Claimed by the Alpha Wolf

1.

The omega Finn Blackwood kept at the edge of the territory was eight months pregnant. Due any day.

He came to me again. Asked for the rejection ceremony.

Four years bonded. This was the fourth time he'd tried to force me to sever our mate markDfor her.

The first three times, he'd thrown everything at me. Alpha commands. Emotional blackmail. Threats to isolate the entire estate. I never bent.

This time, I said nothing. Just nodded.

"Fine."

Finn exhaled in relief and gave me that considerate, practiced reassurance.

"Once the elders confirm the pup's birthright as heir, we'll go to the Moon Temple and renew the bond."

"Don't worry. In front of the entire pack, the child will still call you Luna."

He believed I'd respond the same way I always had. A little coaxing. A little pressure. I'd fall in line. Once he got what he wanted, everything would snap back to normal.

A month later, Finn called me.

"The inheritance is settled. Tomorrow, we restore the mate mark."

A lazy male voice answered his call.

"Mm. Not really interested in making my pup call another man 'Daddy.' Ex-husband."

***

Finn had been gone a month. The first thing he did when he came back was lay the rejection petition in front of me.

"Chloe's about to give birth. We need to complete the rejection ceremony first. I have to secure the child's legal inheritance rights."

No greeting. No preamble. Not even a perfunctory pheromone soothe.

That alone told me how desperately he wanted the mark severed this time.

I lifted my teacup, took a slow sip, then spoke at my own pace.

"Finn. Do you remember what today is?"

A rare blank look crossed his face.

He didn't remember.

I let out a soft laugh. My gaze dropped to the petition.

"It's our bonding anniversary."

Bitter, really.

The past three years, no matter how many women he chased outside the territory, he'd always come back to the estate on this day. Dinner with me. A gift, prepared.

This year, his gift was a petition asking me to stand before the Moon Goddess and formally reject him.

I had to admit it. Chloe was different to him.

Before her, the she-wolves and human women cycled through his life constantly. A month, at most. But Chloe had stayed a full year.

And for her, he'd asked me for the rejection ceremony four times.

I couldn't understand it at first. What kind of magic did a low-ranked omega possess to make a top-tier alpha so utterly ensnared?

Later, the pack's shaman gave me the answer in private.

Chloe's pheromones belonged to an extremely rare type known as Moonlight. In the days leading up to her heat, that scent exerted a near-instinctual dominance over any unmarked alpha. Impossible to resist.

And the first night Finn met her had fallen exactly on that window.

I used to hate that explanation. It felt like nothing more than an excuse for a faithless man.

But eventually, I made my peace with it. Whether it was instinct or genuine feelingDit didn't matter anymore.

What mattered was this: he chose to follow that instinct.

The first time he asked for the rejection, he'd just started pursuing Chloe. He threw millions at herDjewelry, gifts. She refused him with a line about never becoming the other woman who broke a sacred bond.

So Finn brought the petition to me.

I didn't agree. I threw it into the fireplace, walked out, and stayed at my best friend Emma's place for two straight weeks.

Finn retaliated with an Alpha command, trying to force my she-wolf to submit. I gritted my teeth and endured. Never knelt.

He backed off. For a while.

The second time, it was Chloe's birthday. Finn promised to grant her any wish. She wished for him to be single.

The petition appeared in front of me again.

This time, I hurled it into the flames.

Finn spent three full days working on me. Alternating between coaxing and threatening. He used our twenty-six years of history as leverage. I moved into the guest room. I never gave in.

The third time, Chloe demanded a formal status. She threatened to throw herself off the territory's high platform if Finn didn't give her an answer.

That night, Finn knelt before me. Eyes red. Voice breaking.

"Jen. Last time. I'm begging you."

I stared down at the man on his knees. That boy who once held me tight in the pouring rain, swearing he'd never become the man his father was. I only felt revulsion. And a stranger.

I didn't agree. I slid the petition into a drawer, walked into the bedroom, and locked the door.

