Fated but Rejected

Emily’s POV

A crescent-shaped mark that hadn’t been there before glowed faintly on my skin, looking like a birthmark.

“What in the Goddess’ name is this?” I whispered, unable to touch it.

Then Adrian’s voice boomed from outside the door. “Emily! Come out here, now!”

Panic shot through me. I quickly put on my clothes and wiped my face. When I opened the door, he stood there, sniffing the air. His eyes met mine, then widened in horror as if someone had hit him with a sledgehammer.

“What?” he barked, stepping back. “You're my mate?!...No! That’s not fucking happening.”

I stood there, numb, my brain slow to catch up. “Not happening? Are you saying the goddess made a mistake by binding us together?”

“She made a terrible mistake,” a sharp voice snapped behind him. Ruth. Adrian’s mother. “My son can never be mated to you!”

She marched forward, grabbed me by my clothes and dragged me toward the main building where the party was still going on. Before I could process anything, she shoved me to my knees in front of the guests.

Turning to the crowd with a dramatic breath, she announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Adrian—my son, the future Alpha of this great pack—has found his mate.”

Cheers erupted, but they died instantly when she began to cry fake tears.

“But… unfortunately, she cannot be my son’s mate. She's a thief.”

She pointed at a screen where footage began playing. “This is how this ingrate kneeling here has been stealing from us. My son cannot be mated to a thief. Or, do you want the future Luna of this pack to be a thief who ruins our legacy?”

“No!” murmurs spread through the crowd. Insults began flying.

I lowered my head as shame and pain crawled up my spine. I couldn’t defend myself. Adrian’s parents’ words carried more weight than mine. No one would believe me, even if I told my side of the story.

Then Adrian’s voice cut through the noise. “Hey, Emily.” His tone was filled with pure disdain. The crowd quieted. “Aren’t you supposed to shift today? Go on, show us your wolf.”

The crowd roared their agreement.

My stomach sank.

What do I say? I hadn’t been able to shift earlier… could I really have no wolf? What did the mark on my back mean?

“Are you deaf?” Adrian snapped. “Show us your wolf.”

My hands trembled as I lifted my head.

“I… I couldn’t shift.”

Murmurs rippled through the hall, rising into a chant. “She’s cursed! She’s cursed!”

In the werewolf world, not being able to shift meant being cursed by the Moon Goddess. Such a person was not guaranteed safety, protection, or rights in the pack.

Next thing, bottles, leftovers began to hit me from different directions.

I kept my face down. I couldn’t protest. Maybe I deserved the pain. Maybe this was punishment for not taking the money in time to save my mother.

“Please have mercy! Her mother just died!” Sophie cried from somewhere in the crowd.

Everything went still for a moment.

“Is that true?” someone asked.

I couldn’t answer.

“She’s lying,” Ruth said quickly. “A thief will always lie.”

Another leftover hit my shoulder. “Liar!”

“She’s not lying!” Sophie sobbed. “Her mother died this evening.”

Ruth faltered for a second before recovering. “Regardless, Emily is not worthy to be my son’s mate!”

I lifted my head toward Adrian. His expression softened for a flicker, then he looked away.

For the first time since I’d been dragged here, Adrian’s father spoke. The man who would become Alpha tomorrow.

“Sorry for your loss, Emily. The pack sympathizes with you,” he said. A small relief washed over me, at least he showed some concern.

He continued, “In honor of your mother, who served as my head chef for years, we will not give you severe punishment for your theft. But you will be auctioned at my coronation tomorrow. We believe in second chances. Under new ownership, you may finally be useful.”

Auctioned? My throat tightened. That's a fate worse than death.

Auctioning of she-wolves was considered legal in werewolf kingdoms. They called it a ‘second chance’ for useless she-wolves. But it was a lie. I would be used as a breeder by any Alpha who bid the highest.

“Please… I will face any punishment you give me. Don’t auction me off,” I pleaded.

“See this ingrate!” Ruth snapped. “Adrian, reject her now!”

“No. No, Adrian, please. You can't reject me, I'm your mate. We're bound by the red thread of the moongoddess.” My plea fell on deaf ears.

“Shut up! I don't care what the moongoddess thinks!” Adrian snapped, stepping in front of me, eyes cold. “I, Adrian Ravenwood, Alpha heir of the Moonfang Pack, reject you, Emily Harpar, as my mate.”

A sharp pain slammed into me like my already broken soul had been crushed to powder. I let out a loud cry, louder than any I’d cried that day.

Sophie sobbed quietly at the back. She couldn’t help, she was just an omega. And Omegas have no say in the pack. But I still felt her fate was better than mine. At least she had a wolf, even if it was weak.

I had nothing. No wolf. No mate now. No place. I fit nowhere.

“Guards! Lock her in the dungeon until the auction tomorrow,” Adrian’s father ordered.

“Please… let me bury my mother first,” I begged as they dragged me away.

“The pack will do that for you.” The father's voice trailed behind me.

They hauled me into a dark, foul-smelling basement. My stomach sank. My fate was sealed. Tomorrow, I would be used as a breeder—a body for some shameless Alpha to own.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I cried until my nose was blocked. My head throbbed, and my body burned with fever. Still, I didn’t stop. Didn’t care.

Memories of my mother flooded in. I wouldn’t even get to send her off properly.

I clenched my fists. If I had power—true power—I would make Adrian and his parents pay.

But I knew it would never happen. I was going to be sold off.

I cried more.

And when the first rays of light seeped into the dungeon, the clang of keys echoed in the hall. Two guards appeared at the bars.

“Stand up,” one said coldly. “It’s time.”

My stomach twisted violently.