The Alpha's Vengeance Bride

The air in the Silver Dawn pack square smelled like pine, roasted meat and excitement. Tonight was the Lunar Convergence, when the moon was at its highest point and people would find out who their fated mates were. I smoothed out my white dress, my heart beating fast. I wasn't like the others. At nineteen my wolf still hadn't shown up. I was a "Dull”. A placeholder in a world made for people with wolves.. Tonight none of that mattered. Kael was becoming the Alpha and for three years he had promised me I was his. "Nervous Selene?" I turned to see Elara, the daughter of the Northern Alpha leaning on a stone pillar. She looked amazing in a silk dress that cost more than my dads medical bills for ten years. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes " I whispered, more to myself than to her. "No, " Elara said, stepping closer. ". Men do." The drums started beating. A strong sound that vibrated through my feet. The pack fell silent as Kael climbed up to the stage. He looked incredible. His golden hair shone in the moonlight. His shoulders seemed broader than before. The power of being Alpha was already affecting him. My breath caught. He looked at me. For a second I saw the boy who had kissed me behind the stables and promised me everything. Then the High Priest stepped forward. "Alpha Kael of the Silver Dawn. The moon is full. The bond is calling. Step forward. Claim the woman who will lead this pack with you." I took a step forward, my fingers shaking. This was it. The moment my life as a charity case ended and my life as a Luna began. Kael's voice boomed through the silence amplified by his Alpha power. It wasn't the voice he used when we were alone. It was cold and strong. "I, Alpha Kael of the Silver Dawn have heard the call of the moon " he declared. He looked over the crowd not even glancing at me. ". A pack is only as strong as its weakest link. Luna must be a warrior. She must shift. She must carry the strength of our ancestors." The silence in the square felt heavy. Suffocating. Kael finally looked at me. There was no love in his eyes. Only a cruel distant pity that hurt more than a blow. "Selene " he said, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "You have been a companion.. You are a wolf-less girl. A Dull. You cannot give this pack heirs. You cannot defend our borders." "Kael..." I whispered, the name catching in my throat. He didn't flinch. He drew a dagger, the blade glinting with a deadly light. "In the name of the Silver Dawn. By the power granted to me by the Moon Goddess... I, Alpha Kael reject you Selene as my fated mate and Luna of this pack." The crowd gasped. The bond. The thread I had felt pulling me to him for years. Suddenly snapped. The pain was unimaginable. It felt like someone had reached into my chest, grabbed my soul and twisted it until it tore. I gasped, my knees hitting the stone. I clutched at my chest, my vision blurring with tears. "I reject the bond " Kael repeated, his voice growing stronger. ". I banish the weakness you represent from my sight." He turned away from me. Reached out to Elara. "I claim Alpha Elara as my chosen mate " he announced. "A Luna who can truly lead." The pack erupted in cheers. The same people who had smiled at me yesterday were now shouting Elara's name. I looked up through the haze of pain. Kael was whispering something in Elara's ear as he pulled her close. She looked over his shoulder at me with a smirk on her face. I stood up. My legs were. The agony in my chest felt like a burning coal but I forced myself to stand. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me crawl. "Kael!" I screamed over the crowd. The cheering died down. Kael turned, a look of annoyance on his face. "The ceremony is over Selene. Leave. You have until dawn to exit the territory. You will be hunted as a rogue." "You think you’ve chosen strength " I said, my voice trembling with rage. A strange cold sensation began to pulse in my stomach. Something that wasn't a wolf. Felt far more dangerous. ". You’ve chosen a lie. You broke a fated bond for a title." I looked him in the eyes. "One day Kael you will realize what you threw away.. On that day I won't just be gone. I will be the nightmare that haunts your borders. I accept your rejection.... I promise you you will regret it until your last breath." I didn't wait for his response. I walked into the darkness of the forest, the silver moonlight feeling like ice, against my skin. Behind me the celebration resumed.. In the shadows something was waiting for me. Something that smelled of smoke, old blood and a power that made Kael's rejection feel like nothing. I wasn't a Luna.. As the first drop of rain hit the forest floor I knew I was something much much worse.