Rejected By Alpha, Wanted By His Enemies

LENA The wooden doors of the grand hall were shut. Outside, the night air was cold. I stood in the dark corridor, rubbing the old scar on my left palm. I always did that when I was scared. Inside that room, the five great werewolf packs were meeting for the annual Alpha Summit. It was neutral ground, but I still felt trapped. I looked down at my simple black dress. Three years ago, I was just a weak Omega orphan in the Crescent Moon Pack. I cleaned the floors and wiped down the bloody towels for the healer. I was a charity case. Then, the Alpha rejected me. My chest still ached when I thought about that night. “You are too weak to bear my mark, Lena. I reject you.” Caleb’s voice had been cold. The pain of the broken bond had nearly killed me. I ran into the dangerous rogue lands and hid for three long years. But I didn't die. The trauma did something to me. It woke up a hidden power in my blood—the Eclipse wolf. Now, my amber eyes had glowing silver rings around them. I was stronger. Faster. And tonight, I was finally back. "Are you ready, Lena?" Marcus asked. He was an older warrior from the Iron Ridge Pack, the place that had taken me in and trained me after I ran away. He gave me a firm nod. "Do not let them see you shake." "I am ready," I said. My voice was steady. Marcus reached out and pulled the heavy iron handles. The doors swung open. The grand hall was packed and the air was thick with the scents of dozens of wolves. There was loud laughing, music, and the sound of clinking glasses. Then, we walked inside. Slowly, the noise began to die down. The wolves closest to us turned to look and a glass shattered against the stone floor. "Is that Lena?" a woman whispered from the crowd. "No way. She died in the woods years ago." "Look at her eyes. What is that?" I kept my head high. I didn't look at them. I wanted them to see that the broken girl they threw away was gone. "Well, look what crawled out of the dirt," a voice sneered. Diana Vale stepped out from the crowd. She was a high-ranking female who had always hated me. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at my expensive dress. "The stray came back. Did you find some trash pack to feed you?" I didn't answer her. I just stared right through her until she shifted uncomfortably and looked away. Then, the air in the room changed. It was a smell I knew better than my own name. It used to mean safety. Now, it just meant heartbreak. Caleb. I stopped walking as every muscle in my body went stiff. Across the room, standing near the high stage, was the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. Caleb Thornton. He looked just like he did three years ago, but his face was pale and his ice-blue eyes looked hollow, like he hadn't slept in years. Beside him stood Garrett, his best friend and Beta. Garrett’s mouth was wide open in total shock. Caleb’s eyes locked onto mine. For a long moment, nobody in the room breathed. I felt a sharp twitch in my chest—the old fated bond trying to spark back to life. I forced it down and looked him dead in the eye and did not flinch. Caleb took a shaky step forward. His chest heaved. "Lena?" he whispered. "What is this?" a loud, angry voice boomed. Victor Thornton, Caleb’s cruel father, marched down the steps. He glared at me with pure disgust. "Why is this Omega trash inside the Summit? Security, throw her out!" "She stays," Marcus growled, stepping in front of me. "She is with Iron Ridge now." "She belongs to no one," Caleb shouted suddenly. He wasn't looking at his father or Marcus. He was staring only at me, his eyes wild with pain and rage. "She is mine." Before anyone could move, Caleb blurred. He used his purebred Alpha speed to cross the room in a flash. "Caleb, stop!" Garrett yelled, trying to grab him, but he was too slow. Caleb bypassed Marcus entirely and lunged straight toward me. He reached out and grabbed my left wrist. The moment his skin touched mine, a shockwave tore through the room. The large glass windows along the walls shattered. The chandeliers overhead shook wildly, raining crystal pieces down on the screaming crowd. Several wolves dropped to their knees from the sudden, crushing pressure in the air. And the fated mate bond had snapped back together. Three years of dead silence ended in a second. A burning, violent current shot straight from his hand to my heart. My Eclipse wolf howled with joy, purring at his touch. My own body betrayed me. It wanted to lean into him. It wanted his smell. I hated it. I hated how much I still felt it. Caleb gasped. His grip on my wrist tightened, and his ice-blue eyes flashed a bright, glowing silver. The tired look on his face vanished, replaced by pure shock and happiness. "Lena," he choked out, his voice thick. "You're alive. The bond... it never broke." "Let go of me," I hissed. I pulled back, my teeth clenched. The silver rings in my eyes blazed, fighting against the heavy drag of his wolf. "Enough!" the Head of the High Council shouted from the stage, trying to bring order to the chaotic room. Caleb didn't look away from me. He stood tall, his chest heaving, his hand still tight on my arm. "I invoke the Right of Reclamation!" Caleb announced to the entire room. The crowd gasped. "You can't," Marcus warned, stepping forward with his hand on his sword. "I can," Caleb shot back, his voice booming. He looked up at the Council elders. "She is my fated mate. I rejected her, but she is alive and she has no other mate. As the ancient law says she belongs to me. I am taking her back to the Crescent Moon Pack." I opened my mouth to tell him I would rather die, but I never got the chance. A sudden, explosive blast blew them completely off their hinges, sending wood splintering into the room.