Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by His Uncle

I was at the local bakery buying a cake with my three-year-old son, Liam, when he suddenly pointed at a strange werewolf and chirped, "Daddy!" I clamped my hand over Liam's mouth immediately. "I'm so sorry..." Then, the familiar scent hit me, and I froze. Alpha Ethan. The Alpha of the Timber Ridge Pack, the pack I used to call home. He turned his head. His gaze locked onto my face before slowly shifting down to Liam. The air between us went dead silent. I scooped Liam into my arms at once, pulling him close so Ethan couldn't catch his scent. "Excuse us. We have to go." Liam is three years old now. Which means it has been three full years since I rejected Ethan. By the time we got back, darkness had completely swallowed the sky. Alexander's villa sat on the northern ridge of the pack, nestled on a gentle slope with the best view in all of Silver Creek. After I moved in, he remodeled the second-floor bedroom, put up fresh curtains, and planted a maple tree in the yard. He told me this would be our home from now on. Liam looked up at me. "Mommy, who was that man?" I shut the fridge door and turned around to look at him. "Just a stranger." "But he kept staring at me. It felt like he knew me," Liam said, tilting his head with a puzzled frown. "And his scent smelled kind of familiar." I didn't answer. I just bent down, scooped him up, and carried him upstairs. I bathed him on autopilot. Steam blurred the bathroom mirror, but Ethan's piercing stare kept replaying in my head. Three years. I honestly thought I would never see him again for the rest of my life. Fate really loved sick jokes. By ten o'clock, Liam was finally fast asleep. Moonlight slipped through the curtains, tracing the soft bridge of his nose and his brow. Those eyes, that nose... he looked so much like Ethan. Carved from the very same mold. My phone buzzed. I picked it up. A text from an unknown number with only two words: "It's me." I stared at the screen for two seconds, then quietly blocked the number. Turning off the light, I lay down beside Liam. In the dark, memories from three years ago rushed back like a tidal wave. All the moments I thought I had buried, all the scars I thought had healed—that simple text ripped them wide open again. Three years ago. When Ethan and I first got together, we actually had our share of happiness. Back then, he was gentle. He would drive over to the pack library to pick me up after work. At the time, I worked at the library by day, and pulled two extra jobs on nights and weekends—barista at Starbucks and dog-walking for neighbors. Juggling three jobs barely covered my rent and bills. He would always show up ten minutes early, leaning against his car door waiting for me. When he saw me walking out, a smile would break across his face, and he would hold the door open for me. He remembered when I casually mentioned my favorite blueberry muffins, and the very next morning, a fresh box would be sitting on my doorstep. On rainy days, he would tilt the umbrella all the way over to my side, letting his own shoulder get soaked to the bone. Deep in our subconscious, Ember and Shadow were already calling to each other. I was too naive back then to realize that was the pull of a Fated Mate bond. I thought it was just deep, passionate young love. I truly believed I had found my person. Reality slapped me awake in no time. The gap in our bloodlines was a chasm neither of us could cross. He was pure Hayes royalty, the future Alpha of Timber Ridge. He grew up with private drivers, private chefs, and clothes that cost more than several months of my hard-earned paychecks. And me? I was just an ordinary wolf who had shifted late. Ember didn't awaken until I was eighteen. She was an ash-gray she-wolf—not the strongest, but stubborn as hell. I was terrified of being looked down on by his circle, terrified of people whispering that I was a social climber. So I refused to take anything from him. Whenever we went out to eat, I would quietly Venmo him half the bill the second we walked out. Even if that meant slaving away at three jobs every single day. Every time Ethan got a Venmo alert, he would scowl and tell me we didn't need to split things so cleanly. I insisted anyway. I thought that by holding on to my fierce independence, I could earn genuine respect. I was dead wrong. Ethan had a friend named Jason. He was also a Timber Ridge member, serving on the pack security patrol. Jason and I were barely acquaintances. Whenever we bumped into each other in the pack, it was just a nod and a polite "hey." That was it. Until that party.The party was held in the grand hall of Timber Ridge. A monthly formal dinner where high-ranking bloodlines and regular pack members mingled over drinks. It was my very first time attending such an event as Ethan's girlfriend. The hall was massive. Crystal chandeliers illuminated historic oil paintings of the pack line. The long banquet tables were loaded with gourmet food, fine silverware gleaming under the chandeliers. Everyone was dressed to the nines—women dripping in diamonds, men wearing watches that cost fortunes. Sitting beside Ethan, I felt completely out of place. That was the night