The Alpha Rejected Me, His Father Claimed Me

The morning air carried the sharp scent of pine and damp earth as I stepped into the ceremonial grounds of the Blood Moon Pack. Silver banners hung from the ancient oaks, their edges catching the first light. Wolves moved everywhere some hauling heavy wooden platforms, others stringing moonflowers along the stone paths that led toward the raised dais. Today Lucien Vaelor would become Alpha. Today the pack would watch him claim his place. I had spent four years waiting for this day. I set the basket of white blossoms at my feet and began weaving them into the low railing near the front. My fingers worked quickly, tying the stems the way the elder women had shown me years ago. No one asked me to help. I simply did it because the grounds had to look perfect for him. A young warrior brushed past me without a glance, nearly knocking the basket over. “Watch it,” he muttered, already moving on. I steadied the flowers and kept working. “Nysera.” I looked up. Lira stood a few steps away, arms crossed, her dark braid swinging as she shook her head. She wore a simple dress the color of river stone, the same as mine. Neither of us owned anything finer. “You’re decorating again,” she said. “Someone has to.” “Someone whose job it actually is.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “You’ve been out here since before sunrise. Your hands are already scratched.” I glanced at the thin red lines across my knuckles. “They’re fine.” “They’re not fine.” Lira reached for the next bunch of flowers and started helping anyway. “You don’t have to prove anything today. He’s going to walk up there whether these railings look pretty or not.” I tied another stem. “I want it to look right for him.” She let out a short breath. “You always do.” We worked side by side for a while. The pack’s excitement filled the air laughter, shouts, the clatter of tables being set for the feast that would follow the ceremony. Children ran between the adults, chasing each other with strips of silver cloth. I kept my eyes on the flowers. Lira broke the silence first. “Have you seen him yet?” “No.” “He arrived late last night. With her.” My hands slowed. “Selene?” “Who else?” Lira’s voice stayed quiet, but the edge was clear. “The whole pack’s talking about it. They walked in together. He didn’t even look for you.” I forced my fingers to keep moving. “He’s busy. There’s a lot to prepare.” “Nysera.” “He’s the heir. People need him.” Lira stopped tying and turned fully toward me. “You’ve said that for four years. Every time he forgets you exist. Every time he lets the others treat you like you’re nothing.” I met her eyes. “He’s my mate.” “And what has that gotten you?” She gestured around us. “You’re out here decorating while the future Luna is supposed to be standing beside him. Look at yourself. You’re covered in dirt and flower sap. No one’s offered you a seat at the front. No one’s even asked if you need help.” “I don’t need help.” “That’s not the point.” A group of young women walked past, their voices bright. One of them laughed and said, just loud enough, “Still pretending she’ll stand up there with him? Poor thing.” Another replied, “As if the Alpha’s son would ever claim an orphan with no name.” They moved on without looking at me. Lira’s jaw tightened. “See?” I kept my voice steady. “They don’t understand the bond.” “Or maybe they understand it better than you do.” She softened a little. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to make you see. He has never once stood up for you. Not when the warriors push past you. Not when the elders look through you. Not when the noble daughters whisper that you’re not good enough.” “He’s careful,” I said. “The pack is watching him. He has to be strong.” “Strong enough to hold your hand in public? Strong enough to tell them you’re his?” I didn’t answer. Lira sighed and went back to the flowers. “You’re going to break your own heart waiting for him to choose you.” “I’m not waiting for him to choose me. The Moon Goddess already did.” “Then why does it feel like you’re the only one who remembers that?” I finished the section of railing and moved to the next. The sun had climbed higher. More pack members filled the grounds. I caught fragments of conversation talk of the feast, of Lucien’s strength, of the alliance the Duskmere family would bring if the rumors were true. I tried not to listen. A sharp bark of laughter drew my attention toward the main path. Lucien walked into view. He looked every bit the future Alpha—tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair cut short, the silver mark of the heir already visible at his throat. His black ceremonial tunic fit perfectly. Beside him walked Selene Duskmere. She was beautiful in the way nobles were taught to be. Pale gold hair