chapter 2
600 Words
The Alpha Who Rejected His Moon Queen
By MALLO Royale
Chapter Two
The Mate the Alpha Refused
The world seemed to fall silent.
Seraphina couldn't understand why Alpha Lucien Draven was staring at her.
His silver eyes, usually cold and unreadable, widened for the briefest moment before hardening again.
Inside him, his wolf growled with unmistakable certainty.
She is ours.
Lucien clenched his jaw.
"No."
The word echoed only in his mind.
It couldn't be true.
For years, the High Council had warned him that his fated mate would either strengthen the Blackwood Pack or bring about its ruin. They had described a woman of noble blood, raised among Alphas and destined to rule.
Not a wolfless orphan.
Not a healer's assistant whom the pack mocked every day.
The scent grew stronger.
Wild jasmine.
Moonlight.
Ancient power.
There was no mistake.
She was his mate.
The Moon Goddess had chosen her.
Elder Rowan stepped forward, his voice carrying across the silent gathering.
"My Alpha..."
Lucien didn't answer.
Every wolf present had noticed the change in his expression.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Has the Moon Goddess revealed his mate?"
"It can't be..."
"Who is she?"
Lucien's gaze never left Seraphina.
She shifted uneasily beneath the weight of hundreds of eyes.
"I... have I done something wrong?" she asked softly.
No one answered.
The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then the eldest priestess lifted her staff toward the Blood Moon.
A silver beam of light descended from the heavens.
It surrounded Seraphina.
The crescent-shaped birthmark on her wrist burned beneath her sleeve.
The priestess gasped.
"The Moon Goddess has spoken."
Every wolf dropped to one knee.
"The Alpha's fated mate has been chosen."
The crowd turned toward Seraphina.
Shock swept through the gathering.
"No..."
"That can't be possible."
"She's wolfless."
"She's an orphan."
"She doesn't belong beside the Alpha."
The cruel whispers reached Seraphina's ears like sharp blades.
Her hands trembled.
She wished the earth would open and swallow her whole.
Lucien closed his eyes for a single heartbeat.
If he accepted her, the prophecy he had been taught since childhood might come true.
If he rejected her...
He might be able to save his people.
When he opened his eyes again, every trace of emotion had disappeared.
He stepped forward.
His voice was cold enough to freeze the summer air.
"Seraphina Ashbourne."
She looked at him with frightened eyes.
"I reject you as my fated mate."
A sharp cry escaped her lips.
An invisible force struck her chest, driving her to her knees.
Pain unlike anything she had ever known tore through her soul.
Tears streamed down her face.
Around her, the crowd erupted.
Some stared in disbelief.
Others laughed openly.
"The Alpha rejected her!"
"I knew she wasn't worthy!"
"What a disgrace."
Seraphina lowered her head, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
Her heart shattered with every word.
Then something unexpected happened.
The silver crescent on her wrist burst into light.
A wave of energy rippled across the clearing.
The bonfires flickered.
The wind howled.
For one brief moment...
The Blood Moon turned completely white.
Everyone froze.
"What... was that?" someone whispered.
Before anyone could answer, the light vanished.
Seraphina collapsed unconscious.
Miles away, deep beneath a mountain where sunlight had never reached, an ancient throne room trembled.
A man with crimson eyes slowly rose from a throne carved from black stone.
He smiled.
"So..."
"After twenty years..."
"The lost Moon Princess has finally awakened."
His smile widened as he reached for the sword resting beside his throne.
"Prepare my carriage."
"It's time to bring our Queen home."
- Writer
