Rejecting the Alpha’s Crown

Cheers came from the next room right away.

I heard Stella gasp through the wall. Julian spoke in low, tender murmurs. He crowned her with his own hands.

I stood alone in the empty bedroom. The cheap gold band sat on the table. A cold draft sliced right through my chest.

Footsteps stopped by the door.

Julian walked back in with a smile on his face. The smile vanished the second his eyes met mine.

"Still throwing a fit?" He tossed two car keys onto the coffee table.

One was a matte black key for a custom supercar. It had the gold crest of a pack elder. The other key belonged to a cheap SUV. It had no keychain at all.

Julian leaned on the table and tilted his chin. "The new cars arrived. The black one belongs to Stella. She leads cross-border patrols and needs the horsepower. The silver one is for you. It handles easy and keeps you safe."

Always the same. Stella took the best. I got the scraps.

I looked at the keys. My nails dug into my palms. For the first time in my life, I refused to bow. I reached out and snatched the supercar key.

"What if I want this one?" I looked up at him and held my ground. "Julian, I am your Luna-to-be. If I drive a beat-up family car, people will treat me like your maid."

Julian frowned. Then he sighed.

"Why do you turn everything into a fight, Chloe?" His voice sounded soft, but his Alpha aura pressed down on me like lead. "Be good. What fits you best is what matters."

He pried the supercar key from my fingers. He shoved the cold, plain key into my hand.

"After the mating ceremony, I will buy you whatever you want. Deal?"

The key bit into my skin. The ache in my chest cut far deeper.

I looked at him and laughed.

"Keep it," I said, every word cold and clear. "Not just the car or the crown. Cancel the ceremony in three days. I reject the mate bond."

Julian arched a brow. "Leaving me over this? Fine. I will make it up to you."

Half an hour later, he forced me into his car and drove to the most expensive jewelry salon in town.

Stella was already sitting on the VIP couch.

"Julian! You made it!" Stella rushed to him. She looked stunning and fierce. Her eyes held pure hunger, like she was his real mate.

Julian dropped my hand at once and walked toward her.

The shop manager brought out the prized piece with trembling hands. It was a necklace of top-tier moonstones and diamonds.

"Stella has the summit dinner tomorrow. This necklace belongs on her." Julian swiped his black card without asking the price.

He clasped the priceless necklace around Stella's throat. His gaze lingered on her collarbones.

Then he turned to me. He picked up a cheap crystal ring from a gift box on the counter. He shoved it into my hands.

"Here. Purple crystal, your favorite. Happy now?"

My stomach twisted with disgust. Next to Stella, I was just background noise.

"I told you, I do not want it."

I threw the ring back onto the counter and walked out the door.

...

That night, in the estate study.

I stepped inside, still wondering why Julian called for me. Then the door slammed open.

My mother's hand cracked across my face.

My cheek went numb. My ears rang. The taste of blood filled my mouth.

"Are you insane?!" My mother pointed a finger at my face, her voice high and sharp. "You are a wolfless defect! Becoming Luna is a miracle for trash like you! How dare you speak of rejecting the bond?"

My father stood beside her, his face dark. "Your sister risks her life for this pack every day. You show no gratitude, and you humiliate Julian in public?"

"Please, calm down." Julian stepped in like a kind, forgiving Alpha. He handed my mother a glass of water.

"Chloe feels nervous about the Luna ceremony. Just some wedding jitters. I will not hold it against her."

"See that? Look how generous Julian is!" My mother glared at me with pure hatred. "Listen to me, Chloe. Reject this bond, disgrace this family, and I will exile you from the pack. You can die alone in the woods!"

Exile. The harshest punishment in our world. For a wolfless girl, it meant a death sentence.

I lowered my eyes. I hid every drop of feeling inside me.

"I understand," I said softly. My own voice sounded like a stranger. "I will do what you say."

Julian smiled. "Much better."

Late that night, I went back to my cramped room.

Stella claimed it broke pack tradition to share the master suite before the ceremony. So, despite being the Alpha's bride, I got shoved into the drafty corner room.

I left the lights off. Pale moonlight spilled over the mess on the floor.

My face still throbbed, but I shed no tears. I pulled an old burner phone from the bottom of my drawer and dialed a number.

The line clicked after two rings. Maya's voice came through.

"Chloe? Did something happen?"

I held the phone tight, my voice dead calm.

"Maya, I am not going through with this wedding. Help me run away."