Rejection

Chapter 1

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Estelle

My heart raced so loudly I could hear it over the music echoing through the grand hall.

The candles flickered, filling the room with golden light, and the scent of roses clung to the air. This was the happiest day of my life. My wedding day. My birthday. The day I would stand beside Elias, my mate, and begin our future together as Alpha and Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack.

I had dreamed of this moment for years, but standing at the altar in my white gown, hands trembling inside his, something felt… off. His eyes didn’t shine the way they used to when he looked at me. Instead of warmth, I saw something unreadable in his gaze, and it made my heart churn.

“Do you, Elias, take Estelle as your mate, your Luna, to stand by her through the years to come?” the elder asked, his voice ceremonial.

The entire pack leaned in, and I heard the sound of breaths held. My stomach tightened with nerves, but I smiled at Elias, waiting for the words I had longed to hear.

He opened his mouth.

And shattered me.

“I reject you.”

The words fell heavy in the silence, louder than thunder. For a moment, I thought I misheard him. My lips parted, and a whisper caught in my throat. “W-what?”

Gasps erupted. Whispers shot through the hall like arrows.

Elias didn’t waver or retract his sentence at all. He dropped my hands and spoke again, his voice sharp enough to cut through the crack that was already forming in my heart.

“I reject you, Estelle. I will not take you as my mate. I cannot accept someone without a wolf as my Luna.”

The room spun. I felt every eye on me, burning with pity, shock, and judgment. My chest tightened, and I struggled to breathe. My wolfless state; a wound I had carried since my coming-of-age ceremony, was being used against me here, in front of everyone. Something I’d never thought he would do to me.

Why did he act like he cared then?

All this while?

Before I could speak, Elias turned. I followed his movement as his hand reached for another’s. My eyes widened.

Anette.

My twin sister.

She stood there in her maid-of-honor gown, silver fabric glimmering under the lights, her perfect smile frozen on her face. Slowly, she slipped her hand into his, and Elias held it firmly, lifting it high for all to see.

“I choose Anette,” he declared.

A roar of disbelief swept through the crowd. My knees nearly buckled under all the emotion that was flooding through my system. Anette. My sister. My blood.

I turned to my father, Alpha Theron, desperate for him to step in, to stop this madness. His tall figure loomed beside me, his presence always commanding. Surely, he would defend me, I thought.

Surely, he would put Elias in his place and call of this whole thing.

But instead, he pulled me behind him like I was an embarrassment.

I nearly hit the ground.

“From this day forward,” my father’s voice boomed, carrying over the chaos, “Anette will take Estelle’s place as heir. She will be the one to marry Elias and inherit my position.”

My ears rang. My vision blurred. He had just disowned me in front of everyone.

“No…” My whisper was drowned by the applause breaking out among the crowd, half in shock, half in support.

Anette’s smile grew wider, and Elias leaned close to her, as if they had planned this betrayal all along.

I wanted to scream, to fight, to claw at the lies. But my body was frozen, trapped in a cage of disbelief.

It wasn’t just Elias who had betrayed me. My father, the man I trusted most, had thrown me away like I was nothing.

And it was my birthday.

I locked myself in my room that night, tears staining my pillow until I had none left to give. The laughter and music of the “new celebration” echoed from the hall below, each sound twisting deeper into my chest.

I had always envied Anette’s beauty, her charm, her ability to win over anyone she met. We had the same face, but not the same personality. I lived with it. Endured all the shadowing. But never, not once, did I imagine she would steal the life that was supposed to be mine.

My wolfless state had always set me apart, but I thought Elias loved me despite it. I thought my father believed in me despite it. Now I knew the truth: I was nothing to them.

I pressed my hand against my stomach, trying to stop the hollow ache inside.

Happy birthday, Estelle. What a gift.

Unable to sleep, I slipped out of bed and walked toward the balcony that overlooked the gardens. The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of pine.

That’s when I saw them.

In the shadows beneath the moonlight, Elias and Anette. His arms around her waist. Her fingers tangled in his hair. Their lips pressed together in a kiss that stole the last remnants of my soul.

I gripped the railing until my knuckles turned white. My breath hitched. Rage burned hot inside me, mixing with heartbreak. Every memory of Elias’s promises, every laugh we shared, every whispered dream—it all crumbled in that single moment.

I stumbled back into my room, shaking, my chest heaving. I wanted to confront them, to tear down the façade. But what good would it do? My father had chosen his side. My sister had made her choice. And Elias… Elias had never truly been mine.

I sank to the floor, burying my face in my hands. I had never felt so alone.

That’s when the door creaked open.

I jerked my head up, fear rushing through me. The figure who stepped in was the last person I expected.

Elias.

He closed the door behind him, his eyes dark and unreadable in the dim light.

“What are you doing here?” My voice cracked, torn between fury and despair.

He didn’t answer at first. He only looked at me, his jaw tense. Then he spoke, voice low and urgent.

“If you stay, you’ll be dead before sunrise.”