The Alpha Who Rejected His Cure

Liora Hope is a dangerous thing when you've spent most of your life being unwanted. Still, somehow, it refuses to die, quiet, stubborn, and impossible to kill. Even now. “Miss Liora, the Alpha summons you to the palace.” My heart jumped. “The Alpha? Give me just a second. I’ll be right out.” I scrambled to my feet from the floor, dust clinging to my skirts as the herbs I had been carefully sorting scattered across the ground, a smile spreading across my face before I could stop it. The Alpha was calling for me. Rafael. was calling for me. I had been waiting for this summon for months. This was the one that was going to change my life forever, the one that would turn me from the pack’s outcast into its Luna. The thought alone made my smile widen. I rushed to the small mirror hanging beside the door, taking a quick glance at my reflection before hurrying back to the messenger. Together, we started walking towards the palace. The whispers began before I even reached the assembly grounds. They followed me down every corridor of the packhouse like a trail of smoke, like a stigma that refused to fade. “Yeah, that’s her. The wolfless one. A null. Can you imagine that? How could a null be chosen?” I swallowed hard, pinching the inside of my wrist to stay grounded. I couldn’t get distracted. I couldn’t let their words get inside my head. After all, I had heard them my entire life, and Alpha Rafael. still chose me. “The Alpha’s mate? I heard he accepted her despite her low status. She's freaking wolfless!” I dug my fingers into my wrist and pressed my lips together. You’re damn right he chose me. “That can’t be real. He summoned her? I heard he did. Maybe he’s going to crown her Luna.” I lifted my chin and kept walking, my hands interlocked together, my head still hanging low. Because today, Rafael. was finally going to silence them. I wiped at the tears threatening to spill from my eyes with the back of my palm. Tears of joy, if I was being honest. For years, I had given everything to this pack, not that I had much of a choice. Being a null meant you worked or you starved so I made myself useful. I took every menial task a wolfless person could do. I trained as a low-level healer. I gathered herbs, cleaned wounds, scrubbed floors, anything that proved I truly belonged here. And yet, nothing changed. Not the gossips, not the curses, not the whispers. Nothing! Because no matter what I did, I was still wolfless and the wolfless had no place in pack society. I accepted the ridicule like it was some twisted badge of honor for all my back breaking labor. Until three months ago. The annual Moon Festival. The night the Moon Goddess guided every wolf to their fated mate, the night bonds were revealed and acknowledged, it was to be a happy night for those present. I attended because it was considered treason not to. Otherwise, I would have happily stayed home, buried in ancient books and herb bundles. I had even brought a small pouch with me, planning to collect herbs on the edge of the forest later once the crowd was dispersed. Because there was no way I would be able to find my mate, I was wolfless anyway so it would be impossible for me. After all, there was no place for me at the Moon Festival. And even if there was, I would only be rejected the moment someone realized I was their mate. I was seated right at the back, away from anyone that would feel offended by my presence and by that, I meant everyone. Then the bond snapped into place, I felt the tingling sensation, I felt the pull towards…Alpha Rafael.. I had been mated to our pack’s Alpha. Alpha Rafael.. At the same time, I felt his eyes staring directly towards where I was seated. My heart plummeted straight into my stomach as he searched the hall from the raised platform. His golden gray eyes scanned the crowd instinctively, already knowing that somewhere inside the hall… I was there. My lips trembled, I twisted my hands together to stop them from shaking so much. How could someone like me, someone the pack considered an abomination, be mated to the Alpha? Would he kill me for this? Would I be silenced? I clutched the edge of the chair, trying to hide myself, praying he wouldn’t see me. I just needed a few more hours for him not to find me and I would quietly leave like I was never here. My eyes stayed shut, the back of the chair in front of me keeping me protected from being seen. Then suddenly, warm hands cupped my face and I went completely still, frozen at the spot, and then I looked up slowly. Every nerve in my body sparked to life as my eyes met his, it was like a butterfly in my stomach yet I could feel the abyss I was falling into. I bowed immediately, lowering my head as I waited for the rejection to come. It never did. Instead, he began stroking my hair softly. The pack refuted, all manner of things were being said to dissuade Alpha Rafael. from acknowledging the bond, yet his hands had just squeezed mine softly. He had chosen me. Despite the advice, despite all the whispers and murmurs, we had acknowledged the bond. In one night, I had gone from just a null to soon to be Luna. “We are here. Please wait back here, I'll announce your presence to the Alpha." The messenger whispered and I nodded enthusiastically. The assembly grounds were packed to the brim, almost everyone was present, no wonder the streets seemed a little too empty. My palm immediately felt sweaty. Was he going to crown me Luna today? I looked down at the dress I was putting on and frowned. If I had known, I would have put on a slightly better one. "Miss Liora, please come forward.” My heart thundered in my chest. Oh here it is finally. I stepped forward toward the raised podium, every eye in the assembly fixed on me. But I saw none of them. My entire focus was on him. Alpha Rafael.. He stood tall and regal beneath the Moon Goddess banner, power radiating from him like a living thing. A woman stood beside him, but I barely spared her a glance. She wasn’t anyone I needed to worry about. When I reached the front, I lowered my head respectfully, forcing my lips to remain neutral despite the smile threatening to break free. “I, Rafael., Alpha of the Shadowmere Pack…” He began. My heart soared. After three months, he was finally going to acknowledge me before the pack. I was going to pack Luna. My parents, wherever their spirits were, would be so proud of me right now. “…reject you, Null Liora, as my mate.”