The Alpha's Forbidden Mate

Mona's POV "You're not supposed to be here." Michael's cold voice froze me in place as I pushed open the door to the pack meeting room. I wasn't even looking for him—I'd come to find my father to tell him about the strange dreams I'd been having. But there he was, the most powerful Alpha's son in our territory, standing over a map with his warriors. "I'm sorry, I was just—" I started, but his dark eyes cut through me like ice. "Get out." He didn't even look up from the papers spread across the table. "This room is for wolves only. Not for broken ones like you." The words hit harder than any physical blow. Everyone knew I was different. At twenty-one, I still couldn't shift. My wolf was there—I could feel her deep inside—but she never came forward. Never spoke. Never let me transform like everyone else. "Michael, please, I need to speak to my father about—" "Your father isn't here." Now he looked up, and his jaw tightened. "He's preparing for tonight's ceremony with the real wolves. The ones who actually matter to this pack." Tonight. The Mating Moon ceremony. The night when unmated wolves could find their destined mates through scent and instinct. The night I'd been dreading because I knew no one would want me—the girl who couldn't even shift. "I have every right to attend," I said, lifting my chin even though my hands shook. "The Alpha said to all unmated pack members—" "The Alpha is my father," Michael stepped around the table toward me, his presence filling the room with dominant energy that made my knees weak. "And after tonight, I'll be taking over. The first thing I'll do is stop pretending that wolfless frauds like you belong here." Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of him. Not in front of the future Alpha, who'd made my life miserable since we were kids. "You're cruel," I whispered. "I'm practical." He stopped just inches from me, so close I could smell his scent—pine and thunderstorms. "This pack needs strength. Not weakness. Not... you." The door suddenly burst open behind me. My younger step-sister Emma strutted in, her blonde hair perfect as always. She looked between Michael and me, and her lips curved into a nasty smile. "Oh good, you're here," she said to me. "Mom wants you to help set up for tonight. The real pack members need everything perfect for their ceremony." "I am a real pack member," I said through gritted teeth. Emma laughed, that tinkling sound that fooled everyone into thinking she was sweet. "Please. You're barely even human without a wolf. Why don't you just leave? Find some regular humans to live with where you belong?" "That's enough, Emma," a deep voice commanded from the doorway. We all turned to see Alpha William—Michael's father—standing there with my father beside him. But instead of defending me, my father just looked at me with that familiar disappointment in his eyes. "Ava, go help with the preparations," my father said quietly. "Emma's right. We need everything ready for tonight." My heart shattered a little more. Even my own father... "Yes, father," I managed to say. As I turned to leave, I heard Michael speak to his father. "We need to discuss the succession ceremony. After tonight, after I potentially find my mate, I want to officially take over as Alpha." "We'll discuss it," Alpha William replied. "But Michael, remember—the Moon Goddess sometimes has surprising plans. Don't assume you know how tonight will go." I fled down the hallway, their voices fading behind me. My chest felt tight, like I couldn't breathe properly. Twenty-one years in this pack, and I was still treated like an outsider. Like I was worthless. The decoration preparations were being held in the grand hall. Tables were covered in white cloth, silver moonflower centerpieces, and strings of lights that would glow under the full moon. It was beautiful—and I wasn't really welcome at any of it. "Finally," my stepmother Grace said when she saw me. "Start hanging those lanterns. And try not to mess anything up." I grabbed the ladder and lanterns without a word. What was the point in arguing? After tonight, after Michael officially became Alpha, things would only get worse for me. Maybe Emma was right. Maybe I should just leave. As I climbed the ladder to hang another lantern, I heard whispers from below. "Did you hear? Michael's planning to banish all the weaklings once he's Alpha." "About time. We can't have dead weight dragging us down." "I heard he's going to start with that pathetic Ava girl. The fake wolf." My hands trembled on the lantern. The ladder wobbled. "Careful!" someone shouted, but it was too late. The ladder tipped. I fell, expecting to hit the hard floor—but strong arms caught me instead. For a moment, I felt safe, protected. Then I looked up into Michael's furious face. "Can't you do anything right?" He set me on my feet roughly, then looked at the broken lanterns on the floor. "You're a disaster. A burden to this entire pack." "I didn't mean to—" "You never mean to," he cut me off. "But somehow, you always manage to ruin everything. Just like your mother did." The words hit like a slap. My mother had died when I was three, and no one ever talked about her. "What do you mean? What about my mother?" Michael's eyes flashed with something—knowledge, secrets, something he wasn't saying. "Nothing. Just stay out of the way tonight. Better yet, don't even come to the ceremony." "She has to come," Emma said sweetly, appearing beside us. "All unmated pack members have to attend. It's tradition." Her smile turned wicked. "Besides, it'll be fun to watch her stand there while everyone else finds their mates. While she stays alone. Forever." Michael looked at me one more time, something unreadable in his expression. "Fine. Come. But stay in the back. Don't embarrass the pack more than you already have." He walked away, Emma following him like a puppy. I stood there among the broken glass, my heart beating strangely fast. There was something about the way he'd looked at me... No. I pushed the thought away. Michael hated me. He'd always hated me. After tonight, he'd probably find his perfect mate—someone strong and beautiful and everything I wasn't. And then he'd banish me just like everyone said. I bent to clean up the broken lanterns, and my hand brushed against something sharp. Blood welled from the cut, dropping onto the white tablecloth below. As I watched the red spread across the white fabric, a strange feeling washed over me. Like something was about to change. Like tonight would be different than anyone expected. "Ava!" I turned to see my only friend, Sophia, running toward me. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with panic. "What's wrong?" I asked. "You need to know something before tonight," she said, grabbing my hands. "I overheard them talking—Michael's father and yours. There's something about the ceremony, about you. They said If you attend tonight—" A hand clamped down on Sophia's shoulder, yanking her backward. Michael stood there, his face dark with anger. "Spreading gossip, Sophia?" His voice was deadly quiet. "That's beneath you." "She deserves to know—" Sophia started. "She deserves nothing," Michael said flatly. Then his eyes met mine, and for just a second, I saw something that looked almost like... fear? "Stay away from her, Ava. Some secrets are better left buried." He dragged Sophia away before she could say another word, leaving me standing there with blood still dripping from my hand and a thousand questions spinning in my mind. What didn't they want me to know? And why did Michael look afraid?