It All Started With a Rejection

Emily’s POV

The moment my eyes fluttered open, a cold gust of wind swept through the forest, and I was greeted by Luke’s impatient scowl.

Where am I?

"Emily, get out of the car. Can you hear me?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the eerie stillness of the wilderness.

I blinked, dazed, my body aching. It all rushed back to me—the growls, the blood, the moon's pull. I came back to life…

Luke and I were heading back to the pack’s territory, deep in the heart of Blackwood Forest. It wasn’t my first time returning, but this time... something had changed.

Just like in my former life, Luke received that dreaded call from Ayla. His expression hardened, and without a second thought, he pulled over, shoving me out of the car and into the middle of the dark road.

"Find your way back to the village on foot," he said coldly, not bothering to meet my eyes. "I have something urgent to handle."

I looked around. The forest road was empty. A cold mist hung in the air. It wasn’t the first time Luke abandoned me like this. In his mind, Ayla was always more important. Always the one who needed him more.

“Seriously? On foot? What kind of game are you playing this time, Luke?” I muttered under my breath, but he had already turned his attention to the road ahead. The low rumble of the engine followed as he prepared to leave me behind—again.

He threw one last glance at me, his voice a growl now. "When you get back, tell them I was called back to the woods for an urgent matter. Understood?"

I swept a hand through my tangled hair, letting out a long breath. "Why don't you explain to them yourself? Or better yet, tell them you're running to see Ayla, like you always do."

Luke’s face darkened. His eyes, cold and piercing, flashed dangerously. "What’s your problem, Emily? You know how serious Ayla’s condition is. She’s barely surviving the curse. And this has nothing to do with her."

I met his gaze, my voice calm but firm. "Because, Luke, I’m tired of this. Of you leaving me behind. Let's stop pretending. We need to end this."

He froze, eyes wide, as if he couldn’t believe what I had just said.

"Emily... are you saying you want to leave me?"

I nodded, feeling the weight of years of abandonment lift off my chest. "Yes. Ayla needs you more than I ever will. After all, you’ve already been acting like you’re not part of this life. Once I'm gone, you won't have to hide it anymore. You can be with her openly."

Luke stared at me in disbelief. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes. But he quickly shook it off, his jaw clenched. Without another word, he slammed the door, revved the engine, and disappeared into the night, leaving me standing alone under the watchful moon.

Luke and Ayla had been inseparable once, back in their days as young wolves. They grew up in the same pack, shared the same dreams of running wild beneath the full moon together. After graduation, they were supposed to start a new life as mates. Everyone thought they were destined for each other.

But fate had other plans.

One night, Ayla disappeared without a trace, and Luke was left broken, confused. He searched for her for years. He was a shell of himself when we met—he found comfort in me, or maybe he just saw a ghost of her in my eyes. Either way, we mated, but it was clear I was only ever a replacement for her.

I didn’t know who Ayla was at first. Luke only ever called her "a friend." One night, shortly after our mating ceremony, he got a call. The kind of call that makes your heart stop.

"I need to go," Luke had said, his voice distant. "A friend of mine... she’s hurt."

I was naïve. I asked if he wanted me to come with him.

“No. I can handle it,” he said, and left me standing alone in our house, staring at the flickering firelight. He was gone all night.

The next morning, he returned looking haggard, haunted. His eyes, usually cold and distant, were filled with something I hadn’t seen before—fear and guilt. It wasn’t until later that I learned the truth.

Ayla, my Alpha’s first love, had returned.

Emily’s POV

I always knew Luke didn’t love me, at least not the way a mate should. I’d tried convincing myself for years that maybe I wasn’t enough—too quiet, too different. But deep down, I knew the truth: it was never about me.

Then I found out why.

Ayla.

The cursed wolf from Luke’s past wasn’t just an old pack mate. She was his first love. The one who disappeared years ago, leaving him hollow. She came back, twisted by a curse, but he didn’t care. He was still obsessed with her.

She’d gone abroad to seek help, hoping to lift the curse that haunted her family. But she came back just as cursed, with no solution and no future. Luke didn’t care. To him, she was still the perfect, beautiful girl who had once held his heart. Whenever Ayla called, he’d drop everything for her, like I didn’t even exist.

For years, I had stayed by his side, loyal, foolishly hoping things would change. But Luke was always somewhere else—his mind, his heart, with her. And when Ayla needed him again, he gave her everything.

I watched him, dedicating himself to finding a cure for her, sacrificing everything, including us. He was still trying to save someone who didn’t even care about him.

I was done waiting for him to realize I existed.

Tonight, I was going to confront him. No more pretending. No more avoiding the truth.

I waited at the village square, watching the moonlight flicker through the trees. It was quiet except for the crackling of the fire nearby. Luke’s parents had already gone inside, unaware of the storm about to hit.

Then, I saw him. Luke, walking toward me, his expression hard and distant. The same face I had seen for years, closed off from me.

“Emily, what’s this about?” he asked, stopping a few feet away.

I stared at him, not saying anything for a moment. I didn’t even feel anger anymore. Just... emptiness. The air felt thick between us, charged with all the unspoken words and lingering feelings that had built up over the years.

“Why?” I finally asked, my voice low but steady.

He frowned, confusion flickering across his face. “Why what?”

“Why do you keep pretending I matter to you?” I said, my voice growing sharper with each word. “You’re never here, Luke. You’re always running after her. Ayla.” Her name tasted bitter on my tongue, like a poison I couldn’t swallow.

He shifted, uncomfortable, and I could see the tension in his shoulders. “You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly,” I cut him off, my heart racing as I stepped closer. “I know you love her. You’ve never stopped loving her. But what about me? I’ve been standing here, waiting for you to see me for years.”

The silence that followed felt like a weight pressing down on us. His gaze dropped to the ground, jaw clenched tight as if my words physically pained him. “It’s complicated,” he murmured, the words barely escaping his lips.

“No, it’s not!” I said, frustration bubbling up inside me. I took another step forward, my heart pounding. “It’s simple. You love her, not me. You’ve been stringing me along because you don’t want to let go of the past. But I can’t live like this anymore, Luke. I won’t.”

His eyes snapped back to mine, and for a moment, I saw the Alpha I fell in love with—a flicker of vulnerability before it hardened into something defensive. “I never asked you to stay. You chose to. You knew what this was.”

The words stung, but they didn’t surprise me. I had always known deep down. I opened my mouth to argue, to plead for some recognition of the pain I felt, but I was struck by the truth of his words. I had chosen this life, but that didn’t mean it was right.

“Maybe I did,” I said quietly, forcing the words through a tight throat. “But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to treat me like I’m second choice.”

He stood there, frozen, as if my words had paralyzed him.

“You have to decide, Luke. Is it me or her?”