REJECTED BY THE HOCKEY ALPHA

THE MATE I WASN'T ALLOWED TO HAVE POV: Raina I kept my eyes on the floor as I walked into the hall, and the noise from the other students immediately filled the room while everyone talked about who their fated mate might be. My brother Ethan was standing near the front with his teammates, and he didn't even turn around to look at me when I passed by him. I knew my place in the Frostvale Pack, so I stepped back toward the wall and tried to make myself as small as possible. I had never shifted into a wolf, and everyone at the academy made sure I remembered it every single day. "Why are you even here tonight, Raina?" Maya asked as she moved closer to me, and she laughed while she crossed her arms. "You don't even have a wolf, so you're just taking up space." "I have every right to be at the Moon Bond Ceremony just like anyone else," I said, but my voice sounded quiet, and I kept my hands folded together in front of my dress. "You're just embarrassing your brother by showing up," Maya said, and she sneered at me before walking off toward the rest of the group. I looked over at Ethan again, but he was laughing with his friends and completely ignoring me. He was everything our parents wanted because he was a strong wolf and a great hockey player, while I was just the girl who couldn't even summon her inner wolf. The heavy entrance doors opened, and the whole room suddenly went quiet as Damon Frost walked into the hall. He was the future Alpha of the pack and the captain of the hockey team, and every girl in the academy wanted his attention. I had secretly loved him for years, but I never dared to speak to him because he was completely out of my league. Damon walked toward the center of the floor, and his father, Alpha Marcus, stood right behind him with a cold expression. As Damon took another step, he froze in his tracks, and his eyes snapped directly to mine across the crowded room. My heart hammered against my ribs because I felt a sudden pull in my chest, and the scent of pine and fresh snow filled my nose. Damon took a sharp breath, and his posture went rigid as his wolf pushed right to the surface. "Damon, what is it?" Alpha Marcus asked, and his voice carried across the silent room. Damon didn't answer his father, and he kept looking straight at me while his eyes shifted to a glowing gold. He took one step toward me, and for one short second, I thought the Moon Goddess had actually blessed me with something wonderful. I thought the most powerful boy in the academy was going to claim me as his mate, and my hands started shaking from the sudden surge of hope. Then Damon stopped moving, and his glowing eyes narrowed as his expression turned into total horror. He stared at me like I was something disgusting, and he took a massive step backward away from me. "No," Damon whispered, but in the silent hall, everyone heard it clearly. "Damon, state your bond," Alpha Marcus ordered, and he looked around the room with a frown. Damon kept his eyes locked on mine, and his jaw tightened so hard I could see the muscles flexing in his face. "I reject you, Raina," Damon said loud enough for the entire academy to hear, and he didn't even blink as he said it. The words hit me like a physical blow, and the room seemed to spin around me while people started whispering to each other. "You can't be serious," I said, and my voice cracked as I took a desperate step forward. "Damon, please." "Look at yourself, Raina," Damon said coldly, and he didn't show a single drop of pity as he glared at me. "You're a powerless wolf from a broken pack, and I am going to lead this entire territory one day. I need a strong Luna by my side, not someone who can't even shift." "She speaks the truth, my son," Alpha Marcus interrupted, and he stepped up beside Damon while looking down at me with disgust. "A future Alpha cannot be bonded to a girl with no wolf, especially from a disgraced bloodline like yours." Tears blurred my vision, but I forced myself to stand straight and look for help. I looked directly at Ethan, hoping my own brother would step up and say something to defend me. Ethan walked out from the crowd, and he looked at the floor for a second before he raised his head to face the entire hall. "Don't look at me, Raina," Ethan said, and his voice was completely devoid of emotion. "Ethan, please," I begged, and I reached a hand out toward him. "You're my brother." "Not anymore," Ethan said clearly, and he looked around at his hockey teammates before looking back at me. "Don't ever call me your sister again, because you are nothing but an embarrassment to our family name, and I won't let you drag me down with you." The crowd erupted into quiet laughter, and people started pointing at me while Damon turned his back completely. My chest hurt so badly I couldn't breathe, so I turned around and shoved my way through the crowd of students. I pushed past the doors and ran out into the dark night, and the cold air hit my face as I sprinted away from the hall as fast as my legs could take me. The sound of my own heavy breathing filled my ears, and I kept running down the clear path toward the woods so no one could see me cry. Run, little heir, a strange voice echoed clearly inside my head, and I stumbled over my own feet in shock because it wasn't my own voice. They must never know what is sleeping inside you.