REJECTED BY THE ALPHA KING

The Training

Dawn came too fast.

I woke to Lucian standing over me. Again. Apparently the Fae didn’t believe in knocking.

“Up,” he said. “We’re wasting moonlight.”

“It’s daytime.”

“Exactly. Moonlight’s best for lunar magic, but you need to learn control in all conditions.” He tossed something at me. Clothes. Simple tunic and pants. “Get dressed. Five minutes.”

He left.

I sat up. My whole body ached. The bond with Kael was quieter this morning. Still there. Still pulling. But not screaming.

I touched my chest where it lived. Wondered if he was awake yet. If he was thinking about me.

If he regretted his choice.

Probably not. He had Seraphina. His perfect political alliance. Everything he needed.

Everything except me.

I shoved the thought down and changed. The clothes fit perfectly. Fae magic, probably.

Outside, Lucian waited in a clearing behind his sanctuary. Morning mist clung to the ground like living things.

“Stand there.” He pointed to the center. “Let me see your power.”

“Just… use it?”

“Call it. Like you did at the ceremony.”

Right. When I’d been in agony and my wolf was tearing out for the first time.

“I don’t know how.”

“Figure it out.” Cold. Clinical. “You accessed it once. Do it again.”

I closed my eyes. Tried to remember that moment. The pain. The rage.

Nothing happened.

“You’re thinking too much,” Lucian said. “Magic isn’t logical. It’s instinct.”

“That’s not helpful.”

“It’s not supposed to be helpful. It’s supposed to be true.” He circled me. Assessing. “Your power came from emotion. What were you feeling?”

“Hurt. Angry.”

“Then feel it again.”

I opened my eyes. “What?”

“You heard me.” His ice-blue eyes were calculating. Not sympathetic. “Magic responds to truth. Stop being polite about what you feel.”

“I’m not..”

“You are.” He kept circling. “You’re trying to be reasonable. But you’re not okay. The Alpha King rejected you. Chose someone else. Made you watch.”

Heat sparked in my chest. Not at Lucian. At the memory.

At Kael.

“You shifted in front of everyone,” Lucian continued. Matter of fact “Ran into a forest alone. Collapsed. Now you’re here with a stranger.” He stopped. “So stop pretending. Get angry.”

I thought about Kael’s face. The moment he turned away.

About wanting him so badly it hurt.

About him choosing duty. Choosing her.

Silver light erupted from my hands.

Wild. Uncontrolled. It shot outward in jagged bursts. The nearest tree cracked. Ground scorched.

“Good.” Lucian’s voice. Detached. “Now hold it. Control it.”

But I couldn’t. The power kept pouring out. More and more. Brighter. Hotter.

My wolf howled. Wanting more.

“Aria. Focus.”

The clearing glowed silver. Too much.

“Aria!”

Something slammed into me. Magic. Cool. Controlled. It wrapped around the light and squeezed.

The power choked off.

I gasped. Fell to my knees.

Lucian stood over me. Not winded. “You lost control.”

“Obviously.”

“If I hadn’t stopped you, you’d have burned through your reserves and collapsed.” He didn’t offer his hand. Just waited. “Magic like yours will kill you if you’re careless.”

I pushed myself up.

“How do I control it?”

“Practice. And understanding what fuels it.” He brushed dirt off his sleeve. “Lunar magic is tied to emotion. Grief. Rage. Love. The strong ones.” His eyes met mine. Empty of warmth. “Which means every time you use it, you feel something real.”

Great. Rip open wounds every time I needed power.

“It gets easier with time,” he said. Flat. “Eventually you access the emotion without drowning. But that takes practice.”

“How long?”

“Depends.” He gestured at the clearing. “Again. Smaller this time. Control the output.”

We trained for hours.

I burned three more trees. Scorched the ground in a circle. Nearly set his sanctuary on fire.

But slowly, slowly I started feeling the difference. Between explosion and direction.

By midday, I could hold a small silver orb in my palm. Steady. Controlled.

It pulsed with soft light. Didn’t flicker. Didn’t surge.

I stared at it. Waiting for it to explode.

It didn’t.

Lucian watched for several long seconds. His expression shifted. Just slightly.

“Interesting,” he said.

“What?”

“You just stabilized raw lunar magic.”

I frowned. “And?”

“Most witches take years to do that.” He tilted his head. “You did it in hours.”

Something in his tone. Not warmth. But… recognition. Like he’d just confirmed something.

“Does that mean I’m ready?” I asked.

“It means you’re not completely hopeless.” He gestured. “Break. Eat.”

I collapsed. Starving. Exhausted.

He handed me bread and fruit. “Eat. You burned energy.”

