claimed by my mate's enemy

THE REJECTION

It was already 8 pm when the anniversary began. I had chosen red—Kaelric’s favorite color—for today. My dress hugged me in all the right places, simple yet elegant, the kind of thing he always told me he liked. My hands were trembling, not from fear but excitement. This day was everything I had waited for: our seventh anniversary together, and the claiming ceremony where I would finally stand as his Luna.

I looked into the mirror one last time, adjusting the necklace I had chosen. My heart fluttered with nervous joy. This is it, Lyra. Today, everything changes. I whispered to myself, my lips curling into a smile I couldn’t hold back.

The hall was alive with chatter as I stepped forward, every eye on me. My chest swelled with pride. They would all finally see it: me beside Kaelric, not just his partner but his rightful Luna.

When it was time for Kaelric to bring forth his Luna, the crowd erupted in unison.

“Alpha, show us your Luna! Bring her forth!”

My heart pounded with joy, and I stepped forward, stretching out my hand toward him, my smile wide and radiant. This was it—the moment I had dreamed of, the moment we had all been waiting for.

But then, something I never expected happened.

Kaelric didn’t take my hand.

He stepped past me.

And instead, he held out his hand to another woman.

Confusion blurred my vision as I turned to see who it was. My smile froze, every muscle in my face stiffening. My heart pounded painfully in my chest.

It was Selene.

My elder sister. My own blood standing beside him, her eyes lowered with a timid smile, as though she had rehearsed this moment. My throat closed. Surely, this was some sort of mistake, some twisted game Kaelric was playing.

Or maybe he will come for me after my sister. He just wants to accord her some respect. I was marked already, and our bond is tied. He will have to kiss my hands as his mate and carry me like his Luna. I smiled at my naughty self.

I was still imagining a lot of things when something strong hit me.

“Today,” he announced proudly, his arm tightening around Selene’s waist, “I, Kaelric Tan of the Silvercrest Pack, claim Selene Chua as my beloved Luna.”

The words slammed into me like knives. My breath caught. My knees wobbled.

“And,” he continued, his eyes cold, cutting into me without mercy, “I hereby reject Lyra Chua.”

Rejected? The word echoed in my head, over and over, like a curse I couldn’t shake. My ears rang with it, drowning out the gasps and cheers of the crowd.

I laughed. A broken sound tore out of me, sharp and trembling. My lips twisted into a smile that wasn’t a smile at all. “This joke is too expensive, Kaelric. Stop it. No more surprises. Enough, I'm not in for surprises anymore. I have gifts for you already, so don't bother reciprocating. Go straight to the ceremony.” My voice cracked in the middle, but I forced myself to stand tall, to cling to the last shred of dignity I had left.

But Kaelric didn’t stop.

His grip on Selene tightened as though he wanted the whole world to see. His eyes bore into mine, merciless and final.

“Selene carries the heir to my pack,” he said, his tone heavy with authority. “Anyone who touches her touches me as well.”

My vision blurred. My breath grew shallow. The room seemed to close in, the walls pressing tighter and tighter around me.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear Selene away from him and demand answers. I wanted to beg him to take it back, to tell me this was all some nightmare I could wake up from. But all that came out was silence. My body betrayed me as much as they did.

Humiliation burned through me, searing hotter than any flame. Laughter. Whispers. Pitying stares. His pack, my people, watching as their Alpha shattered me into pieces.

I felt myself losing control, my hands trembling violently at my sides. My stomach turned, bile rising in my throat.

Three steps. That’s all I managed. Three staggering, backwards steps as though the ground beneath me had split open and I was about to fall into an endless pit.

I was no longer Lyra, his lover of seven years. No longer the woman who gave Kaelric everything, no longer the Lyra who gave up her career and suitors for him, no longer the Lyra who carried his mark with pride.

No longer the Luna I had dreamed of becoming.

I was nothing more than a

useless youth who sacrificed years to get rejected.