The rejected white haired Luna

Chapter One — I Reject You The moon was supposed to be beautiful on your eighteenth birthday. At least, that was what Elena had been told. Instead, it looked like a warning. She stood alone at the edge of the forest, staring at the enormous silver moon hanging above the Silver Moon Pack Territory. Clouds drifted slowly across it, making the light flicker over the trees. Elena hugged herself. Tonight was supposed to be the most important night of her life. Tonight, she would finally meet her mate. Every wolf waited eighteen years for this moment. Some were lucky. Some weren't. But everyone dreamed about it. Elena had dreamed about it too. Even though she had tried not to. She had imagined a handsome wolf taking her hand, looking into her eyes, and telling her that she was his. She had imagined being wanted. Being chosen. Being enough. Then she remembered the whispers. White-haired curse. Bad omen. Something is wrong with that girl. Elena touched her hair. Under the moonlight, it looked almost silver. But it wasn't silver. It was completely white. It had been that way since she was born. The pack had never let her forget it. She took a shaky breath. “Tonight will be different.” She said it quietly, as if saying it louder might make the lie disappear. A howl echoed from the pack ground's. Elena flinched. The ceremony had already started. She was late. Again. She turned toward the lights in the distance. For one second, she considered running. She could disappear into the forest. No ceremony. No rejection. No humiliation. No more whispers. But she knew better. If she didn't show up, everyone would call her weak. So Elena lifted her chin. She wiped the tears threatening to fall. Then she walked toward home. She didn't know that by sunrise, she would wish she had never returned. --- The celebration was enormous. Hundreds of wolves filled the clearing outside The Alpha's mansion. Bonfires burned along the edges. Music played. Food covered long wooden tables. Young wolves stood together, nervous and excited, waiting for their turn beneath the moon. Elena stepped into the clearing. The laughter died. Not completely. But enough. Heads turned. Whispers followed. “She's here.” “Look at her hair.” “Why does she always have to ruin everything?” Elena kept walking. She refused to look down. She refused to let them see how badly their words hurt. At the front of the clearing stood Alpha Damian Blackthorn. Elena's heart skipped. He looked exactly as she remembered. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark-haired. His black Alpha coat rested over his shoulders, making him look even more intimidating. He was twenty-six and had ruled the Silver Moon Pack for four years. Everyone feared him. Everyone respected him. And Elena had spent most of her life trying to stay out of his way. But tonight, when his eyes met hers, something strange happened. Damian went completely still. His face lost its color. Elena frowned. Why was he looking at her like that? Then her wolf woke. Mate. Elena stopped breathing. The world seemed to disappear. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her wolf howled inside her. MATE! Elena stared at Damian. “No…” Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Damian's eyes widened. He had felt it too. The bond. The pull. The unmistakable connection between two destined wolves. A murmur swept through the crowd. “It's the Alpha.” “She's his mate?” “Impossible.” “Elena?” Damian stepped down from the platform. One step. Then another. Elena couldn't move. He stopped several feet away. His chest rose and fell heavily. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Damian whispered her name. “Elena.” She almost cried from the way he said it. She had spent years wondering what it would feel like to hear her name from him without irritation in his voice. Now she knew. It sounded like a promise. She smiled. A small, nervous smile. “Alpha.” His eyes remained locked on hers. Something inside Elena told her to run toward him. So she did. She took one step. Then another. Damian's wolf growled. Not in anger. In recognition. Elena's heart filled with hope. Maybe everything will finally change. Maybe tonight she would stop being the girl everyone hated. Maybe she would finally belong somewhere. She reached him. “Is it really you?” Damian looked at her. His face was unreadable. “Elena…” “Yes?” He swallowed. Then his eyes moved to her hair. His entire expression changed. The warmth disappeared. Fear replaced it. Elena's smile faded. “What's wrong?” Damian stepped backward. She frowned. “Damian?” He looked toward the elderly. Elder Rowan was already standing. His old face had gone pale. “Alpha,” he said