Luna to none, mate to the enemy

Delphine POV: I wasn't supposed to be outside the palace walls, but I was outside anyway. The night air was cold against my skin, sharper than usual, the kind of cold that made the forest feel bigger than it actually was. Five minutes in, I caught a scent. Blood, mixed with something I'd never smelled before, something that didn't belong to any wolf I knew. I followed it. The smell got stronger, then I heard him. Groaning, like it hurt to even breathe. I walked closer. He was on the dry grass, wounds torn into his skin, blood scattered around his body. My heart started racing before I even reached him, some instinct in me refusing to just walk past someone bleeding out in the dark, even though every part of me knew I shouldn't be involved in whatever this was. Immediately, I rushed to him, placing my hands on his wounds, trying to heal him, only for him to jerk my hands away. "Leave," he ground out between breaths. I was stunned, but still, I healed him anyway after a few exchanges, my hands warm against his skin, the wounds slowly closing beneath my fingers. When it was done, I stared at him, curious as to where he came from. He didn't smell like anything I recognized, and that unsettled me more than it should have. Before anyone could notice, I left quickly, so no one would know I was gone. Just after I had left, a figure walked out of the bushes. "Why would you allow her to touch you?" he asked, before helping him up onto his shoulder, and they left. I didn't sleep much that night. I kept thinking about the way he'd looked at me, like I was a puzzle he hadn't decided whether to solve, and about that scent I couldn't place, no matter the amount of times I tried to guess who or where he's from. The next day, I started preparing for the mating ceremony. I was nervous to find out who I would be mating with, while my mother gave me an earful about posture, tradition, about everything I was apparently doing wrong without even trying. I arrived just in time before the full moon. The gathering was already packed, wolves from every allied pack standing in loose circles, their voices low and excited in a way mine wasn't. I scanned the place, trying to see if I could spot the person I healed the night before, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Just then it hit. A pull, sudden and unwanted, low in my stomach, dragging my attention across the clearing before I even understood why. Lexi went still. Not excited. Just still, the way she got when something felt wrong before I could explain how. I followed the pull without meaning to, and it led to him. Alpha Rylan Hollow, tall, composed, already watching me like he'd known the answer before I did. Someone near me whispered. People stared. Word was already spreading, a bond like this isn't subtle in a crowd. I wasn't smiling. Lexi wasn't either. He walked up to me. "Hi," he said, and smiled. "Mate," he continued, like the word was a gift instead of a sentence. "I can't be your mate." I said, my voice steady. For the first time, he didn't have anything to say. He stood still, holding his composure by sheer will alone. Something flickered across his face, gone before anyone could catch it. I turned my back on him and left, This was one of the worst days of my life. The second the ceremony ended, I left. Didn't wait for anyone, didn't look at him again. By the time I reached my room, my hands were shaking, and I couldn't tell if it was anger or something closer to fear. My mother didn't knock. She never did. "He can't be my mate," I said, before she even got the door shut. My voice came out wrong, too loud, cracking at the edges. "He's an alpha, Delphine!" she said, like that answered everything. Like that was supposed to fix the way my stomach had turned the second his eyes landed on me. I kept pacing. If I stopped moving, I was going to scream. She didn't say another word. She left, and I decided to take fresh air outside. That was the only way I could feel like myself again, away from the weight of everything I was supposed to want. I rested against a tree when that familiar scent hit my nose again, and my senses heightened instantly. I stood up, tracing it. Then, just as fast, it vanished. I stood still, trying to catch it again, before deciding to head back, only to walk straight into someone. I looked up. It was the same person from the other night. Lexi purred, and somehow, despite everything, I was excited to see him. But his scent was gone again, like it had never been there at all. What kind of wolf disappears like that? "What wolf pack are you from?" I asked, out of curiosity. He just stared at me for a few seconds before walking away. "Why didn't I see you at the mating ceremony?" I asked again, following him. He stopped and looked at me. "Why should I be there?" He bent down to my height. I wasn't exactly short, but he was still taller than me. "So I'll watch a room full of wolves pretend a bond decides who they love?" he continued, before turning around to walk away. "Ugh, I don't care," I sighed. "What pack are you from, though?" I continued, following him anyway. "You're annoying." A pause. "I didn't ask you to follow me," he continued. "Can I know your name?" I managed to ask. He turned. "Call me Malachi," and continued walking. As much as I wanted to follow him, it was getting late, and I had to go back. I stood there a moment longer than I should have, watching the space where he'd disappeared, wondering why a stranger's name felt like it mattered more than it should. The next day, my mother invited Rylan and his parents for dinner, since their children were mates, it was only normal that they form an alliance. Rylan was the alpha of his pack, and it was one of the strongest. During dinner, my mother kept reminding me of how I would be beside him as his Luna, telling me I had a lot to learn since I was the heir. Rylan kept looking at me, and it made me sick. I pushed the food around my plate and said as little as I could get away with. After dinner, I went to my room. I undressed and took a shower, letting the water run longer than it needed to, like it could wash off the whole evening. Minutes later, I walked out in my night clothes, but his scent lingered in the air. I couldn't understand how he'd managed to get into the palace. I looked outside immediately and saw no one. I snuck out again, hoping to find him, following the scent further and further, until it reached the end of our territory. Then the scent disappeared.