REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CLAIMED BY HIS ENEMY

The moon was at its fullest when my mate rejected me.

Silver light flooded the ceremonial grounds, bathing the pack in reverent silence. Wolves stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes glowing with anticipation, whispers rippling through the crowd like sparks before a fire.

Tonight was supposed to be my destiny.

I stood at the center of the circle, hands trembling beneath the delicate lace of my white ceremonial dress. The fabric clung to my skin, heavy with meaning. Luna-to-be. Alpha’s mate. Chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.

I lifted my eyes to him.

Alpha Lucien Blackwood.

Tall. Imposing. Untouchable.

The man fate had bound to me stood across the sacred fire, dressed in ceremonial black, his expression carved from stone. His sharp jaw was tight, his golden eyes unreadable. Not warmth. Not recognition. Not relief.

Fear curled in my stomach.

The elder stepped forward, his voice echoing through the clearing.

“Alpha Lucien Blackwood, do you accept the mate the Moon Goddess has chosen for you?”

The world seemed to pause.

This was the moment I had dreamed of since the bond awakened. Since the pull in my chest had nearly brought me to my knees. Since every instinct in me screamed him.

Lucien didn’t answer immediately.

A murmur swept through the pack.

My heart began to race.

Slowly, he turned his head—away from me—and his gaze landed on the elders.

“I do not.”

The words struck like a physical blow.

The air left my lungs.

Silence shattered the night.

Gasps erupted. Whispers turned sharp. Shock rippled through the bond, burning like ice beneath my skin.

“I, Alpha Lucien Blackwood,” he continued coldly, his voice carrying without effort, “reject Althea Vale as my mate.”

My knees buckled.

Pain exploded in my chest—raw, brutal, soul-deep. I clutched at my heart as the bond snapped violently, a scream tearing from my throat before I could stop it.

Rejected.

Publicly.

Humiliated before the entire pack.

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to fall. I would not give them that satisfaction. I forced myself to look at him, desperate for something—anything—to soften the cruelty of his words.

“Why?” My voice came out broken.

Lucien finally faced me.

There was no regret in his eyes.

“I need a Luna who strengthens my rule,” he said evenly. “Not a weakness.”

Laughter rippled from somewhere in the crowd.

Each sound carved deeper than claws.

“I have obligations,” he continued. “Political alliances. A fragile pack. I will not endanger everything for a bond I never asked for.”

Never asked for.

As if I hadn’t felt it too. As if I hadn’t suffered it too.

The elder stepped forward again, alarm etched into his features. “Alpha, the Moon—”

“I’ve made my decision,” Lucien cut in sharply. “This ceremony is over.”

Just like that.

My fate was dismissed.

The bond continued to burn, punishment for a rejection I had no power to stop. I tasted blood where I bit my lip to keep from crying out again.

I straightened.

If he thought rejection would break me completely, he was wrong.

I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze one last time.

“Then hear me, Alpha Blackwood,” I said, my voice shaking but loud enough for all to hear. “From this moment on, I release you from any claim over me. I will never beg you again.”

His eyes flickered—just once.

Surprise?

Anger?

Too late.

I turned away from him, away from the pack that had watched me be destroyed, and walked out of the sacred circle with my dignity bleeding behind me.

The Moon Goddess had bound me to an Alpha who chose power over fate.

Fine.

I would choose myself.

And one day… he would regret this.