All Chapters of Rejected Under the Moon : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I had been buzzing all day and now it was finally here. A Moon Calling—mates caught in undeniable clarity. How cinematic I dressed simply and added only a pair of earrings and a bracelet, not wanting to be a distraction during a ritual meant for recognition, not display. My brother was still too young to stand in the circle, and my parents who were already mated would watch from the back. I, however, was nineteen. Eligible to find a mate. Nine pm on the dot, we left for the ritual grounds. If all went well, we would return after dawn knowing the name of Celestial Moon’s future Luna. We walked together, my parents lingering at the back, exchanging small shenanigans behind my brother’s and my view. We were used to it; they almost always walked hand in hand. The field smelled wonderful tonight; flowers and herbs laid out with care, thanks to the Shaman and his mate. The ritual wouldn’t begin until nine-thirty pm, but the grounds were already

Banging my head against the pillow, I screamed. She must think I’m lying too. Why does everyone look at me like I'm making it up? I pushed myself up, chest tight, breath uneven. Sitting here wasn’t helping. Crying wasn’t helping either. If no one believed me, I’d figure it out myself. Grabbing my shoes, I headed straight for the pack library. Stupid, defective mate bond. If there was something wrong: anything at all, I would find it. The library was quiet, the familiar scent of old paper and ink wrapping around me. At the front desk, Mr. Jones sat hunched over a thick book. “Mr. Jones,” I said. He looked up slowly, sliding a pencil between pages. “Yes, child?” “I need the catalogue.”“What are you looking for?”“Books on mate bonds,” I whispered.He nodded, handing me the catalogue. “Section 3C. But double-check.” I scanned the page. “They’re at 3C." "Good.”As I handed the catalogue back, it struck me how normal he was acting. No susp

I arranged my things in preparation for Oslow University. A new bed. A new room. New faces. A new town. It felt less like moving and more like stepping into another realm. And suddenly, I missed home. I missed my family. I even missed the annoying wolves in my pack. My mind betrayed me, replaying their voices. 'You are not my mate.' 'There is no bond.' 'You are delusional.' 'A claim of a fated mate to my son is an insult.' 'The wannabe Luna.' Then the one that cut the deepest—'You will be exiled.' My shoulders trembled. I hadn’t realized I was crying until a tear landed on the edge of the dresser. Exiled. That was what I was now. Celestial Moon had been my home. Some home it was. My wolf had withdrawn — hurt, fractured by it all. For wolves, the pack was everything. I could feel her barely holding on, drowning in grief. She was mourning. And so wa

The week after meeting Rowan at the café, I made my decision.Psychology.Something about our conversation had unlocked a door I hadn't known was closed. The way he'd spoken about the mind, about emotions and motivations, had stirred something in me. Not excitement exactly, but curiosity. A quiet hunger to understand.And maybe, if I were being honest with myself, a desire to understand what had happened to me. Why Alec felt nothing? Why the bond had broken so completely on his end while remaining whole on mine.If I couldn't fix what was broken, perhaps I could at least learn why it had shattered.I submitted my application on a Tuesday morning, my finger hovering over the submit button for what felt like an eternity. The cursor blinked at me, patient and unaware of the war raging inside my chest. One click. That's all it would take. One click to set my future in motion, to commit to a path that felt equal parts terrifying and necessary.My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin. She

Three weeks into the semester, I had developed a routine.Mornings began with coffee and textbook reading at the library. My roommates were three other girls who were okay, I guess.Linda was an engineering major who stayed up past midnight, her desk lamp always the last one on. Taylor, a med student, woke before everyone else, her alarm cutting through the room at 5 a.m. sharp.And then there was Kira… I still didn’t know what she studied, but she sang. A lot. Softly sometimes, like a hum under her breath, and other times loud enough to fill the entire room.I didn’t mind. She was good.It made the space feel… lively.I usually had breakfast at a diner or read at the library, absorbing information about memory formation, cognitive development, and the biological bases of behavior.Classes filled my afternoons. Introduction to Psychology on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Research Methods on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each lecture added new layers to my understanding, new questi