Rejected By My Alpha... Claimed By The Lycan King

The night I turned twenty-two was supposed to be the happiest night of my life. Instead, it became the night my entire world shattered. Music filled the grand hall of the Stone Pack mansion. Hundreds of pack members laughed, drank, and celebrated around me. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting warm golden light across the room. Tonight was the annual Moon Blessing Ceremony. And tonight, Alpha Damon Stone was supposed to announce his mate. Me. At least, that was what everyone expected. Including me. I stood near the center of the hall, nervously smoothing down my silver dress. My heart raced every time my eyes found Damon across the room. Tall. Handsome. Powerful. Everything a future Alpha should be. Women whispered whenever he walked past. Men lowered their heads in respect. And somehow, despite all of that, he had spent the last three years by my side. Protecting me. Training me. Looking at me as though I mattered. At least, I thought he did. "Ava!" A cheerful voice interrupted my thoughts. My best friend, Lily, rushed over with an excited grin. "You look beautiful." I laughed nervously. "Stop." "I'm serious." She grabbed my shoulders. "Tonight is your night." Heat crept into my cheeks. "You really think so?" She stared at me like I had lost my mind. "Everyone thinks so." Her eyes moved toward Damon. "The Alpha has been obsessed with you for years." I looked away before she could see the hope in my eyes. Maybe. Maybe tonight everything would finally change. Maybe tonight I would stop being the unwanted daughter. The forgotten girl. The burden. Maybe tonight I would finally belong somewhere. The thought made my chest ache. Growing up hadn't been easy. After my mother died, my father remarried almost immediately. His new wife came with a daughter. Selena. Beautiful. Popular. Perfect. Everything I wasn't. While Selena received expensive gifts and endless praise, I learned to survive with whatever was left behind. And yet, none of it had mattered once Damon entered my life. For the first time, someone had looked at me and seen more than an inconvenience. Or so I thought. A sudden hush swept through the hall. My heart skipped. Alpha Damon had stepped onto the stage. The crowd instantly turned toward him. The room fell silent. Damon stood tall beneath the chandelier light, wearing a fitted black suit that made him look every bit the powerful Alpha he was destined to become. His gaze swept across the crowd. Then landed on me. My pulse raced. This was it. The moment I'd been waiting for. The moment I had dreamed about for years. Damon raised a hand. "My pack." His deep voice filled the room. "Tonight is an important night." Excitement rippled through the crowd. Several women squealed. Even Lily grabbed my arm. "Oh my Goddess," she whispered. I could barely breathe. Damon continued. "As many of you know, I've reached the age where it's time for me to officially choose my Luna." Cheers erupted. My cheeks burned. Everything felt unreal. Then Damon smiled. And everything changed. Because he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking behind me. Confused, I turned. Selena stood near the refreshments table. Her blonde hair shimmered beneath the lights. She wore a tight red dress that drew attention from every male in the room. And she was smiling. At Damon. A knot formed in my stomach. No. Surely not. Damon extended his hand toward her. "I've made my decision." The room exploded with applause. Selena slowly walked forward. Every step felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest. My body went cold. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. Selena reached the stage. Damon took her hand. The crowd cheered even louder. I couldn't hear anything over the pounding of my heart. No. No. No. Please no. Damon wrapped an arm around Selena's waist. Then he spoke the words that destroyed me. "I choose Selena Blackwood as my future Luna." The world stopped. The applause became distant. Muffled. Unreal. My ears rang. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't move. The entire room erupted with excitement. Everyone except me. And Lily. My best friend stared at the stage in complete shock. "What?" The word escaped her lips. But it barely registered. Because Damon was still speaking. "There have been rumors regarding another potential candidate." His eyes found mine. Cold. Emotionless. Unfamiliar. The look hit harder than a slap. Every hope inside me began to crumble. Damon's expression hardened. "So let me make this perfectly clear." Silence spread through the hall. Hundreds of eyes turned toward me. Fear gripped my chest. The Alpha pointed directly at me. "Ava Blackwood is not my mate." The room gasped. Humiliation burned through me. I wished the floor would open and swallow me whole. But Damon wasn't finished. Not even close. "In fact, I officially reject any claim that she has on me." The words struck like lightning. Pain exploded inside my chest. A sharp, unbearable pain. I stumbled backward. My wolf whimpered. Deep inside my soul, something cracked. Pack members began whispering. Some looked shocked. Others looked amused. And a few looked relieved. Because the unwanted girl was finally being put back in her place. Tears filled my eyes. I fought desperately to hold them back. I wouldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of them. Not in front of him. Selena suddenly stepped forward. A fake look of concern appeared on her face. "Oh, Ava." I hated that voice. That fake sweetness. That false sympathy. "You knew Damon and I cared about each other." The lie made me dizzy. For years she had flirted with every unmated Alpha in the region. She had never shown the slightest interest in Damon. Until now. Until the moment she could take something from me. Again. She always took everything. Friends. Attention. Opportunities. And now him. My father finally approached. I looked at him desperately. Waiting. Hoping. Praying he would say something. Anything. Instead, he sighed. "Ava." Disappointment filled his voice. "You should have known better than to misunderstand the Alpha's kindness." The final piece of my heart shattered. I stared at him. Speechless. Even now. Even after this. He still chose her. A tear escaped before I could stop it. The crowd noticed. The whispers grew louder. More judgmental. More cruel. I couldn't stay here. Not another second. Without a word, I turned and walked toward the exit. Nobody stopped me. Nobody defended me. Nobody cared. Except Lily. "Ava!" She rushed after me. But I kept walking. If I stopped now, I would break. The cold night air hit my face as I stepped outside. The mansion doors closed behind me. Cutting off the laughter. The music. The celebration. The life I thought I would have. My legs finally gave out. I collapsed onto the stone steps. Tears streamed down my face. The pain in my chest refused to fade. Everything hurt. My heart. My pride. My soul. For years, I had believed Damon cared about me. For years, I had trusted him. Loved him. And tonight he had destroyed me in front of everyone. The mansion doors opened again. Footsteps approached. I looked up. Damon stood there. Alone. For a brief moment, hope sparked inside me. Maybe he came to explain. Maybe there was a reason. Maybe— His expression killed that hope instantly. Cold. Detached. Unmoved. Like I meant nothing. "Ava." I wiped my tears. "What do you want?" The Alpha looked at me for several seconds. Then said quietly, "You need to leave the pack." My blood ran cold. "What?" "You heard me." I stared at him in disbelief. "You humiliated me." My voice shook. "You rejected me." Another tear escaped. "And now you're throwing me out?" Damon's jaw tightened. For the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes. Regret. Pain. Fear. Then it vanished. "You'll be safer away from here." The strange statement caught me off guard. "Safer?" He looked away. "Just go." Confusion replaced some of the hurt. What did that mean? Before I could ask, Damon turned and walked back toward the mansion. "Ava." He paused without looking at me. Then said something that made even less sense. "Whatever happens next..." His voice sounded strained. "...don't come back." The doors closed behind him. Leaving me alone beneath the moonlight. Heartbroken. Rejected. And completely unaware that my life was about to change forever. Because hidden deep within the forbidden forest beyond the pack borders... Something had just awakened. And it was coming for me.