Rejected by the Alpha, Chosen by the Moon

The first thing I noticed on my eighteenth birthday was the blood. It was on my hands. Not mine. I stared at the red drops covering my fingers as I stood in the middle of the forest, trying to remember how I had gotten there. My heart was pounding. My wolf was awake. And she was terrified. Run. I looked behind me. Nothing. Only tall trees, darkness, and the sound of rain hitting the leaves. "Mira." I froze. Someone was calling my name. A man's voice. Deep. Angry. Close. I turned around. "Who's there?" No answer. Then I heard footsteps. One. Two. Three. Slowly getting closer. My wolf pushed against my mind. Run now. I listened. I sprinted through the trees. Branches scratched my arms as I ran. Mud covered my shoes. I didn't know where I was going, but something inside me knew that stopping would be a mistake. The footsteps followed. Faster. Closer. I pushed myself harder. Then I saw light. A clearing. I stumbled into it and nearly fell. Someone was standing in the center. A man. Tall. Dark hair. Black jacket. His back was turned toward me. I stopped. He slowly turned around. And the moment our eyes met, my entire body went still. My wolf screamed inside my head. Mate. I couldn't breathe. No. That wasn't possible. I had spent eighteen years hearing stories about fated mates. People in my pack treated the mate bond like it was something magical. Something rare. Something worth waiting for. I had never believed it would happen to me. Especially not with him. I knew exactly who he was. Everyone did. Alpha Ronan Blackwood. The youngest Alpha to ever lead the Blackwood Pack. The man other Alphas avoided challenging. The man whose name was enough to make wolves lower their heads. His eyes locked onto mine. For a second, neither of us spoke. Then he whispered one word. "No." I felt my chest tighten. "What?" He took a step backward. "No." I looked at him in confusion. My wolf was practically shaking with excitement. Mate. I took one step toward him. "You're my mate." His expression hardened. "I know." My heart jumped. "Then..." "Don't." The single word stopped me. He looked away. I had never seen someone look at me like that before. Not angry. Not disgusted. Afraid. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He didn't answer. "Ronan?" His jaw tightened. "How old are you?" "Eighteen." His eyes returned to mine. "When?" "What?" "When did you turn eighteen?" "Today." He closed his eyes. For a moment, he looked like he was fighting something inside himself. Then he whispered: "This can't happen." I felt something c***k inside me. "What can't happen?" "Us." The rain began falling harder. I stared at him. "But you're my mate." "I know." "Then why are you saying this?" "Because I can't accept you." My heart stopped. "You..." He looked directly into my eyes. "I reject you." Everything went silent. Even my wolf. For the first time in my life, she had nothing to say. I stood there frozen. The words kept repeating in my head. I reject you. I wanted to laugh. Maybe this was a joke. Maybe I had misunderstood. "You can't." Ronan's face remained cold. "I just did." I shook my head. "No." "Mira—" "You can't just reject me." "I can." "Why?" He didn't answer. "Why?" Still nothing. I stepped closer. "At least tell me why." He looked at me for several seconds. Then his eyes dropped to my wrist. His expression changed. "What is that?" I looked down. A strange silver mark had appeared on my skin. I had never seen it before. It looked like a crescent moon surrounded by tiny lines. Ronan's face went pale. "Where did you get that?" "I don't know." He grabbed my wrist. The second his fingers touched the mark, a shock went through my body. Ronan immediately released me. "What was that?" "I don't know." He stared at my wrist. "Neither do I." Before I could ask another question, a howl echoed through the forest. Ronan turned toward the sound. "Stay here." "What?" "Do not move." He started walking away. "Ronan!" He stopped. I didn't know why I said it. Maybe because I was hurt. Maybe because I was angry. Maybe because some part of me still believed he wouldn't leave. "Why did you reject me?" He didn't turn around. "Because you don't know what you are." Then he disappeared into the trees. I stood alone in the rain. My hands were shaking. I looked at the mark again. "What am I?" My wolf finally spoke. Something is wrong. I swallowed. "What?" I don't know. That scared me more than anything. My wolf had always been quiet. Weak, according