Chapter 2: Rejected Under the Moon
915 Words
Megan’s POV
The moon shone bright and full above the sacred stone, sending a silvery radiance across the entire Riverbed Pack. All had assembled in elegant tunics and robes. The aristocrats' eyes were sparkling with anticipation as they stood in graceful rows. Other omegas and I were marginalised and hardly acknowledged.
My chest was thumping with my heart. My hands were sweaty. Under the moon's auspices, mates were unveiled tonight during the Moonlight Ceremony.
I had no expectations.
Omegas like me were never chosen. We couldn't be seen.
However, a weird energy stirred deep within, as if my soul was waiting for something. Something significant.
Alpha Ronan, wearing a black cloak lined with silver, approached the precious stone. The crowd fell hushed as he walked confidently and with strength. Everyone was observing him. Being his mate was the goal of every she-wolf.
His voice could be heard clearly. We assemble for the sacred bond at the Moon's whim. Tonight, may the strands of fate unite hearts.
"May the Moon choose," the audience replied.
Behind me, Freya and her companions whispered. What if the Moon bestows upon him a powerful person, such as Lara or me?
I remained silent and looked at my feet.
I was unaware that fate had already begun to stir.
My chest was suddenly pulled sharply. I gasped.
Between Ronan and... myself, a dazzling silver line blazed through the air.
I blinked. He slowly turned, looking around the crowd.
And then, his look met mine.
It all froze.
My heart pounded.
The relationship was like a bolt of lightning, snapping into place.
The crowd was filled with gasps.
Ronan's eyes first widened in shock before rapidly narrowing in rage.
Like a wildfire, whispers spread. "An omega and the alpha...?"
"Not at all!"
"Isn't this her birthday? She recently became eighteen!
I also sensed it. The draw. The link. My inner wolf let out a joyful howl.
I opened my mouth and took a tentative step forward. "Ronan..."
However, he abruptly raised his hand.
The warmth faded in a moment.
"No," Ronan answered in a tone as icy as ice. "No. I refuse to accept this bond.
I felt as though the air was leaving my lungs.
"You, Megan, daughter of no one, omega filth, are not welcome as my mate, Alpha Ronan of the Riverbed Pack."
Like knives, the words struck.
I faltered.
Deep inside me, my wolf howled and whined in agony. The rejection tore like fire through my chest, causing my knees to buckle. "I refuse to be bound by a curse," he continued, raising his voice. "You are a discolouration. An error. Death is preferable to claiming you.
People chuckled. Freya gave a sly smile and clapped her hands.
I watched Lara, the daughter of a renowned warrior, approach him.
"And to demonstrate my position," Ronan said, "I declare that I am courting Lara." A true she-wolf deserving of my ancestry.
My eyes welled up with tears.
Anguish wracked through my bones and heart.
"I am... I said, "I'm sorry," but I had no idea what I was apologising for.
Ronan didn't give me another look.
The people in the crowd ignored me. My wolf moaned again, collapsing into a ball of grief inside me. I took off running.
I just knew that I needed to leave, but I had no idea where I was heading.
The sounds of music and laughing faded behind me as I pushed through the trees, tears clouding my vision. My lungs burned as my feet thrashed on the forest floor.
I continued.
How was I able to?
I had always been cursed. And now the Moon had deceived me cruelly as well.
Why would I find him through the bond?
How come it would bind me to someone who detested me?
The trees grew darker as I ran farther. This was about as far as the moonlight could reach. Along the woods, shadows slipped.
I heard a twig snap behind me.
I went cold. One more picture. My breath caught.
Then I could hear it—growing.
Not wolves, I recognised. Rogues.
"Observe what we have here," a deep voice said with laughter.
I turned around. Out from behind the trees came three rogue wolves. Unclean. Untamed. They had dark, matted fur.
"An omega alone on the night of rejection?" Someone else scoffed. "How practical."
I slowly retreated. "Please, don't get any closer."
Halfway through, their eyes glowed with hunger, and their claws grew longer.
One person remarked, "You smell like pain." "That type of fragrance is the best."
I turned to run. It's too late. They leaped.
I let out a yell.
A massive snarl tore through the air.
Branches broke. From the shadows, something huge sprang into view.
An enormous black wolf.
Larger than any I had yet seen.
With a roar that rocked the earth, it sprang toward the rogues, its eyes glowing gold.
The rogues whirled around in fear.
However, they moved too slowly.
With its fangs bared, the black wolf crashed into them like a storm.
I fell behind a tree, trembling and clutching my chest.
Who was that?
He smelled... odd, but why?
The hurt of Ronan's rejection was still present in me. However, a fresh sensation arose in the air.
Strength.
Risk.
And destiny.
I said one phrase to myself while the fight raged mere feet away.
"Why me?"
However, I felt in my heart that this was not the end.
It was only the start.
- Writer