Vanessa showed up. She was an heiress from the Hart family, a highborn noble who grew up alongside Ethan. Her wolf was named Viper—a name that suited her to perfection. Holding a glass of red wine, she glided over and looked me up and down. Then she smirked and turned to Ethan. "Ethan, aren't you going to introduce us?" Ethan took my hand. "This is Sophia, my girlfriend." Vanessa arched an eyebrow. "Oh, Sophia. You know, I heard you and Jason are pretty close?" Every set of eyes at the table locked onto me. Inside my head, Ember's ears pinned back defensively. Vanessa feigned shock, pressing a hand against her lips. "Oops, did I get that wrong?" I froze, instinctively looking at Ethan. He was leaning back against his chair, idly flicking a lighter. He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at me. I forced myself to speak. "We're just in the same pack. We've run into each other a couple of times, that's all." "Just run into each other?" Vanessa's smile turned sly. "Funny. I heard Jason used to pursue you." My fingers curled into tight fists. Ember growled in my chest. "That's completely false. You heard wrong, Vanessa." "Is that so?" Vanessa shrugged. "Maybe my sources were mistaken." She clinked her glass against Ethan's. "Still, Ethan, you better keep a tight leash on her. Lowborn wolves these days can be awfully calculating." Ethan raised his gaze and gave Vanessa a flat, unbothered look. "That's my business, not yours." Vanessa gave a careless laugh and walked back to her seat. But as she turned, I caught the smug curl on her lips. For the rest of the night, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. The ride home was suffocating. Ethan didn't say a single word. "Ethan," I called softly. He kept his eyes on the road. "What?" "Jason and I really aren't close." Ethan flicked the turn signal and veered into the residential district. "I know." His tone was quiet. At the time, I didn't realize how hollow that sounded. From that day on, Vanessa started spreading rumors all over the Timber Ridge territory. She claimed I had dated Jason. She called me a gold digger who preyed on pureblood Alphas just to climb the pack hierarchy by birthing pureblood pups. The gossip made me tremble with rage. My hand shook so badly that my water almost sloshed out of the glass. What chilled me to the bone, though, was that those rumors reached Ethan. He changed. He stopped coming to the library to pick me up. He used to arrive ten minutes early, leaning against the car with a gentle smile waiting for me. Now, he didn't show at all. His replies grew slower and slower. Instant texts turned into minutes, then stretched into hours. Whenever we ate together, he would drop Jason's name out of nowhere. "Jason performed well in training today." "Jason's leading the border patrol squad next month." Every time he brought it up, his gaze would bore into me, dissecting my reaction. That look made my stomach knot up. It felt like an interrogation, watching to see if my facade would crack.One night at his penthouse, I finally snapped. His place was in the eastern district of Timber Ridge, a luxury standalone villa with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire pack territory. I set my cup down and looked at him. "Ethan, what is going on with you lately?" He sat on the couch, staring at his laptop screen. "Nothing. Just pack business." "Is this about what Vanessa said?" I cut straight through the bullshit. Ethan looked up, his gaze heavy and dark. "What did you hear?" "It doesn't matter what I heard," I said, drawing in a sharp breath. "What matters is... do you actually believe her?" I walked over, knelt down in front of him, and met his eyes. They were deep brown. Looking into them used to bring me comfort. Now, all I saw was cold suspicion. "I'll explain this one last time: Jason and I are just pack members. You are the only one I love. Always have been. Ember and Shadow are calling to each other—can't you feel it? We are Fated Mates!" Ethan stared at me. "If you two barely know each other, why didn't you mention him from the start?" I froze. "Because there was nothing to mention," I said, staring at him in disbelief. "I can't possibly give you a full report on every single male pack member I say hello to!" Ethan let out a bitter scoff. "Didn't feel the need to mention him? Or did you have something to hide?" My entire body went rigid. "What did you just say?" "Sophia, there's no need to get so defensive." He stood up, looking down at me from above. "I'm just asking." He turned and walked out onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette. The flame flickered once and died out. Watching his back through the glass door, he suddenly felt like a complete stranger. I thought as long as I stayed genuine and honest, he would trust me eventually. I had no idea. The seed of doubt inside Ethan had already grown out of control. I didn't stay the night. I walked alone through the cold streets of the pack territory, the wind cutting my cheeks like glass. Inside my head, Ember remained dead silent. Her silence was heavier than any words. I didn't know the worst was yet to come. Everything blew up two weeks later. It was Ethan's birthday. I had scrimped and