THE REJECTED LUNA

ALPHA'S MATE

“Don't be a lazy child, you little piece of s**t!”

The scent of roasting meat and woodsmoke was supposed to be comforting. For weeks, it had woven through the trees of Blackwood territory, a promise of celebration. Tonight, it just made Moira’s stomach twist. She was running late, the last of the communal laundry finally pinned and flapping on the line behind the Omega Quarters. The water from the last rinse had turned her fingers to ice from the cold weather and the matron wasn't letting things off easily.

She scrambled, drying her hands on her old dress, pulling the new one over her head. It was a simple, deep blue wool dress she got on her eighteenth birthday from her father.

And it was one of the dresses Cain said he liked on her. It was one of the dresses that fitted every corner, though twenty-one now one would think she'd outgrown it, but the dress only accentuated her figure, and it was the best she owned. She even borrowed a little pot of rose stain from the old omega Mara to dab on her lips and cheeks, hoping the color would chase the pallor from her skin. In the wavy reflection of her window glass, she’d looked almost… hopeful. A foolish, fluttering feeling she tried to shove down.

Now, standing at the edge of the great clearing of the heavily decorated pack house, that feeling felt trapped beating against her ribs. The entire Blackwood Pack was here, a sea of bodies that made her nervous. If Cain eventually announced her presence on that stage, she'd dissipate. Immediately.

Alphas are creatures known for their pride and confidence. Cain was a full embodiment of that, leading the pack even before his enthronement was assured. Moira sighed. She doesn't know what he saw in her, or what prompted him to accept her as his mate. And today...

Today, less than twenty-four hours after his inauguration, is where he'll publicly acknowledge his mate. Where he'll publicly acknowledge me, a time when he's going to bring me out of all the misery I've endured as a lowly omega, a late shifter for that matter, since my father's death and mother's abandonment.

The day when the ache buried deep in my chest would go away. The doubt that he'd leave me and love someone better, even though he had assured me a million times days before about my doubts, my intrusive thoughts telling me he'd leave me the way my mother did.

I shook my head. He wouldn't want me to think that and this was our perfect night. I shouldn't jinx it.

The bonfire at the side, near the stage, was roaring with the wind, sending sparks clawing at the star-strewn sky. Tonight was the official ascension of the best thing that's ever happened to her, her mate, her lover, Alpha Cain Sullivan, succeeding his late father.

She giggled internally at the title.

For the last three months, a strange, warm current had been pulling at her insides, growing stronger every time Cain was near. It wasn’t just his new, intimidating Alpha aura, a scent of frost and fir that now clung to him. It was a tug in her very blood. Her twentieth birthday had passed under the last full moon, and with it, went with her wolf, Chloe had dragged her to the park doctor to find out what was wrong and the only thing the poor would say was that Moira's past trauma was taking a toll on her.

She smiled widely when she saw Cain. He stood on the raised wooden platform, dressed in a dark, formal tunic, the traditional alpha pelt draped over one shoulder. The flames painted his sharp features in golden shadows, highlighting almost all his perfect features. He looked every inch the leader he was appointed to be, tall, powerful, his dark blonde hair neat, his amber eyes scanning his people with gravity. Her breath hitched. The warm current inside her surged, turning into a physical pull, an invisible thread tied around her heart and knotted to his.

He feels it too, she thought, a desperate, wild hope blooming in her chest. He must.

“There you are!” A familiar, light voice broke through her reverie. Chloe appeared at her side, looking like she’d stepped out of a storybook dressed in a cream-colored silk, her dress, her golden hair intricately braided with tiny wildflowers. The smell of jasmine all over her. She linked her arm through Moira’s, her grip tight. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You look… you made it.”

Moira managed a weak smile. Chloe was her best friend, the perfect best friend, had been since they were pups hiding from lessons in the berry thickets. “I got held up. You look beautiful, Chlo.”

“It’s a big night, of course, I look beautiful,” Chloe said, her eyes drifting to the platform. “Everything’s going to change for you, my bestie.”

Before Moira could answer, the deep, resonant tone of the pack bell cut through the noise. The crowd hushed, turning as one toward the platform. The eldest member of the pack's council, Silas, stepped forward.

“Good full moon my fellow packmates! We gather under the moon to witness and affirm. Alpha Cain, a pureblood of the blackwood pack, has endured the trials, with his strength proven, and his spirit is willing. Tonight, he accepts the mantle of Alpha, to lead, to protect, and to bind his life to the strength of Blackwood.”

A rumble of approval moved through the crowd, but they all burst into claps and hooting.

Silas’s eyes found Moira in the crowd before he looked away with a small smile. “The heart of an Alpha must be anchored,” he intoned. “The moon goddess grants not just power, but a bond. A tether to his other half, whose strength complements his own. The Fated Mate.”

The fluttering in Moira’s chest became a frantic drumming. This was it. And it seemed like Elder Silas knew about it too. The thread inside her pulled taut, humming. She took an involuntary step forward. Chloe’s arm tightened, holding her back for a second before letting go.

“Our Dear Alpha,” Silas continued. “Your wolf has awakened ages ago, but does it recognize its other half?” Silas glanced at Moira for a second. “Does it call for its mate?”