Reborn: The Alpha's Rejected Luna

The moon had never looked so bright. Its silver light poured over the clearing, turning the tall pine trees into black silhouettes against the night sky. Hundreds of wolves stood in a wide circle around the ancient stone altar, their voices hushed as they waited for the ceremony to begin. I stood near the back with my hands clasped tightly in front of me. My palms were sweating. “Stop doing that.” I glanced sideways. Nora was watching me with an amused expression. “Doing what?” “Trying to crush your own fingers.” I loosened my grip. “I’m not nervous.” She gave me a look. “You've been saying that for the last twenty minutes.” I looked toward the altar again. “I just don't want to be one of the unmated ones.” Nora's teasing expression softened. “I know.” The Moon Ceremony happened only once a year. It was the night when the Moon Goddess was said to reveal the person each wolf was destined to be with. Some bonds were discovered quickly. Some took years. But everyone came hoping. Especially the unmated wolves. Tonight, I was twenty-two. Old enough that people had started asking questions. Still no mate? Maybe the Moon Goddess passed you over. Maybe you're just unlucky. I pretended the words didn't bother me. They did. Being a low-ranking wolf was already enough to make people look past me. I didn't need the added shame of being alone while everyone else found someone. Nora leaned closer. “Look.” I followed her gaze. The pack elders were stepping away from the altar. Then everyone went silent. The Alpha had arrived. Adrian Blackwood. Even after seeing him countless times from a distance, something about his presence always made the entire pack change. People straightened. Conversations died. Heads bowed. Adrian walked toward the altar in a black suit, his broad shoulders outlined by the moonlight. His dark hair was neatly pushed back and his expression was as unreadable as ever. He wasn't smiling. He never smiled during ceremonies. He didn't need to. He carried the kind of authority that made people instinctively move aside. Adrian was the youngest Alpha Silverpine had ever had and somehow also one of the most powerful. His family owned half the businesses in town. Security companies. Real estate. Hotels. Private estates. Everyone knew the Blackwoods were rich. But money wasn't what made Adrian feared. It was his wolf. No one in Silverpine had ever defeated him in a direct challenge. I looked away before he could catch me staring. “Too late,” Nora whispered. I frowned. “What?” “He saw you.” My heart skipped. I looked back. Adrian's eyes were already on me. Dark. Intense. Impossible to read. For a strange moment, neither of us moved. Something inside me stirred. Not fear. Something deeper. My wolf lifted her head inside my mind. There. I swallowed. “What was that?” Nora frowned. “What was what?” I couldn't answer. Adrian's gaze shifted away. The strange feeling disappeared. I exhaled slowly. Maybe I had imagined it. The elder stepped forward. “Tonight,” she announced, “the Moon Goddess will reveal the bonds written into your blood. Those who are destined to walk together will be united beneath the moon.” A murmur moved through the crowd. My heart started pounding again. The ceremony began. One by one, names were called. Some wolves stepped forward and found their mates immediately. A few screamed with joy. Others laughed and cried as they embraced. Every time another pair was matched, I felt my hope shrinking. Maybe it wasn't going to happen for me. Maybe I really had been forgotten. Then the elder raised both hands. The clearing fell silent. “The final bond tonight belongs to the Alpha.” My heart stopped. Everyone turned toward Adrian. He stepped forward. The elder closed her eyes. The wind suddenly changed. Cold air swept across the clearing. The fire surrounding the altar flickered wildly. Then my chest tightened. I gasped. My wolf slammed against the inside of my mind. Mate. My eyes widened. No. That couldn't be right. The sensation grew stronger. Hotter. I looked at Adrian. He was staring directly at me. The entire world seemed to disappear. I couldn't hear the pack anymore. Couldn't hear the wind. Couldn't hear Nora asking what was wrong. There was only him. And the overwhelming pull inside my chest. The elder's eyes snapped open. She looked at me. Then at Adrian. Her face lost all color. “No…” The whisper carried through the silence. Someone behind me gasped. Then another voice said it. “The bond.” Silver light erupted between Adrian and me. The clearing exploded into whispers. “The Alpha has a mate.” “Who is she?” “That's Sienna Carter.” “Her?” “She's a nobody.” The words reached me one after another, but I barely understood them. The silver light wrapped around my wrist. A burning sensation spread across my skin. I looked down. A glowing mark was forming on my wrist. A crescent. My breath caught. Across the clearing, Adrian's expression had changed. For the first time tonight, he didn't look emotionless. He looked stunned. Our eyes met again. My heart filled with something dangerously close to happiness. This was it. After years of wondering. After all the nights I had felt like I wasn't enough. After every whispered insult and every pitying look— The Moon Goddess had chosen me. And somehow, impossibly, she had chosen the Alpha. Adrian Blackwood. For me. Nora grabbed my arm. “Oh my God.” I could barely breath. “I'm his mate.” She laughed. “You're his mate!” The pack shifted apart as Adrian began walking toward me. Every step felt like it echoed through my body. I watched him come closer. Ten feet. Five. Three. My wolf was almost frantic. Mate. Mate. Mate. Adrian stopped in front of me. He was even more intimidating up close. I had to tilt my head to look at him. His eyes searched my face. I smiled nervously. “Alpha.” He didn't respond. My smile faded. The entire pack was watching us. Waiting. The elder stepped forward. “Adrian Blackwood, the Moon Goddess has revealed your bond.” Adrian remained silent. I felt my cheeks grow warm. Maybe he was simply overwhelmed. Maybe powerful Alphas weren't used to finding their mates unexpectedly. Maybe— He finally looked directly into my eyes. My heartbeat thundered. I waited for him to reach for me. To claim me. To say the words everyone expected. Instead, his jaw tightened. And when he spoke, his voice was cold enough to freeze the warmth from the night. “Sienna Carter…” My breath caught. “I reject you as my mate.”