The Moon Refused My Rejection

The Blood Right

Kael's Pov

"North gate is secure," Ronan said, not looking up from his tablet.

"Patrols are doubled along the tree line. Headcount is at two hundred and forty."

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of my office, watching the black SUVs pull into the Manor's circular driveway.

The rain was starting to fall, blurring the city lights in the distance. "Make it two hundred and fifty. We have late arrivals from the southern territories."

Ronan’s fingers paused over the screen. "I’ll add them to the guest list. Do you want them seated in the main hall or the annex?"

"Annex," I said. "Keep them away from the Elders."

Ronan nodded, tapping the screen. "Done. Security is tight, Kael. No one gets in without a blood scan."

Before I could answer, the heavy oak door swung open. Selene Morva walked in, holding a thick, leather-bound folder. She didn't knock. She never knocked.

"Kael," she said, her voice dripping with that practiced, sugary sweetness she used in public.

"I was just reviewing the seating chart with the event coordinator. I moved the Morva family to the front table, right next to yours. It makes more sense for the Elders to see us together."

I turned away from the window. Selene was beautiful, no doubt about it.

She had the sharp cheekbones, the perfect hair, and the kind of smile that looked great on magazine covers. But her eyes were cold, calculating, and entirely focused on the ring she thought she was already wearing.

Two years of playing my date for cameras and Council dinners, and somewhere along the way she'd convinced herself the arrangement was real.

"Ronan," I said, my voice flat. "Did I approve the seating chart changes?"

Ronan looked up, his expression perfectly neutral. "No, sir. The chart is still pending your review."

I looked back at Selene. She was smiling, but her jaw was tight. "Selene, you aren't Luna yet. You don't get to assign tables."

The smile slipped. "I was just trying to help. The Elders expect—"

"The Elders expect me to lead this pack," I interrupted, stepping closer. "Not you. Leave the folder with Ronan and get out of my office."

She stared at me for a second, her cheeks flushing a faint pink. Then she set the folder on the edge of my desk, gave me a tight nod, and walked out, her heels clicking sharply against the hardwood floor.

Ronan let out a quiet breath. "I'll have security escort her to the guest lounge."

"Do that," I said.

As the door clicked shut, another knock echoed through the room. This one was heavier. More deliberate.

"Enter," I said.

Corwin walked in. He was one of the three High Elders, a man who had been in the pack since before I was born.

He wore a tailored charcoal suit, but he looked like he belonged in a courtroom, not a party.

"Alpha," Corwin said, offering a slight, respectful nod. "Ronan. I need a moment of your time."

Ronan looked at me. I gave a short nod, and Ronan slipped out the side door, closing it quietly behind him.

I walked over to my desk and sat down, gesturing to the chair opposite me. "What is it, Corwin? The event starts in an hour."

Corwin didn't sit. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes locking onto mine.

"I am here to remind you of the deadline, Kael. The solstice moon rises tonight. If you do not claim a mate by midnight, the Blood Right is invoked."

I leaned back in my leather chair, keeping my face completely blank. "I know the law, Corwin."

"Do you?" he challenged, his voice dropping an octave. "Because from where the Elders are sitting, you look like a man who is planning to walk out of this Manor alone. If you miss the deadline, they will invoke the Blood Right. They will force you to abdicate, and your cousin takes the crown. No challenge, no fight. Just a legal transfer of power."

My chest tightened. "My cousin doesn't have the strength to lead."

"He has the backing of the Elders," Corwin said sharply.

"Which is all that matters. You need to pick a Luna tonight. An approved match. Someone from the Elder families."

I stared at him, letting the silence stretch. "And if I pick a real mate? If the Moon Goddess actually chooses someone for me tonight?"

Corwin’s expression hardened. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. He placed it on my desk.

"Then you are in trouble," Corwin said quietly.

"The Oracle ran the true-mate prophecy this morning. If a real, fated bond seats tonight... the Draven line ends with you."

I looked down at the parchment. I didn't reach for it. "Explain."

"The prophecy is absolute," Corwin said.

"Your bloodline is already compromised. If you claim a fated mate, the bond will trigger a genetic collapse. Your children will not survive. The Draven name dies in one generation."

My chest tightened, a familiar, dull ache spreading behind my ribs. "So the choice is simple. I either lose my crown to my cousin, or I lose my future children to the Moon Goddess."

"The choice is to do your duty," Corwin corrected. "Pick an Elder-approved woman. Reject any fated bond if the Goddess tries to force one on you. It is the only way to save the pack."

He turned and walked out, leaving the parchment on my desk.

I stared at the paper for a long time. None of them wanted me. They wanted the crown. They wanted the billions in the Draven corporate accounts. They wanted the status.

I thought about my mother. She had been the most beautiful woman in the pack. She had been my father's fated mate.

But she wanted more.

She broke her bond for a stronger Alpha. My father challenged the man she left him for to a death match. He lost, and died in that fight. She left the pack and never looked back.

She destroyed everything because she followed her own desires. I wouldn't make the same mistake. I wouldn't let a fated bond destroy my father's legacy.

I picked up the parchment, walked over to the fireplace, and dropped it into the flames. I watched it burn to ash.

Tonight, I would pick a safe, boring, Elder-approved match. I would secure the crown. And I would reject anything real before it cost me what it cost my father.

The door opened again. Ronan walked back in, holding his tablet.

"Security is in position," he said. "But I have one flag on the guest list."

I turned to him. "What is it?"

"An irregular name was added late," Ronan said, frowning at the screen. "It was pushed through by the Beta's wife. Vivian."

I frowned. Vivian rarely involved herself in Manor events. "Who is it?"

"Just an Omega," Ronan said. "No file, no history. The system just flagged it because it was added ten minutes ago."

"Keep an eye on her," I said, adjusting my cuffs. "If she causes a problem, have security remove her quietly."

"Understood," Ronan said.

I walked past him, heading for the door. It was time to go downstairs. Time to face the Elders, the crowd, and the fake smiles. I had a crown to keep, and I wasn't going to let anyone take it from me.