THE ALPHA REJECTED THE WRONG MATE

REJECTED BEFORE THE MOON

The Moon Goddess finally saw me.

That thought was the only thing that kept my legs steady as I climbed the stone steps to the Moon Altar. Silver lanterns hung from the old trees, their soft light spilling across a clearing packed with wolves. Pine scented the cool air, mixing with the sweet, thick perfume of moonflowers blooming all around us.

Tonight was the Moon Bond Ceremony—the night unmated wolves dreamed of, the night fate picked your forever.

I clutched at my plain white dress, the one I’d sewn myself. It wasn’t fancy like the other girls’ sparkling gowns, but it was clean. It was all I had, and tonight, it had to be enough.

"Look who's here," someone whispered nearby, clearly not caring if I heard.

"The omega orphan."

"I heard she actually thinks she'll become Luna."

Laughter floated through the crowd.

I stared at my feet and kept walking. It wasn’t new. Ever since my parents died protecting the pack, I was on my own. I cleaned, did laundry, scrubbed floors, and endured every insult because I held onto one stubborn hope.

One day, things would change.

The Moon Goddess didn’t forget anyone.

Deep inside, my wolf stirred, gentle and quiet. Maybe tonight is our night, she whispered.

I smiled, even if my chest ached.

"Lyra."

I turned and saw Old Martha, the pack healer, with a wrinkled smile. She slipped a tiny silver flower into my hand. "For luck," she said.

My eyes stung. "Thank you."

She squeezed my fingers. "You deserve happiness more than anyone."

Before I could reply, loud cheers broke out across the clearing.

"The future Alpha!"

Everyone turned. So did I.

Damian Blackwood walked into the ceremony surrounded by the pack’s fiercest warriors. He looked exactly how an Alpha should—tall, powerful, wrapped in black ceremonial robes. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and his gray eyes gleamed like moonlight.

Confidence clung to him like a second skin. As he moved, every head bowed. Girls actually sighed. Some even whispered prayers, hoping the Moon Goddess would pick them.

Damian didn’t acknowledge anyone. He looked impossibly calm. No one could read him.

Until his eyes found mine. For just a half-second. Something flickered—recognition? Or was it just confusion? Either way, it vanished so fast I thought I’d imagined it.

He looked away, and my heart sank.

Why would the future Alpha ever notice someone like me?

The ceremony started. The High Priest stood at the glowing altar, arms raised. "Children of the Moon," he called, voice echoing through the trees, "tonight, destiny reveals what no wolf can choose."

The crowd fell silent. A shaft of moonlight shot down, bathing the altar in silver.

One by one, wolves stepped up. Some cried and laughed, some smiled. A few turned away with heartbreak written all over their faces.

The line got shorter, and it got hard to breathe.

Then, finally—

"Lyra."

My name rang out. My feet turned to stone, but I moved toward the altar anyway, with the eyes of everyone burning holes in my back. They expected nothing.

The High Priest nodded. "Place your hand upon the Moon Stone."

I did. The stone was warm on my palm. The world hushed.

Then—light exploded beneath my hand. Out of nowhere, a brilliant silver thread shot from my chest and streaked across the clearing like a comet.

It wrapped around—

Damian.

He froze. Another silver thread burst out of his heart. The two threads twisted together, brighter and brighter, until the whole clearing shimmered beneath the moon.

No one made a sound. For a heartbeat, the world stopped moving.

The High Priest stared at us like he’d never seen anything like it. "The Moon Goddess has spoken. You are fated mates."

My knees went weak. My mate. The words echoed inside me.

The Moon Goddess actually picked me.

Tears blurred everything. After all those years alone, I finally belonged.

I looked at Damian. He met my gaze just long enough for me to see his shock—maybe even fear.

His lips parted, like he wanted to say something. Then a voice cut through the quiet.

"An omega can’t become Luna!"

More voices piled on.

"She’s too weak!"

"She’s worthless!"

Damian’s face iced over. Confusion gone, replaced by cold authority. He stepped forward and the crowd fell silent.

My heart pounded. Maybe he would defend me. Maybe he’d say no one could argue with fate.

He stopped a few feet from me. His gray eyes were all winter.

"I reject you."

I stared at him, the words sharper than any knife.

"...What?"

His voice was loud, clear, impossible to ignore. "I, Damian Blackwood, reject Lyra as my mate."

The clearing froze. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

My wolf screamed inside. "No..."

I could barely hear my own voice. "You can’t..."

Damian clenched his jaw. "I need a Luna who can stand beside an Alpha." He swept his gaze over me, colder than before. "You’re weak. You have no status. You’d disgrace this pack."

Every word shattered me.

"I refuse to let fate ruin everything I’ve worked for."

He turned away.

"As far as I’m concerned... you are nothing."

Laughter rang out.

"I knew it!"

"Even fate makes mistakes!"

"The Alpha deserves better!"

"Look at her crying!"

Someone shoved me. Someone else threw dirt at my dress. A woman bumped hard into me and I stumbled, falling onto cold stone.

Nobody reached for me. Nobody.

I looked for Damian, eyes stinging. He never once turned back.

Something inside me snapped—not hope, not pride, something deeper. My soul.

The silver bond between us trembled, almost alive.

The High Priest frowned. "That’s strange..."

A sharp crack tore across the night sky.

Everyone froze. The silvery thread connecting Damian and me didn’t fade like rejected mate bonds should. Instead, it fractured. Light split across the sky, shattering above the whole pack.

The moon shivered.

Fear swept the clearing.

The High Priest stumbled back. "This...this has never happened before."

I stared at the broken sky, too shocked to cry.

Rejected bonds were supposed to fade quietly.

Not break the heavens.

I’d never heard of anything like it.

Our mate bond was shattering instead of fading.