Rejected by The Alpha, Claimed by Faith

Chapter 4

Lily's POV

The drive back to Crescent Bay University usually calms me, but today the miles pass in a blur of exhaustion and lingering pain. The rejection bond may be severed, but my body hasn't forgotten the trauma. Every muscle aches, and there's a persistent hollow feeling in my chest where the mate bond used to be.

I park in my usual spot behind the dorm and just sit for a moment, staring at the brick building. Normal. I need to get back to normal. Classes, studying, work at the diner. My carefully constructed life away from pack drama.

Except nothing feels normal anymore.

My phone buzzes with a text from Nathan: Call me when you can. Things are getting complicated.

I delete it without responding. I can't handle "complicated" right now.

The dorm is quiet when I finally drag myself inside. It's Sunday afternoon, so most students are either studying or enjoying what's left of their weekend. I make it to my room without running into anyone, which feels like a small miracle.

Zara is sprawled on her bed with her laptop, but she jumps up the second I walk in.

"Finally! I've been worried sick." She takes one look at my face and her expression shifts from relief to concern. "You look terrible."

"Thanks," I mutter, dropping my bag on the floor. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."

"I'm serious, Lily. You're pale as a ghost, and you're moving like you're eighty years old." She guides me to my bed, forcing me to sit. "What happened? And don't give me the short version this time."

I consider lying. I've gotten good at it over the years. But Zara is the closest thing I have to family outside of Nathan, and I'm so tired of carrying everything alone.

"My mate was Marcus Cole," I say quietly. "The future alpha. Elena's... Elena's almost-mate."

Zara's eyes go wide. "The guy she was supposed to end up with? The one everyone thought was her fated mate?"

"That's the one."

"Okay, but wait." She sits beside me, processing. "If he was your mate, not Elena's, then all these years everyone was wrong? They built up this whole tragic love story that never actually existed?"

"Apparently." I lean back against the wall, closing my eyes. "The second the bond activated, I could see it on his face. Shock. Horror.

Like, I was the worst possible outcome. So I rejected him before he could reject me."

"Good," Zara says fiercely. "If he looked at you like that, he didn't deserve you anyway."

"He accepted immediately. Didn't even hesitate."

Zara swears under her breath. "What an i***t. Did he think you were just going to stand there and let him humiliate you?"

I open my eyes. "The thing is... last night, he came to the hospital. I pretended to be asleep, but I heard him talking to Dr. Frost. He said..." I pause, not sure I want to say it out loud. "He said 'what if I made a mistake.'"

"So he's having regrets." Zara's tone is unimpressed. "Too late for that."

"That's what I said. But Rose thinks—"

I stop abruptly. I've never told Zara about Rose. No one at university knows I have a wolf. They all assume I'm wolfless like the rumors back home say.

"Rose?" Zara asks. "Who's Rose?"

There's no point in hiding it anymore. Not if I'm really cutting ties with Riverside Pack and starting over.

"My wolf," I admit. "I've had her since I was fourteen. I've been hiding her on her advice, letting everyone think I'm wolfless."

Zara stares at me for a long moment. Then she laughs. "Are you kidding me? You've had a wolf this whole time and nobody knew? That's actually amazing. Why though?"

"Rose said it was for safety, but she's never fully explained. Just that people couldn't know about her yet."

"Can I meet her? Or is that weird to ask?"

I smile despite everything. "You want to meet my wolf?"

"Obviously! If she's been helping you survive all the pack drama, she must be pretty special."

"She is," I say softly. "And she's... different. You'll see."

We wait until dark and then drive to the nature preserve just outside campus. It's isolated enough that we won't be seen, and it's not technically pack territory for any local wolves.

"Okay, ready?" I ask.

Zara nods eagerly. She's already shifted into her own wolf—a sleek gray and brown warrior wolf that suits her personality perfectly.

I close my eyes and let Rose come forward. The shift is smooth and painless after six years of practice. When I open my eyes again, I'm looking at the world through Rose's vision, sharper and clearer than my human sight.

Zara's wolf lets out a startled yip. Through the pack bond that forms between wolves in proximity, I feel her shock and awe.

"Lily... what are you?" she asks.

I walk to the edge of the nearby pond and look at my reflection. Even after all these years, Rose's appearance still takes my breath away. The bluish-silver fur that seems to glow in the moonlight. The black crescent moon marking on my hip. The solid black paws and tail. And the size—I'm nearly as large as an alpha wolf, maybe larger.

"Rose says I'm Moon-Blessed," I tell her. "An ancient type of wolf. She says the Moon Goddess has plans for us."

"Plans for what?"

"I have no idea. Rose won't tell me. She says I'll understand when the time is right."

We run together through the preserve, and for the first time since the rejection, I feel something other than pain. Joy. Freedom. The wind in my fur, the earth beneath my paws, my best friend running beside me. This is what I needed.

When we finally shift back and return to the dorm, it's past midnight. I'm exhausted but in a better way than before.

"Thank you," I tell Zara as we collapse on our respective beds. "I needed that."

"Anytime. And Lily? That Marcus guy is an i***t. Anyone who doesn't see how special you are doesn't deserve you. Moon-Blessed wolf or not." I fall asleep with her words echoing in my mind, hoping maybe she's right.

Monday morning arrives too soon. I have Advanced Anatomy at nine, and I'm running on maybe five hours of sleep. But I force myself up, shower, and dress in my usual jeans and university sweatshirt. The hollow feeling in my chest is still there, a constant reminder of the severed bond. Dr. Frost warned me it might take weeks for that sensation to fully fade. Some wolves say it never completely goes away.I'm halfway to the medical sciences building when my phone rings. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Lily Monroe?" A female voice, professional and unfamiliar.

"Yes?"

"This is Janet from the Riverside Pack administrative office. I'm calling to inform you that your pack scholarship has been revoked, effective immediately. You have until the end of the semester to make alternative payment arrangements with the university, or you'll need to withdraw."

My footsteps slow. "Revoked? On what grounds?"

"By order of Beta David Monroe and with the approval of Alpha Richard Cole. I'm not at liberty to discuss the specific grounds, but the decision is final. We'll be sending official documentation to your student address."She hangs up before I can respond.

I stand in the middle of the sidewalk, students flowing around me like I'm a rock in a stream. The scholarship paid for everything—tuition, room, board, books. Without it, I can't afford to stay in school. Not unless I take out massive loans, and no bank will loan to a wolf without pack backing.

My hands shake as I pull up my bank account on my phone. I have maybe two thousand dollars saved from my job at the diner. That's enough for one semester, maybe, if I'm extremely careful. But I'm supposed to graduate in six months. I need three more semesters after this one to complete my medical degree.

"Lily?" Rose's voice is concerned. "What's wrong?"

"They're cutting me off completely," I say aloud, not caring who hears. "My scholarship, my pack ties, everything. They're trying to ruin my life."

"Then we fight back."

"How? I have no money, no family support, and I'm three semesters away from becoming a doctor. I can't just—"

My phone rings again. Another unknown number. I answer it, expecting more bad news.

"Lily? This is Luna Catherine Cole."

I stop breathing. Marcus's mother. What could she possibly want?