Rejected by the Alpha, Marked by the Lycan King

Liam and I? We’re both liars.

He lied to me, claiming his wolf had forgotten the female who once rejected him. Yet, his phone is still stuffed with her photos.

I lied to him, promising to be his invisible, submissive partner forever. Meanwhile, I was secretly plotting to sever our soul bond.

One month ago, on the night of the full moon, I tricked Liam into signing the "Mate Bond Dissolution Application" destined for the Moon Goddess.

Today is the last day of the "Bond Dissipation Period" mandated by the Werewolf Council.

Three hours until the next full moon. I’ve packed all my luggage and bought a one-way ticket to the West Coast.

Two hours until the full moon. I burned every item that carried his scent, trying to strip his Alpha mark from my skin.

One hour until the full moon. I recorded one final holographic message for him.

"Liam, this is my tenth year as your fated mate, and the first day my wolf has died..."

When I went to deliver the documents to Liam at the agreed time, I heard him chatting with his Beta deputy in the office.

"Alpha, Chloe is coming back. Are you really going to go through with the marking ceremony with Elena?"

Liam responded casually, checking the luxury watch on his wrist every few seconds, his pheromones leaking with anxiety. "Why isn't she here yet?"

I knew he wasn't checking the time for me.

He was in a rush to get to the border of our territory to pick up Chloe.

Today is the day Chloe returns. She’s the female who rejected him years ago because he hadn't awakened his Alpha bloodline yet, running off to a stronger pack instead.

Three days ago, Chloe was kicked out by her mate and became a rogue wolf.

Liam got blackout drunk. When he woke up, he suddenly announced he wanted to officially mark me in front of the whole pack and hold the Luna coronation ceremony.

It was nothing more than a show to prove his current power to Chloe.

My soul bond was just a tool in their wolfish game.

When I pushed the door open, Liam impatiently extended his hand toward me. The air was thick with oppressive Alpha pressure.

"Give me the schedule for the coronation."

I handed over the folder I had prepared long ago.

But on the second to last page, I had secretly slipped in the "Mate Rejection Declaration."

"There are some additional clauses. If you have time, read them slowly."

I chose this specific moment because I knew the truth.

He wouldn't have time.

Sure enough.

He took the folder, flipped carelessly to the last page, and pressed his fingerprint—sealed with his own blood—onto the paper.

"I have to leave now to pick someone up. I don't have time to read the fine print."

A flash of tenderness crossed his icy blue wolf eyes.

The impatience was for me.

The tenderness? That was only for Chloe.

After hastily pressing his print, Liam left me with nothing but a rushing silhouette.

I had been his "invisible mate" for five years. This man had shown me affection, but it was pitifully scarce.

I tried to soothe his restless wolf nature with love, hoping he would get used to my existence.

But even his bio in the Werewolf Monthly magazine always read "Unmated."

The occasional gossip columns were always about his tragic, unrequited destiny with Chloe.

As the Luna who had actually been paired by the Moon Goddess but never publicly acknowledged, I didn't even qualify to have my name mentioned.

After all, Liam had a "white moonlight" in his heart—a high-ranking she-wolf who made his inner wolf go crazy.

The day Chloe was exiled, Liam, who never truly smiled in this house, got dead drunk.

Yet, a smile hung on his handsome face the whole time.

Even when he looked at me, he carried that trace of a smile.

It was the smile I had begged for years to receive, but never could.

While taking care of him until midnight, I used Chloe’s first shift date to unlock his phone.

I opened the gallery. The memory was full.

It was all Chloe.

No me.

The wallpaper on his phone was the only photo he ever took with me.

But he had Photoshopped Chloe’s face over mine.

I remembered how Liam, who refused to complete the marking under the sacred tree when the Moon Goddess first guided us to each other, had insisted on taking that photo.

So that was why.

In that moment, I knew.

This five-year relationship had reached its end.

All that remained was the mandatory cooling-off period from the Council, waiting for the next full moon to sever the bond completely.

Countdown.

One month.

Coincidentally, the coronation ceremony Liam promised me...

Was also in exactly one month.