Rejected by the Alpha Heir, Mated to His Rival Brother

CIARA'S POV"Our engagement is over."Kaden said it casually, as though he were declining a second glass of wine.Cold. Sharp.The words did not make sense at first. They were just sounds, syllables that could not possibly mean what they seemed to mean.And yet, they were real.I never imagined that everything I had worked for over the past decade would collapse just because of a single sentence like this.For as long as I can remember, it felt as if the meaning of my existence was simply to become his Luna.The crystal chandeliers blazed overhead in the great hall, their light illuminating the shocked faces around us—wolves from across the territory who had gathered for this momentous occasion. The vibrant music and laughter felt like a cruel backdrop to my crumbling world."What?! Kaden, you can't be serious!" I gasped, my hands clenching so tightly behind my back that my knuckles ached.He stood there in formal black, the silver embroidery on his collar marking him as the Alpha's h

Ciara's POVHis eyebrows rose. "Just like that?""Just like that." I held his gaze, refusing to let him see how my hands trembled beneath the sheets. "You want to marry me. I need protection. It seems a fair exchange.""Fair." He tasted the word like wine, his eyes never leaving mine. "How remarkably pragmatic of you. And here I thought you might require more convincing. Perhaps some dramatic declarations or false promises of affection." There was something almost rueful in his tone, as if he wished those things were possible."I am not a child," I said, though part of me felt exactly like one—lost and frightened and desperately out of my depth. "I know this is not about love. You have your reasons for wanting this marriage, and I have mine for accepting. That is enough.""Is it?" He leaned closer, bracing one hand on the headboard above me. This close, I could see the flecks of silver in his black eyes, like stars in a night sky. His other hand lifted, hovering near my face as if he

Ciara's POVMy face burned where his hand had connected. The skin felt hot, swollen, throbbing with each heartbeat. "You will learn—" my father snarled above me.Something inside me snapped.All the frustration I had been holding in for days—for years—rushed through me like wildfire. The rejection. The snow. The way he spoke about my mother today, using her memory as a weapon while defending the woman who had tried to erase her.It felt as if fire was rushing through my veins, hot and wild and unstoppable.My wolf surged forward.I had always kept her contained, controlled, obedient. A proper lady did not let her wolf take over. A future Luna maintained composure at all times.But I was not a future Luna anymore.And I was done being obedient.The shift tore through me. Bones cracked and reformed. Fur erupted across my skin. My vision sharpened, colors bleeding away into shades of gray as my wolf's senses took over.I lunged.My father froze, his fist still raised in the air. He had