Rejected by the Prince, Claimed by the Alpha

THE MOON GODDESS CHOSE ME “Here comes the weak omega, endeavor to keep your distance because weakness spreads," one of the servants mocked her. The first thing Lyra woke up to was the mockery and loud laughter from the servants. One of the servants responded mockingly, “I don’t know why Blackwood is still keeping her till now.” Lyra lowered her head gently and swept the corridor of Blackwood manor. She wasn’t startled when she heard these words, because she had heard them several times. She raised her head to pick up a wooden bucket, one of the servants shoved her shoulder deliberately and water splashed across the polished floor. “What a weak omega? Look what she has done," the servant scoffed. Lyra lowered her head and her heart began beating so fast that she could barely respond. After a few seconds of silence, Lyra stuttered slowly. “I… I am sorry," she quickly knelt to clean the mess on the floor. I hate the fact that I’m being humiliated like this. I would rather go into extinction than to live in a world where I’m not regarded at all. Suddenly, my mother’s sharp voice echoed through the hallway and I snapped out of my thoughts. My mother was at the entrance of the royal palace with my older sister, Seraphina, beside her. Seraphina dressed in a gleaming silver dress that hugged her shape perfectly and her blonde hair fell over her shoulder like silk. Every servant that passed bowed to her, and she smiled cheerfully while looking at me. My mother and sister chuckled, then they went into the palace to have a seat. The palace looked brighter and more glittering than before, as the lighting was changed to a brighter one. Everyone was already seated and gorgeously dressed, and my heart pounded very fast. All eyes shifted towards me because of what I wore. I wore a plain green dress that had been repaired several times and the stitches were very visible. “You made us wait for you for a long time." My mother rolled her eyes at me and hissed. I lowered my gaze slightly and muttered slowly, “I’m sorry mother.” “Don’t you dare call me your mother in front of guests," she yelled, and Seraphina let out a dry chuckle. My mother continued, “Today is the Moon Choosing Ceremony, so behave yourself and don’t embarrass this family." I raised my head up quickly, and my lips parted slightly for a few seconds, not knowing how to react. My heart pounded fast, like it wanted to escape from my chest. I cleared my throat and responded beneath my breath, “I won’t." My mother, Lady Blackwood, said coldly, “You’re already an embarrassment to us by existing.” The word pierced my heart deeply and sent a chill through my spine that made me shiver unconsciously. Seraphina took a few steps closer to me and said, “Move backwards, little sister, the moon goddess doesn’t choose weak wolves." The living room was filled with loud laughter from the guards. I was overwhelmed with shame, but I didn’t make it obvious. I faked a smile and responded, “Yes, I know.” “Wow… she even knows that the moon goddess will never choose someone like her, not when there’s a beautiful, powerful wolf like me,” she sneered. A few hours later, the royal palace was filled with nobles, elders, Alphas, Betas, and warriors from every pack in the Moonfang kingdom. Silver banners danced beneath the wind and holy fires burned around the ancient altar. Everyone was seated, and the palace remained utterly quiet till the future king, Prince Rowan Ashford, arrived. A few minutes later, he arrived at the royal palace and the crowd began cheering. Rowan is everything in the kingdom; tall, admired, powerful, and handsome. Each step he took came with confidence, and it made every noble person admire him ceaselessly. I’ve admired and liked him from afar for years now, but it doesn’t mean anything because he would never notice a weak and unwanted omega like me. There was a thick and suffocating silence followed immediately after the loud cheering from the crowd when Rowan walked in. The high priest, Orion, raised both hands and said, “The moon goddess watches us today and the sacred bond cannot be questioned.” He paused for a second to look around, and a silver bowl filled with glowing moon water was placed upon the altar. High priest Orion continued, “The goddess will reveal the destined consort of Crown Prince Rowan Ashford.” The whole palace fell into a deep silence again and Seraphina took a few steps to the front, as though the high priest mentioned her name. My mother’s eyes widened with expectation and the priest started chanting. My heartbeat pounded very fast, like it’s in a racing competition. Ancient words echoed across the palace courtyard, and the moonstone above the altar began glowing. Its silver light became brighter and blinding. The light separated into countless silver threads and each of it searched through the nobles that came. Suddenly, every single thread hurried towards everyone and stopped in front of me. I froze and, at first, I didn’t know how to react or what to say. The light wrapped around my wrist before racing across the courtyard towards Rowan and a glowing silver mark appeared on his hand, the same as mine too. The marks connected like living moonlight and it signifies the sacred mating bond. The silence and tension in the room increased such that no one moved or even uttered a word. A few minutes later, whispers and murmuring from the crowd filled the palace. “The Moon Goddess chose this weak omega?” A voice from the crowd questioned. Another voice responded, “That’s impossible, the Moon Goddess might have made a mistake.” I turned to look at Lady Blackwood and Seraphina slightly. I saw the tension on their faces. Seraphina staggered a little and the easy face she had on vanished instantly, then replaced with shock. Rowan slowly looked down on the glowing silver mark on his wrist, then looked at me and his countenance changed instantly. He stared at me with disbelief and disgust for a few seconds. My breath hitched, and my heart pounded terribly, because the Moon Goddess chose me. I was overwhelmed with joy, but couldn’t make it obvious in the palace because everyone seemed to be unhappy about the Moon Goddess choice. Finally, I’ll get to live a better life instead of being treated like a discarded servant. Rowan turned in a circle to look at everyone in the crowd, then he stopped in front of me and held my wrist tightly. He let out a humorless laughter and muttered loudly, “You?” I nodded slowly so he could release the grip on my wrist because it was painfully tight. He looked at me with his burning cold eyes from head to toe and chuckled softly, “The Moon Goddess expects me to accept you as my future mate?”