Reborn As The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate

Lila’s POV The Luna crown was never supposed to belong to her. Yet there it was. Glittering beneath the crystal chandeliers as Elias held it between his hands My Elias. The man I had loved for years. The man I had been willing to die for. And now, he was standing beside Clara. My stepsister. I stared at the crown from across the Grand Hall, barely able to breathe. It was supposed to be mine. At least, that was what I had believed. For years, I had dreamed of standing beneath those chandeliers with the silver crown resting on my head. I had imagined Elias beside me, his hand holding mine as the entire Silvermoon Kingdom welcomed me as its Luna. I had imagined a future. A home. A family. A life with the man I loved. But the woman standing beside Elias was wearing my crown. My fingers pressed against the cold marble floor as another wave of pain tore through my body. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Blood slipped between my fingers. The poisoned blade had done its work. I could feel the venom spreading through my veins, slowly stealing the strength from my body. But somehow, I was still conscious. Still watching. Still hoping. Still caught up with the possibility that this is just another nightmare. But it wasn’t. My eyes remained fixed on Elias. He stood beneath the royal crest in his ceremonial black uniform, looking every bit like the future Alpha King he was destined to become. The man I had loved for years. My fated mate. The man I had willingly stepped in front of a blade for. He lifted the Luna crown. My heart clenched. Surely…surely he wouldn't do this. Surely there had to be some explanation. My lips parted. "Elias..." I didn't know whether he heard me. His eyes never turned toward me. Instead, he lowered the crown onto Clara's head. I closed my eyes and felt tears streaming down my face the same time the hall erupted in cheers. "Long live the Luna!" The sound was deafening. I stared at Clara. She lowered her head demurely as though embarrassed by all the attention. But I knew her. I knew that expression. Behind that carefully practiced innocence was a smile she couldn't completely hide. She had won and I had lost. But why? I have given up everything just so I could earn their kindness, so why this one thing I wanted, they couldn’t let me have it? My breathing became shallow. I looked at Elias again but there was nothing. He didn't stop the ceremony. He didn't question the crown. He didn't even look at me. A bitter ache spread through my chest. Was this really the man I had loved? The man I had trusted more than anyone? My vision blurred. Maybe it was the poison. Maybe it was the tears. I wasn't sure anymore. I looked down at my hands and saw they were covered in blood. Only a few minutes ago, those same hands had been wrapped around Elias's clothes as I collapsed against him. I remembered the moment the blade came. I had seen it behind him. I didn’t think about anything else. I didn’t hesitate. I had simply moved. The blade meant for Elias had entered me instead. It pierced through my back until the blade went past my chest. I remembered his shocked expression. His arms catching me. His voice shouting my name. For a moment, I had believed everything would be fine. I believed my mate would save me. I believed love would save me. How foolish. A cough escaped my lips. Blood stained them but I quickly wiped it away. No one seemed to notice. No one except my mother. "Lila!" Her voice came from the other side of the hall. I looked up. Two guards were dragging her toward the doors. My heart lurched. "Mama!" I tried to stand but my arms shook violently beneath me. I couldn't. My body collapsed back onto the floor. "Let her go!" My mother fought against the guards. "She needs help! Please!" Nobody listened. They thought we orchestrated the assasination. "Please!" she screamed. "She's my daughter!" I wanted to tell her not to worry. I wanted to tell her I was fine. But the words wouldn't come…because we both know the truth. I won’t make it. I could only stare at her. My mother. The only person who had stayed beside me when everyone else made me feel like an outsider. She had sacrificed everything for me. And now she was being taken away for a crime she hadn’t committed. I turned my head to look at her husband. Victor stood nearby. My stepfather. He watched silently. Not once did he ask whether I was alive. Not once did he step forward to help my mother. His gaze was fixed on Clara. His precious daughter. The daughter he had always chosen over anything. I suddenly remembered all those years I had spent trying to earn his approval. All the times I had swallowed Clara's insults. All the times I had told myself that family was worth forgiving. Maybe I had been wrong. "Mama..." My voice finally broke free. She looked at me and our eyes met. Tears filled hers. "Lila, don't be afraid! Hold on, please!” The guards pulled her closer to the door. "I'll come back for you!" I knew she wouldn't. Not because she didn't want to but because they wouldn't let her. And I wouldn’t be there when she had. "Mama!" The doors slammed shut and silence followed. I stared at the closed doors. For a few seconds, I forgot about Elias. Forgot about Clara. Forgot about the pain. All I could think about was my mother. She was gone and I had failed to protect her. Again. A soft laugh came from nearby. I slowly turned my head. Clara. She stood beside Elias, her fingers lightly touching the Luna crown. Then she looked directly at me. Her expression was sweet, almost sympathetic. But her eyes weren't. They were cold. Triumphant. I suddenly felt a chill. There was something about the way she was looking at me. As if she had been waiting for this moment. As if she knew exactly how the night would end. My heartbeat quickened. "Clara..." She tilted her head. "What is it, Lila?" I stared at her. For the first time, I wondered whether everything that had happened was really an accident. The assasination. The accusations. My mother's arrest. The crown. Elias. Had she planned all of it? My gaze moved toward Elias. He was still standing beside her. "Elias." This time, he looked at me and our eyes met. His expression changed. For the first time this night, I saw something in his eyes. Pain. Confusion. Maybe even fear. I wanted to ask him what was happening. I wanted him to come to me. I wanted him to tell everyone that I was his Luna. That Clara had no right to wear that crown. That my mother was innocent. I wanted him to choose me. Just once. "Elias..." My voice was barely audible. He took a step forward. "Lila—" Clara's hand caught his arm before he could touch me. He stopped as if remembering something. That single movement answered everything. My eyes fell to her hand around his arm, then to the crown on her head. I felt something inside me finally broke. I smiled. It was a small, bitter smile. How ridiculous. I had spent my entire life waiting to be chosen. By my stepfather. By my pack. By Elias. And in the end, nobody had chosen me. Not even the man who was supposed to be my fated mate. My body was becoming colder. The edges of my vision darkened. I could no longer hear the crowd clearly. Everything sounded so distant. My mother. Clara. Elias. The crown. All of it was slipping away. I lowered my head. Perhaps this was what I deserved. Perhaps I had simply been foolish enough to believe that fate would be kind to me. But as my consciousness began to fade, one final thought remained. I remembered how much I had loved Elias. How I had once believed that loving him was the greatest blessing the Moon Goddess could give me. Now, I hated that I had ever loved him at all. My body finally went still. My last breath left my lips and with the last fragment of consciousness I had left, I made one final wish. If there is another life...I will never love Elias again.