Rejected By One, Claimed By Three

THREE

SKYLA POV

The grand double doors at the end of the aisle creaked open, revealing the beautifully decorated large hall occupied by most of the pack members.

They all turned to look at me in admiration. All except Richard and Carolyn. They were busy sharing secret glances and smiles. My frown deepened as I watched Carolyn throw her head back in a hearty laughter. It seemed like they were having fun; they should have married each other since they complimented each other so well.

“Now keep a smile on your face, and don’t think of doing anything silly,” Nora warned, taking her place at the front row seat.

I wanted to pull her hair back until she fell flat on the floor, but I didn’t want to create a scene… Yet.

I forced a small smile and walked as fast as I could with my uncomfortable dress to the altar; I didn’t bother to go with the pace of the soft music playing in the background. The earlier I get this over, the better.

I’d throw up if I had to watch Richard openly flirt with Carolyn any longer. Usually, I never paid attention to their interactions, but after finding out about their affair, I knew the conversations between them were far from innocent.

Richard finally spared a glance at me only when I was finally in front of him at the altar.

“You look hot,” he complimented with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance, fed up with his disgusting attitude. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, sending me a silent warning.

Too bad I had zero intentions of listening to him this time.

“Let’s begin the ceremony then,” the pack elder announced. The soft song playing earlier was silenced, and all attention was paid to us at the altar.

“Wait!” I called.

“There’s something I wish to tell my dearest Alpha,” I announced, bowing politely before him.

Richard looked at me suspiciously, trying to figure out what I was up to. I knew the consequences of what I was about to do, but I wasn’t going to back down.

“Can’t it wait till after the ceremony?” Richard grunted.

“No,” I responded.

“Let her speak then, make it quick,” the pack elder said. They all stared at me curiously, wondering what I had to say.

“Sure,” I smiled maliciously.

“I, Skyla Rain, reject Richard Don as my mate for being a cheating manwhore, and I request that you reject me, too,” I announced loudly.

Loud gasps echoed across the hall; Richard’s face looked white as a ghost shocked by public rejection. I tried my best to ignore the stinging pain I felt from the rejection; the satisfaction I felt seeing the look of disbelief on Richard’s face made it all worth it.

The once-silenced crowd had erupted into loud murmurs and hushed conversations. It was unheard of for anyone to reject an alpha. Instead, people clamored to be their mates. Times like this were when I wished I could shut out my special hearing abilities.

“Who does she think she is? To frame such a good Alpha??” An older woman muttered.

“The nerve of that girl to humiliate an alpha like that in public, I bet she is lying about the alpha cheating on her,” another mumbled.

“A little badass, though,” one snickered.

‘Skyla has been such a good future Luna, she managed the pack well. I don’t think she’d lie about this” one said quietly, looking at me with pity.

“She must think she’s all that since everyone adores her. But humiliating an alpha like this? She deserves every punishment,” someone whispered.

From their expression, I could tell only a quarter of the pack members believed me. I didn’t blame the others for doubting me though. Richard was so good at pretending, he fooled me too.

My face whipped sideways forcefully as Richard’s left hand made harsh contact with my delicate cheeks.

“YOU!” He growled. His hands gripped my white dress, pulling me down to my knees.

“How dare you humiliate me this way! I accept your rejection, but trust me when I say I’d make you pay for this. When I’m done, you wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger at your empty skull,” he gritted.

“Take her out of here!” He ordered one of the guards standing at the entrance.

“Wait! We have to listen to what she has to say. Let’s give her a chance since she has been a good future Luna. Alpha Richard, is this true?” The pack elder asked, looking at both of us worriedly.

“Of course not, Nora, tell them,” he growled. My eyes widened in shock at his words; I knew something was up since I saw him mind linking with her just seconds ago.

“It’s not true. Alpha Richard has never done anything to hurt Skyla! The truth is that Skyla has been the one secretly cheating on Richard and has been wanting to reject him so she can openly sleep around,” Nora said confidently without missing a beat. Her words hurt me like sharp needles, and my tears silently dropped down my cheeks. I had no chance to defend myself.

“See? Arrest her!” Richard ordered.

The pack elder looked at me with pity, unsure of what to believe. But, of course, it wasn’t in his place to stop the arrest after all that was said.

I didn’t budge nor plead for mercy; I was going to accept whatever my fate was. Deep down, I hoped the moon goddess would ensure I got out of this mess alive.

My empty eyes darted across the crowd, watching as some looked at me with judgment and disgust. Where were the people who looked up to me and wished for me to be their Luna? As expected, their loyalty to their alpha was enough for them to turn their back on me in a heartbeat.

Richard raised his shiny shoes to my face and pushed me off the short staircase leading to the altar.

“Ow,” I cringed in pain, my skin scarred from the impact.

The unforgiving hold of the guards pulled my hands up, and I was dragged down the aisle like a criminal. My once shiny white dress was soiled from wiping the floor.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Nora staring down at me with guilt as I was dragged away. A part of me held on to the hope that she’d try to do something to help by telling them the truth, but that hope was quenched just as quickly when I saw her shift her gaze from me once she noticed I had seen her.

I was pushed roughly like an animal into the car that had carried me in grand style just minutes ago. I resisted the urge to fight back and yell at them to let me go. Even though I was the daughter of the late beta, I wasn’t strong enough to fight off all the guards present since they were skillfully trained.

After a couple of minutes, we arrived at the pack house, and once again, I was dragged like a rag doll down to the basement where the cell was located.

“You should have thought of the consequences before pulling such a stunt,” one of the guards mocked as they pushed my tired body inside the cell. I hadn’t eaten since I walked into Richard cheating on me yesterday afternoon, so I was beyond exhausted.

The cell guides were sealed shut, and their residing footsteps echoed as they walked out, leaving me alone in the almost empty, dark cell. Luckily, the other prisoners were far apart in their separate cells and would most likely not notice me because of how dark the place was.

I allowed my pent up tears to flow and began to loosen the tight ropes of my wedding gown. It was so inconvenient to sleep with, and right now, all I wanted was to shut my eyes and accept the welcoming hands of sleep while I awaited my verdict.

I had decent white clothing underneath, so I decided to use my bulky dress as my makeshift bed for comfort. I hummed a soft song my mother used to sing for me before her and my father’s tragic death. My tears continued to wet the white satin of my dress, and soon after, I was fast asleep.

***

I’m woken up by the sound of hurried footsteps drawing closer to my cell. I sat up in alert, my curiosity at its peak. From the small window at the far end of the cell, I could tell it was early in the morning because of the sunrise.

My stomach grumbles painfully, a reminder that I still have nothing to eat.

“Hurry up and follow me,” a guard anxiously ordered after opening my cell door.

“Wha-?” I began, but I was quickly interrupted by his sharp glare and reminder that I was in no place to ask questions.

I struggled to get up and walked towards him, my hands resting on my stomach, which was still growling in pain.

“Do not make any sounds and follow my instructions,” the guard warned. I simply nodded, too drained to fight back.

He led me inside a black-tinted van, and all of a sudden, a white napkin was placed over my nose, and I slowly started blacking out.

“I’m sorry, Skyla, this is the only way I can help you,” An oddly familiar voice said, slowly fading into nothingness.

I had lost consciousness.