Rejected by my Alpha, claimed by his mate

The night air was thick with anticipation.

Tonight was supposed to be mine.

The entire pack had gathered under the silver glow of the full moon, their eyes fixed on me as I stood at the center of the clearing, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

My mate, my Alpha, my future.

Everything I had endured, every whisper, every insult, every moment I was made to feel less tonight was meant to end it all.

Because tonight, he would claim me.

I lifted my gaze to him.

Alpha Kael.

Powerful. Untouchable. Desired by every woman in the pack.

And yet,chosen for me by fate.

Or so I thought.

His expression was unreadable as he stepped forward, his presence commanding silence from the crowd. Even the wind seemed to still.

My chest tightened,not from fear, but from hope so fragile it almost hurt.

“Do you accept her as your mate?” the elder’s voice rang out.

The world held its breath.

Kael’s eyes met mine.

For a moment,just a moment,I thought I saw something there.

Hesitation,my heart skipped.

Then he spoke.

Cold. Clear. Final.

“I, Alpha Kael… reject you.”

Silence.

It didn’t feel real.

The words echoed in my head, over and over again, like something distant and distorted.

Reject you.

Reject you.

Reject you.

A sharp, burning pain tore through my chest, stealing the air from my lungs as my knees threatened to give way beneath me.

No…

No, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Then whispers. Then laughter,low, cruel, and satisfied.

I could feel it.

Their pity.

Their mockery.

Their relief that it wasn’t them.

“Why…?” My voice came out broken, barely more than a whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

Kael didn’t even hesitate.

“You are weak,” he said flatly. “A liability to this pack.”

Each word struck harder than the last.

“I need a Luna who can stand beside me. Not someone I have to protect.”

The final blow.

Something inside me cracked.

Then she stepped forward.

Of course… there had to be someone else.

Tall. Beautiful. Strong. Everything I wasn’t.

She moved to his side like she had always belonged there.

And maybe she had.

Kael placed a hand on her waist,casual, possessive.

Deliberate.

“I have chosen my Luna,” he announced.

The crowd erupted.

That was the moment I understood.

Fate didn’t choose me.

It humiliated me.

The pain became unbearable.

A strangled cry tore from my throat as I clutched my chest, the bond between us snapping like something alive being ripped apart.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn't think.

Couldn’t stay.

Before anyone could stop me, I turned and ran.

Away from the pack.

Away from him.

Away from the life that had just shattered beneath my feet.

Branches tore at my skin as I pushed deeper into the forest, my vision blurred by tears.

I didn’t know where I was going.

I just knew I couldn’t stay.

Not after this.

Not after him.