pinned in careful waves. A deep blue dress that caught the light with every step. Her hand rested lightly on Lucien’s arm as if it belonged there. The pack noticed at once. Conversations quieted, then rose again in excited whispers. I stood very still. Lira’s hand found my wrist. “Don’t.” “I’m fine.” “You’re not.” Lucien’s gaze swept the grounds. For one heartbeat I thought he might look my way. He didn’t. His eyes moved past the place where I stood as if the railing and the flowers and the girl tying them didn’t exist. He leaned slightly toward Selene and said something that made her smile. They continued toward the dais. I went back to the blossoms. Lira stayed close. “You don’t have to stay here and watch this.” “I want to see the ceremony.” “You want to see him claim you in front of everyone. That’s different.” I tied the last stem on that section. “He will. After the ascension. That’s how it works.” “Is it?” She shook her head. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like he’s already made a different choice.” A warrior approached the railing, carrying a heavy crate. He set it down hard enough to rattle the wood. “Move,” he said without looking at me. I stepped aside. He glanced up then, and recognition flickered across his face—followed by the usual dismissal. “Oh. It’s you. Thought you were one of the servants.” I didn’t reply. He walked away. Lira muttered something under her breath. “One day you’re going to stop letting them talk to you like that.” “They’re just words.” “Words leave marks too.” I finished the next stretch of railing in silence. The grounds grew more crowded. Elders took their places near the front. Warriors formed lines along the sides. Children were pulled close by their parents. The air thickened with the scent of so many wolves. I wiped my hands on my skirt and stepped back to look at the work. The moonflowers looked clean and bright against the dark wood. It would do. Lira nudged my shoulder. “Come on. If we’re going to stand somewhere, it should be where we can actually see.” We found a place near the side path that led to the dais—close enough to watch, far enough that no one would notice us. I kept my hands folded in front of me so no one would see the scratches. Lucien and Selene stood near the top of the steps now. He spoke with the pack elders. She stood at his side, serene, as if she had always belonged there. Every so often she touched his arm or leaned in to murmur something. He never pulled away. I told myself it meant nothing. Nobles stood close. That was how alliances worked. The bond was different. The bond was forever. Lira watched me watching them. “You’re hurting yourself.” “I’m not.” “You are. I can feel it.” I swallowed. “He’ll explain later.” “Will he?” The first bell from the Moon Temple rang across the valley—low and clear. The pack quieted at once. Conversations died. Children were hushed. Every wolf turned toward the dais. The ceremonial procession began. Elders walked first, their robes dark with silver threading. Then the senior warriors. Then the young ones who would one day take their places. Finally Lucien stepped forward. Selene remained at his side. They moved down the center path together. Pack members bowed their heads as the pair passed. Some called out Lucien’s name. Others simply watched in silence, already accepting what they saw. I stood where I was, waiting for him to look at me. Waiting for the moment his eyes would find mine the way they sometimes did when no one else was watching. Waiting for the bond to pull him the way it pulled me every single day. He walked past the place where I stood. His gaze never shifted. Selene’s hand stayed on his arm. She smiled at someone in the crowd. Lucien kept his eyes forward, already focused on the steps that would take him to the Alpha’s place. I felt the air leave my lungs. Lira’s fingers closed around mine. She didn’t speak. There was nothing left to say. The procession reached the dais. Lucien climbed the final steps alone. Selene stopped just below him, still close enough that the pack could see she was not going anywhere. The second bell rang. I forced my face to stay calm. I had practiced this for years—smiling when the whispers came, standing straight when the looks turned cold, telling myself that patience was the price the Moon Goddess asked of true mates. Today would be different. After the ceremony he would turn. He would see me. He would remember. The third bell echoed across the valley, deep and final. I watched Lucien raise his hands to the pack. The roar that answered him shook the ground. Selene stood below him, already looking like she belonged in the story the pack was writing. I smiled through the heat behind my eyes and whispered the words I had carried for four years. “Tomorrow… I’ll finally become his Luna.”