REJECTED BEFORE THE MOON CHOSE ME

MINE TO PROTECT

The square went dead silent.

Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed.

Kael’s words—“She is under my protection”—still echoed, heavy in the air.

I stared at him—the Alpha King, Kael Ravencrest—standing at my side. His hand was wrapped gently but firmly around mine. Even with the world in chaos, his grasp was steady and warm.

I couldn’t make sense of it. Why would the most powerful Alpha in existence throw everything on the line for me—a nobody?

All around, the whispers spread fast, sharp as wildfire.

“Did I hear that right? Did he just say he’d protect her?”

“Has the Alpha King gone mad?”

“But she’s cursed…”

“This can’t be.”

Elder Varek found his footing first. Anger flashed on his wrinkled face, but he covered it up with a deep, practiced bow.

“Your Majesty.”

His voice stayed polite, but there was tension under every word.

“With respect, the council already decided.”

“This girl was rejected by the Moon.”

“The law says she has to die before sunrise.”

Kael never even glanced his way. He kept staring at the angry red marks on my wrists, his thumb tracing one bruise. Not gentle, not cruel—just studying it.

His eyes—cold silver—flickered with something I couldn’t read.

“They chained her,” he said. Simple. Quiet. Not to me—to everyone.

Alpha Rowan stepped forward.

“Our elders only wanted to keep the pack safe, Your Majesty.”

“The Moon Mark vanished. People are afraid. If she goes free, the panic will only get worse.”

Kael finally looked up at him.

“And killing an innocent woman, you think that’ll soothe their panic?”

His voice was calm, but it cut deeper than any roar.

Rowan faltered. “No… but— The council has spoken.”

“The council,” Kael broke in, “doesn’t rule above the Crown.”

The crowd jerked in shock. Some elders looked around, nervous.

Varek drew himself up. “Ancient laws give every Alpha control over his pack’s land.”

Kael nodded once. “They do. But those same laws give the Alpha King authority over it all.”

He swept his piercing gaze over the council.

“There’s a law even older than yours,” he said, voice steady. “A law from long before any of you drew breath.”

The elders paled.

Kael continued, “When someone’s condemned without undeniable proof—the Crown can claim them. Until a full royal investigation is finished.”

The crowd erupted in confusion and horror. Alpha Rowan even looked away. He remembered the law—everyone important did. It just hadn’t been used in ages.

Varek gritted his teeth. “Your Majesty… this is a Silver Moon Pack matter.”

“No,” Kael said, flat and final. “This is my kingdom’s business.”

The tension weighed down the air till it was hard to breathe.

I looked from one face to the next, lost. Royal investigation? Of me? Why? I was nothing—a piece everyone wanted swept aside.

That’s when Damian stepped in. His voice broke the thick silence for the first time since the ceremony.

“Your Majesty.” He sounded respectful.

“But she’s my former mate.”

That word—former—knifed right through me. Just like that, everything between us vanished.

Kael looked his way. “So you rejected her.”

Damian lifted his chin. “I did. I refuse to stay bound to someone unworthy.”

His words landed like fresh wounds.

Kael didn’t flinch, just stared at him. Measured.

“Then you judged her worth—before the Moon even finished speaking.”

Damian fumbled. “The mark vanished. That proved I was right.”

“Or maybe,” Kael said quietly, “it proved you were impatient.”

The hush in the square returned. Damian’s jaw clenched.

“What exactly are you implying?”

“Nothing.” Kael sounded bored. “Just stating a fact.”

Damian stepped closer. “With respect, she belongs to our pack.”

Kael answered right away. “She belongs to no one.”

He turned his gaze on me.

“For now, only I decide what happens to her.”

Ice curled inside my chest at his words. Decide? It sounded way too much like claiming.

I found my voice. “I don’t want anyone deciding anything about me.”

Every face swung my way. My throat went dry, but I kept going.

“I don’t even know who you are. I don’t know why you’re helping. But I’m not going with you.”

The crowd gasped. I realized, yeah, I really had just refused the Alpha King.

Kael’s brows raised, just a blink of surprise, then his calm settled back in place.

“You think staying here’s safer?”

“I don’t know what to believe.” My voice shook. “But I do know—nobody helps someone for nothing.”

For half a second, pain flickered through his features—gone so fast, maybe I made it up.

“You’ve learned not to trust,” he said.

“I’ve learned to survive.”

I yanked my hand free.

“If you’re looking for something from me, you’ll be disappointed. I don’t have anything.”

Still, his eyes held mine.

“You have more than you realize.”

My heart started rattling in my chest. What was he talking about? Who was this man?

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“No.” His reply was almost gentle. “But I’ve been looking for you.”

The words stopped me cold. Looking for me? Why?

I barely had time to process it before Elder Varek shouted, “Warriors!”

Armed wolves closed in.

“If she tries to leave, the council rejects the King’s interference!” he barked.

The warriors wavered. Nobody wanted to face off against the Alpha King, but they didn’t dare cross the council, either.

You could feel the tension thrumming in everyone’s bones.

Kael pivoted to look at the advancing guards, his face too-calm.

“One chance,” his voice boomed through the court. “Stand down.”

They froze.

Then Kael’s Alpha aura washed over the square—heavy, suffocating. The ground shook beneath our feet. Half the warriors buckled, dropping to one knee. The others staggered away, pale and trembling.

“If anyone,” he said, scanning each face, “lays a hand on her again… you’re no longer my pack. You’re my enemy.”

For a heartbeat, nobody moved.

I stared at him, stunned. Was he really ready to spark a war—for me?

I took a step back. Actually, two.

“I said I’m not going.”

He looked my way.

“You don’t trust me.”

“No.”

“You think I’m keeping secrets.”

“Yes.”

“I am,” he said. No apology, just facts. “But I won’t explain here.”

“I’m staying,” I said.

“No.”

“I’m not leaving with you.”

“You are.”

Anger snapped in me.

“I’m not your prisoner! And I’m not your thing!”

For once, Kael’s face softened at the edges. Not quite a real smile—something quieter, maybe sad.

“I never said you were.”

Then—before I could react—he strode forward, swooping me into his arms. One arm under my knees, another at my back. The ground vanished.

I gasped. “W-what are you doing? Put me down!”

I thrashed, shoving at his chest, but he didn’t budge. His hold was unshakeable.

The whole square just watched, stunned, as Kael walked toward the palace gates with me in his arms.

I smacked his shoulder, still furious. “I said put me down!”

He didn’t even slow, voice smooth as ever. “You can complain all you want. You’re still coming with me.”