Rejected By The Pack: Claimed By The Cursed Alpha

Chapter 17

The training field was bathed in the cold, gray light of early dawn.

I stood in the center of the clearing in simple training leathers, heart hammering with anticipation and dread. Today, I would attempt my first full shift.

The Beta faced me, stance wide and balanced, his expression a mixture of fierce determination and quiet concern.

He had risked much by meeting me here before the rest of the pack woke.

“Again,” he said, voice steady. “Focus on the bond. Feel the wolf inside you. Don’t fight it — invite it.”

Kael’s dark chuckle echoed through my mind, rich and possessive.

Invite me, Little Moon. Not him.

I closed my eyes and reached inward.

The golden warmth in my chest flared instantly. Shadows curled at the edges of my vision. My bones began to ache — a deep, grinding sensation as if something massive was trying to rearrange itself inside my body. A growl tore from my throat, raw and unnatural.

“Yes…” the Beta encouraged, stepping closer. “That’s it. Let it come.”

Pain exploded through my spine.

I dropped to my knees with a choked scream as my shoulders cracked and shifted. Fur rippled across my arms — black streaked with molten gold — but it burned like acid. My legs twisted at impossible angles. The partial shift I had felt in the Abyss was nothing compared to this. My body rejected the transformation as violently as it craved it.

“Seraphina!” The Beta rushed forward, gripping my shoulders.

Push through it, Kael growled, his voice laced with dark hunger. You are mine. My blood. My power. Shift for me.

I screamed as another wave of agony ripped through me. Claws erupted from my fingertips, then retracted painfully. My face elongated halfway before snapping back with a sickening crunch. Blood trickled from my nose and ears. The moonstone’s lingering suppression — Lyra’s curse — fought viciously against Kael’s influence.

“I… can’t…” I gasped, collapsing forward onto my hands. The partial fur receded, leaving my skin raw and burning.

The Beta knelt beside me, supporting my weight. His hands were gentle but firm. “Breathe. You were so close. The wolf is there. It’s fighting to get out.”

Sweat poured down my face. I tasted blood on my tongue.

Kael’s presence surged, jealous and restless.

He touches you too easily. I should be the one guiding your first shift.

I ignored him, leaning into the Beta’s steady strength for a moment. “It hurts… like my body is tearing itself apart.”

“It always does the first time,” the Beta murmured. “Especially after years of suppression. But you’re stronger now. I can see it.”

We tried twice more. Each attempt ended in failure — violent, agonizing failure. By the third, I lay on the cold ground, chest heaving, every muscle trembling. The sun had risen higher, painting the field in accusing gold light.

The Beta helped me sit up, offering water from his flask. “We’ll keep trying. In secret. You don’t have to face the ritual without your wolf fully awakened.”

Before I could respond, mocking laughter rang across the field.

Lyra.

She strolled toward us with elegant confidence, flanked by three of her loyal wolves and a small crowd of onlookers who had clearly been summoned. The moonstone necklace gleamed at her throat, pulsing with sickly red light.

“Oh, sister,” Lyra called sweetly, her voice carrying across the training grounds. “Still playing warrior? How adorable.”

The crowd murmured. Some laughed. Others watched with pity or cruel amusement.

I pushed myself to my feet, legs shaking but refusing to fall. Shadows flickered at my fingertips despite the pain.

Lyra stopped a safe distance away, fingering the moonstone. “Let me help you.”

She whispered a word I didn’t recognize. The moonstone flared brightly.

Agony slammed into me like a hammer.

My knees buckled instantly. The partial shift I had barely managed reversed violently, forcing my body back into pure human form with brutal efficiency. It felt like every bone was being shattered and reset. I cried out, collapsing forward.

The Beta caught me, fury flashing across his face. “Lyra, stop this!”

But Lyra only smiled wider, holding the glowing pendant high for the crowd to see.

“Look at her!” she announced, voice ringing with righteous sorrow. “The so-called volunteer who claims to save us all, writhing on the ground like a broken pup. This is what happens when the wolfless try to reach beyond their station.”

Whispers spread like wildfire through the growing crowd.

“Pathetic…”

“She can’t even shift properly…”

“Is she really strong enough for the sacrifice?”

Lyra stepped closer, eyes gleaming with triumph. “The Moon Goddess demands purity. Strength. Not this… abomination.”

The moonstone pulsed again. Another wave of suppression hit me. I bit back a scream, refusing to give her the satisfaction of more sounds. Blood dripped from my clenched fists onto the dirt.

Kael roared inside my head, furious and protective.

Let me tear her apart. Give me control for one minute and I’ll rip that cursed stone from her throat.

Not yet, I thought back through the pain. Not here.

The Beta stood protectively in front of me, glaring at Lyra. “Enough. She has agreed to die for this pack. Show some respect.”

“Respect?” Lyra laughed coldly. “For the girl who sneaks around plotting with you? I wonder what Father would say if he knew.”

The threat hung heavy in the air.

I forced myself upright, swaying but standing. My eyes locked onto Lyra’s. Despite the tears of pain streaming down my face, I smiled — slow, dangerous, and full of promise.

“You can suppress me for now,” I said, voice hoarse but steady. “But in eight days, when I stand on that cliff… the Abyss will answer me. Not you.”

For a split second, true fear flashed across Lyra’s perfect features. The moonstone dimmed slightly in her hand.

The crowd shifted uneasily.

Lyra recovered quickly, turning away with a dramatic flourish. “Come. Let the wolfless continue her little games. We have a celebration to prepare — for the hero who will finally be useful.”

As she and her followers left, the Beta turned to me, gripping my arm to steady me.

“You’re shaking,” he said quietly.

I wiped blood from my lips. “I’m angry.”

Kael’s voice returned, calmer now but burning with dark intent.

Good. Use that anger. In eight days, we will make them all kneel.

I looked toward the distant Northern Cliff, where the Abyss waited.

The pain in my body was nothing compared to the fire building in my soul.

The shift would come.

And when it did, nothing would ever be the same.