Rejected by my mate,claimed by the crown prince

Episode two.Rejected

Kael froze.

His amber eyes locked onto Lyra's across the sacred stone circle, and for one impossible heartbeat, the rest of the world disappeared.

Then it came.

A strange warmth unfurled deep inside her chest, gentle at first, then overwhelming. It raced through her veins like liquid moonlight, wrapping around her heart until she could barely breathe.

Her wolf stirred.

For the first time in her life.

A soft whimper echoed in the back of her mind.

Mate.

Lyra's breath caught. No. It couldn't be. It's happening. It's finally happening.

Tears burned the corners of her eyes as hope bloomed inside her, bright and terrifying.

The Moon Goddess had heard her. She had made Kael her mate.

Around them, gasps rippled through the crowd as the invisible bond settled into place.

"The Goddess has spoken." The high priestess voice rang out.

“They're mates…”

"The future Alpha's mate is... Lyra Burwood?"

Disbelief spread through the gathering like wildfire. Then whispers erupted.

“What…..”

“How can that be….”

“Really……..”

“The moon Goddess chose her …..”

Queen Andrea's composed expression cracked for the briefest moment. Even King Vyctor leaned forward on his throne, his sharp gaze fixed on the pair.

Lyra couldn't hear any of it. She only saw Kael.

For years she had loved him from afar. For every stolen glance. Every smile he had unknowingly inspired. Every foolish little dream she had tucked away in her heart.

Maybe. Maybe they hadn't been foolish after all.

A smile trembled onto her lips. It was small. It was hopeful. And she was terrified.

She took one hesitant step forward.

"Kael..."

His name barely left her lips, before his. expression changed. The shock faded, then came disbelief, then horror, and finally, disgust.

"No."

The single word echoed across the clearing, silencing everyone.

Lyra stopped walking.

Kael shook his head once, as though trying to wake himself from a nightmare.

"No."

His voice was louder this time. "This isn't right."

The High Priestess frowned.

"My prince—"

"The Moon Goddess has made a mistake."

His words struck the crowd like lightning.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Kael laughed. It wasn't a joyful sound. It was sharp, it was cold, it was one of disbelief.

"Out of every she-wolf in this kingdom..." His gaze swept over Lyra's plain grey dress, her worn shoes. "She chooses... this?"

Lyra felt every eye in the clearing turn toward her.

Heat suddenly rushed to her face. And she instinctively lowered her head.

He pointed at her. "And she is nothing."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"A commoner."

"A weak wolf."

"She doesn't belong beside him."

Each whisper felt like another stone thrown against her heart.

"Kael..." Lyra whispered, her voice trembling. "Please..."

For a fraction of a second, something flickered in his eyes. Regret? Pity? It was gone as quickly as it came. He stepped forward, his voice carrying across the silent clearing with cold finality.

"The Moon Goddess has made a mistake," he declared coldly, his amber eyes narrowing with clear revulsion. "I, Kael Draven, future Alpha of the Draven Kingdom, reject Lyra Burwood as my mate."

The words landed like a slap.

Lyra froze. The world tilted violently beneath her feet. The warmth that had bloomed in her chest only seconds ago turned to ice, sharp and cutting deep into her soul. The bond broke. Humiliated whispers exploded around her like wildfire. Someone laughed. Another called her pathetic. A few nobles openly smirked, as if this was the most entertaining spectacle they had seen in years.

Kael turned away without another glance, as if she were nothing more than the dirt beneath his boots. “As for the woman who will stand beside me, there is only one worthy of that honor.” He walked straight toward Clarissa Vossley, the beautiful daughter of the richest trading family in the kingdom. Clarissa stood waiting with a triumphant smile, her cascading golden curls glowing under the moonlight like a crown already won. Kael took her hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it possessively in front of everyone.

Then, loud enough for the entire clearing to hear, he announced, “Clarissa Vossley will be my Luna.”

He gave Lyra one final, dismissive look as he said the word Luna, his expression making it clear that Clarissa was the worthy choice, not the weak, poor girl the Goddess had mistakenly paired him with.

Lyra’s vision blurred with unshed tears. The humiliation burned hotter than any flame from her nightmares. She had spent years loving him silently, spent years hoping. She had prayed and given offerings believing the Goddess would see her heart, her loyalty, her quiet devotion. Instead, she had been publicly discarded like a broken toy in front of the entire kingdom.

Her knees buckled. Only Serafine’s firm grip on her arm kept her upright. Her family closed in around her protectively. Tamara’s hand gripped her other arm tighter, anger flashing in fierce eyes. Serafine stood like a shield, her frame radiating quiet fury. Caspian’s face was pale with barely contained rage, his frail body trembling, but there was nothing they could do. A public rejection was final. The bond was broken before it had even fully formed.

The whispers grew louder around them. "How pathetic." "The Goddess must have been confused." "A weak commoner daring to dream of an Alpha? Not just any Alpha. The prince.” “ Did she actually believe she's worthy of being his mate?”

The words sliced into her like claws. Lyra wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She had never felt so small and so worthless, in her entire life. The weight of every stare pressed down on her. Some wolves looked at her, their eyes filled with pity, others with cruel amusement. She could feel the judgment in their eyes, the whispers spreading like poison through the crowd.

Before she could force her legs to move and escape the nightmare, a deep, commanding voice sliced through the chaos like a blade through silk.

“If my brother is too blind to see her worth…” the deep voice echoed across the clearing. "Then she will be mine.”