THE ALPHA REJECTED THE WRONG GIRL

“Daniella Rose, step forward.” My heart stopped. The entire Blackwood Pack was watching me. Hundreds of wolves stood around the moonlit clearing, their faces turned toward the platform where Alpha Romeo Blackwood stood beneath the silver banners of our pack. Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life. My eighteenth birthday. The night I would finally meet my wolf. The night I would discover my mate. For years, I had imagined this moment. I imagined my wolf appearing in my mind with a beautiful voice. I imagined the mate bond snapping into place like something out of a dream. I imagined the Alpha's eyes finding mine, his expression changing as he realized I was the woman destiny had chosen for him. I had been stupid. I stepped forward anyway. My hands were shaking. Romeo looked at me from across the platform. He was twenty-three, tall and broad-shouldered, with black hair, sharp features, and the kind of presence that made an entire room fall silent without him saying a word. He was our Alpha. And, until tonight, he had always been kind to me. At least, I thought he had. Our eyes met. For one brief second, something flashed across his face. Recognition. Fear. Then it disappeared. I smiled nervously. “Alpha.” He didn't smile back. A strange murmur moved through the crowd. My stomach tightened. The ceremony leader stepped beside Romeo. “Daniella Rose has reached the age of awakening. Under the laws of the Blackwood Pack, she will now receive her wolf and discover her destined mate.” Everyone waited. I closed my eyes. “Please,” I whispered. Something inside my chest stirred. A faint warmth. Then nothing. I waited. One second. Two. Ten. Nothing happened. The whispers became louder. “She has no wolf.” “Again?” “Maybe she's defective.” “She's already eighteen.” Heat rushed into my face. I opened my eyes. The ceremony leader looked uncomfortable. “Daniella,” he said carefully, “try again.” I swallowed. I closed my eyes once more. I reached inward, searching for the creature every werewolf was supposed to have. Nothing. Only silence. My chest tightened. I heard someone laugh. Then another. I opened my eyes. Romeo was still staring at me. Except now there was something cold in his expression. He stepped forward. My heart began pounding. “Alpha Romeo?” I whispered. He stopped directly in front of me. The entire clearing went silent. He looked into my eyes. For one impossible moment, I thought I saw pain there. Then he spoke. “I, Romeo Blackwood, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack…” My breath caught. “…reject you, Daniella Rose.” The world disappeared. I couldn't hear anything after that. Not the shocked gasps. Not the whispers. Not the sound of someone dropping a glass behind me. All I could hear was the violent pounding of my own heart. Reject. The word kept repeating inside my head. Reject. Reject. Reject. I stared at him. “Why?” My voice barely came out. Romeo's jaw tightened. “You are wolfless.” The words struck harder than a physical blow. “I don't understand.” “There is nothing to understand.” His voice was cold now. “You cannot be my Luna.” Someone in the crowd whispered, “How embarrassing.” Another voice answered, “The Alpha deserves better.” My eyes burned. I looked at Romeo, desperately searching for the man I thought I knew. “You said you would wait for me.” His expression didn't change. “I was wrong.” A tear escaped before I could stop it. Romeo looked at it. For half a second, something in his eyes broke. Then a beautiful woman stepped out from the crowd. Selena. She wore a dark red dress that matched the Blackwood crest. She walked toward Romeo and slipped her hand into his. The crowd erupted. My stomach twisted. Romeo looked at her. She smiled. Not at him. At me. And suddenly I understood. This wasn't simply a rejection. It had been planned. “You knew,” I whispered. Selena's smile widened. Romeo didn't answer. I looked from one to the other. “How long?” Still nothing. My humiliation turned into anger. “You could have rejected me privately.” Romeo's eyes hardened. “I am Alpha. My decisions belong to the pack.” “No.” I shook my head. “You wanted everyone to see me like this.” A murmur moved through the crowd. Romeo stepped closer. “Be careful, Daniella.” That warning hurt more than the rejection. Because once, he had been the person I trusted most. Now he was threatening me. I wiped my tears. “Fine.” My voice shook. “But remember this night.” Romeo frowned. “I won't forget it.” Neither will I. I turned away. Then something happened. A sound echoed inside my head. A low growl. I froze. It wasn't mine. At least, I didn't think it was. *Daniella.* My breath caught. I looked around. Nobody had spoken. *Daniella.* The voice came again. Female. Weak. But ancient. My hands began trembling. “Who are you?” Silence. Then— *I have been waiting for you.* My heart slammed against my ribs. A sudden pain tore through my chest. I fell to my knees. The crowd screamed. Romeo grabbed my arm. “Daniella!” The moment his fingers touched me, a violent shockwave exploded through the clearing. Every torch went out. The wolves surrounding us dropped to their knees. Romeo staggered backward. Selena's smile vanished. The moon above us suddenly turned red. Not silver. Not pale. Red. A deep, blood-colored red. The entire pack went silent. Then the voice inside my head whispered: *They lied to you.* My vision blurred. I saw flames. A burning house. A woman screaming. A man covered in blood. A silver crown lying in the snow. And a pair of glowing red eyes staring directly at me. I gasped. The vision disappeared. I looked at Romeo. He was staring at me as if he had just seen a ghost. “What… are you?” I couldn't answer. Because something was changing inside me. My heartbeat slowed. The pain disappeared. And for the first time in eighteen years, I heard a wolf howl inside my soul. Not a weak whimper. Not a frightened cry. A powerful, ancient howl that shook every part of me. The wolves around the clearing lowered their heads. Even Romeo. His face went pale. Selena stepped backward. “No,” she whispered. I looked at her. She looked terrified. “That's impossible.” “What is?” I asked. She didn't answer. Romeo stared at my eyes. His expression had completely changed. Fear had replaced anger. Then the voice inside my head growled. *Run.* I looked toward the forest. “Why?” *Because they know who you are now.* A branch snapped somewhere beyond the clearing. Then another. Several dark figures emerged between the trees. Hunters. They weren't looking at Romeo. They weren't looking at Selena. Every one of them was looking at me. The man in front raised his weapon. “She's awake.” Romeo stepped between us. “Who are you?” The hunter smiled. “We aren't here for you, Alpha.” His eyes remained fixed on me. “We came for the Blood Moon heir.” My blood turned cold. Blood Moon heir? I had never heard those words before. Then the voice inside my head whispered the truth that changed everything. *Daniella…* *You were never wolfless.* *You were hidden.* And suddenly, I understood why Romeo had been the least of my problems. Because tonight, the entire world had just learned that I was alive.