Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by the Lycan King

The first thing I noticed was his scent. Cedarwood. Rain. And something dark and intoxicating that made every nerve in my body come alive. I froze in the middle of the crowded pack hall. No. It couldn't be. Around me, members of the Blackwood Pack laughed and talked beneath the silver decorations hanging from the ceiling. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration—the night I turned eighteen, the night I would finally be able to recognize my mate. For years, I had dreamed about this moment. I just never imagined the Moon Goddess would be cruel enough to give me him. Kael Blackwood. The future Alpha. The man standing across the hall with one hand resting casually in the pocket of his black trousers. My heart slammed against my ribs. Kael lifted his head. His gray eyes found mine. And the world stopped. A strange heat exploded beneath my skin. My wolf had never spoken to me before. In fact, most people in the pack believed I barely had one. I had never shifted, never shown any unusual strength, and had spent most of my life being called the weakest Omega in Blackwood territory. But now something moved deep inside me. Something that had been sleeping for eighteen years. And then I heard her. One word. Mate. My breath caught. Kael's expression changed. Only for a second. But I saw it. Recognition. He felt it too. A laugh almost escaped my lips. For once, I didn't care about the whispers that followed me everywhere. I didn't care that I was the orphan the pack had taken in. I didn't care that other wolves called me wolfless behind my back. Kael Blackwood was my mate. The Moon Goddess had chosen me for the future Alpha. Maybe that meant I wasn't worthless after all. Maybe— "What the hell?" The voice came from beside Kael. Vanessa Ashford stared at me. She was beautiful in every way I wasn't—tall, elegant, golden-haired, and born to one of the strongest Beta families in the region. Her arm was linked through Kael's. Everyone knew they were expected to marry. But expectation wasn't the same as a mate bond. I swallowed and took a step toward him. "Kael..." His jaw tightened. That should have warned me. Instead, I smiled. "You're my mate." The conversations around us began to die. One by one, heads turned. Silence spread through the hall. Someone laughed. I heard another person whisper, "Elara?" "The Omega?" "She thinks the future Alpha is her mate?" Heat rushed into my cheeks. But I forced myself not to look away. Kael knew the truth. That was all that mattered. He would say it. He had to. I walked closer until only a few feet separated us. The bond pulled at me with every step. It was overwhelming. Beautiful. Painful. I could hear his heartbeat. Could smell his wolf beneath his skin. Everything inside me screamed that I belonged beside him. Kael stared at me. "Say something," I whispered. Vanessa released his arm. Her face had gone pale. "Kael, tell her she's mistaken." He said nothing. My smile slowly disappeared. "Kael?" His father, Alpha Marcus Blackwood, stepped forward from the crowd. The older Alpha looked between us, and something cold entered his eyes. "Is it true?" Kael finally moved. He walked toward me. My heart lifted stupidly. For one brief moment, I thought he was coming to take my hand. Instead, he stopped directly in front of me and lowered his voice. "You should have kept your mouth shut." I stared at him. "What?" "You shouldn't have announced it." The happiness inside me cracked. "But we're mates." His eyes hardened. "I know." Those two words hurt more than if he had denied it. Because he knew. And he looked furious about it. I glanced around. Hundreds of eyes were watching us. Vanessa stood behind him, her hands trembling. Alpha Marcus's expression was unreadable. "I don't understand," I whispered. Kael leaned closer. "Look at yourself, Elara." My chest tightened. "What does that mean?" "It means I'm going to be Alpha." "I know." "And an Alpha needs a Luna who strengthens his pack." Each word was calm. Deliberate. Cruel. I felt the first crack in my heart. "I can—" "You can't." He didn't even let me finish. "You haven't shifted. You can barely defend yourself. You have no family, no rank, no bloodline anyone knows about." His gaze swept over me. "You're an Omega." A few people laughed quietly. I wanted the floor to open beneath my feet. Still, I stayed. Because the bond was there. Surely that had to mean something. "The Moon Goddess chose us," I said. Kael's face remained cold. "The Moon Goddess doesn't have to lead this pack." That silenced everyone. Even his father looked surprised. I stared at the man fate had chosen for me. "Kael..." Vanessa walked to his side again. This time, Kael didn't move away when she took his hand. My eyes dropped to their intertwined fingers. Something inside me broke. "No," I whispered. Kael looked directly into my eyes. And then he said the words that destroyed every dream I had ever allowed myself to have. "I, Kael Blackwood, future Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, reject you, Elara Vale, as my mate." Pain ripped through me. I screamed. It felt as though invisible claws had torn straight through my chest. My knees struck the floor. The hall blurred. Someone gasped. Someone else laughed. But all I could hear was the violent pounding of my own heart. My mate had rejected me. On my eighteenth birthday. In front of my entire pack. I pressed a hand against my chest, struggling to breathe. Kael stood over me. For the first time, something uncertain flickered across his face. Maybe guilt. Maybe regret. I didn't care. Not anymore. "Accept it," Vanessa said softly. I looked up. She was smiling now. "End the bond, Elara." Kael's expression tightened. "Elara." My wolf whimpered somewhere deep inside me. The sound nearly shattered me. But beneath her pain, I felt something else. Something strange. Something angry. Accept it, a voice whispered inside my mind. I closed my eyes. Then forced myself to stand. My legs shook. My heart felt like it was dying. But I looked Kael Blackwood directly in the eyes. "I, Elara Vale..." His jaw clenched. "...accept your rejection." The bond snapped. Kael staggered. His hand flew to his chest. For one second, his carefully controlled expression disappeared. Pain. Real pain. Good. I hoped it hurt. I turned away. "Elara." Kael's voice followed me. I kept walking. "Elara!" I pushed through the doors and ran into the night. Cold rain struck my face. I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I couldn't stay there. Not after tonight. Not after him. I ran until the pack house disappeared behind the trees. Until my lungs burned. Until my legs finally gave out beside the river at the edge of Blackwood territory. I collapsed onto the wet ground. And cried. I cried for the mate I had waited eighteen years to find. For the family I never had. For the foolish girl who had believed fate might finally give her something good. "I hate you," I whispered. I didn't know whether I meant Kael or the Moon Goddess. Maybe both. Thunder rolled overhead. Then something burned beneath my skin. I gasped. The pain was different from the rejection. Hotter. Deeper. It spread from my chest through every vein in my body. I grabbed my wrist. For a heartbeat, silver light appeared beneath my skin. I stared at it. "What...?" The light vanished. Then my wolf spoke again. But this time her voice wasn't weak. It wasn't frightened. It was ancient. Powerful. And furious. Run. I stopped breathing. "Why?" A branch snapped behind me. I turned. Three enormous wolves stepped out of the darkness. They weren't from Blackwood Pack. The largest one bared its teeth. My wolf growled inside me. Then she whispered words that made my blood turn cold. They know who you are.