"Finn. One day, you'll regret this."

Today was the fourth time.

Chloe could go into labor any moment. The pup's inheritance couldn't wait.

This time, Finn didn't kneel. Didn't plead.

He used every tool an Alpha possessed. Command. Public pressure. Freezing all my Luna permissions within the pack. He even used the baby as leverage, threatening to send the child out of the territory if the inheritance wasn't settled.

I finally let go of the rope in this tug-of-war.

Not because he'd won.

Because I no longer cared.

A flicker of guilt surfaced in Finn's eyes, belated.

"Jen. I'm sorry. Chloe's been in late pregnancy. I completely forgot about the anniversary."

"I'll have the Beta pick out a gift right now. Have it sent over."

"Don't bother." I pushed the petition back toward him. "The ceremony is in three days. You can go now."

Finn stared at the paper. Frozen for a long moment.

"Jen, you..."

Male alphas are cheap creatures. When you stop fighting and give them what they want, they can't handle it.

A mocking smile tugged at my lips.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

Finn confirmed I wasn't about to shift and tear his throat out. He exhaled in relief.

"Good. You've finally seen reason. The rejection ceremony is just a trick for the elders. A formality. My Luna will always be you."

A strange curiosity rose in me. What gave him such unshakeable faith that I'd renew the bond with him? Over and over and over?

I asked him outright.

Finn looked startled at first. Then he fixed those deep, soulful eyes on me.

"We grew up together in this pack. The Moon Goddess recognized us as fated mates long ago. How could you possibly not bond with me again?"

2.

Finn and I grew up as neighbors in the same territory.

Our parents had the kind of cold, political pack marriage with no feeling in it. After they produced us, they each found their own lovers elsewhere. Left us two children behind with the nanny.

The only company we had, besides the nanny, was each other.

In my memories, young Finn was fiercely possessive of me.

"Jen. Only I get to scent your pheromones. No wolf pups in the pack are allowed near you."

"Mm. Only Finn gets to smell me."

"Jen. The elders say only an Alpha and a Luna can stay together forever. I'll be your Alpha one day, and you'll be my Luna. We'll never be apart."

"Okay. I'm going to be Finn's Luna."

***

At sixteen, Finn's parents' bond shattered completely. They dissolved the contract without a second thought, each leaving for another state with their new partners. Finn was left behind.

That night, it was pouring rain. He knocked on our door.

The second I opened it, FinnDsoaked to the boneDgrabbed me and held on tight.

"Jen. From now on, I only have you."

"I will never become what they were. People ruled by nothing but animal instinct."

Two lonely hearts. That was the moment they fused together for good.

When we came of age, we bonded. It felt like the natural conclusion.

In a pack built on political unions, a match that was both socially suitable and genuinely in love was rare. At the ceremony, plenty of people gave us heartfelt blessings for a long life together.

Others whispered that we'd eventually turn out like every other head Alpha couple. Separate beds. Separate lives.

That night, I repeated those words to Finn. Verbatim.

Fireworks burst overhead. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

"We're not like them. I'll love you for the rest of my life."

I believed it. With everything in me.

Reality showed me the truth. Those people had been right. A male werewolf's heart was the most fickle thing in the world.

I looked at this man, his face still dripping with false devotion, and I almost laughed.

"Finn. I'm not bonding with you again."

His expression went blank for a split second. Then his brows pulled together, a slow furrow forming.

"Jen. Don't joke about this." He leaned down, staring into my eyes. The oppressive weight of an Alpha seeped from him.

I didn't back away. I met his stare.

"I mean it."

Finn straightened up. Lit a cigarette. His face went hazy in the drifting smoke.

"Jen. I thought you were more mature now. Pretending to sever the mark, winning the pup inheritance rights. There's no need to threaten me."

The smoke mixed with his agitated pheromones. It made me sick. I reached out, took the cigarette from his fingers, and crushed it in the ashtray.

"Not a threat."

"I'm planning to bond with someone else."

