REJECTED BY ONE CLAIMED BY THREE

APRIL'S POV

"Are you out of your mind?" Alpha Winston growled as he flashed a cold stare at me.

I shuddered.

"I know you feel the mate bond as much as I do." I muttered.

He sprang from the large bed and stalked over to where I stood by the closed door. We were in his private chambers, alone. Tension hung low in the air as he approached me.

"Say that again, April" He said. He was now a few inches away from me, and his height towered above my small figure.

My mouth ran dry as I clutched unto the basket of clothes in my hands.

"April, I dare you to repeat yourself!" He ordered in a low tone.

I broke into a cough and looked down at my feet. "Alpha Winston, I am-am only saying that there is a mate bond between us and-"

"That is my point!" He barked. "I know fully well that you are my mate. May the Moon goddess curse me if I ever let you become my Luna. What would my subject even say of me?"

My mouth dropped open. What was he even talking about?

He edged backwards, running his eyes over my figure. Then, he spat on the floor.

"You are only a weak omega! Do you need me to remind you of how unworthy you are to even be my mate?" He asked.

I remained silent. I felt numb as I rolled over his words in my head. A moment passed and he was still glaring at me.

"Do you know how shameful it would be if everyone out there knows that I've been mated to the weakest link in the rogue pack??" He asked again, rasing his voice.

I shook my head, "I am so...sorry-"

"Keep your nasty apologies to yourself!" He snapped, wagging a finger in my face. "It's a good thing we are having this conversation now. There is one thing you must do."

I glanced up at him, a sudden eagerness to please him settled over me. "Anything, Alpha Winston."

"You will keep our mate bond a secret. No living being must hear of it, until I am ready. Do you understand?"

"But-"

"The moment you spill a word of this, consider yourself as dead. I will make sure I snuff life out of you!"

Cold sweat broke on my forehead and I stiffened. The air in the room suddenly felt too heavy for me.

"April, have I made myself clear?" He asked.

I nodded slowly and lowered myself in a bow, "I swear by the moon goddess, I will not reveal anything about our mate bond to anyone."

His lips twisted in a smirk and his eyes shone with satisfaction. "Good for you. Now get out of my chambers!"

His words hit me with a force. Yet, I remain rooted to the spot.

"I know you are not deaf, April. Leave now"

I turned on my heels and left the room, holding back my tears which threatened to break free.

This was it!

This was the kind of life I had been reduced to. A useless omega that who is hated so much by her mate. What other misery could one get?

***************

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. I could barely recognize myself as I had grown so pale over the weeks. Even after Alpha Winston had warned me never to tell anyone that we were mates, he kept making secret advances at me. One night, when he had just returned from a meeting with the council of elders, he called me into his chambers.

My heart pounded in my chest as I walked in that night.

"Alpha Winston" I had mumbled.

He swiftly strode across his room and came up to where I stood. Then, he cupped my face in his large palms, his breath fanned my face, causing my skin to tingle. Without a word, he kissed me and took me to his bed. I had no memory of what had happened afterwards, because I was too giddy with excitement that he wanted me, at least so I thought.

The following morning, I woke up in his bed with a spot on my neck that throbbed with pain.

Marked.

I had been marked by the very man who didn't want anything to do with me. After that day, he avoided me like a plague, but that didn't bother me. He had marked me, and it meant something. Somehow, it gave me hope-hope that one day, he would publicly acknowledge our mate bond.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice said behind me, breaking into my thoughts.

I exhaled, "Yes...yes. I am." I turned to flash a smile at her. We were both ushers for a mating ceremony that was about to hold that morning.

I found out earlier that the female who was about to get mated was Serena, the only daughter of our pack's beta.

I raked my hands through my hair, forcing myself to stop imagining what it would feel like to be finally bound in a mating ceremony to the only man who had ever marked me as his.

"Let's leave. We're getting late." The woman behind me said with a hint of impatience. I bobbed my head again.

Then, I took one last look at my reflection in the mirror before I scurried out of the dressing room, trailing behind her.

As we approached the mating grounds, I noticed how excited almost everyone was. The air was festive and filled with the loud chatter of other members of the pack. Soon, we arrived at the venue. As I picked up a tray of food from the table at the side, to begin serving the guests, I shot a glance at the couple who were to mated.

I froze.

My eyes grew wide with shock and the tray of food fell from my hands. Everyone around me whipped their heads towards me, but I didn't care.

I had my attention on the couple on the podium, with my mouth hung open. My mate, Alpha Winston was the groom in the mating ceremony and he had his hands snaked around the waist of his to-be Luna, Sera Sryll. He was looking down at her with adoration as the elder in charge read from a scroll.

This had to be my imagination! I reasoned.

I blinked hard.

Without thinking, I ran towards them with a loud yell, "You can't take her as a mate!"

He jerked his head backwards and looked at me, his lips curling up with disgust. "April?"

"Alpha Winston!" I sobbed, "I am your fated mate, and not her."

"Mated to wolfless omega like you?" He sneered, breaking into a hysterical laugh. The entire audience joined him. Their voices rang out in the air. I felt heat creep into my cheeks and I wanted to curl up in shame.

People around us broke into hushed whispers and my ears picked up some of their words. A weak omega. That's what I was.

A lump formed in my throat as I stared back at Alpha Winston. He cocked his eyebrows, pulled away from the woman besides him and raised his staff in his hands.

Silence fell in the hall.

He stepped closer to me, his lips set in a hard line.

"You can't mate her." I repeated weakly, "You have already marked me as your mate"

"Enough of your delusions!" He barked. "This seems like the right time to end every miserable tie I have with you, April"

Tears quickly filled my eyes and I grabbed one of his hands. "No! Please"

He shoved me off, raised his staff a second time.

"I, Alpha Winston Reyker, of the Blacken rose rogue pack, hereby reject you, April Matthews, as my Luna and mate!" He spat at me.

My heart shattered to a million pieces, as my uncontrolled sobs got louder.

"Accept this rejection right now and never appear before me again! You totally disgust me. Do you think I'd pick you over a full bred wolf who is a true shifter?" He asked, "The moon goddess played the wrong cards by gifting you to me as a mate"

The amount of disgust and hated he had for me was so obvious now.

My head spun and I suddenly became dizzy. I didn't know what hurt the most-the rejection or the fact that he had used my wolfless condition to mock me.

I clutched my stomach and bent over with pain.

Rejected.

My mate rejected me. After living my entire life feeling unloved, having a true mate was the only way for me to finally feel valued again, but he rejected me!

"I said, accept that stupid rejection, April! Let me live my life. I deserve a strong Luna and not a weak omega like you!" He yelled as he grabbed my hair and pulled it back. I winced and screamed in pain, but it didn't have any effect on him.

"I..I accept-" I stuttered, gasping for breath.

"Not like that, Omega! Accept it the proper way before I tear you apart" His menacing growl rented the air.

I flinched as his grip tightened around my hair, making the pain even worse. I knew that he was ready to do even more, so I decided that it was best to just accept the rejection.

"I...April Matthews, accept your rejection."

"Good." He said, smiling with satisfaction. Then, he turned to look at the guards besides us, "Take this useless creature away from here!"