Fated to the Alpha's Destiny (The White Wolf)

Chapter One: Betrayed and Rejected MADISON GREY I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My sunken eyes, the red cheeks speckled with freckles I’ve always been insecure about, they never fail to draw cruel comments and taunts. My chapped, cracked lips only worsened the picture. I licked them to moisten the dryness, but I knew it wouldn’t last. Seconds later, they would be dry again. A sigh escaped me, but then, a wide smile broke out. It’s today. Finally! My heart pounded harder than ever, excitement coursing through me like wildfire. My hand instinctively found my necklace, the one thing I’d had all my life, and I tugged on it for reassurance. But my smile faltered when I looked down at my wrinkled clothes. They didn’t belong to a bride, not on a day like this. Lady Vivienne had stormed into my tiny storage of a room this morning and snatched the wedding dress Lysander had gifted me. Grace, an Omega like me and the head maid, had kindly lent me one of her best dresses. It was simple, but still beautiful. “Madison, you look beautiful,” Grace exclaimed, jolting me out of my thoughts. She moved to my side, draping her hands over my shoulders as we both stared into the mirror. “You make a beautiful bride.” Her eyes shone with admiration. “Now, let’s go. We don’t want to keep them waiting and we certainly don’t want the Alpha family angry.” I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t want their anger, not today. Not after everything that had already happened. Three months ago, I had been given to the soon-to-be Alpha of the Nightfang Pack, Lysander Stormrider. Our Alpha, Draven Gray, had sought an alliance and promised an Omega as part of the deal. By some twist of fate or perhaps destiny, I was chosen. And Lysander was my mate. I wouldn’t get my wolf for another four months, but the bond was already there, faint yet undeniable. Even though his parents were furious and ashamed that an Omega was their son’s mate, Lysander had never wavered. He loved me. He cherished me. He was the only sane, bright thing in my otherwise cruel, unbearable life. I’d only seen Lysander seven times since our promise, but each meeting was etched deeply in my memory. His smile. His scent. The sparks that flared every time he touched me. He told me I’d feel it ten times stronger when my wolf awakened, and I could hardly wait for that day. The thought of him, of us, was the only thing that had kept me enduring everything these past three months. One more time. One more time. And I would be free. Lysander had gifted me the most beautiful white dress I had ever seen. But it now adorned Vivienne, thanks to Luna Lilith and her daughter’s cruelty. Still, I reminded myself: none of it mattered. I would soon be away from here, from this pack and the Alpha family who had done nothing but torment me. As long as, at the end of today, I became Lysander’s bride, I could endure anything. I hurried my pace as the large pack hall doors came into view. My heart leapt. He would be there, my mate, dashing in his suit, with that charming smile, waiting for me. “Madison! Slow down,” Grace berated, catching up with me. “You really want to be Alpha Lysander’s wife, don’t you? You’re in love with him.” She snickered, teasing. I couldn’t even be annoyed. She wasn’t wrong. I had ranted to her countless times about him and our meetings. Grace was the only one I would miss in this godforsaken pack. “Yes. Yes, I do. I do love him,” I confessed, blushing like a child. The low chant of the wedding rites reached my ears, it had already begun. Panic rose. “Grace, hurry up,” I urged. Today, all the mistreatment, humiliation, pain, and isolation would finally be worth it. I pushed open the doors of the pack hall, my eyes adjusting to the scene. Then I froze. The room went silent. What I saw was a slap across the face. There, at the podium, on the altar, stood Lysander, my mate. Dashing in the blue suit he’d promised me he would wear. But beside him was Vivienne, dressed in the gown she had stolen from me, their hands entwined. Holding hands. My feet refused to move, rooted to the ground. His hand in hers, his smile content and unbothered like this was natural, like they had done this countless times before. All eyes turned to me, watching, anticipating. What is happening? I scanned the crowd. Damien, the Alpha’s son, smirked at me with sick delight. Luna Lilith’s triumphant stare pierced me. No. No. No. Don’t tell me this is what I think it is. Vivienne smirked, her eyes raking over me in disgust. I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself forward. “What is happening?” My voice shook as I rushed toward the podium. “Alpha! Alpha Draven! What is going on? You said I would be…” “Plans changed, Madison.” Draven waved me off like I was nothing. “You will no longer be mated to Lysander. Vivienne, my daughter, will take your place. This alliance will be stronger, more beneficial. They don’t need an Omega anymore.” “What?” The word left me in a whisper as my world crumbled. My eyes sought Lysander’s. The cruel smile he gave me made me stumble back. “And when was this decided? How long has this been happening?” I demanded, staring him down. For a moment, his smile faltered. But Vivienne locked her arm through his, pulling him closer. “You will ask no questions, Omega. Do as you are told,” Alpha Draven barked, his voice sharp with authority. I flinched back, fear crawling up my spine. “Who is she to question us?” Vivienne sneered. “We’ve gone too easy on her.” “Thank the Goddess we saw her true colors in time and dissolved the arrangement,” Lysander’s mother spat, rising to her feet. True colors? “You think we don’t know?” she continued, her eyes cold. “Do you think an Omega like you, a traitor's daughter, deserves an Alpha? My son? The heir of the great Nightfang Pack? Keep dreaming.” The words stung. “I am his mate. His rightful mate. You should have…” Smack! The words died on my tongue as Luna Lilith’s hand cracked across my face. I staggered and fell, clutching my burning cheek. My eyes blurred with tears as I looked up at her. Her gaze was icy, victorious. “I told you. She’s a stupid Omega who deserves nothing. She’s after wealth and power. Manipulative. Deceptive. Dishonorable.” Lilith spat each word like poison. “I believe you now, Lilith. I've always believed you.” Lysander’s mother chimed in. “I always knew she didn't deserve my son. She’d destroy him just like she tried with your son.” My stomach dropped. Your son? Damien? “Yes!” Lilith declared. “She filed false harassment claims just to gain power and have the upper hand. She tried to seduce Damien, then threatened us with it.” Murmurs broke out. What? Lies. All lies. Vivienne folded her arms. “And to think, an Omega thought she could be Luna. Pathetic. Dream on, Madison!” My eyes darted to Alpha Draven, silently begging for help. He looked away. Finally, I turned to Lysander, my last hope. My mate. The one who promised to protect me. “Please,” my eyes pleaded silently. “You know me. You know I’m not like this.” But instead of speaking, he grasped Vivienne’s hand tighter. His next words broke me. “I, Lysander Stormrider, reject you, Madison Grey, as my mate and Luna.” The mate bond tore through me like fire, ripping me apart. My knees buckled, pain lancing through my chest. Tears spilled freely down my cheeks as the weight of rejection crushed me. He rejected me. The happiest day of my life had turned into a nightmare. With the last shred of strength in me, I staggered to my feet and ran. Away from the hall, away from them, away from the betrayal. I would rather be a rogue than endure another second here. I can’t. I just can’t take it anymore.