Rejected by The Alpha, Claimed by Faith

Lily’s POV The fluorescent lights in the university library buzz overhead as I stare at the same paragraph in my medical textbook for the tenth time. The words blur together. I can't concentrate, and I know exactly why. Tomorrow is October twenty-eighth. My twentieth birthday. The day I'll finally discover who my mate is. "You okay?" Zara asks from across the table. She's supposed to be studying for her warrior tactics exam, but instead she's watching me with concern in her dark brown eyes. "Fine," I say automatically. It's the lie I've perfected over the years. I'm always fine. Even when I'm not. "Lily." She closes her textbook. "You've been reading the same page for twenty minutes. That's not fine." I close my own book and remove my glasses, rubbing the bridge of my nose even though my eyes don't actually hurt. The glasses are just a prop, a piece of the costume I wear every day. Five years ago, Rose told me to keep wearing them, to keep pretending I never got my wolf. I still don't fully understand why, but I've learned to trust her instincts. "It's just tomorrow," I admit quietly. The library is nearly empty at this late hour, but I still keep my voice down. "The birthday thing." Zara winces. "Right. The mate bond activates. Are you nervous?" Nervous doesn't begin to cover it. Terrified is more accurate. But I can't tell her that, not completely. Zara is my best friend here at Crescent Bay University, but even she doesn't know everything about my life back at the Riverside Pack. She knows my sister Elena disappeared five years ago. She knows my relationship with my parents is "complicated." But she doesn't know about the beatings, the blame, the way everyone wishes I had been the one to disappear instead. She definitely doesn't know about Rose. "What if he's from my pack?" I ask instead. "Then you deal with it," Zara says firmly. "If he's smart, he'll realize he hit the jackpot. You're going to be an amazing doctor, Lily. Any mate would be lucky to have you." I want to believe her. But five years of being invisible, of being the girl everyone wishes was dead, has taught me not to hope for too much. "And if he's not from your pack," Zara continues, "even better. Fresh start, new territory, away from all the Elena stuff." The Elena stuff. That's what Zara calls it, like my sister's disappearance is just an unfortunate situation and not the defining tragedy of my entire existence. "Maybe," I say, shoving my books into my bag. "I should get back to the dorm. Early morning tomorrow." That's an understatement. Tomorrow I'm required to attend the annual memorial ceremony for Elena. Five years ago, she disappeared on my birthday while supposedly trying to save me from rogues. The pack turned the date into a holiday, complete with ceremonies, speeches, and decorations in Elena's favorite colors. My birthday stopped existing the same night Elena did. Back at the dorm, I try to sleep but can't. Rose stirs restlessly in my mind. "Tomorrow changes everything," she says. Her voice is gentle but serious. "I know." "No, Lily. You don't understand. Tomorrow—" "I'll finally find my mate. I know. Maybe he'll be great. Maybe he'll actually see me instead of Elena's shadow." Rose goes quiet for a moment. "Perhaps. Or perhaps the Moon Goddess has different plans than you think." "What's that supposed to mean?" But Rose doesn't answer. She retreats to the back of my mind, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts. I must eventually fall asleep because the next thing I know, my alarm is blaring. Six in the morning. The memorial ceremony starts at eight, and it takes ninety minutes to drive back to pack territory. I dress carefully in a dark blue dress that my mother would probably criticize for not being black. Everything about Elena's memorials is supposed to be somber, respectful, mourning. My birthday is not allowed to be celebrated. Not even acknowledged. The drive home is quiet. I take my beat-up Honda Civic that I bought with money from my part-time job at the diner. My parents certainly weren't going to buy me a car. They bought Elena a brand new SUV for her eighteenth birthday. I got nothing for mine except another reminder that I was the wrong daughter to survive. As I cross into pack territory, the familiar ache of the place settles in my chest. I've worked so hard to build a life away from here, to become someone outside of Elena's shadow. But twice a year—her birthday and her disappearance anniversary—I'm forced to come back. Forced to sit through hours of people praising Elena's memory while barely looking at me. Forced to feel their unspoken wishes that our positions were reversed. The pack's main grounds come into view. Riverside Pack is large, nearly twenty thousand members, and wealthy. The main compound features a massive packhouse, training facilities, schools, shops, and housing for ranked families. Everything is well-maintained and beautiful, nestled in the Pacific Northwest forest with mountains visible in the distance. I park in the far corner