to everyone in my pack. But she had never been afraid of anything. Until now. I started walking back toward the pack. The forest felt different. Every shadow looked like it was moving. Every sound made me turn around. Then I heard another howl. This one wasn't a wolf. It was something deeper. Something that made my entire body freeze. I looked behind me. Nothing. Then someone whispered: "Mira." I turned. A woman stood between the trees. I had never seen her before. She looked exhausted. Her clothes were torn. Her face was pale. But her eyes... I knew those eyes. I had seen them in old photographs. My breath caught. "Mom?" The woman stared at me. For a second, she looked like she might cry. Then she whispered: "You have to leave." I couldn't move. "My mother is dead." "I know what they told you." She stepped closer. "They lied." I stared at her. "Where have you been?" "I don't have time." "Wait!" She looked toward the trees. Her expression changed. "They found you." "Who?" She grabbed my shoulders. "Listen to me." Her voice shook. "Never trust the Council." "What Council?" "The Blood Council." I frowned. "What are you talking about?" She looked at the silver mark on my wrist. "They know you've awakened." My stomach dropped. "Awakened what?" She opened her mouth. A howl interrupted her. This time, it was close. Too close. She pushed me backward. "Run." "No." "Mira!" "I want answers." "You don't have time for answers." She looked over my shoulder. Her eyes widened. "They're here." I turned. Three wolves stood at the edge of the clearing. Their eyes were glowing red. My mother stepped in front of me. "Don't move." The wolves growled. Then something stepped out from behind them. A man wearing a dark cloak. He looked at me. Not my mother. Me. His eyes went directly to the mark on my wrist. "The Crown Blood." My mother grabbed my hand. "Run!" We sprinted. Branches whipped past my face. I could hear wolves behind us. My mother pulled me toward a narrow path between the trees. "Where are we going?" "Your father left something for you." "My father?" "He knew this day would come." We reached an old stone wall. My mother pressed her palm against it. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. "Mira." She turned toward me. "Put your hand here." I hesitated. "Why?" "Because the door won't open for anyone else." I pressed my palm against the stone. The silver mark burned. The wall shook. A hidden doorway appeared. I stared. "What is this?" "Your family's past." She pushed the door open. "Go." "What about you?" "I'll slow them down." "No." "Mira, go!" The wolves were getting closer. My mother pushed me inside. Then she closed the door. "Mom!" I hit the stone. "Mom!" No answer. I turned around. The room was completely dark. Then torches suddenly lit one by one. I looked around. There were shelves filled with old books. Weapons covered the walls. And photographs. Dozens of them. My family. My father. My mother. A little girl who looked like me. And a symbol I had never seen before. A crown surrounded by a crescent moon. I stepped closer. Underneath the symbol was a sentence. I read it aloud. "The Crown Blood must never be reunited with the Blackwood Alpha." My blood ran cold. "Why?" A voice answered from behind me. "Because the last time they were..." I spun around. Ronan stood in the doorway. His clothes were torn. There was dirt across his face. And his eyes were no longer cold. They were terrified. He looked at the symbol. Then at me. "You shouldn't have opened this door." I backed away. "What does it mean?" He didn't answer. "Ronan." He stepped inside. "Mira..." "What aren't you telling me?" He looked at the mark on my wrist. Then at the words on the wall. Finally, he whispered: "Your family was never supposed to survive." I stared at him. "What?" He took another step. "The Council didn't erase your family from history because they hated them." "Then why?" Ronan's voice dropped. "Because they're afraid of what your blood can become." A loud crash came from outside. Ronan immediately turned toward the door. Someone was coming. Then a voice echoed through the stone hallway. "Open the door." Ronan's face changed. He looked at me. "Whatever happens next..." He reached for my hand. "...don't let them take your blood." The door began shaking. Once. Twice. Then it started cracking. Ronan pulled me behind him. And from the other side came a voice I had never heard before. A voice that made my wolf finally scream. "The Crown has awakened."