Rejected by my alpha claimed by the lycan king

Chapter 5

The Void wasn't just dark; it was empty. It felt like being submerged in freezing cold ink. There was no floor, no ceiling, and worst of all, no Viktor. The silence was so loud it made my ears ring, and for a second, the old Alina the one who hid in the packhouse pantry wanted to curl into a ball and cry.

But then, I felt it.

The Moon-Shard wasn't just a rock inside me anymore. It was a heartbeat. It pulsed against my ribs, radiating a heat that pushed back the freezing shadows. I looked down at my hands. They weren't just glowing; they were translucent, shimmering like moonlight on water.

"So," a voice hissed, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once. "The little wolf-less girl swallowed a star."

Three figures drifted out of the darkness. They looked like skeletons wrapped in smoke, with long, spindly fingers and eyes that were just hollow pits of purple fire. The Void-Walkers. They were the scavengers of the supernatural world, the things that lived in the cracks between dimensions.

"Give us the shard, little queen," the middle one whispered, its voice sounding like dry leaves skittering on a grave. "It does not belong in a vessel as fragile as you. It will burn you from the inside out."

"Come and get it," I snapped.

They lunged. They moved like snakes, twisting through the air. One of them swiped at my face, its claws trailing purple frost. I dodged, but the cold still nipped at my skin. I tried to summon the Silver Flame, but it felt different heavier, more solid.

I closed my eyes and reached for that internal heartbeat. I am not a mistake, I thought. I am not property. I am the moon.

BOOM.

A shockwave of pure, white light exploded from my chest. It wasn't just fire anymore; it was a physical force. The Void-Walkers were blasted back, their smoky bodies shredding like old paper.

But the power didn't stop there. My bones began to shift. This wasn't the agonizing, bone-breaking shift I'd seen the Blood-Moon wolves go through. This was... graceful. My skin hummed as it was covered in fur as white as a fresh snowstorm. My senses dialed up to eleven. I could smell the ozone of the portal, the decay of the walkers, and faintly the scent of cedarwood and lightning.

Viktor.

I let out a howl. It wasn't a cry for help; it was a command.

In my new form, I wasn't just a wolf. I was a giant, silver-white Lycan, with markings that glowed like ancient runes along my spine. I felt fast. I felt infinite.

I turned my head and saw a tiny flicker of purple light in the distance the closing portal.

"Oh no you don't," I growled (and yes, I could "speak" in my mind now).

I bolted. In the Void, distance didn't matter. I moved like a streak of falling light. The Void-Walkers tried to block my path, forming a wall of shadow, but I didn't slow down. I lowered my head and charged, my new silver claws tearing through the darkness like it was silk.

I reached the portal just as it was shrinking to the size of a coin. I shoved my paws into the gap and ripped.

I tumbled out of the air and slammed into the muddy ground of the Shadow-Border.

"Alina!"

I looked up, blinking. I was back in the swamp, but it looked like a war zone. Viktor was on one knee, his shoulder bleeding, fighting off three of Malakai’s elite guards. Malakai himself was standing over Viktor, raising a jagged stone spear.

Damon was nowhere to be seen the coward had probably bolted the second the portal opened.

I didn't hesitate. I leaped.

I landed between Viktor and Malakai with a force that cracked the ground. I was huge bigger than Viktor, bigger than any wolf I’d ever seen. My silver fur radiated a light so bright it blinded the guards.

Malakai froze, his spear trembling. "No... it's impossible. The Great White Lycan? That’s a legend! A myth from the First Age!"

I didn't give him time to pray to his myths. I swiped a massive paw, and the silver energy sent him flying across the swamp, pinning him to a tree. The guards dropped their weapons and fled into the mist, screaming about ghosts.

I turned to Viktor. I was still in my Lycan form, towering over him.

Viktor looked up at me, his golden eyes wide with an expression I’d never seen before. It wasn't just respect. It was awe. He reached out a shaky hand and touched my silver fur.

"Alina?" he whispered.

I shifted back. It happened in a blur of light, and suddenly I was standing there, breathless, my thrift-store dress finally giving up and falling apart (luckily, Viktor’s cloak was still wrapped around me).

"I'm back," I panted.

Viktor stood up, ignoring his wounds, and pulled me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe. He buried his face in my neck, his heart racing against mine. "I thought I lost you. I was going to tear the dimensions apart to find you."

"You don't have to," I said, pulling back to look at him. "I think I can find my own way now."

"You're not just a mate, Alina," Viktor said, his voice thick with emotion. "You're the Silver Queen. The prophecy... it said you would return when the world was at its darkest."

He looked toward the horizon, where the sun was finally starting to rise. The light touched the trees of the Blood-Moon territory in the distance.

"Damon and Malakai have started a war they can't win," Viktor said, his eyes turning cold. "They think they can unite the packs against us. They think we’re the monsters."

I looked at my hands. The silver light was gone, but I could feel it sleeping just beneath the surface, ready to roar.

"Then let's show them what a real monster looks like," I said. "It's time to go back to the Blood-Moon packhouse. I have some floors to clean... and I think I'll start with the Alpha's blood."

Viktor grinned, his fangs peeking out. "That's my Queen."