Cursed To Be His - The Alpha's Rejected Mate

Aria's POV I had dreamed of this day since I was ten years old. Not the decorations. Not the music. But the moment I would finally meet my mate. The one person the Moon Goddess made just for me. The one who would finally look at me and see something other than the pack's Omega. The weakest. The worthless. My 18th birthday. The mate ball. Every unmated wolf in the Shadow Fang Pack was here, wearing their best dress. I wore the only dress I had, one I found in the pack's charity bin. It was too big, but I tried to make myself pretty. Then I smelled him. Woodsmoke and pine. My mate. My wolf, who had been silent for 18 years, suddenly whimpered inside me: Mate! Mate! I turned. And my heart stopped. Standing across the room, looking right at me with shock and then disgust, was Alpha Kaden. Kaden Black. The Alpha of Shadow Fang. The boy who had pushed me into the river when I was 12. Who had let his friends burn my books. Who was 6'3, ruthless, handsome, and hated me more than anyone. No. Moon Goddess, no. Not him. He walked towards me. The crowd parted. Every girl stared with envy, thinking he was coming for them. He stopped in front of me. He looked down at my charity-bin dress. He inhaled my scent one more time to be sure. Then he said the words that would kill me. "I, Alpha Kaden Black, reject you, Aria White, as my mate and Luna." The hall went silent. Then someone laughed. Then everyone laughed. My knees gave out. The mate bond was tearing. It felt like someone was ripping my heart out with claws. I could feel my weak wolf dying inside me. "Why?" I whispered, tears finally falling. "Why would the Goddess pair me with you if you hate me?" He leaned down, his alpha voice cold enough to freeze fire. "Because the Goddess has a sick sense of humor. An Alpha like me can never be mated to a worthless Omega like you. Now get out of my sight before your stench ruins my party." I ran. I ran out of the packhouse, out of the lights, into the forbidden forest where Omegas are not allowed to go. Where rogues kill you. But I didn't care. A rejected Omega doesn't live long anyway. I collapsed under the full moon, sobbing. And that's when the pain started. Not the rejection pain. A different pain. Bones cracking. Skin burning. My first shift. At 18. Impossible for an Omega. I screamed as my body tore itself apart.