Finn snorted.

"Who? That guy you hired to make me jealous at the last pack gathering?"

"His name is Liam. And he's not a rogue I hired." I corrected him.

3.

Liam is my best friend Emma's brother.

After Finn started keeping that low-ranked omega on the side, I frequently rounded up my closest girlfriends and hit the bars in the neutral zone. A way to escape that hollow, empty estate.

Liam's university happened to be in town. Emma invited him along sometimes. One thing led to another. We got to know each other.

Our relationship shifted the day Finn first asked me for the rejection ceremony.

By then, Finn was already fixated on Chloe. Every night, he'd pick her up from the restaurant where she worked.

That night, some other wolf got handsy with her at the restaurant. Finn yanked her into his arms, a terrifying protective instinct erupting out of him. He kissed her lips right there, in front of everyone. Staking his claim.

I was sitting at the next table. I saw everything.

Blind with fury, I leaned into Liam, who was right beside me. I clapped. Slow. Sardonic.

I wanted the scent of another male to ignite Finn's anger. To make him realize I wasn't some soft persimmon he could squeeze at will.

Finn just glanced at me. Calm. Then he took ChloeDher face flushed with embarrassmentDand left.

That night, he returned to the estate and proposed the rejection for the first time. I didn't agree. I moved into Emma's place.

Liam sent a message.

[Sis, did your Alpha get mad? We probably didn't act realistic enough tonight. Want me to pretend to be your new mate again? Test him a little more?]

I didn't reply.

For days, I drowned myself at the bar.

Liam found me when I could barely stand. He took me home. Stopped along the way to buy hangover medicine.

"Sis, tomorrow morning, you should ask your mate to mix you a cup of honey water. It'll settle your stomach."

In those bright golden eyes of his, only my reflection stared back.

Finn's words from that night surfaced in my head. "If you think it's unfair, go find someone too. I won't stop you."

I don't know what possessed me. I grabbed Liam's hand as he was unbuckling my seatbelt.

"My mate isn't home tonight."

4.

A young werewolf barely past twenty. There truly was a fire burning inside that body.

The already cramped space of the car climbed in temperature. His aggressive pheromones flooded the air.

He kissed me until I could barely breathe. The only sound I could make was a whimper. "Home."

We made it through the door. My heels toppled off, scattered across the floor. I clung to the hard muscle of Liam's waist.

Hot breath seared against my neck.

"Sis. Can I mark you?"

I didn't speak. I answered him with my body.

That night, I was drained to the point of exhaustion. The last thought that flickered through my mind before I blacked outD

Male werewolves at twenty-five. A definitive watershed.

Finn clearly didn't believe a word I'd said. He spoke with a tone of concession.

"Fine. Not hired. Just a toy boy you keep on the side. Happy?"

"Jen." He sighed. Wearily. "Don't throw around words like bonding with someone else just to spite me. It hurts me to hear that."

Those words were so ridiculous I almost laughed.

He said it hurt him. That I would bond with someone else.

Did he ever stop to think how I felt when he broke his vow to the Moon Goddess? When he kept an omega on the side? When he used our sacred mate mark to comfort another woman?

If he didn't believe me, I wasn't going to waste more words. The day we stood before the Moon Temple and formally severed that mark, he'd understand I meant every syllable.

Finn had barely walked out the door when Liam's video call came through.

"Sis, did your Alpha agree to the rejection ceremony?"

The young man's eyes were sparkling. His whole focus was full of me. Only me.

I curved my lips and nodded.

"It's set. Three days from now."

Liam's expression turned suddenly earnest.

"Sis. Thank you for saying yes to me. This decision you made today... it makes me so happy."

Truthfully, the thought of severing the mark with Finn had circled in my head since the first time he cheated.

I just couldn't let go. Our childhood bond. All those years when we only had each other.

Even after Liam came into my life, I couldn't make the final cut.

Until last night.

Liam had prepared an elaborate firework display. Celebrating one year since we'd been together.

