Rejected by the Alpha, desired by the king

The moon hung heavy in the sky, too full, too close, like it could see everything. Its light spilled across the sacred stone circle, washing the clearing in silver and shadows. The pack stood in silence, cloaked figures circling the ancient altar, their breath puffing out in the cold night air. Every heartbeat in that clearing felt like thunder. But none louder than mine. I stood near the center, clutching the edge of my ceremonial cloak like it was the only thing holding me together. Silver thread. Soft silk. Meant to look “worthy.” But all I could feel was how wrong it looked on me. Too clean. Too elegant. Like dressing dirt in diamonds. I wasn’t the daughter of an Alpha or priestess. I didn’t come from anything. My name was all I had left. My parents, my lineage, my past... burned down with the house they were slaughtered in. And yet here I was, dressed like I belonged. This was the Moon Rising Ceremony. The sacred night when the Moon Goddess revealed our fated mates. One night a year, when wolves from every corner of the Red Moon Pack gathered, hoping to be chosen. Bonded. Blessed. I didn’t think I’d feel anything. I had told myself that over and over. That hope was for fools. That people like me an omega who is orphaned and unwanted, didn’t get fairytales. But I had felt it. For days now, something had been different. A strange quiet in my usually restless wolf. A heat humming under my skin. Whispers in my sleep. A pull. Like I was being drawn toward something... or someone. I bit the insides of my cheek as the ceremony began. The Elder chanted in the old tongue. One by one, wolves stepped forward, the moonlight catching on their skin, on their eyes, on the tiny threads of invisible magic pulling mates to each other. There were gasps. Smiles. One pair collapsed crying in each other's arms. I barely heard any of it. Because something inside me, something old, something wild was waking up. My heart raced. My legs trembled. And then, it happened. The clearing went silent. Not quiet, silent. Like the wind itself held its breath. I felt it first. A fire under my skin, like lightning racing through my bones. My wolf roared inside me, clawing at the edge of my mind. He’s here. My mate. A name rolled through the air like thunder. “Alpha Kael Draven of Red Moon.” My heart leapt up into my throat. Kael. I turned and there he was. Towering, broad shoulders set back, sandy brown hair tousled like he didn’t care, his amber eyes sharp like a blade in sunlight. Every inch of him screamed power, dominance, royalty. My wolf whimpered. Reached. Begged. Mate. I couldn’t breathe. He stepped forward. The bond snapped into place. I felt it. The world shifted. For a second, I swore the moon got brighter, the wind sweeter. Kael’s head turned. His eyes met mine. And something cracked wide open in my chest. This was real. This was fate. I took a trembling step forward. Then... He laughed. No, not those soft laugh one would laugh at something delightful. A cold, cruel, laugh. One of mockery and disdain. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” My feet froze mid-step. He looked at me like I was something he stepped in. Like I disgusted him. “The moon must be joking,” he said loudly, turning to the Elder. “You expect me to believe that... that omega trash is my mate?” The clearing stiffened. Gasps. Whispers. I felt every stare. Every breath. “She’s not even Alpha blood,” he continued, voice rising. “She’s an orphan. A no one. You think the Moon Goddess would pair me with that?” “Kael,” Elder Creed said quietly, but Kael didn’t stop. “I don’t accept it.” The bond inside me strained, like a cord being pulled too tight. “I reject her,” Kael said clearly, every syllable like a blade. “Elara Greene is not fit to stand beside me, let alone carry my offspring.” I couldn’t breathe. My wolf howled, then went silent. He turned to me, his eyes glowing now with disdain. “You’re nothing to me. Nothing.” "I Alpha Kael Draven of Red moon pack, reject Elara Greene as my fates mate." And just like that, something inside me... snapped. The bond tore. The magic unraveled. And the pain Moon above, the pain was unlike anything I’d ever felt. Like every nerve was set on fire and then torn apart. The Elder tried to speak. Someone gasped. Someone else muttered, “I knew it. She’s cursed.” I didn’t wait for more. I turned. And I ran. Through the trees. Through the cold. My bare feet cut by rocks and thorns. My wolf still silent. My lungs on fire. I didn’t stop. I crossed the pack border. Felt the link break. I was rogue now. Nothing. Just like he said. But I kept running. Until the stars blurred. I kept running even though my legs were slowly giving up. I kept running even though i could barely breathe. I didn't stop. The moon looked down on me like it didn’t know me anymore. “I was nothing,” I whispered into the wind. “And now I’m... less than that.” I ran like my life depended on it. hoping the forest would swallow me and this unbearable pain. I ran into the unknown...