I ate. He sat across from me. Silent. Watching the forest.

No conversation. No warmth.

Just… waiting.

The bond pulsed. Faint. I wondered what Kael was doing. If he’d noticed I blocked him out last night.

If he cared.

Stop. Stop thinking about him.

But I couldn’t.

Even knowing the bond might be poisoned, part of me still wanted him. Still hoped he’d come for me. Choose me this time.

Pathetic.

Rustling at the clearing’s edge.

Lucian was on his feet. Magic crackling around his hands. “Stay back.”

A wolf emerged. Russet fur. Green eyes.

He shifted. Human. Naked.

“Thorne.”

Relief flooded his face. “Aria. Thank the gods.”

He looked exhausted. Scratched. Like he’d been running through Darkmoor for days.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Lucian stepped between us. “Pack wolves aren’t welcome.”

“I’m not here for trouble.” Thorne’s eyes stayed on me. “I came for her.”

“She’s fine.”

“That’s not your decision.” Thorne’s wolf pushed forward. Protective. “Aria. Come back with me.”

“She’s training,” Lucian said. Cold.

“For what?”

“None of your concern.”

They stared at each other. Wolves squaring off.

“Stop.” I moved between them. “Both of you.”

Thorne’s expression softened. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alive.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

No. It wasn’t.

“Why are you here?”

“Because the pack’s falling apart. Because Kael’s..” He stopped. “Because I was worried.”

Kael. My chest tightened.

“What about Kael?” The words came out before I could stop them.

Thorne’s expression shifted. Careful. “He’s looking for you. Barely sleeping. Barely eating. The pack’s worried.”

Something warm bloomed in my chest. He was looking for me. That meant..

No. Stop.

He’d made his choice. This didn’t change anything.

“You need to go back,” I said.

“Not without you.”

“I can’t. Not yet.” My voice cracked. “I need to be here.”

Thorne looked at Lucian. Then me. “You trust him?”

Did I?

“I trust that I need training.”

He didn’t like that. “Fine. But I’m staying at the border. Checking on you.”

“Thorne…”

“Not negotiable.” Serious. “You’re not alone.”

I nodded. Couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat.

He started to shift.

“Wait.” I touched his arm. “How bad is it? Really?”

His expression darkened. “Bad. Kael’s barely functioning. The engagement’s postponed. And Seraphina…” He hesitated. “She’s doing something. Dark magic. Even the Alphas are scared.”

Ice down my spine.

“What kind?”

“Don’t know. But it’s wrong.” He met my eyes. “And there’s something else.”

“What?”

“People are disappearing. Near the borders. Taken at night.” His jaw clenched. “Twelve in three days. No bodies. No traces. Just gone.”

Lucian went still. His jaw tightened.

“Twelve?” He said it quiet. Almost to himself.

“You know something,” Thorne said.

Lucian was silent for a moment. Then: “If I’m right… Magnus has started feeding.”

My stomach dropped.

“Feeding on what?” I asked.

“Souls.” He looked at me. “It’s how he gathers power. Fastest way.” His expression was grim. “The disappearances will increase. More frequent. Closer to populated areas.”

“How long until he manifests fully?” Thorne’s voice was tight.

“Hard to say. Weeks if he stays cautious. Days if he finds…” He stopped. Looked at me. “A strong enough source.”

They both looked at me.

“So I’m the source,” I said flatly.

“The strongest one,” Lucian corrected. “Silvana magic is pure. If Magnus takes you, he manifests immediately.”

“Then we make sure he doesn’t,” Thorne said. Steel in his voice.

“Agreed.” Lucian’s eyes were cold. Strategic. “Training intensifies. No breaks. No easy lessons.”

“I can handle it.”

“Can you?” He stepped closer. Not threatening. Assessing. “Because soon an ancient evil comes for you. And if you can’t fight him?” His voice was flat. “Everyone dies. Including the Alpha King.”

The bond pulsed. Hard.

Kael felt it. Somehow he knew we were talking about him.

My chest ached.

I wanted to reach back. Let him know I was okay. That I…

No.

I shoved it down.

“Then teach me,” I said. “Everything.”

Lucian’s smile was sharp. Clinical. “I intend to.”

Thorne shifted. Looked at me once more. Then disappeared into trees.

I watched him go.

When I turned back, Lucian was already at the training area.

“No rest,” he called. “Until you collapse or sunset.”

I followed.

The bond pulled. Insistent.

Kael was reaching out. Trying to connect.

I blocked him again. It hurt. But I did it.

He’d made his choice.

Now I was making mine.

Even if it killed me.

Behind us, the forest whispered.

And somewhere deep in Darkmoor, something woke up.

It knew my name.