Rejected By The Alpha's Quadruplets

My name is Aria Moon, and I am the biggest joke in Blood Moon Pack. "Look, the wolfless Omega is dreaming again!" Laughter exploded through the school hallway as I walked past with my books clutched to my chest. I kept my head down. I learned at ten years old that fighting back only made things worse. Today, I was eighteen. In our werewolf world, eighteen means everything. It is the age when your wolf awakens and the Moon Goddess reveals your fated mate. For eighteen years, I waited for something that never came. No wolf. No shift. No mate. The pack doctor said I was defective. A wolfless Omega. The lowest rank. Yet this morning, something felt different. Heat spread through my body. My heart beat faster whenever I looked at the moon. For the first time, I allowed myself to hope. "Aria!" Maya, my only friend in Blood Moon Academy, rushed toward me. Her dark curls bounced around her shoulders. "Happy birthday! Tonight is the Mating Ceremony. What if you meet your fated mate?" I managed a small smile. "Who would want a wolfless Omega?" "The Moon Goddess never makes mistakes," she said. I wanted to believe her. By sunset, the pack's grand ceremonial hall had transformed into a palace of silver and gold. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead and hundreds of werewolves filled the hall. Tonight, Alpha King Richard had announced that his four sons would participate. The Alpha's Quadruplets. Alex, Jay, Zane and Leo Moon. Twenty-one years old, six feet four, and the most desirable men in the werewolf kingdom. Their father was preparing them to inherit his territory. Alex Moon was cold, calculating and feared by everyone. The future Alpha King. Jay Moon was the charmer. His smile could make any woman forget her own name. Zane Moon was the most dangerous. Covered in tattoos with a scar on his lip, his temper was legendary. And Leo Moon, the youngest, was the gentle one. He was the only one who had ever shown me kindness. Once, when I fell in the cafeteria and everyone laughed, Leo helped me gather my books. I wore a simple blue dress Maya lent me. I was halfway across the hall when a scent reached me. Pine after rain. Dark chocolate. Warm cedar. My knees weakened. An unfamiliar sensation stirred deep inside me. Then a tiny voice whispered in my mind. Mates! Four mates! I froze. My wolf. After eighteen years of silence, I could finally hear my wolf. Tears blurred my vision. I followed the scent through the crowd until I stood directly before the four brothers. All four turned toward me. Their bodies went rigid. Their golden eyes glowed. "Mate?" Four voices whispered at once. The entire hall fell silent. Alex recovered first. His golden eyes swept over my borrowed dress and trembling hands. Shock turned into disgust. "You? You are our mate?" "My name is Aria Moon," I whispered. "No," Jay stepped forward, his smile gone. "This has to be a mistake. The Moon Goddess would not mate four Alphas to an Omega." "She is lying," Zane growled. "She used a potion to fake a mate scent." "I didn't! My wolf just awakened today!" I looked at Leo, hoping he would remember his past kindness. He stared at me with pain in his eyes and took a step forward. "Leo," Alex warned. Leo stopped. The high priestess approached in her silver robes. She examined the brothers before turning to me. Her expression changed. "The bond is genuine," she announced. "The Moon Goddess has chosen Aria Moon as the fated mate of all four Alpha brothers." A stunned murmur swept through the hall. Someone laughed. Then whispers spread everywhere. Alex stepped forward and faced the crowd. "We, the Alpha Quadruplets, refuse to accept this bond." The priestess stiffened. "The bond is sacred. You cannot—" "Be silent," Alex commanded. He turned to me. "We reject this insult to our bloodline." My wolf whimpered inside me. Alex looked straight into my eyes. "I, Alex Moon, reject you, Aria Moon, as my mate." "I, Jay Moon, reject you," Jay said, looking away. "I, Zane Moon, reject you. I will never accept an Omega as my Luna," Zane snapped. I turned to Leo with tears in my eyes. "Leo, please." He stared at the floor, hands clenched white. "I'm sorry." Then he delivered the final blow. "I, Leo Moon, reject you as well." Four rejections at once. The pain tore through my chest and sent me crashing to my knees. I screamed. My wolf howled in agony inside me before falling silent. The bond snapped. Laughter erupted. People raised their phones to record my humiliation. Alpha King Richard rose from his throne. "Aria Moon, you have insulted the royal family. By the authority of Blood Moon Pack, I banish you. Leave tonight and never return, or you will be killed as a rogue." Two guards dragged me toward the entrance. I searched for Maya. She stood near a pillar with tears running down her face, but she didn't move. The doors slammed behind me. I ran. I ran until the lights of the pack territory disappeared and the forbidden Rogue Forest swallowed me. Rain began to fall. I collapsed beneath an enormous tree. "Why?" I screamed at the moon. "Why give me four mates just to let them destroy me?" For several minutes, there was only rain and my broken breathing. Then warmth spread through my chest. The voice in my mind was no longer small. It was ancient and furious. They dared to reject us. I gasped as silver light burst beneath my skin. My broken body began to heal. What are you? I whispered. The voice answered with certainty that made the forest tremble. I am the White Wolf. The Moon Wolf. The last of a bloodline your enemies believed extinct for a hundred years. Wind roared through the trees. My eyes burned. My silver hair turned pure white and my hands glowed with silver light. Rogues emerged from the darkness. Instead of attacking, they lowered their heads and sank to their knees. Every wolf in the forest was bowing to me. My tears finally stopped. Alex, Jay, Zane and Leo rejected me because they believed I was beneath them. They were all wrong. I rose slowly, feeling strength I had never known. We will survive, my wolf said. We will grow stronger. And one day, every wolf who laughed at us will remember this night. I looked toward the distant lights of Blood Moon Pack and smiled coldly. "Enjoy your victory, Alphas. Because the next time you see me, you will be the ones begging."