The Alpha Lost Me to the Lycan King

The Silver Moon Pack Hall had never looked more beautiful. Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, scattering golden light across hundreds of wolves dressed in their finest clothes. Laughter echoed through the room. Music drifted from the live band near the stage. Tonight wasn't just another celebration. It was the Moon Blessing Ceremony. The night every unmated wolf waited for. The night the Moon Goddess revealed fated mates. My fingers tightened around the glass in my hand. Nervous. Excited. Terrified. I had imagined this night so many times that I had practically lived it already. In every version of that dream, there was always one constant. Damon Blackwood. The future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack. The man I had loved for years. The man who barely knew I existed. "Ava." I jumped when my best friend, Sophie, appeared beside me. She laughed. "You've been staring at Damon for ten minutes." Heat rushed into my cheeks. "I have not." "You absolutely have." I rolled my eyes. Sophie followed my gaze toward the center of the ballroom. Damon stood surrounded by wolves from every important family in the pack. Tall. Powerful. Handsome. Everything an Alpha should be. Women practically threw themselves at him. And yet somehow I had spent years convincing myself that one day he might look at me differently. "You should talk to him," Sophie said. I nearly choked. "Absolutely not." "Why?" "Because every time I try, I forget how to speak." She burst out laughing. I shoved her shoulder. The truth was embarrassing. At twenty-two years old, I could negotiate with stubborn pack elders without blinking. I could stand in front of a hundred wolves and give a speech. But put Damon Blackwood in front of me and suddenly I forgot how breathing worked. The music shifted. Conversations slowly died down. Alpha Victor Blackwood stepped onto the stage. Damon's father. The current Alpha. The entire room immediately grew quiet. "Tonight," Alpha Victor announced, "we celebrate the Moon Goddess and the sacred bonds she grants our people." Cheers erupted. My stomach flipped. This was it. The moment everyone had been waiting for. The ceremony began. One by one, wolves stepped forward to receive the Moon Goddess's blessing. Some smiled. Some cried. Some discovered their mates immediately. Others would have to wait. I barely paid attention. My heart was beating too fast. My wolf felt restless beneath my skin. Almost excited. As if something important was about to happen. Then suddenly— Everything changed. A strange warmth spread through my chest. I froze. My wolf stirred. Not just stirred. Awakened. The sensation hit me so hard I nearly dropped my glass. My breath caught. No. No way. The air around me felt different. Electric. Charged. My wolf pushed forward. Mate. The word exploded inside my head. My pulse skyrocketed. Every nerve in my body came alive. Mate. I looked around frantically. Searching. Desperate. Then I caught a scent. Pine. Rain. Power. A scent so intoxicating that my knees nearly gave out. Mate. My gaze lifted. And landed directly on Damon Blackwood. The world stopped. For a second, I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't move. The Moon Goddess had chosen him. Joy flooded through me so suddenly that tears burned behind my eyes. Damon. After all these years. After every hopeless crush. After every secret glance. After every dream. The Moon Goddess had chosen Damon. My mate. A laugh escaped me. I couldn't stop smiling. For the first time in years, everything felt possible. Then Damon turned. Not toward me. Toward another woman. My smile disappeared. Vanessa Reed. The daughter of one of the richest families in the pack. Beautiful. Blonde. Perfect. She stepped closer to him. And Damon smiled. My stomach twisted. No. Please no. Damon's expression suddenly changed. His body went rigid. His eyes swept across the crowd. Searching. Until they found me. The second our gazes met, I knew. He felt it. He knew exactly who I was. His mate. For one brief moment, shock crossed his face. Then something colder appeared. Disgust. The happiness inside me shattered. "No..." I whispered. Damon looked away first. As if he couldn't stand looking at me. My wolf whimpered. Fear crept into my chest. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Damon stepped onto the stage. The crowd immediately quieted. A microphone appeared in his hand. Vanessa stood beside him. Smiling. My pulse hammered against my ribs. Why was he on stage? What was he doing? Then Damon spoke. "Before tonight continues, there's something I need to address." The room grew silent. I suddenly couldn't breathe. Damon's eyes found mine. Cold. Emotionless. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run. But I couldn't move. "Some bonds are mistakes." Confused murmurs spread through the crowd. My hands started shaking. "No..." I whispered again. Damon continued. "Just because the Moon Goddess creates a bond doesn't mean it's the right one." The room erupted into whispers. People began looking between Damon and me. Realization spread through the crowd. They knew. Everyone knew. Terror filled me. Damon raised his chin. "I, Damon Blackwood, future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack..." His voice echoed through the hall. "...reject Ava Nightshade as my mate." The words hit me like a physical blow. Pain exploded through my chest. My wolf screamed. A cry so raw and broken that tears instantly flooded my eyes. The room gasped. Someone dropped a glass. The sound shattered against the floor. I could barely hear it. Because all I could hear was my own heart breaking. "No..." My knees buckled. Sophie caught my arm. "Ava—" I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Damon wasn't finished. "As far as I'm concerned," he continued coldly, "Ava Nightshade was never worthy of becoming Luna." Laughter echoed somewhere in the crowd. Whispers spread like wildfire. Humiliation burned through me. Vanessa wrapped her arm around Damon. Claiming her victory. And Damon allowed it. My wolf howled in agony. Every dream I had ever carried died in that moment. Every hope. Every fantasy. Every future. Gone. Destroyed in front of hundreds of wolves. I looked at Damon. Waiting. Praying. For some sign that this was a mistake. That he regretted it. That he felt something. Anything. But his expression never changed. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Then suddenly— BOOM. The massive doors of the ballroom exploded open. A wave of power crashed through the room. Not Alpha power. Something far stronger. Every wolf froze. Every conversation died. Even Alpha Victor looked shocked. The pressure intensified. Crushing. Terrifying. Ancient. One by one, powerful Alphas dropped to their knees. Including Damon. The entire ballroom erupted into panic. Because everyone knew what that power meant. A Lycan. Heavy footsteps echoed through the silence. Slow. Controlled. Deadly. The figure emerged from the shadows. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed entirely in black. Silver eyes glowed beneath the ballroom lights. The atmosphere itself seemed to bend around him. Fear swept through the crowd. Because there was only one Lycan powerful enough to command submission from every Alpha present. The Lycan King. My breath caught. His gaze moved across the room. Ignoring everyone. Ignoring the Alphas. Ignoring Damon. Until his eyes landed on me. And stopped. The entire world seemed to disappear. The King stared at me. As if he had found something unexpected. Something valuable. Then he began walking toward me. One step. Two. Three. Nobody dared move. Nobody dared speak. Even Damon looked shaken. The King stopped directly in front of me. His silver eyes searched my face. A strange expression crossed his features. Interest. Possession. Recognition. Then his lips curved into a dangerous smile. The kind that made my pulse skip. The kind that promised nothing good. Or perhaps everything. He reached for my hand. And the moment his fingers brushed mine— A powerful spark exploded between us. The King's eyes widened. For the first time since entering the room, genuine shock crossed his face. Then he laughed softly. A dark, satisfied sound. And in the stunned silence of the ballroom, he spoke five words that changed my life forever. "The woman you rejected..." His silver gaze shifted briefly toward Damon. Who had gone completely pale. Then the Lycan King looked back at me. And smiled. "...belongs to me."