The Alpha's Plump Mistake

Maya's POV

"An omega that fat will never find a partner; anyone would reject this poor, ugly little thing."

I clutched the glass tightly in my hands, wishing I could be invisible.

I was already used to everyone making fun of me, but even so, the pain grew worse each time.

Tonight was the most important night for the Silver Moon pack—it was Hunter’s coronation as the new Alpha.

Everyone was celebrating the dawn of a new era, yet I was in the darkest corner of the hall, hidden behind a column.

I wanted to hide as much as possible; I was wearing a loose-fitting blue dress to cover the curves that my entire pack considered an imperfection. In my community, female wolves were trained to be slender and lethal, so my curvy body was seen as a horrible birth defect. It was a weakness.

"Look, honey, there's that spare moon again." I heard the mocking laughter of Chloe, one of the most popular she-wolves. "Do you think she's wearing that huge dress today to hide all the food she ate by herself?"

Her friends’ laughter tore at my soul. I bowed my head, swallowing my tears. Ever since my parents died in an ambush, the pack has treated me like a useless burden.

My only remaining hope was the Moon Goddess; I knew I would soon be old enough for mating.

If the Goddess granted me a fated mate—a partner destined to love and choose me—everything would change for me.

Chloe moved a little closer, walking gracefully in her heels, that same smug smile that always turned my stomach. Her friends looked at me as if I were some weirdo blocking their view.

“They say the Alpha Hunter is going to demand that everyone in the pack train for more hours, and I wonder if our dear Maya will survive the first five minutes of running through the woods or if she’ll break her ankles because of her enormous weight.”

Laughter rippled through the room. Once again, I took a deep breath, trying to swallow my tears as I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

The members of the pack never intervened when humiliations took place, because if you weren’t useful for war, then you weren’t useful to anyone.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Everyone fell silent at once. The wooden doors swung wide open, and then Hunter walked in.

My breath caught in my throat. His presence was commanding. His dark hair was slicked back, his jaw was square and set, and the pride he exuded was palpable—worthy of an Alpha about to be crowned. He walked slowly, radiating the confidence of a predator who knows the entire world belongs to him. His presence filled the room; all the lower-ranking wolves bowed their heads in an instinctive gesture of submission.

Hunter walked silently toward the podium to deliver his acceptance speech, but before he reached it, the air changed.

The scent of fresh pine flooded my nostrils; the fragrance was so intense it made me dizzy.

An intense heat burst in my chest, right where my she-wolf was. My heart was racing—painful yet addictive at the same time. An invisible golden thread seemed to stretch between my soul and the center of the hall.

Mate! Partner! My inner she-wolf howled in my mind, screaming to break free.

I stood still, my eyes widening in surprise as I followed the tiny, invisible thread. It couldn’t be! It’s impossible! It must be a mistake on the Goddess’s part.

Hunter stopped dead in his tracks; his hazel eyes darkened to the total darkness of an Alpha. His breathing became ragged, and he turned his head desperately, searching for the source of the scent that was beginning to claim his soul.

Our gazes met, and time stood still.

The warmth in my chest grew stronger, confirming what I had suspected: the pack’s new Alpha, the warrior most coveted by all the women, and the one who would lead our future… He was my destined mate.

Hope flooded my heart. Could it be that the Goddess had finally heard my prayers? Would I finally be happy? Would I have a home?

For a fleeting second, the pain of the past few years vanished; the Moon Goddess was giving me to the most powerful man in the pack. I thought the bond would erase my imperfections in his eyes, that the sacred thread would make us equal.

Hunter began walking toward me; everyone stepped aside in silence, murmuring in surprise as they watched his steps unfold.

With every step he took toward my little dark corner, my poor heart—which was on the verge of going mad—sank a little deeper. As soon as he was just one meter away from me, everything changed.

I expected to see relief in his eyes; I expected the spark of recognition of a mate.

But his reaction made my blood run cold.

Hunter’s eyes narrowed. His gaze swept over my body from head to toe, lingering on my wide hips, my soft arms, and my loose-fitting dress. Contempt and disgust flashed across his face. His jaw tensed so tightly that his bones creaked.

To an Alpha like him, who valued only physical perfection and military status, I was no blessing. I was a humiliation.

A horrendous punishment sent by the Goddess.

He stepped back quickly, making sure his voice carried throughout the Hall:

“You? The Goddess gave me a defective she-wolf as a mate?”

Everyone began to murmur; Chloe’s taunts were not long in coming. I wanted to vanish into thin air; the joy that had settled in my heart quickly turned into my greatest pain.

“Hunter… It’s the Goddess’s side, not you, not you…” I whispered, trying to touch him with my trembling hands.

“Don’t touch me!” he roared furiously before shouting at everyone. “A Moon must be someone strong, a warrior who commands respect from all, not a slow wolf who’s only good for hiding in dark corners. A Moon with that body is a disgrace to my pack.”

Tears finally rolled down my cheeks; the pain of rejection burned in my chest.

No one defended the orphan. No one stopped the Alpha.

Hunter lifted my chin, sealing my fate before everyone’s eyes.

“I, Hunter, the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack, reject you, Maya, as my fated mate. You are not, and never will be, my Luna.”