THE REJECTED LUNA BELONGS TO THE CURSED VAMPIRE KING

Chapter One Alisha's POV I lay back on my bed, lazily scrolling through the photos on my phone. Deleting old memories was my way of passing time until that picture popped up—my sixteen-year-old self, grinning with hope. My smile was real, my eyes full of dreams. I wasn't excited because it was my birthday but I was excited because I was going to be transformed and most especially find my mate. It's been four years now and I still remember everything that happen that day. " Alisha! Is she home" I heard May, my best friend called out my name. We were supposed to be at the gathering tonight but I'm not exactly in the mood for the ceremony—the annual gathering where everyone changes and then gets to find their mates. To me it felt pointless and I had accepted my fate. I was about to go into hiding when May barged in with Willy, our other friend. " What are you still doing?" May asked as she looked at my dress " You aren't dressed yet" " May" I called signalling for her to calm her nerves. She looked ethereal tonight. Her silverly gown accentuating the wild promise in her eyes. This was how amazing she looked four years back, when we were both eager to witness the transformation and hoped fate would be kind on us. I guess i was the only unlucky one. My eyes drifted to Willy who stood by the door arms folded, he was definitely manning the doorpost in case I was going to escape. Who would have thought he was going to be May's mate. A little smile played on my face as I faced May holding her in my hands " It's pointless going there again this year. I have accepted my fate" " What are you saying Alisha" May asked, her eyes teary as she squeezed my hand in hers " Tonight might be...." " May" I called with all seriousness " It has been four years and nothing has changed why should I keep hoping for the impossible" My voice laced with anguish as I turned my back against them to wipe away the tears at the corner of my eyes " As long as I have you both I am fine" I said. May held my shoulder in silent support. Then Willy spoke up. " You promised you’d come to Luke’s coronation. He’s going to be Alpha, you know.” I turned towards them both " I made that promise four years ago but he is becoming an Alpha tonight, I am sure he doesn't need me to be there. what happened two years ago still lingers in the heart of many and do you think he would ever be able to forgive my family? " I asked as i slowly walked towards my bed. Then, my family used to be so close to the Alpha even before my father became the beta- the second in command but not anymore. The relationship between I and Luke broke afterwards. " Anna is transforming tonight also" Willy said. I turned to them immediately as my eyes lit up with excitement. " Fine you guys won" I said. Anna is Willy younger sister and I have always loved her like a sister I never had. She's turning sixteen today. I had promised her I wasn't going to miss the day she transforms. ******* The pack gathered at the palace where the moonlight felt almost alive, shimmering across ancient stone. Everyone buzzed with excitement for Luke’s coronation. He sat high with the elders, his presence already commanding. When he looked my way, his eyes were icy—still unforgiving. " Would he ever forgive us?" I asked myself and I nodded negatively. Not now that he is becoming an Alpha, he would make sure my father pays with every drop of his blood regardless he was now in prison. May held my hand in hers and whispered into my ears. " Hope you find him tonight" I smiled on hearing it wanting to believe I would. I watched the elders placed the crown on Luke's head and announced him the next Alpha of our park. Irrespective of how young he was, he already had the Aura of an Alpha. Tonight, he turned eighteen - the age when boys finally discovered their mates. I played with my fingers eager to know who his mate would be. The air crackled as the full moon rose, bones shifting and fur rippling as wolves began to transform. Every wolf transforms at 16 but the girls usually met their mates right after their first transformation but boys had to wait until they were eighteen. Under the full moon where Anna stood I brought my phone out wanting to capture every moment of she transforming when I perceived something entirely different from the scent of wolves. it was powerful and unfamiliar. My wolf stirred and before I knew it we both screamed out in excitment " Mate!!" " Could it be? Did I just perceive the scent of my mate?" I asked my self. The Scent of my mate was irresistible and it had this Aura that I couldn't explain. I dipped my phone into my pocket forgetting about Anna as I trailed the Scent to where it was coming from. Just then the moon light shone upon me making me the center of attraction and standing a few meters away from me was Luke - His eyes cold and unreadable. I froze on seeing him as I watched him clench and unclench his fist before he turned to leave. Then the strange, electric connection between us only grew stronger. " He is ours" My wolf cried in my head as confusion clouded me. " Was that why he was staring at me in that way? He must have trailed my scent also. " The Alpha has found his chosen" one of the elder voice rang and the crowd hushed and pressed closer. " I pray I am mistaken" I muttered to myself taking a deep breath as I approached where others were already gathered. May and Willy found me, both excited. “Anna found her mate" Willy said, but I barely heard him. May looked at me, concern written on her face. “Alisha, did you…?” Before I could answer, Luke’s voice cut through the night, sharp and commanding. " The moon goddess has wrongly chosen a mate for me" I drifted my gaze to him as my heart pounded in my chest." Alisha Hale would not be my mate and never would she become a luna" A cold wave of shock swept the room. My knees buckled, pain radiating from deep inside. Then came the final blow " So I reject Alisha Hale as my mate.” his voice sharp. I crumpled and immediately tears rolled down my cheeks as my heart twitched in pains. Years of hope dissolved in a moment, my mate not only younger, but ready to reject me before we even had a chance. Willy and May rushed to me and held me as I shook in grief . " But why? Why does the moon goddess have to suffer me this way? " I cried feeling the burn of some looks and the pity in others who stared at me. In shame i buried my head in anguish as I wept uncontrollably. Just then May rose to her feet in a fist of rage " You can't reject her, not now. She has waited all her life" " Yes! you can't hate her forever, What happened two years ago wasn't her fault. She has suffered enough" I heard Willy voice echoed. The lights began to blur as I cried, my friend’s voices distant, braved enough as they stood up for me regardless they were confronting an Alpha. My wolf aching inside me as i slowly blacked out.