The Alpha Rejected Me, But Stole My First Kiss

See You Tonight!

Lira Ashera POV

Lucien smiled brightly the moment that man walked in. “Let me introduce you. This is my best friend. He goes by Thorne.”

Is name suited him, Thorne. The kind of man you couldn't touch without bleeding.

I gave a hesitant smile. “Nice to meet you… I’m Ashen.” Of course, that wasn’t my real name.

“Is she a prisoner?” Thorne asked Lucien.

“I don’t know the full story,” Lucien replied with a shrug. “She’s been locked up since seven years ago, though.”

“What for?” Thorne pressed.

“Well, well,” Lucien chuckled, his tone more teasing than informative. “Is this the first time you’ve been curious about a girl, Thorne?”

But Thorne didn’t crack a smile. His expression stayed as still lifeless as ice.

“He’s seriously cold,” Maeva whispered through our mental link.

I was thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, a guard burst into the hall. “Hey! These two aren’t authorized! They’re dangerous prisoners!”

Wait... did they seriously just notice two guys sneaking in now?

But Lucien and Thorne didn’t even flinch.

The guard then stopped, stood straight, and saluted Thorne.

“Looks like he’s some big shot from the Northern Bloodrage territory,” Maeva muttered.

I sighed, annoyed by the gleam of excitement in her voice.

What, is she into him now?

“Maybe you should flirt with Thorne instead of wasting time on Lucien,” she said, completely serious.

I nearly choked. “You’re insane,” I hissed under my breath.

The guards began escorting them away from our section of the prison.

As usual, we were treated like active bombs.

“Bye, Ashera! See you tonight!” Lucien called from a distance, waving.

I waved back with fake enthusiasme.

Only Lucien held the key to our escape plan.

Thorne, though? He didn’t say a word. Didn’t even glance my way.

I told myself I didn’t care. Guys like him weren’t my problem.

But when I turned to Maeva, her eyes were practically sparkling. She was already babbling inside my head. “I’m sure you could totally win him over, Lira. He might be our ticket out of here!”

I nudged her arm, scowling. “Then you flirt with him.”

She blushed, annoying but look hopeful.

“You’re acting weird now,” I muttered, eyeing her sideways.

But then it hit me...

“Wait... isn’t tonight the Choosing Night?” I whispered.

She nodded slowly.

“That means... we won’t get another chance. If Lucien doesn’t help us before the moon marks our fates... we’re done.”

I had a gut feeling

Nothing was going to go according to plan.

***

More than five hours passed. Night had fallen, and judging by the chill in the air and the pale silver glow that bathed the trees, it was probably close to 7 p.m. I could hear murmurs and movement coming from beyond the iron gates. Every young werewolf of age was gathered in the ceremonial hall.

Just as I had predicted, our arrival caused a ripple of tension. All eyes were on us.

"Aren’t those the remnants of the ones who nearly destroyed the Northern Mountains eighteen years ago?"

The whispers thick with accusation.

Guard had placed us right in the center of the stone chamber, inside a cage of iron bars, like exotic beasts in a zoo. The stone beneath my feet was etched with ancient runes in the moonlight.

Some stared at us in open fear.

While others stared at us with veiled hostility.

But none of it fazed me.

Instead of shrinking under the weight of their judgment, I did the opposite. I looked around, studying the people who had clearly been raised to think of me as a curse

and I decided to admire some of them instead.

“Your dress is beautiful,” I whispered to a girl standing closest to the cage. Her gown shimmered.

“And those flowers in your hair? They suit you,” I added with a warm smile. “Your mate’s going to fall hard tonight.”

She blinked in surprise. A few others turned their heads, some murmured awkward thank-yous. Even the bold ones suddenly kept their distance.

That was all I needed.

"See? I handled it pretty well, didn’t I?” I turned to Maeva beside me

only to find her gaze fixed not on me, but across the room. At him.

“Hey,” I nudged her teasing, “Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush on someone.”

She looked at me then, shaking her head. But the way her eyes lingered on Thorne.

I didn’t understand what was going on with her. Ever since we saw Thorne earlier today, she’d been... off.

Normally, I could hear her thoughts as clearly as my own. She always let me in through our telepathic link. But now, there was silence.

It was unsettling.

The ceremony began soon after.

A procession of high priests and priestesses entered the hall, clad in white and silver robes that billowed as they moved. Their eyes shimmered with faint moonlight as they surrounded our cage, carrying steaming bowls and chanting ancient prayers that hummed.

“The Lunar Bonding Ritual will now begin,” the head priestess announced.

I remembered what was supposed to happen next. The runes beneath us, those carved into the stone floor would begin to glow once the moon reached its zenith.

I didn’t expect to find a mate.

Just being here

watching others find happiness, was enough.

I tilted my head up to the sky, where the full moon beamed brilliantly above us.

The runes under our feet began to glow.

Here it was, the moment of truth.

One by one people began to reaching for their necks, brushing over the spot where their bond sigils appeared.

And even though I was locked in a cage of iron, the tingling on my own neck told me something was happening.

"Your bond mark is appearing," Maeva finally spoke into my mind.

"Don’t get your hopes up... I didn’t expect anything either."

She was pointing at me. “It’s glowing,” she said in telepathically. “But it’s different, a rare shape. I’ve never seen one like that before.”

“What do you mean?”

"Maybe you’ll find out soon enough," she said vaguely.

I glanced toward the nearest metal bar, trying to catch my reflection.

And there, a faint symbol etched into my skin, glowing in a muted black, like polished obsidian.

I swallowed hard. “Weird,” I muttered under my breath.

Who in the world would want to be paired with me?

I looked around. Other sigils were blooming across the room in a dance of light and fate. The colors are pale gold, deep crimson, twilight purple, and icy blue. Whenever two people bore matching symbols, they were drawn close, faces lighting up, some crying, some laughing because they'd found the missing half of their soul.

And there I wondering

Would I be rejected?

I clenched my fists, the odds didn’t favor me.

Then he appeared, it's Thorne, the coldest of them all. He walked straight towards me.

I backed up without thinking.

And then I saw the exact same sigil glowing faintly on his neck. Obsidian black.

No, no way.

Could he be my mate?

He stopped in front of the cage. “I reject you as my mate, Ashera!” The sound was so loud that the hall became silent and every eyes turned to us.

I closed my eyes, swallowing the sting of it. Of course he will do it.

I wrapped my fingers around the iron bars to steady myself.

“What... what’s happening to me?” I asked Maeva in a broken whisper.

For some reason, my chest hurt so much.

“You’re heartbroken,” she answered.

I opened my eyes just in time to see his figure disappear into the crowd.

Tears slipped down my cheeks without my permission.

“Why does it hurt this much?”

Maeva looked at me, “Because you two are not ordinary mates,” she whispered in my mind.

I shook my head, refusing to listen.

I didn’t want to believe it.