I Used To Always Be The Rejection #945192

I was the 'Other' Ha-eun. In high school, there were two of us with the same name. She was the golden Alpha female—rich, beautiful, powerful. I was the Omega runt who apologized for existing. Four years ago, Alpha Jae-in was destined to mate with a Ha-eun. He looked at us both, laughed at the idea it could be me, and publicly rejected me to chase her.

That rejection broke my wolf. I became silent. I stopped shifting. I moved to a damp semi-basement in Mapo-gu to arrange flowers for funerals. Now, the golden Ha-eun has vanished on their wedding day, leaving Jae-in’s pack vulnerable to a hostile takeover. He tracks me down, not to love me, but to use my bloodline as a placeholder. He forces me into a contract: pretend to be his mate for three months to secure his territory.

I agree because I need the money to pay my mother’s hospital debts. Living in his penthouse, the dynamic shifts. He expects me to be grateful; instead, I am numb. I treat him like a landlord, not a mate. I eat alone. I don't look him in the eye. This indifference drives him insane. As he watches me tape up my swollen feet after work or stare blankly at the rain in Itaewon, the bond he tried to sever snaps back into place.

He realizes he never loved the golden Ha-eun; he was chasing a status symbol. His wolf recognizes me as the true mate, the one he crippled emotionally. He starts trying to fix it. He buys the flower shop. He beats up the men who harass me. But I don't want his help. I tell him, 'You didn't break my heart. You broke my dignity. You can't buy that back.' When the golden Ha-eun returns to claim her spot, Jae-in has to make a choice.

He chooses me, publicly destroying his reputation and losing his position as Pack Leader. He takes a nearly fatal blow intended for me, earning a permanent limp.