my arm free.

I had always been gentle and compliant. But that version of me died with my mother.

For the first time, I saw him truly stunned, unsure, as I walked away from him.

But Kaia, always there, always between us, reached out to him. Her voice cut through the air, smug and dismissive. “Let her go, Aziel. None of this is your fault. Besides, marrying her is not on your priority list. Only if her mother hadn’t faked that curse, you wouldn’t have had to go through with it.”

Her words were like gasoline on a fire. I felt something snap inside me, and before I knew it, my claws were out, slashing across Kaia’s face.