Rejected By My Mate, Claimed by His Rivals

Lyra POV The first thing my stepmother said to me that night was: “Don’t embarrass yourself.” I stared at my reflection while tightening my fingers around the silver chain resting against my collarbone. “You heard me, Lyra.” Marianne walked into my room without knocking, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. “Stop looking at yourself like tonight is some fairytale.” My throat tightened. “I’m not.” She laughed. “Please. Every i***t in this house knows you’re hoping Kael Ravenwood finally claims you tonight.” I looked away from the mirror before she could see the hope written all over my face. That alone annoyed her. Marianne crossed her arms and leaned against the door. “An Alpha like Kael would never choose a weak Omega.” Weak Omega. I’d heard those words my whole life. At Blackthorne Academy, Omegas were tolerated, not respected. Especially Omegas without powerful families, money, or status. People like me survived by staying invisible. Unfortunately, being invisible became impossible the second Kael Ravenwood started noticing me. Or maybe I imagined all of it. Maybe I was stupid enough to mistake kindness for love. “You’re shaking,” Marianne said coldly. I quickly clasped my hands together. “I’m fine.” “You should stay home.” That hurt more than it should have. “Tonight is the Moon Bond Ceremony,” I whispered. “Everyone has to attend.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Then at least keep your dignity when he chooses someone else.” The door slammed behind her. Then, silence filled the room. I looked back at myself slowly. The silver dress hugging my body wasn’t expensive, but it fit well enough. My curls fell loosely over my shoulders, and for once, I didn’t completely hate the girl staring back at me. Maybe tonight really would change something. Kael had never officially claimed me. But he’d never pushed me away either. Not truly. I still remembered the night winter storms knocked out power across campus and everyone rushed toward the dormitories. Someone shoved me hard enough to make me fall on the ice. Kael broke the guy’s nose for touching me. “You okay?” he’d asked afterward, crouching beside me. Nobody had ever looked at me the way he did that night. Like I mattered. Like he saw me. And three weeks ago during combat training, when another Alpha mocked me for being too weak to shift properly, Kael nearly lost control of his wolf. “Say that again,” he’d growled. I should’ve known then that a wolf only reacts like that over territory, I mean , over their mates. My heart beat painfully fast. Tonight had to mean something. It had to. ******** Blackthorne Academy looked unreal beneath the moonlight. Silver lanterns hung across the courtyard while music drifted through the cold air. Wolves from powerful packs filled the enormous campus dressed in designer suits and glittering gowns worth more than my entire wardrobe. Laughter echoed everywhere..Champagne glasses clinked. The scent of expensive perfume mixed with cedarwood and whiskey. And somehow, despite all the beauty around me, I still felt painfully out of place. The second I walked through the entrance, people stared..Whispers followed almost immediately. “That’s Lyra Vale.” “The Omega?” “She actually came?” I kept my chin up and continued walking even while my stomach twisted itself into knots. Then someone slammed into my shoulder. “Oh my God,” Selena Moreau gasped dramatically. “I didn’t even see you there.” The girls around her burst into laughter. Of course. I should’ve known she’d be waiting. Selena looked perfect tonight. Gold dress. Diamond earrings. Dark curls falling down her back. She looked like the type of girl people automatically moved aside for. And standing next to her in my simple silver dress made me feel even smaller. Her eyes slowly traveled over me. “You clean up nicely,” she said. “Still not enough, though.” One of her friends snorted. Then, I tried walking around them. Selena blocked my path instantly. “You know what I don’t understand?” she asked sweetly. “Why you keep humiliating yourself over a man who clearly doesn’t want you.” My chest tightened. “Move.” Her smile widened slightly. “You think Kael’s going to claim you tonight?” I didn’t answer.That was answer enough. Selena leaned closer. “Kael likes attention, Lyra. He likes people worshipping him. That doesn’t mean he actually wants you.” “That’s enough, Selena,” someone muttered nearby. She ignored it. “You’re an Omega from a ruined bloodline. He’s the future Alpha king. Use your brain.” The words stung because they were true. But, before I could respond, the crowd suddenly erupted into cheers. Every head turned toward the staircase overlooking the courtyard. My breath caught instantly. Kael. He was wearing a black suit. With broad shoulders mounted perfectly, dark hair slightly messy like he’d run his fingers through it too many times. He looked devastating. Girls practically melted whenever he walked into a room. But it wasn’t his face that ruined me. It