quietly. Damian didn't answer. Another elder whispered something into his ear. Elena couldn't hear it. But she saw Damian's fists tighten. “What is happening?” she asked. No one answered. The crowd had gone silent. Elena looked around. Everyone was staring at her. Then Elder Rowan spoke. “The prophecy.” A chill ran down Elena's spine. “What prophecy?” Damian's voice thundered across the clearing. “Enough.” Everyone fell silent. He turned toward Elena. For the first time, she saw something in his eyes that terrified her. Regret. “I need to speak with you privately.” Elena nodded. “Okay.” He reached for her arm. The moment his fingers touched her skin, the mates bond burned between them. Elena gasped. Damian immediately released her. His face twisted with pain. She stared at him. “You felt that.” “Yes.” “Then why are you afraid?” He looked at her. “Because I know what happens next.” Before Elena could ask what he meant, Elder Rowan stepped forward. “Alpha, you cannot delay this.” Damian's jaw clenched. “Leave.” “Damian—” “I said leave!” The Alpha command exploded through the clearing. Everyone lowered their heads. Everyone except Elena. She stared at him. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Damian turned toward her. “Elena.” She waited. His expression was cold now. Too cold. “Listen carefully.” Her heart began pounding. “What?” He looked directly into her eyes. “I reject you.” For a second, Elena didn't understand. The words floated between them. Then her wolf screamed. The pain hit her so suddenly that she dropped to her knees. A cry tore from her throat. It felt like someone had reached inside her chest and ripped her heart apart with their bare hands. She clawed at the ground. “No…” Her wolf howled. Why? Why? Why? Elena looked up. Damian was standing over her. His face was hard. “I, Damian Blackthorn, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Elena Moon, as my mate and Luna.” The bond shattered. Elena screamed. The entire clearing watched. Nobody moved. Nobody helped her. Tears streamed down her face. “Why?” Damian's jaw tightened. “Because I cannot make you my Luna.” “Why?” “Because you are a danger to this pack.” Elena stared at him. “A danger?” His eyes moved to her white hair. “You were born under a cursed moon.” A murmur spread through the crowd. Elena shook her head. “No.” “You have brought misfortune wherever you go.” “No.” “People have died because of what you are.” Elena's heart stopped. “What did you say?” Damian didn't answer. She pushed herself upright. “Look at me and say it again.” He did. “You are cursed.” Something inside Elena broke. Not the mate bond. That was already gone. Something deeper. Something human. She looked at the man she had secretly admired for years. The man she had just discovered was her mate. The man who had just destroyed her in front of everyone. “You never even gave me a chance.” His eyes flickered. “I don't have a choice.” “You always have a choice.” “Not this time.” “Then look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want me.” Silence. Damian stared at her. For one heartbeat, his expression cracked. Elena saw it. He did want her. His wolf wanted her. But something was stopping him. She stepped closer. “Say it.” Damian's fists clenched. “I don't want you.” It was a lie. She knew it. He knew it. But the words still hurt. Elena nodded slowly. “Fine.” She wiped her tears. “You got what you wanted.” She turned. Then someone grabbed her arm. Elder Rowan. “You cannot leave.” Elena looked at him. “Why?” His eyes dropped to her white hair. “You don't understand what you are.” She yanked her arm free. “Neither does anyone else.” Then she walked away. No one stopped her. Not even Damian. --- Elena ran. She didn't know how long. She only knew she couldn't stay there. Her dress caught on branches. She ripped it free. Her feet bled. She didn't care. The farther she got from the pack, the quieter the world became. Eventually she collapsed beside a stream. Her body shook. She pressed a hand against her chest. The pain from the rejection was still there. Not as sharp. But deep. Like a wound that refused to close. “Why me?” Her wolf whimpered. Elena closed her eyes. “I know.” A twig snapped behind her. She immediately stood. Her heart raced. “Who's there?” Nothing. She turned slowly. The forest was empty. She breathed out. Then a growl came from her left. Elena spun around. Two yellow eyes glowed between the trees. Rogue. Her stomach dropped. The wolf stepped forward. Then another appeared behind her. Two. She backed away. Her wolf was exhausted. She had no weapon. The first rogue lunged. Elena threw herself sideways. Claws ripped through her sleeve. She hit the ground and rolled. The second wolf