The Rejected Luna's Lycan Destiny

Chapter One "I reject you as my mate!” For a moment, I couldn't breathe. The entire pack had gone silent. I stared at Peter, I was waiting for him to laugh, but he didn't. His face was cold and unfamiliar. It looked almost cruel. "Say it again," I whispered. Peter's jaw tightened. "You heard me, Ariana." "No." I shook my head, my heart pounding so hard that it hurt. "No, you don't mean that." A few people in the crowd shifted uncomfortably. Tonight was supposed to be the best night of my life. My eighteenth birthday. The night every wolf waited for, and the night we discovered our fated mate. And Peter was supposed to be mine. I had loved him for years. I had imagined this moment more times than I could count. I had imagined him pulling me into his arms, telling me that he had been waiting for me too. I had imagined becoming his Luna. Instead, he had just rejected me in front of our entire pack. Peter stepped closer. "I said I reject you." The words hit harder the second time, and a sharp pain tore through my chest. I grabbed the front of my dress as the mate bond snapped inside me. I gasped. Someone in the crowd whispered, "Poor Ariana." Another voice answered, "I can't believe Peter actually chose her." My eyes moved past Peter. And there she was. Veronica. She stood beside Peter with a small smile on her lips. She looked beautiful in her silver dress, her long hair falling perfectly over her shoulders. She had known. She had known this entire time. I felt my stomach twist as i looked back at Peter. "Is this because of her?" Peter didn't answer. "Peter." His eyes hardened. "Yes." The single word destroyed the last piece of hope inside me. I swallowed. "You chose Veronica over me?" "I chose someone worthy of being my Luna." The crowd went completely silent. And I felt my face burn. "Worthy?" Peter looked me up and down. "You've always been too weak, Ariana. You know that." I stared at him. Weak. That was what everyone called me. I was not the strongest wolf in the pack. I was not the most beautiful. I was not from an important family. But I had never thought Peter cared about those things. Apparently, I had been wrong. "You could have told me privately," I said. "And let you embarrass yourself by thinking we would actually be together?" My lips parted, and peter continued. "I need a Luna who can stand beside me. Someone strong. Someone respected." Veronica stepped forward and slipped her hand into his. "I think Peter has made his decision." I looked at her. "Did you know?" She smiled. "Of course I knew." My heart sank. "How long?" "Long enough." A bitter laugh escaped me. "So everyone knew except me?" Nobody answered. I looked around the gathering, and people I had grown up with were staring at the ground. Some looked sorry and others looked entertained. My humiliation was complete, and then Alpha Scott stepped forward. His expression was hard. "Ariana." I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Yes, Alpha?" "You know what happens when a mate is rejected." My heart sank. "Please." His expression didn't change. "Peter is the Alpha's son. His future Luna can not be someone who will weaken his position." I stared at him. "I didn't choose the bond." "Neither did Peter." "Then why am I being punished?" No one answered. Alpha Scott looked toward the elders. Then back at me. "You are banished from Moon Shadow Pack." The words didn't make sense. "What?" "You heard him," Veronica said softly. I looked at her. She was smiling. Then I turned back to Alpha Scott. "You can't do this." "I can." He said. "Where am I supposed to go?" "That is no longer our concern." He muttered. My chest tightened. I looked at Peter because surely he would say something. He had loved me once. Or at least, I thought he had. "Peter." His eyes met mine. "Don't." He said. "Please." It was the first time I had ever begged him for anything. "Don't let them do this." For a second, something flickered across his face. Then it disappeared. "You should leave, Ariana." My heart shattered all over again. As I turned away before they could see me cry. I ran. I didn't stop until I reached the edge of the territory. The forest was dark, cold, and completely silent. I wrapped my arms around myself because i had no family waiting for me. No home, no pack, and no mate. Nothing. I sank to the ground. "Why?" The question came out as a sob. "Why would you do this to me?" The Moon shone bright above the trees. It was bright and enormous. I stared at it through my tears. "Was this your idea of a birthday gift?" A strange wind moved through the forest, and I froze. Something had changed. I slowly stood, and my wolf stirred inside me. Run. I frowned. "Run from what?" She growled. I heard a branch snap behind me, and then i spun around. There was nothing. It was only darkness. Then another branch cracked. It sounded closer. My heart began racing. "Who's there?" No answer. Then I stepped backward, and my wolf pushed against my mind again. It was danger. Then, a low growl suddenly echoed through the trees. It was not a normal wolf. It was something bigger. Much bigger. I turned to run. Then, a huge black wolf stepped out from between the trees. Its eyes glowed an unnatural golden color. I stumbled backward. "What are you?" The wolf growled. I couldn't move. Then, before I could react, the wolf transformed. Its bones shifted. Fur disappeared, and a tall man stood where the beast had been. He wore black, and his broad shoulders were covered by a dark cloak. His eyes remained golden. And they were fixed directly on me. I couldn't breathe. Then, he took one step toward me. Then another. I should have run. But something inside me had gone completely still. Then the stranger stopped only a few feet away. His eyes narrowed. He inhaled slowly, and his expression changed with shock. Then disbelief. "No," he whispered. I swallowed. "Who are you?" He didn't answer. Instead, he stared at me as if I were something impossible. Then his eyes dropped to my neck. I instinctively touched the small crescent-shaped birthmark under my collarbone. His face went pale. "Where did you get that mark?" I took a step back. "I was born with it." His expression became darker. "Who are your parents?" "I don't know." His eyes widened. "You don't know?" "No." He looked toward the sky and then back at me. For the first time, I saw something I couldn't explain in his eyes. It was fear. "That's impossible." "What is?" He stepped closer as i backed away. "Tell me who you are!" His gaze locked with mine. "I am Jackson." He paused. "The Lycan King." My blood ran cold. The most powerful supernatural ruler in existence was standing in front of me. But before I could process what that meant, Jackson's expression suddenly changed. His eyes darkened, and he took another breath. Then he whispered words that made my entire body freeze. "You're my mate." My heart stopped. No. That couldn't be possible. I had just been rejected by Peter. I shook my head. "You've made a mistake." Jackson stared at me. "I don't make mistakes." Then he stepped closer. The moment his fingers touched mine, a powerful shock shot through my body. I gasped, and a strange mark began glowing under my skin. Jackson stared at it in horror. Then he looked at me. "Whoever you think you are, Ariana..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "You have no idea what you are." And somewhere deep inside the forest, something answered with a terrifying roar.