of the lot, hoping to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. But as I walk toward the amphitheater where the ceremony will be held, I can already feel eyes on me. Whispers start immediately. "That's her." "The sister." "Can't believe she has the nerve to show up." "It should have been her." I keep my head down and make my way to where my family sits. My mother, Patricia, is already there, dressed in black with her blonde hair perfectly styled. She looks ten years older than she should, worn down by five years of grief. My father, David, sits beside her in his beta dress uniform, staring straight ahead with empty eyes. My brother Nathan sits with his mate Sarah. He at least acknowledges me with a small nod. Sarah gives me a sympathetic smile. They're the only ones who have been kind to me over the years, though Nathan walks a careful line, unwilling to fully oppose our parents. I slide into the seat at the end of the row, as far from my mother as possible. The amphitheater is already filling up. On the stage, large photos of Elena smile down at us. Elena at graduation. Elena at her luna-in-training ceremony. Elena laughing, beautiful, perfect. A banner reads "Honoring Elena Monroe: Five Years of Remembrance." Today is my twentieth birthday. There is not a single mention of it anywhere. "You're late," my mother hisses without looking at me. "I'm not. The ceremony doesn't start for fifteen minutes." "You should have been here early. To help set up. To show respect." Her voice drips with contempt. "But I suppose that's too much to expect from you." I don't respond. What's the point? Nothing I do will ever be enough. The ceremony begins with Alpha Richard taking the stage. He's an imposing man even in his late fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and the commanding presence of someone born to lead. Next to him is Luna Catherine, elegant and graceful, her dark hair streaked with silver. "Today marks five years since we lost Elena Monroe," Alpha Richard begins. "A brilliant young woman who would have been a remarkable luna. Elena gave her life protecting her younger sister from a rogue attack. She was brave, selfless, and devoted to this pack." The crowd murmurs agreement. I feel Rose shift uncomfortably in my mind. She hates these ceremonies even more than I do, though she's never fully explained why. The speeches continue. My father talks about Elena's dedication to her training. My mother shares stories of Elena's kindness. Packmates stand to offer their own memories, each one painting Elena as more saint than person. No one mentions that Elena could be cruel. That she had a temper. That she treated me like I was invisible on good days and like dirt on bad ones. No one wants to remember those parts. Finally, Marcus Cole takes the stage. My heart, which has been heavy all morning, suddenly pounds harder. Marcus is the alpha's son, the future alpha, and the man who everyone knew would be Elena's mate. He's twenty-six now, and somehow even more devastating to look at than he was five years ago. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark brown hair and steel-gray eyes that once looked at Elena like she hung the moon. Now those eyes look haunted. "Elena was everything," Marcus says, his voice rough with emotion. "She was light and hope and a future I'll never have. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. About what we lost. About what this pack lost." He continues speaking, but I can't focus on his words. Because suddenly, without warning, everything changes. An invisible thread snaps into place between us, pulling tight. My entire body floods with awareness. Every nerve ending comes alive. I can feel Marcus like he's standing right next to me instead of fifty feet away on the stage. I can sense his emotions—his grief, his anger, his loneliness. No. No, no, no. "Lily?" Rose's voice is urgent in my mind. "I'm sorry. I tried to warn you—" The mate bond. It just activated. And my mate is Marcus Cole. Marcus stops speaking mid-sentence. His head jerks toward the audience, toward me. Our eyes lock, and I watch the recognition dawn on his face. The bond pulls again, stronger this time, trying to draw us together. His expression shifts from shock to something I can't quite read. Confusion? Anger? Disgust? The amphitheater has gone silent. Everyone is staring at Marcus, wondering why he stopped speaking. Wondering what's wrong. Marcus's jaw clenches. He looks at me like I'm a problem to solve, an inconvenience he never wanted. And in that moment, I know exactly what's going to happen. He's going to reject me. Right here, in front of everyone, on the five-year anniversary of Elena's disappearance. On my birthday that no one remembers. But I'm done being everyone's second choice. I'm done being the girl people wish had died instead. Before Marcus can say anything, before he can reject me, I stand up. The movement draws every eye in the amphitheater to me. "I, Lily Monroe," I say, my voice carrying clearly through the space, "reject you, Marcus Cole, as my mate."