Chapter one: Rejected
1217 Words
Elena POV
The first time I saw Adrian Black, I was ten years old.
He had just shifted for the first time, standing proudly beside his father during the pack gathering while every wolf in Silver Moon Pack cheered for their future Alpha.
I had been hiding behind the crowd with torn clothes and muddy shoes, the orphan girl nobody wanted.
He smiled at me that day.
Just one smile.
But for a lonely girl who had lost everything, it felt like sunlight.
For eight years, I carried that smile inside my heart.
For eight years, I dreamed.
And tonight, on my eighteenth birthday, those dreams were supposed to come true.
The entire pack house glowed with golden lights as wolves gathered to celebrate Adrian’s coronation as the next Alpha. Music filled the hall while servants carried food and drinks between the tables.
Everyone was dressed beautifully.
Everyone except me.
My plain blue dress had been given to me by one of the older pack members. The fabric was old and slightly torn near the hem, but it was the best thing I owned.
I stood near the back of the hall, hoping nobody would notice me.
Unfortunately, Sophia noticed me.
She always did.
Sophia Gray was the daughter of the neighboring Alpha. She was beautiful, wealthy, and powerful. Everyone expected her to become Adrian’s Luna.
Including Adrian himself.
She approached me with two of her friends.
“I didn’t know servants were invited to the coronation,” she said.
The girls beside her laughed.
“I’m not a servant.”
Sophia looked me up and down.
“Really? Because you certainly dress like one.”
I lowered my eyes.
Fighting Sophia never ended well.
She stepped closer.
“Do you actually think someone like Adrian would ever look at someone like you?”
Before I could answer, one of the elders called everyone toward the center of the hall.
The ceremony was beginning.
Sophia smiled.
“Watch carefully, Elena. Tonight the future Alpha chooses his Luna.”
She walked away.
My chest tightened.
I knew she was right.
Adrian and Sophia had been together for months. Everyone expected them to announce their mating tonight.
So why did my heart still hope?
The pack members formed a large circle around the ceremonial platform.
Alpha Richard stepped forward.
“My son, Adrian Black, will officially become the future Alpha of Silver Moon Pack.”
Applause erupted.
Adrian walked onto the stage.
He looked even more handsome than usual. His black suit fit his tall frame perfectly, and confidence radiated from him.
The entire hall admired him.
Including me.
Perhaps especially me.
The Moon Ceremony would also awaken the wolves of those turning eighteen.
Including me.
The elder raised the sacred moonstone.
A silver light spread throughout the room.
Suddenly, pain exploded inside my chest.
I gasped.
My knees weakened.
Heat rushed through my body as something awakened deep within me.
My wolf.
After eighteen years of silence, she finally opened her eyes.
“Elena.”
Tears filled my eyes.
I wasn’t alone anymore.
At the same moment, Adrian stiffened.
The silver goblet in his hand slipped and shattered on the floor.
His head snapped toward me.
Our eyes met.
The world stopped.
The noise disappeared.
The crowd disappeared.
Only Adrian remained.
My wolf trembled with joy.
“Mate.”
My heart pounded.
No.
It couldn’t be.
But I could feel it.
The bond.
The pull.
The connection between our souls.
The Moon Goddess had chosen Adrian Black as my mate.
The future Alpha.
The man I had loved for years.
My eyes filled with tears.
For one beautiful second, I believed in miracles.
Adrian slowly walked toward me.
The crowd parted.
Whispers spread throughout the hall.
His face showed shock.
Confusion.
Then something else.
Disgust.
My hope cracked.
He stopped only a few feet away.
“You?”
The single word hurt.
I swallowed.
“Adrian…”
Sophia pushed through the crowd.
“What is happening?”
One of the elders spoke quietly.
“The Moon Goddess has chosen.”
Sophia stared at me.
“No.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
His father stepped forward.
“Son, she is your mate.”
The entire hall waited.
My heart beat so loudly I could barely breathe.
Adrian looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.
The orphan.
The omega.
The girl without a family.
The girl who had dared to dream.
“You expect me to accept her?”
The crowd fell silent.
“Adrian,” his father warned.
He shook his head.
“I am the future Alpha.”
His eyes remained fixed on mine.
“My Luna should be strong. Respected. Worthy.”
Each word cut deeper.
“And she is none of those things.”
My wolf whimpered.
Tears burned my eyes.
Sophia’s lips slowly curved into a smile.
Adrian took another step closer.
“I, Adrian Black, future Alpha of Silver Moon Pack, reject Elena Ravenwood as my mate.”
Pain exploded inside me.
I screamed.
The bond tore apart like something alive being ripped from my soul.
I collapsed onto the floor.
My wolf cried.
My chest felt as though someone had driven a knife directly through my heart.
The crowd watched.
Nobody moved.
Nobody helped.
Sophia wrapped her arm around Adrian.
“Some mistakes are meant to be corrected.”
Laughter echoed.
I looked toward the elders.
Toward the Alpha.
Toward the people I had grown up beside.
No one defended me.
No one cared.
Slowly, I forced myself to stand.
My entire body shook.
Blood trickled from my lip where I had bitten it.
Adrian avoided my eyes.
For years, I had loved him.
For years, I had imagined this moment.
I never imagined it ending like this.
Without speaking, I turned and walked toward the doors.
The rain had started.
Cold drops struck my face as I ran.
I ran through the village.
Past the training grounds.
Past the houses.
Past every place I had once called home.
Tears mixed with the rain.
My wolf remained silent.
Broken.
Eventually, I crossed the border of pack territory.
I didn’t stop.
Branches scratched my skin.
The forest grew darker.
The air became colder.
Only when I saw the ancient warning stones did I realize where I was.
The Forbidden Forest.
The land of the Lycans.
Every child knew the stories.
Monsters.
Killers.
Creatures larger and stronger than ordinary wolves.
Nobody entered.
Nobody returned.
A growl echoed behind me.
I froze.
Two red eyes appeared in the darkness.
Another pair.
Then another.
Massive wolves emerged from the shadows.
Their bodies were enormous.
Their teeth gleamed.
One stepped forward.
I backed away.
There was nowhere left to run.
The wolves suddenly lowered their heads.
The forest became silent.
A tall figure stepped from the darkness.
Black hair.
Silver eyes.
Power surrounded him like a storm.
He was unlike any wolf I had ever seen.
He looked at me.
His eyes widened.
Shock crossed his face.
My wolf suddenly awakened.
Not with pain.
Not with fear.
But recognition.
“Mate.”
The stranger took a step toward me.
His deep voice sent chills down my spine.
“After all these centuries…”
His silver eyes locked onto mine.
“I’ve finally found you.”
- Writer