charged. She grabbed a stone and swung it. The wolf dodged. Its jaws snapped inches from her face. Elena screamed and kicked it away. “Get away from me!” The first wolf attacked again. Elena ran. Branches whipped against her face. The wolves chased her. She could hear their paws behind her. Faster. Closer. She stumbled. One wolf caught her dress. Elena fell. The creature lunged. She raised her arms. And suddenly— Everything stopped. The wolf froze. Its teeth were inches from her face. Elena stared. A strange silver glow began spreading across her hands. The rogue backed away. It whined. Elena slowly lowered her arms. “What…?” The second wolf began growling. Then it also froze. Both wolves stared at her. Not with hunger. With fear. Elena's heart hammered. “Go.” She didn't know why she said it. But both wolves immediately turned and ran. Elena remained on the ground. Her hands were no longer glowing. She stared at them. “What am I?” A branch snapped. Elena jumped to her feet. This time, she didn't wait. She ran. --- Back at the Silver Moon Pack, Damian stood alone on the balcony. The celebration had ended. Nobody was laughing anymore. He stared into the forest. His Beta, Marcus, approached quietly. “You should have gone after her.” Damian didn't turn. “She needs to leave.” “You don't believe that.” Damian's jaw tightened. “You weren't there when the prophecy was revealed.” Marcus frowned. “What exactly did the elders tell you?” Damian remained silent. “Damian.” “I said nothing.” “You rejected your mate in front of the entire pack.” “I know.” “You broke her.” Damian closed his eyes. He could still hear her scream. His wolf was restless. Furious. It wanted to chase her. Bring her back. Protect her. Damian gripped the balcony railing. “She cannot stay here.” “Why?” “Because if they discover she survived—” He stopped. Marcus stared. “Who?” Damian turned. His eyes were dark. “The people who have been searching for her.” Marcus went pale. “You mean they're still looking?” Damian nodded. “How long have you known?” “Since the night Elena was born.” Marcus stared at him. “Then why did you let her grow up here?” Damian looked toward the forest. “Because her mother begged my father to protect her.” Marcus frowned. “Her mother?” Damian immediately realized what he'd said. He went silent. Marcus stepped closer. “Damian, what aren't you telling me?” Before Damian could answer, a howl came from the forest. Both men froze. It wasn't a normal wolf howl. It was deep. Ancient. Wrong. Damian's wolf rose inside him. Find her. He ignored it. Another howl. Closer. Marcus reached for his weapon. “Alpha…” Damian's eyes turned black. “Take the guards.” “Why?” “Because Elena is not alone in that forest.” --- Far away, Elena reached the old boundary of the pack. She was exhausted. Her clothes were torn. Her feet were bleeding. But she kept walking. She didn't look back. Not once. Until she heard footsteps. Elena froze. Someone was following her. She turned. Nothing. “Who's there?” Silence. Then she saw it. A mark carved into the bark of a tree. A crescent moon. Surrounded by three claw marks. Elena stepped closer. She touched it. The instant her fingers made contact, pain shot through her head. A voice whispered inside her mind. The rejected one has awakened. Elena stumbled backward. “What?” The voice disappeared. Then another sound came from behind her. A low growl. Elena turned. A huge wolf stood at the edge of the trees. It wasn't like the rogues. Its fur was dark gray. Its eyes were silver. It stared at her. Elena didn't run. For some reason, she wasn't afraid. The wolf took one step forward. Then another. Elena's heart began beating faster. Her wolf stirred. But instead of whispering mate, it said something she had never heard before. Run. Elena's eyes widened. The wolf opened its mouth. A human voice came from it. “You should never have survived tonight.” Elena stepped backward. “What are you?” The wolf's eyes flashed. “I'm not the one you should be afraid of.” A second howl erupted somewhere behind Elena. Then a third. Then dozens. The wolf looked past her. Its expression changed. “They've found you.” Elena turned. Between the trees, dozens of eyes appeared. She couldn't breathe. The silver-eyed wolf looked at her one last time. “Run, white-haired Luna.” Then it disappeared into the darkness. Elena stood frozen. Behind her, the wolves began moving. Toward her. She ran. And for the first time that night, Elena understood something. Damian's rejection had not been the end of her life. It had been the beginning of something. Something that had been waiting for her eighteenth birthday. Something that knew exactly who she was. And whatever it was… it had finally found her. To be continued…