Claimed By The Wrong Alpha

POV KATERINE I believed this would be the most special night of my life, the moment I would finally meet my wolf and take the place that was mine by right. But none of that happened. Now all I hear are the shouts of my father, the former Beta of the Iron Frost Pack, arguing in the Great Granite Hall against the former Alpha and his son Kaelen, the current Alpha. Around us, the silence of the warriors and elders felt suffocating. The female wolves who used to smile at me with fake kindness now watch me with blatant mockery. "She is your fated mate, Alpha Kaelen!" my father roared, taking a step forward as his hands trembled with rage. "Exiling her to the Shadow Lands without the protection of the bond is sending her straight to her death. It's crawling with rogues and beasts!" Kaelen didn't even flinch. He adjusted the hem of his black leather tunic and shot me a look so deeply filled with disgust that it made me nauseous. "I need a strong Luna by my side. A woman capable of leading warriors and defending our borders," Kaelen said, his icy voice echoing through every corner of the hall. "Her wolf didn't awaken during the red moon. She is useless to the pack, and she is certainly useless to me." Each of his words plunged into my chest like a rusty dagger. I felt tears crowding my eyes, but I would bite my tongue until it bled before I let them see me cry. "Kaelen, please..." my father begged, his voice breaking. "You waited two years for her to turn eighteen. You promised me you would take her as your Luna regardless of the outcome." I clenched my fists at my sides so hard that my nails dug into my palms. Seeing the great Beta of the pack humbling himself and kneeling before that bastard made an unbearable burning sensation surge in my stomach. Kaelen had already made his decision. His fake promises of eternal love over the last two years were nothing more than trash. "Dad, stop," I said, taking a step forward and forcing my voice to sound steady. "Get up. Don't humiliate yourself any longer for someone who isn't worth a thing." Kaelen glared at me with restrained fury, surprised that I dared to speak back to him. "I see your arrogance remains intact, Katerine," Kaelen spat, raising his voice so everyone present could hear. "I, Kaelen, Alpha of the Iron Frost Pack, formally reject you as my mate and future Luna. From this second on, you no longer belong to our bloodline, and you are exiled from our territory." A murmur of satisfaction rippled through the ranks of the Council. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip with so much rage that the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. The pain of the rejection felt as if my heart were being ripped from my chest without anesthesia, a liquid fire burning through my veins. I inhaled deeply, straightened my back, and locked my eyes directly onto his golden ones. "I, Katerine, accept your rejection, Alpha Kaelen." As soon as the words left my mouth, the searing pain vanished from my body all at once, leaving behind a strange feeling of lightness. But for Kaelen, the result was merciless. A choked scream of agony tore from his throat. Kaelen dropped to his knees against the stone floor, slamming his hands over his chest as his veins turned a dark blue-black beneath his skin. He gasped desperately for air, and within seconds, two streams of thick blood began to trickle from his nostrils and ears. Panic seized the hall. The women shrieked and the guards drew their swords, confused and terrified. "What the hell did you do to him?!" the former Alpha roared, lunging at me with his eyes blazing in fury. I froze on the spot. The amount of blood Kaelen was spewing was not normal for a standard rejection. His body was convulsing violently on the granite floor. Before I could process what was happening, two guards grabbed me brutally by the arms, dragging me out of the hall while my father screamed and fought against three other warriors. They threw me into the underground dungeons beneath the fortress. They shoved me inside a damp cell so violently that my head slammed against the stone wall, leaving me dazed for a few seconds. "You will be executed at dawn," the former Alpha declared from the other side of the bars, his face twisted in hatred. "I don't know what kind of witchcraft you used against my son, but I swear you will pay with your head." The heavy iron door slammed shut with a definitive clank. I dragged myself with difficulty to the corner of the cell where a tiny ray of moonlight filtered through a crack near the ceiling. The air smelled of mold, rust, and waste. My throbbing headache hammered my temples, but the rage burning inside me was infinitely greater. Just a few hours ago, I was standing in front of hundreds of young wolves, dressed in the white ceremonial robe, waiting for the red moon to awaken my wolf. Kaelen had kissed me on the lips before I stepped onto the round platform, assuring me that he would celebrate my shift no matter what kind of wolf I turned out to be. But my reflection in the ritual waters only gave me back my own human face. No animal spirit emerged from my body. The disappointment and contempt on Kaelen's face at that precise moment was the last image of love I ever received from him. I pressed my back against the cold stone wall, pulling my knees to my chest. "What did I do to not deserve your blessing, Goddess?" I whispered toward the crack where the moon shone. I closed my eyes, hoping exhaustion would claim me. But a deafening crash shook the very foundations of the fortress, jarring me from my thoughts. In the distance, the shouts of the guards were abruptly cut short by the sound of snapping bones and bodies slamming onto the floor. "Who's there?" I asked, pressing myself against the bars. "Shh! Keep your mouth shut if you don't want us to get caught," a voice hissed from the shadows. A cloaked man emerged from the darkness. He pulled down his hood, revealing my father's tense, sweat-slicked face. The smell of cheap wine and fresh blood clung to him.