REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CLAIMED BY HIS BROTHER

Episode 2

Aria's

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. She wouldn’t ruin this for me. She couldn’t.

Still, as the hours dragged on, sleep came painfully slow. Every creak of the house, every whisper of the night breeze through the shutters made me flinch. I half expected the door to creak open and see her standing there, smirk in place, ready to strip everything from me.

But nothing happened.

When I finally woke, sunlight had spilled across my sheets, golden and warm. For a moment, I almost forgot the heaviness pressing on my chest. Today was the day.

A knock at the door startled me, but when I opened it, Solara was there, true to her word. Her smile bright, her arms full of fabrics, brushes, and small trinkets she insisted I needed to look my best.

“You’re glowing already,” she teased, walking in as though the room belonged to her. “But after I’m done with you, Aria, even the moon goddess herself will envy you.”

I laughed softly, nerves twisting in my stomach as she sat me down. “I hope Damien feels the same.”

Solara stilled for a moment, looking at me through the mirror. “Of course he will. He chose you, Aria. No one can take that away.”

Her reassurance soothed me enough to breathe easier as she worked, weaving pieces of my hair into delicate braids, pinning the strands with silver clips shaped like crescent moons. The dress, once it slid over my body, felt like it was made of starlight itself.

“You look… breathtaking,” Solara whispered, her eyes shining as though she might cry.

I smiled faintly at her reflection. “Then why do I still feel like something bad is waiting for me?”

Before she could answer, the door creaked open.

Selene stood there.

Her eyes traveled slowly over me, lingering on the dress, my hair, the glow Solara had worked so hard to perfect. That same smug smirk tugged at her lips.

“Well,” she drawled, leaning against the doorframe, “I suppose even the moon goddess makes mistakes look beautiful.”

My breath caught, but Solara was quicker. She moved in front of me, her body like a shield. “You’re not welcome here, Selene. Leave.”

Selene’s laugh was soft but sharp, like broken glass. “Relax, I’m only here to watch history repeat itself. After all, Luna crowns have a way of… slipping.”

Her gaze cut into mine, unblinking, heavy with meaning. And then, just as quickly, she turned and disappeared down the hall, her perfume lingering like poison in the air.

Solara turned back to me, gripping my shoulders firmly. “Ignore her. She’s trying to scare you. But today—today is yours, Aria.”

I nodded slowly, though my heart pounded so loud it almost drowned out her words. Because Selene didn’t just threaten—she promised.

And whatever she meant, I had the sinking feeling I was about to find out tonight

The ceremony should’ve been perfect. The fires were bright, the music loud, the air thick with wolf song and the scent of fresh pine. Wolves paired off one after another, stepping into their bond, sealing it before the moon and the goddess. Every time the crowd howled for them, I told myself soon it’ll be me. Soon, I’d walk forward with Damien. Soon, I’d finally be Luna.

But Damien wasn’t there.

I stood alone at the edge of the hall, my dress clinging to me like it weighed a hundred pounds. Smiles flickered my way, but they weren’t kind. The looks weren’t kind. They were sharp, pitying.

“Where’s the Alpha?” someone whispered loud enough for me to hear.

“Did he leave her standing there?” another voice snickered.

Heat crawled up my neck, my skin prickling under the weight of their stares. I tried to hold my head high, tried to keep my hands from shaking, but it was like the floor itself was laughing at me, shifting under my feet.

Minutes passed. Then an hour. Then another.

Two whole hours of waiting. Standing. Pretending I didn’t see the way they looked at me. Pretending the lump in my throat wasn’t choking me. Pretending I wasn’t breaking piece by piece.

Solara tried. Goddess, she tried. She stayed by my side, whispering that maybe he was delayed, maybe there was something urgent, maybe, maybe, maybe—until even her voice sounded uncertain.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I have to see him,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

“Aria—” Solara reached for me, but I pulled away.

“I can’t just stand here and let them think… let me think—” My voice cracked. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to hold myself together. “I need to find him.”

I turned and walked out before I lost my courage. The pack house grew quieter as I reached the Alpha’s wing, the laughter and cheers from the ceremony fading behind me. My heart beat so loud it hurt, each step heavier than the last.

That’s when I heard it.

At first, I thought I was imagining things. A faint rhythm through the walls. A muffled noise. But as I moved closer, it became clearer. Louder.

Flesh hitting flesh.

Groans.

Moans.

My stomach dropped. The world tilted.

No. No, not this. Not Damien. Not tonight.

I stopped in front of the Alpha’s chamber door, my hand hovering over the handle. My knees shook so badly I thought I might collapse right there in the hallway. My throat burned, bile rising, but I couldn’t move away. Couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard it.

I had to know.

With all the strength I had left, I pushed the door open.

And there it was.

The sight that destroyed me.

Selene. My sister. Naked, her body tangled with Damien’s. Her legs wrapped around him, her voice breaking on a moan that made me want to rip my own ears off.

And Damien—my Alpha, my mate—moving inside her, his hands clutching her hips like she was everything.

My world caved in.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. My hands shook so violently I gripped the doorframe just to stay upright. My chest felt like it had been ripped open, my heart spilling out onto the floor, stomped under their bodies.

This was the man I trusted. The one I believed the moon goddess had chosen for me. This was my sister, my blood, the one who had spent all day smirking at me like she already knew the ending of a story I hadn’t even started.

Selene’s head tilted back, her eyes fluttering open, and then she saw me.

And she smiled.

That same smug, cruel smirk. The one she wore when she walked out of Damien’s quarters yesterday. The one she wore when she whispered that I wasn’t fit to be Luna.

She knew. She wanted me to see this.

Damien stilled, turning his head, his breath ragged, his body still tangled with hers.

And me?

I stood there. Broken. My entire future ripped apart in front of my eyes.

The door creaked wider, the sound deafening in the silence that followed.

And then there was nothing. Nothing but the sight of them together, and the sound of my heart shattering in my chest.