Rejected by the Dark Alpha

Alpha Kael Blackthorn was known for only one thing: he had no mercy. He ruled the Crimson Moon pack with a firm hand and an icy gaze. He had won wars, executed traitors, and buried his own Luna the night she betrayed him. Since then, Kael had made a vow before his pack: “Love weakened me once. It will never rule me again.” Flashback The night everything broke, there were no screams. She stood before him, eyes red but back straight. She was his Luna, the woman he had chosen to rule by his side. “If I hadn’t done it, they would have been killed,” she said softly. “I had no choice; our pack was at risk.” Kael looked at the document on the table. It held enemy seals, routes, and strategies. It was information only a Luna could know. “And you thought betraying me was the solution?” he asked, his voice calm. She shook her head desperately, stifling her screams inside. “I thought I could stop the war.” That was what hurt the most. “Belilah, you don’t know what you’ve just done,” he said, calmer than he felt. In front of the council that stood before them, Kael tore from her the title of ‘Luna,’ the bond, and her name. “From today,” he declared, “you have no pack. No Alpha. You are no longer my Luna. I bury you in the deepest part of my soul.” Belilah tried to approach him, but it only fueled his contempt, his anger, and his desire to end her. Yet his love was imperial, pure. “Forgive me, Kael.” He looked at her in silence, as if trying to recognize in her face the woman he had once called his own. There was no hatred in his eyes; that would have been easier. What he felt was worse: absolute coldness. “It’s too late for forgiveness,” he finally said. “Some decisions cannot be undone.” He turned and walked toward the doors of the hall. The guards reacted instantly, opening a path for him. Before leaving, Kael paused. “Bring the council.” “And the Luna?” one of them asked. Kael didn’t look at her with any emotion. “Bring her too.” The guards took her. Belilah offered no resistance; she could not have imagined what was about to happen. The central courtyard quickly filled as news of the summons spread. The pack was called without explanation, forced to gather under the silent moon. Belilah stood rigid, her face pale. She knew what was coming. She had known the moment Kael had taken the document into his hands. Kael positioned himself in front of everyone. His voice sounded cold, and his fists clenched involuntarily. “Tonight,” he announced, “Crimson Moon has betrayed our pack.” A murmur ran through the crowd; everyone spoke among themselves, and for good reason. Kael held out the document so the elders could see it first. Then he spoke with the calm of someone who had already made an irreversible decision. “The information given to the enemy could only have come from someone with absolute access to this clan.” His gaze settled on Belilah. “My Luna.” Kael descended the steps and stopped in front of her. He didn’t touch her; it wasn’t necessary. “Belilah,” he said, “before your pack, I strip you of the title I gave you.” She closed her eyes, visibly terrified. “I break the bond that once united us,” he continued, “and I banish you from Crimson Moon.” A collective gasp swept the courtyard; no one expected such an expulsion to be possible. “From this moment on, you have no clan, no protection, and no right to speak my name or return.” Belilah took a step toward him, extending her hand as if she could make him change his mind. “I only wanted to save them…” “And in doing so,” he interrupted, “you condemned us all.” Kael raised his hand, signaling an order. “Escort the ex-Luna out of the territory.” “And if she returns?” one of the warriors asked. Kael gave a direct answer to the heart of Belilah. “Then she will be treated as an enemy.” Belilah looked at him one last time, trying with all her mind to make him change his mind, but Kael was ten times more powerful than she was. “I will always love you, Kael.” He didn’t answer; if he did, he might regret it, and that was not his style. When Belilah crossed the boundaries of the clan, the moon hid behind the clouds. She didn’t move as the warriors guided her to the other side. Her eyes never left Kael. They weren’t seeking compassion; they demanded to be seen as the Luna she had always sworn to be. “Kael…” her voice broke. “Look at me one last time.” He remained still. Then Belilah stopped resisting. Her body bent in on itself, bones cracking beneath her skin as the transformation overtook her with pain. Where there had once been a woman, now stood the brown she-wolf, strong, agile—the same one who had run alongside the Alpha under ancient moons. The pack instinctively stepped back. Belilah advanced slowly, muzzle low, ears flattened. Kael watched. For a heartbeat… nothing happened. Then the ground shook. The black wolf emerged violently, imposing and wild. His presence crushed the air. The Alpha did not roar; he didn’t need to. Belilah tried to approach, claws out, but it only sparked a battle between them. Kael gave her no time. With a single strike, he sent her flying across the ground. When he returned to human form, he turned toward the pack. His voice was both a threat and a declaration of an unbreakable new law in his heart. “Let no one forget,” he said, “love weakened me once, and it will never rule me again.”