was his eyes. Cold one second and dangerous the next. The captain of Blackthorne’s wolf football team. The strongest Alpha in the academy. And unfortunately… mine. At least, I hoped he was. Kael descended the staircase slowly while students crowded around him immediately. Then his eyes found mine. Everything else disappeared. The noise, music and the people in the hall, gone to me His gaze locked onto me so intensely my wolf stirred beneath my skin. Mate. The word echoed softly through me. Kael stopped walking completely..For one terrifying second, he looked affected too. Like he couldn’t breathe. Hope bloomed painfully inside my chest. Then Selena walked over and wrapped herself around his arm. The moment shattered. Kael looked away first. My stomach dropped. “Students,” Headmaster Orion’s voice thundered through the courtyard. “The Moon Bond Ceremony will now begin.” Excited murmurs spread everywhere as everyone gathered near the moonstone platform. This ceremony happened once every year under the Blood Moon. Wolves acknowledged mates publicly before the academy and pack elders. Some relationships ended tonight, while others began. My palms were sweating. One by one, students stepped forward.Cheers erupted after every accepted bond. Some kissed, some cried, and some marked each other right there in front of everyone. Meanwhile, Kael stood near the platform looking tense enough to snap.He kept glancing at me. Then looking away, then back again. My heartbeat became unbearable. Maybe he was nervous, maybe his father pressured him not to claim an Omega publicly. Maybe– “Kael Ravenwood.” The headmaster smiled slightly. “Step forward.” The crowd exploded instantly. Everyone loved Kael, most especially girls. I could barely breathe while he walked toward the center platform beneath the moonstone arch. The elder beside him raised both hands. “Have you found the one chosen by your wolf?” Silence erupted. Kael’s jaw tightened. Then slowly… His eyes lifted toward me. The crowd noticed immediately. Whispers spread everywhere. “No way.” “It’s her?” “The Omega girl?” Heat rushed through my body. My wolf stirred wildly. Mate. Kael stared at me so intensely my knees nearly gave out. Then the elder spoke again. “Bring forth your mate.” The crowd parted automatically. I couldn’t feel my legs as I walked toward him. This was happening. Oh God. This was actually happening. I stopped in front of him beneath the moonlight. The mate bond slammed into me violently the second we stood close enough. Emotion clogged my throat. Kael inhaled sharply. He felt it too, I knew he did, then , my eyes burned with tears. Finally. Finally— “Her?” The word hit me like a slap. Confusion rippled through the crowd. Kael looked down at me with an expression so cold my chest physically hurt. “You seriously thought it was you?” he asked loudly. The entire courtyard went silent.nI stared at him. My brain refused to process what was happening. “Kael…” He laughed softly, not the kindly laugh, but cruelly. “I was nice to you a few times and suddenly you built fantasies in your head?” A few students laughed nervously. Humiliation crawled slowly up my throat. “You followed me around like a lost puppy for years,” he continued. “Honestly, it got embarrassing.” Every word tore through me. The crowd watched openly now. Some were whispering, some recording and some pitying me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. “You’re weak,” Kael said flatly. “Pathetic. And completely unworthy of standing beside me.” Pain exploded inside my chest. My wolf whimpered. “Kael, please…” “Please what?” His eyes hardened. “You thought I’d ruin my reputation over an Omega no Alpha wants?” The words shattered something inside me. Then he stepped closer. And in front of the entire academy… He said the words that destroyed me. “I reject you, Lyra Vale.” Agony ripped through my body instantly. I gasped. The mate bond felt like claws tearing through my chest. Tears burned my eyes while my knees buckled beneath me. Gasps erupted around us. “Oh my God…” “He actually rejected her…” My vision blurred. Then Kael turned away from me completely. Selena walked straight into his arms,and he kissed her. Right there. In front of everyone. The crowd exploded. Cheers. Whistles. Laughter. Someone actually clapped. I stood there breaking apart while the entire academy watched. This wasn’t rejection. This was a deliberate cruel humiliation. My chest hurt so badly I thought I might die from it. Then suddenly…. A strong arm wrapped around my waist before I could hit the ground. The noise around us died instantly. A dangerous growl rolled through the courtyard. I looked up weakly. Darius Nightcrest stood behind me, holding me against his chest. His eyes weren’t on me. They were locked on Kael. And the look on his face made several students step backward immediately. Darius’s jaw clenched violently. Then his wolf growled again, it was low, Possessive and deadly this time. “You,” he said coldly to Kael, “just made the biggest mistake of your life.”