Under my astonished gaze, he pulled out an antique wolf-fang ring. Slowly, he lowered himself onto one knee.

"Sis. I can't stand watching you torture yourself anymore."

"Sever the mark with him. Be my Luna. Please."

The love burning in that young man's eyes made this frozen, long-dead heart of mine turn scorching hot. Even the old, festering wounds around my heart seemed to be mending. Slowly.

He was right.

This bond brought me nothing but endless pain and torment now.

I had locked myself inside a prison called "the past." I'd used the memory of a Finn who once loved me deeply to deceive myself into propping up this dead relationship.

The truth was, the twenty-six-year-old Finn was unrecognizable.

Our mate mark had curdled into a foul, stinking sludge. His love for me was no longer pure.

Why was I still holding on?

I slid off the Blackwood family ringDit was already too looseDand tossed it into the dark.

I smiled. Held out my hand.

"Yes."

5.

Once Finn and I fixed the date for the rejection ceremony, I started clearing out the estate.

Photographs together. Albums from childhood to adulthood. The love letters we'd written each other, locked in the safe. Every personal item that belonged to Finn.

I burned it all like trash.

My clothes and bags, I packed up and sent to the new residence.

When Liam proposed, he'd transferred every piece of territory property in his name to me. Called it "what's mine is yours."

I couldn't refuse him. I picked one of his properties, the one closest to his university. Our new home.

After the estate was empty, I found an agent and listed it for sale.

When I moved into the new place, Liam was away on a border patrol in another state.

He video-called me constantly. We picked out furniture piece by piece, slowly shaping the house into something we both loved.

During that time, Chloe sent me a message.

[Ms. Miller. Thank you on behalf of the baby in my belly. We'll invite you to the full-moon celebration. You absolutely must come.]

Attached was a photo. Finn's hand resting on her pregnant belly. Him, smiling with soft tenderness.

I didn't reply. I blocked her number.

Three days passed in a blink.

The morning of the Moon Temple ceremony, I arrived early and waited at the entrance. Finn pulled up right on time and stepped out.

"Jen. This time we're really completing the rejection ceremony. No going back like before."

Strictly speaking, I'd never truly agreed the previous three times. Each time, Finn had resorted to commands or emotional pressure. Days of torment. I never nodded. The ceremony was impossible to carry out.

This time, I finally nodded.

Finn kept explaining.

"Jen. Once the pup's inheritance is established, we'll bond again right away. Don't worry. In front of all the wolves, the child will call you Mother. No one will ever step over your position."

I stopped walking. Looked at Finn.

That face I used to find so devastatingly handsome. Now it just made me slightly ill. I couldn't find a shred of the man I once knew.

I drew a deep breath and pushed the words out.

"Let's just go in."

Finn didn't think anything of it. He followed me inside.

Three rejection applications submitted within a year. The temple officiant practically knew us by sight.

He asked, with practiced routine, "Withdrawing the application again?"

"No." My voice was calm. "We're here to complete the final rejection ceremony."

The officiant shot us a surprised look. Once he confirmed we were serious this time, he began the preparations.

Under the witness of the Moon Goddess, we recited the vow. The one that rips the soul apart.

A few minutes of searing agony later, Finn's mark was gone from my soul. Completely.

Years of torment. That bond had held me captive for years. And it took only minutes to end it.

Stepping out of the Moon Temple, Finn was suddenly seized by inspiration. He wanted to take me on a date.

"Jen, it's been almost a month since we had a meal together. Lunch at that Texas barbecue place you love? Chloe's in late pregnancy, she's so clingy I can't get away. Once she delivers, I'll come home and spend more time with you."

I smiled faintly. Touched my bare ring finger.

"Finn. We have no relationship anymore."

Finn laughed and reached for my hand.

"Stop messing around, Jen. It's all a formality. ID"

He didn't finish. A pair of hands pulled me into a firm embrace. Away from his touch.

"Who said it's a formality? She's my fiance now."