Rejected By The Alpha: Desired By His Rival

Kiera They called me cursed. The girl with no wolf. The pack’s burden. A waste of space. Every morning, I woke to the same sneers, the same spit-laced whispers from the others as I scrubbed bloodstains off the training grounds or hauled wood until my arms ached. And every night, I stared at the full moon, begging the goddess to hear me. But she never did. I was seventeen, far past the age most werewolves shifted. And yet, I remained human. Powerless. Worthless. “Kiera! Stop daydreaming and move faster!” Ann’s sharp voice cracked through the cold morning air like a whip, dragging me back to reality. My steps quickened, carrying the heavy basket of meat toward the pack house kitchen. She stood by the door, arms folded, eyes gleaming with the same cruel delight she always wore when bossing me around. The Alpha’s golden girl. My stepsister. My jailer. If only she knew what today would bring. Because tonight, I will finally shift. Or I would die trying. “You should really try to get on my good side. Maybe when the Alpha finally claims me as his mate, I might take you along to the palace as my personal maid.” I didn't reply to that as I concentrated on washing the dishes. That's the only thing she perceived me to be, a maid, serving her all my days like my life was inclined to it. And to be honest? There were times I felt that that was the only thing I would amount to. I didn't even have a wolf, so having a mate who might elevate me from this struggle was pretty much ruled out of my mind. “Did you just ignore me?” Ann yelled, and I swallowed hard, trying to keep my head low. “No, I apologise.” I started saying when I felt her hands land on the right cheek of my face in a sizzling hot slap. The glass cup, the one my uncle usually drank from that I was washing at the moment, slipped out of my hands and landed on the floor, shattering into pieces. “My goodness, Ann.” I yelled, falling to the floor out of shock while my knees dug into the pieces of glass scattered all over the floor, and I winced in pain. “Dad's favourite cup? Yeah, I wouldn't want to know what he would do to you when he finds out you broke it. Loser.” She spat, tiptoeing out of the kitchen while I tried to remove the pieces of glass that had pierced deep into my flesh while tears ran down my eyes. “I don't deserve any of this. I only lost my parents; I don't deserve this kind of treatment.” I whimpered, standing up carefully, slightly limping as I began clearing the pieces of glass. She paused in her tracks and turned to glare at me. “Isn't it too bad that you don't get to pick the kind of treatment you deserve? You should have thought about that before even thinking of existing, cursed, wolfless abomination.” She spat, and her words didn't even sting as much now anyways. I was used to it. “I'm not going to take the fall for the cup; you did that. You're the one that is supposed to be called to caution, not me.” She scoffed, placing her hands on her hips as she tilted to stare at him while clapping her hands dramatically. “You've gotten really creative with the choice of words, Kiera. I'm almost forced to remind you who the f**k you are. You killed your parents, sweetheart; at least I didn't. And my family took stupid you in. You should be grateful and not walk around trying to act like you're responsible or intellectual.” She warned, and whilst I was seething with rage, I knew this was my cue to shut the hell up. “Since the cup wasn't enough for you though, I'll give you something else to worry about.” My eyes widened when I saw her grab a glass vase and throw it in my direction. It missed me by just a hair's breadth and then shattered on the floor before me. “Now you'll have to account for that too.” She winked before walking out. Once my uncle found out, I didn't even want to think of what he would most likely do to him. And even if I dared to explain that it was all Anna, no one would believe me. Most of the time, I wonder if the goddess even thought it fair that she would let someone as young as I suffer. First of all, letting my parents die like nobodies and leaving their only daughter to insufferable people. My uncle always listened to his wife, and his wife always acted like there was something in particular I was going to steal from them if my uncle showed me the slightest bit of compassion. Ann was the golden child; I…I'm just the piece of trash. Night came quickly, and Uncle wasn't back yet, which was quite unusual. I went back to my basement, ready to slip out of the house at midnight and f*****g do my best to shift. I have to shift to something tonight. Anything. I stared out at the moonlight; it was almost midnight. Uncle didn't come home after all, so this was going to be smooth. I opened the door of my basement, inconspicuously sneaking out when I heard voices from the living room. It seems like my uncle, aunty and my stepsister were in some kind of heated discussion. I should've left. I really should've, but what harm could possibly come from eavesdropping a little bit? Not much, right? So I pressed my ears to the wall and I listened. “You promised me the Alpha wanted me, Dad. I can't marry someone thrice my age; that's just ridiculous.” She yelled; her voice seemed like it was at breaking point. Well, Karma apparently is a b***h and a badass b***h at it; she always comes back around to bite you in the ass. “I thought the Alpha wanted you, but he has high hopes of meeting his mate. The pack needs his mate, his Luna. And I already concluded the deal with Beta Dracula.” My mouth fell open, and I immediately pressed my palm over my mouth so a single sound wasn't made. “Dad! You already concluded the deal of me getting married to some old loser? Well, that's a shame. Because I'm not getting married to anyone of that sort. I'd rather kill myself.” She yelled, and I could hear her mum trying to calm her down. Well, our golden girl's fate is literally twisted right now. I don't pity her anyway. I backed away from the wall, my heart pounding. So that was the golden girl’s fate. And mine? Tonight, I would either awaken my wolf… Or I’d die as the pack’s forgotten nothing. Either way, by dawn, I wouldn’t be the same Kiera anymore. As I turned to sneak away, the floor creaked beneath my foot. Shit. "Who's there?" My uncle barked. Heavy footsteps pounded toward my direction, and I immediately dropped the tiny bag I was with. I barely had time to move before the door swung open and his glare landed on me like a hammer. "Where are you off to at this time of the night?" He growled, and I bit the insides of my tongue. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. His eyes were wild, furious—and then… something else. Resolve. “I was having a hard time sleeping, so I wanted to take a walk, Uncle.” I simply said. If they knew I was eavesdropping, I would be absolutely done for. "You think you can sneak around like a damn rat? Fine. Since you're so curious about things, we prefer to say in silence…” He grabbed my arm and yanked me into the living room. Ann and my aunt stared at me like I was dirt tracked in from the woods. “Change of plans.” He said coldly. “Ann’s not marrying the Beta anymore.” He turned to me, lips curling into a cruel smile. “You are.” The room spun. “What?” I gasped. “Congratulations, Kiera,” he sneered. “You’re finally useful for something. Suddenly, a low growl echoed in my chest. My breath caught. Pain rippled through my spine like fire. Was this it? Was it finally happening? My wolf… She was waking up. I could feel my bones searing from the inside out as I tried to get a grip on the door handle. “What's happening to me?” I managed to ask before I felt something growing out of my hands, and I looked down in horror to see that it was claws. They were protruding. It was fair to say that I wasn't in control of myself anymore. I gritted my teeth when I heard the sound of bones breaking, and I let out a shrill cry due to the pain that had exploded all over my body. “Is she shifting?” I heard Anna scoff, but none of that mattered in this moment as I felt myself on the ground on four paws.