The Alpha's Rejected Mate
The night I met my mate was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.
Instead, it became the night I was broken.
The entire Mooncrest pack had gathered beneath the silver light of the full moon. Hundreds of wolves stood around the ceremonial grounds, their voices filling the air with excitement.
Tonight was the Choosing Ceremony.
The night every unmated wolf dreamed about.
The night the Moon Goddess could reveal your other half.
Your mate.
I stood at the edge of the crowd, nervously twisting the silver bracelet around my wrist.
My name was Aria Vale.
And unlike most girls here, I wasn't dreaming about becoming Luna.
I knew better than to dream that high.
I was the daughter of a disgraced former pack warrior. For years, my family name had been whispered about like a curse. I had grown used to being ignored, underestimated, and occasionally humiliated.
So I had promised myself one thing.
I wouldn't expect anything from the Moon Goddess.
I wouldn't expect a mate.
I wouldn't expect love.
Then the Alpha entered.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Alpha Kael Draven.
Twenty-four years old.
Powerful.
Cold.
Feared by nearly everyone in the pack.
He walked toward the ceremonial platform with his Beta beside him, his black hair falling slightly over his forehead. Even from where I stood, I could feel the intimidating power radiating from him.
My wolf stirred.
Him.
I froze.
No.
It couldn't be.
My heart began pounding.
The familiar warmth spread through my chest, and suddenly the scent of pine and rain filled my senses.
My wolf whispered the word I had spent my entire life waiting to hear.
Mate.
I stared at him.
Alpha Kael stopped.
His eyes found mine.
For one breath, neither of us moved.
Then his expression changed.
Shock.
Recognition.
And finally...
Horror.
He walked toward me.
Every step made my heart beat faster.
When he stopped in front of me, the entire ceremony seemed to disappear.
His eyes were locked on mine.
"You're my mate," he whispered.
I could barely breathe.
A smile slowly appeared on my face.
"You're mine too."
For the first time in my life, I felt chosen.
I felt wanted.
Then Kael looked over his shoulder.
His Beta's face had gone pale.
The elders were staring at us.
Something was wrong.
Kael turned back to me.
His expression had become completely emotionless.
"Aria," he said quietly.
"Yes?"
His jaw tightened.
"I reject you."
The words struck harder than any physical blow.
My smile disappeared.
The crowd erupted into whispers.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
"You... what?"
Kael stepped closer.
"I, Alpha Kael Draven, reject you as my mate."
Pain exploded through my chest.
My knees nearly gave out.
My wolf screamed inside me.
No!
I grabbed my chest.
"Why?"
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.
Pain.
But it vanished almost immediately.
"Because you can never be my Luna."
My throat tightened.
"I never asked to be your Luna."
His expression hardened.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it!"
He didn't.
Instead, he leaned closer and lowered his voice so only I could hear.
"If you stay near me, Aria, they will kill you."
My blood ran cold.
"Who?"
Kael stepped away.
"You need to leave Mooncrest."
"Kael—"
"Tonight."
He turned his back on me.
The crowd parted as he walked away.
I stood frozen beneath the moonlight, tears burning my eyes.
The man who was supposed to be my other half had rejected me in front of everyone.
But there was something I couldn't understand.
If he truly hated me...
Why had I seen fear in his eyes?
And why did my wolf keep whispering the same impossible truth?
He didn't reject us because he doesn't love us.
He rejected us because he's trying to protect us.
I looked toward the Alpha's retreating figure.
And for the first time, I wondered what secret could possibly make a man reject his own destined mate.
I had no idea that by sunrise, I would discover that being Kael Draven's mate wasn't simply forbidden.
It was deadly.