THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

The moon hung full and silver over the Silver Moon Pack grounds. Tonight was my 18th birthday. Tonight, I would finally find my mate. My hands trembled as I stepped into the center of the circle. Hundreds of wolves watched me. Whispers followed me like shadows. "That's Luna Carter. The omega no one wants." "She's so weak. She won't even survive her first shift." "Watch, no Alpha will claim her." I lifted my chin. They were wrong. The Moon Goddess wouldn't let me suffer forever. Alpha Damien Blackwood stepped forward. The air changed. He was 6'4 of pure muscle and cold fury. Black hair, silver eyes, and a reputation that made grown wolves bow. He was the youngest Alpha in pack history. And he was my mate. My wolf stirred inside me, whining happily. _Mate. Mate. Mate._ Damien stopped in front of me. He was so close I could smell pine and thunderstorms. For one second, his eyes softened. My heart leapt. Then he inhaled deeply. His face twisted in disgust. The crowd went silent. "I, Alpha Damien Blackwood of the Silver Moon Pack," his voice boomed, cold enough to freeze blood, "reject you, Luna Carter, as my mate." Gasps echoed around us. I froze. "W-what?" "I said I reject you." He took a step back like I was dirt on his boots. "I would rather die than be mated to a weak omega. You bring shame to my pack." Something inside me shattered. Tears burned my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them. "Damien—" I whispered. "Don't say my name," he cut me off. "From today, you are nothing to me." He turned and walked away. Just like that. The mate bond snapped in my chest. Pain exploded through me, like someone ripped my ribs open. Laughter started behind me. "Did you see that? Rejected on her birthday!" "She's cursed. No wonder her parents died." "Go cry to the Moon Goddess, omega trash." I couldn't breathe. I ran. Past the jeering wolves. Past the bonfire. Past the gates of the pack I’d lived in my whole life. Into the dark forest. Branches tore at my skin. My lungs burned. The bond pain was nothing compared to the humiliation. I collapsed by a stream, sobbing. "I'm weak," I choked out. "I'm worthless. That's why he rejected me." The moonlight above me flickered. A voice, soft and ancient, whispered in my ear. _No, child. You were never weak. They just couldn't see what you are._ I looked up. Standing across the stream was a woman. She had silver hair and eyes like galaxies. Behind her, a massive white wolf watched me. "You are not an omega, Luna Carter," she said. "You are the last descendant of the Moon Goddess. And tonight... your real life begins." Lightning cracked in the sky. And I felt it. Power. Burning under my skin for the first time. I clenched my fists. Tears dried on my cheeks. "I will never be weak again," I vowed to the moon. ---