The Rejection

Chapter 1

On the morning of my 18th birthday, I woke up with hope in my chest.

Today, the Moon Goddess would finally give me my wolf. Today, I would finally stop being the pack's joke. Today, I would finally find my mate.

My name is Zara. Daughter of the late Beta of Silver Moon Pack. Orphan. Servant. The girl everyone called wolfless.

For eighteen years, I had lived in a small room at the back of the pack house. I cooked, I cleaned, I washed clothes for she-wolves who laughed at me behind my back. My own cousin, Mia, made sure I never forgot my place.

"You will never shift, Zara," she would say, flipping her perfect hair. "The Moon Goddess forgot you."

But today was different. Today was my birthday. And tonight was the Moon Ceremony.

I stood in front of my cracked mirror and tried to smile. My brown skin was glowing, my black curls were neat, my old pink dress was clean. I looked... beautiful. For once, I allowed myself to believe.

"Maybe tonight, everything changes," I whispered.

The ceremony was held in the clearing under the full moon. The whole pack was there. Hundreds of wolves in their best clothes. Drums beating. Fire burning.

Alpha Kaden stood in the middle, tall and powerful. My heart stopped when I saw him.

Kaden Blackwood. Alpha of Silver Moon Pack. 24 years old. Strong, handsome, feared by all. The man every girl in the pack wanted.

And the moment our eyes met, my heart screamed.

Mate.

I felt it like lightning through my whole body. My skin tingled. My heart beat so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest. The bond snapped into place, bright and hot.

He was my mate.

He stared at me. His blue eyes went wide. He felt it too. I saw it. For one beautiful second, I thought he would smile. I thought he would walk to me and hold me and tell everyone I was his.

Instead, his face twisted in disgust.

"What?" He stepped back, as if I was dirty. "No. This cannot be."

The whole clearing went silent.

"Kaden..." I whispered, my voice shaking. "My mate..."

"Shut up!" He shouted, his Alpha voice shaking the trees. "I, Alpha Kaden Blackwood, reject you, Zara, as my mate and Luna!"

Gasps. Laughter. Someone threw a stone.

My knees hit the ground. It felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest with their bare hands. Pain exploded everywhere. I could not breathe. I could not think.

Why? Why would the Moon Goddess give me an Alpha mate only for him to throw me away?

"I said shut up, wolfless trash!" Mia's voice rang out, laughing. "Did you really think the Alpha would accept a girl who cannot even shift? You don't even have a wolf! You're nothing!"

The crowd laughed. Kaden did not stop them. He just looked at me like I was nothing. Like I was less than nothing.

"You are weak," Kaden said coldly, loud enough for everyone to hear. "A Luna must be strong. A Luna must have a wolf. You have nothing. You are not worthy to stand beside me. I reject you."

Tears fell down my face, but I refused to wipe them. If I wiped them, they would know they broke me.

Something inside me cracked. And then... something else woke up.

A voice. Deep. Old. Powerful. Inside my head.

_Get up, little one. Do not cry for a man who cannot see your worth._

I froze. Was that... my wolf?

_Yes. I am here. I have always been here. They were too blind to see me._

Kaden turned to walk away. The ceremony was over for him. He was already talking to Mia, already smiling at her like she was the next Luna.

That was the moment I knew. I had to leave.

I stood up, legs shaking, dress dirty, heart broken. I looked at Kaden one last time.

"You will regret this, Alpha Kaden," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "One day, you will beg for the girl you threw away today. And I will not be there."

Then I ran. Into the dark forest. Away from the pack. Away from the pain.

Behind me, I heard Mia laughing. I heard the pack cheering for Kaden. No one came after me. No one cared.

But as I ran, the voice in my head whispered again.

_Run, Zara. Run far. When you return, you will not be the weak girl they rejected. You will be their Queen._

And I believed her.