saved for months to buy the luxury watch he had been eyeing. He had flipped past it in a magazine once and muttered, "That looks nice," and I never forgot. I had it wrapped in a deep blue gift box, tied with a ribbon. Full of excitement, I walked up to his front porch. Only to find him standing there with Vanessa. Vanessa held an elegant gift box of her own, smiling sweetly as she handed it to him. "Happy birthday, Ethan." Ethan took it. "Thanks." "Is Jason coming tonight?" Vanessa asked casually. "Yeah," Ethan replied. It was his birthday gathering, with a few pack friends invited. "Well, you better keep an eye on Sophia then," Vanessa giggled, covering her mouth. "Wouldn't want things getting awkward." Standing around the corner, I held my breath, waiting for Ethan to shut her down. He didn't. He paused for a second, then simply said, "Let's go inside." To him, I really was just a suspicious woman who needed to be watched. I turned around and tossed the blue box straight into the roadside trash can. That night, the worst fight of our lives erupted in his living room. Every ounce of heartbreak and humiliation I had bottled up over the past month poured out. And Ethan finally spit out the poison festering in his gut. His eyes burned red as he glared at me. "Did you only get close to me to upgrade your bloodline? Did you plan on securing your status by popping out pureblood pups for me?" I stared at him in utter disbelief, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Ethan, have you lost your mind?""Answer me!" He grabbed my shoulders, his grip bruising. Ember snarled in my mind, urging me to rip away from him. "Did you ever actually love me? Or do you only care about my bloodline? As long as he's an Alpha, would any man do?!" I looked at the unhinged man standing before me. Something inside me crumbled into dust. I stopped struggling. I just let the tears fall freely. "Ethan," I whispered, my voice completely cracked. "You never trusted me. Not once." I shoved him off me with every ounce of Ember's strength. He stumbled back a step, staring at me in shock. I took a deep, steady breath, invoking the sacred words of our kind: "I, Sophia Miller, of the Timber Ridge Pack, reject you, Alpha Ethan Hayes, as my Fated Mate." The second the words left my lips, the mate bond inside me snapped. Agony ripped through every fiber of my being. It felt like ten thousand silver needles piercing my flesh, like invisible claws tearing open my chest. My knees buckled, but I refused to hit the floor. Ethan froze. The backlash of the severed bond hit him like a freight train, ripping through his chest. As a high-ranking Alpha, the rejection hit him twice as hard. His face went ghastly pale in an instant. But he gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound. I turned on my heel and walked out of his house, one agonizing step at a time. He never chased after me. The next day, I packed my things and moved out of Timber Ridge. Ethan made no effort to stop me. Not a single text, not a single call. As I packed, he stood in the middle of the living room, watching in silence as I loaded box after box. From start to finish, he didn't utter a word. When I wheeled my suitcase out past the Timber Ridge territory gates, the sun was shining brightly. I stood by the entrance waiting for my Uber, the warm rays pouring over me. Yet I couldn't feel a drop of warmth. The mate bond was dead. The channel that once linked my soul to his was reduced to hollow, smoking ruins. *Beep. Beep. Beep.* The morning alarm went off. I took a deep breath and sat up in bed. I washed up and headed downstairs for breakfast. The housekeeper had already laid it out: toast, fried eggs, hot coffee, and a bowl of cereal for Liam. Next was dropping Liam off at the pack academy, then heading over to the library. I now worked at the Silver Creek Pack library. Alexander knew I had experience with it and kept the position specifically for me. Calling it a job was generous; it was mostly just reading, shelving books, and passing the time. A Luna never had to work to survive. Holding a cup of Starbucks, I walked toward the central square of the pack. My boots froze on the pavement. Parked right at the entrance of the square was a sleek black SUV. Ethan was leaning against the driver's side door in a tailored black suit, smoking a cigarette. The moment he spotted me, he crushed the cigarette butt and straightened up. Passing members of the Silver Creek Pack cast curious glances his way. An outside Alpha showing up on our territory was bound to draw attention. I tightened my grip on the coffee cup, forced my eyes away, and tried to walk straight past him. "Sophia." He called my name. I ignored him and picked up my pace. With a few long strides, he cut me off, blocking my path. "We need to talk." "We have nothing to talk about, Ethan." I looked at him, my expression completely blank. He stared hard into my eyes, silent for a long moment. "When you left back then... did you hide something from me?" My heart seized. The coffee in my cup sloshed, nearly spilling over the lid. But my face remained stone cold. "No." "Really?" He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then that child at the bakery yesterday..."