CHAPTER 1

ATHENA

"I, Alpha Enzo Morningstar of Phoenix pack, reject you, Athena Blackwood, as my mate and Luna," he declared, his voice echoing through the hall.

My heart seized in disbelief. I gazed up at him from the floor, my chest tight with a mixture of shock and pain.

His eyes were filled with coldness that clashed with the emotion rewritten all over my face.

"Enzo…" I managed to utter, my voice trembling as my palms grew clammy.

"What..."

But before I could finish the statement, a familiar figure walked out with deadly emerald eyes and a sly smile stuck up on her face.

It was Ginny– my half-sister.

"Ginny?" I whispered, struggling to comprehend what was happening. The pieces of the puzzle eluded me, leaving me bewildered and hurt.

At that moment, I watched as the man I loved pressed his lips to my half-sister’s, my heart losing its function and then shattering into a thousand pieces. The pain was unbearable as he tore my heart from my chest and trampled on it without a second thought.

When their kiss finally ended, Enzo turned to face the crowd, a glint of satisfaction in his blue eyes. "I choose Ginny Blackwood as my mate and Luna," he declared.

The hall went silent, the pulse of it almost tangible. I could see the question in their eyes but no one dares question the ways of the Alpha. Then, as if on cue, cheers erupted from the onlookers and guests, celebrating my despair.

They cheered in my agony, their jubilation like a knife twisting in my already wounded heart. And then, all eyes turned to me, a silent condemnation in their gaze.

I looked up at Enzo, hoping that I could get answers.

Today was supposed to be our big day. He was supposed to announce me formally as his mate and Luna. We already had the bond marks engraved by the goddess herself at the back of our necks.

I was his fated mate, I was to be his Luna. But everything had gone horribly wrong.

What about my sacrifices? What about what I had to give up for him to become Alpha? Now, he had chosen someone else. And of all people, it was my half-sister. That was a complete slap to my face.

Enzo read my confusion and I watched him roll his eyes.

"Athena darling, it's time to accept the rejection," He said, his voice hard and cocky.

"I… I… I…" I stammered, unable to form a tangible statement in the face of his coldness towards me.

"You are as dense as you are wolfless," came a snide comment from Enzo, his lips curling into a bitter sneer that almost made me reel back.

I couldn't believe he just said that.

"Did you really think I would choose you to be the Luna of my pack?" He scoffed.

"Wolfless, powerless and without any werewolf instinct," a mocking voice followed. It was Ginny who spoke this time.

Her Emerald eyes gleamed with spooky delight as she stepped forward, her hand crossed with Enzo's.

"Enzo can never and will never be yours."

The weight of her words crashed over me like a tidal wave, leaving me gasping for air. Betrayal, humiliation, and devastation swirled within me, threatening to consume every fiber of my being.

"I loved you," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the din of the crowd. "I trusted you. After everything, I…''

"Everything you what?!" A voice thundered. It was my father. He was stepping a little closer to me. Too close.

"You will utter not a single word. Unless it is an acceptance of the Alpha's rejection." He whispered harshly in my ear. He was supposed to stand beside me as a father would. What has Enzo promised him that turned him this way?

Tears pricked my eyes.

 "Father?" I whispered tearfully.

"It doesn't matter now, does it? Your sister will become Luna after all, it still runs in the family. So keep your wits about yourself and submit to the rejection." His cold whispers came again, sending shivers down my spine.

I could feel the piercing gazes of the hundreds of onlookers as they witnessed my humiliation. I have just been played by the one person I called my family. My father chose his mistress’ daughter over me. He knew better on how the wolf bonding works and how the pain of rejection is.

Before I knew it, I was forced on my knees.

"She is ready to accept the rejection now, Alpha," he assured with a smile. "Aren't you, my daughter?"

I gulped, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth. But I knew by now that there was no point. The tears I was trying to hold back were beginning to stream down my face.

 "I, Athena Blackwood, daughter of Azul Blackwood, accept your rejection as your mate and Luna."

There was a burning ache on the spot of my bond mark. I knew that the goddess was erasing it. The bond had been broken. I felt my connection with Enzo tearing inside me. I wanted to scream out in pain, but can’t let them see me in such way. I had lost Enzo to my half-sister forever.

Without a second word, I got on my feet and raced out of the great hall and straight back to my chambers. I heard the celebrations go on after my exit as if nothing had happened. Like my life had not come crashing down.

My tears fell freely as I sobbed. Everything I had worked and loved for had been pulled from my grasp. And I was left with nothing but an empty void that threatened to eat me alive. Hours went by in a flurry of weeping and heartache as the banquet went on. My little sister, Astra came knocking but I didn’t let her in. she can’t see me this way.

Just then, the door of my chamber suddenly opened. I already knew who it was. I knew his steps just as well as knew his scents.

"Athena" Enzo called as he walked towards me.

I could not bear to look at him. I was heartbroken but never angry at him. I felt his weight press down my mattress.

"What you almost did was unacceptable."

I turned incredulously in his direction. His features hardened with harsh lines of anger.

I was the one who had been cheated and betrayed, why was he acting like he was the one betrayed?

"Just because you found a cure for the illness does not mean you should try and disgrace me or my reign." He retorted.

His sharp tone made me flinch.

"I did not just find a cure, and you know that. I used my blood. I almost died. It cost me my wolf!" I raised my voice higher than intended.

"It was my blood that cured the other cursed members of the pack. Yet, I let you take credit for what I did because I love you. They made you Alpha because of me. I made you Alpha!"

Enzo slapped me just as the words fell out of my mouth.

 "Watch your tone with me. I am the pack’s alpha, they chose me. I am your Alpha!" He screamed in my face.

"You didn't make me an Alpha because of your stupid blood. They made me an Alpha because that was my destiny."