The Alpha's Rejected Luna

Chapter 2

Kiara POV

I blinked up at Alpha Bryant, unsure of what I had just heard. He'd called me his mate just now.

Realization quickly hit me like a myriad.

The weird feeling, the goosebumps and his scent taking over my senses. I wasn't sick, it was just my body and Wolf. trying to tell me Alpha Bryant was my mate.

I stood frozen for a second.

This couldn't possibly be.

I fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze.

“Disgusting!” He suddenly said, as if realizing something.

“You cannot be my mate.” He glared at me as if it was my fault. I was almost as surprised as he was, and I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I was intensely attracted to him and I had just spilled tea on him.

Instinctively, I shifted backward, afraid that he would change his mind and possibly slap me across the face.

Lucy stood in the corner dumbfounded by what she had heard.

“Sir…” I tried to speak, but he immediately cut me off.

“I, Alpha Bryant, reject you as my ma…” he was about to say, but a voice interrupted him.

“What is going on here, son?” Sir Carter's voice cut through the surface as he walked forward. He was almost as majestic as his son but older. He'd been the man I had met yesterday, and he'd interviewed me alongside Lucy.

“Father…” Bryant spoke.

“Son, you are back. How was your trip?” He asked.

“Good,” he answered, his eyes drifting towards mine.

Alpha Bryant's piercing gaze remained fixed on me, though now there was an edge of frustration that made me feel like a trapped rabbit. His presence, even in silence, was suffocating, and I struggled to keep my knees from buckling.

Sir Carter, oblivious to the tension in the room, walked up and clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, son. I trust everything went well?”

Bryant gave a terse nod; his expression was still stormy. “Fine,” he said curtly, though his eyes flickered toward me again. The way he looked at me like I was an unwelcome distraction made me wish I could disappear.

Sir Carter's warm gaze turned to me. “And I see you've met Kiara. How are you finding your first day?”

I opened my mouth, unsure how to respond, but no words came out. What could I say? That I’d spilled tea on his son and was just called “disgusting” by the man fated to be my mate?

“Kiara?” Sir Carter prompted gently, his kind tone a stark contrast to Bryant's harsh demeanor.

“I-I’m doing my best, sir,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Bryant scoffed. “Her best, apparently, involves spilling tea and—” He stopped himself, his jaw tightening as he bit back whatever cruel remark he was about to make.

Sir Carter frowned slightly and turned to Bryant. “Everyone deserves a chance to learn, son. No one starts perfectly.”

Bryant muttered something under his breath but didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned on his heel. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in my study. I have more important things to deal with.”

I let out a shaky breath as he stormed out of the room. The tension lifted slightly, but my heart still pounded in my chest like a beating drum.

Sir Carter smiled at me, a comforting gesture. “Don’t let him scare you. He can be... intense, but he’s not as bad as he seems.”

I knew that. He was worse than I expected and what was worse was that he was my mate and a big disaster.

The moon goddess was so cruel to mate me with a man that hated me at the first glance.

I forced a small nod, though I wasn’t convinced. Sir Carter gave me a reassuring pat on the arm before turning to Lucy. “Make sure Kiara gets properly settled in.”

“Yes, sir,” Lucy said stiffly, though her eyes held no warmth when they landed on me.

As Sir Carter left, Lucy muttered something under her breath about “rookies ruining everything” and stomped off. I took a deep breath, gathering my composure. I couldn’t afford to let anyone see me crack.

Deciding to keep myself busy, I began clearing the dishes from the dining table. My hands were still trembling slightly as I carried the tray toward the kitchen. I pushed open the door with my shoulder, my focus on balancing the tray, but I miscalculated and stumbled slightly, sending one of the dishes clattering to the floor.

“Damn it,” I muttered, crouching down to pick up the broken pieces. As I did, something shiny caught my eye under the counter. Curious, I reached out and pulled it closer.

It was a small, intricately carved wooden box, no bigger than a book, with symbols etched into its surface that I didn’t recognize. It looked old, almost ancient. The craftsmanship was mesmerizing, and for a moment, I forgot everything else as I traced the patterns with my fingers.

“What are you doing?!”

The sharp voice startled me, and I dropped the box. Spinning around, I found Bryant standing in the doorway, his expression thunderous. How did he move so silently?

“I-I was just cleaning,” I stammered, pointing to the tray, fear coated around me like a second skin.

His eyes darted to the box on the floor, and his expression darkened even further. In two strides, he was in front of me, snatching the box off the ground. “This isn’t yours to touch,” he said coldly, his voice low and dangerous.

“I didn’t mean to—” I started, but he cut me off.

“Stay out of things that don’t concern you,” he growled, his tone leaving no room for argument. He turned and stalked out, clutching the box tightly in his hand.

I sank back onto my heels, my heart racing. What was in that box? And why had it made him so angry and more importantly… my boss and alpha were my f*****g mate, and he hated me.