Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Beast
Rowan squarely, not to destroy but to sever. The unstable power he had harnessed fractured violently, dispersing into harmless shards of fading light. He staggered backward, shock overtaking fury as the connection he had fought to claim dissolved completely. The moment stretched thin. Then the first thread of moonlight reemerged as the eclipse began to pass. The dome of silver receded gradually, settling back into my skin like a tide withdrawing from shore. I swayed but did not fall. Rowan dropped to one knee, breath ragged, ambition finally eclipsed by the reality of defeat. He looked up at me, not with hatred this time but with something quieter. Recognition. “It was never meant for me,”