The day my wolf finally awakened was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
I woke before dawn, my body burning from the inside out, my heart pounding so loudly I thought it would tear through my chest. The air felt heavier, thicker, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Something ancient stirred deep within me, stretching after a lifetime of sleep.
My wolf.
For years, I had waited. Watched others awaken, find their mates, build their futures while I stood on the sidelines pretending it didn't hurt. I learned how to smile through the whispers, how to laugh when they said my wolf might never come, how to pretend I didn't see the pity in their eyes.
But this morning… everything was different.
Power hummed under my skin. My senses were sharper. The world felt louder, brighter. I could smell the pack grounds from my room, hear distant heartbeats, feel the pull of something—someone—calling to me.
Tears burned my eyes as I pressed my hand to my chest.
I was finally whole.
And that meant only one thing.
Today, I would stand beside him.
The pack gathered under the open sky, the sacred stone circle etched with symbols older than memory. My hands trembled as I stepped forward, my heart full of fragile hope. He was already there, standing tall at the center, looking every bit the future Alpha everyone adored.
My childhood best friend.
The boy who wiped my tears when my parents died. The man who swore he would never abandon me. The one who promised, again and again, that fate didn't matter—I did.
"I'll marry you," he told me once, fingers laced with mine. "Wolf or no wolf."
I believed him with my whole heart.
As I approached, the bond flared violently inside me, sharp and overwhelming. My wolf stirred, restless and eager, recognizing him instantly. This was it. This was destiny finally rewarding my patience.
The elder began the ritual. The wind shifted. The air vibrated with magic.
I waited for him to turn to me.
He didn't.
He stared straight ahead, jaw tight, eyes cold.
"I reject her."
The words were soft. Deadly.
For a moment, the world stopped.
I couldn't breathe. My ears rang as if I'd been struck. Surely I had imagined it. Surely this was some cruel misunderstanding.
"What…?" My voice came out broken, barely a whisper.
He turned then, finally looking at me—and there was no warmth in his gaze.
"I reject you as my mate," he said clearly. "The bond was a mistake."
A murmur swept through the crowd. Shame crawled up my spine, burning my skin. My knees weakened, but I forced myself to stand straight.
He wasn't done.
"I will be marrying another," he announced, pulling a woman to his side. "She is more suitable to stand as my Luna."
Laughter followed. Whispers. Pity.
The woman leaned into him, smug and victorious. My chest felt like it was caving in. Every promise, every memory, every dream shattered at my feet.
I had never felt so small.
Then the air changed.
A crushing pressure slammed down on the pack grounds, so sudden and powerful that wolves staggered back. Some dropped to their knees. Fear spread like wildfire.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the stone.
I looked up—and my blood ran cold.
He stood at the edge of the circle like a living nightmare, tall and broad, power rolling off him in suffocating waves. His eyes burned gold, locking onto me with terrifying intensity.
The Lycan King.
The man whose name mothers used to frighten children. The monster who slaughtered my parents.
Fear rooted me in place as he stepped forward. No one dared stop him. Even the elders bowed their heads.
"She is mine."
His voice was calm. Absolute.
Gasps erupted. My former mate went pale, stumbling back.
"I claim her as my mate," the Lycan King continued. "And I do not ask for permission."
My wolf screamed inside me, torn between terror and something darker—something that recognized him.
He reached out, lifting my chin with two fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"Second chances," he murmured, voice low and intimate, "often come wrapped in blood."
And as his mark burned into my soul, I knew—
Rejection was the least of my worries now
The day my wolf finally awakened was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
I woke before dawn, my body burning from the inside out, my heart pounding so loudly I thought it would tear through my chest. The air felt heavier, thicker, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Something ancient stirred deep within me, stretching after a lifetime of sleep.
My wolf.
For years, I had waited. Watched others awaken, find their mates, build their futures while I stood on the sidelines pretending it didn't hurt. I learned how to smile through the whispers, how to laugh when they said my wolf might never come, how to pretend I didn't see the pity in their eyes.
But this morning… everything was different.
Power hummed under my skin. My senses were sharper. The world felt louder, brighter. I could smell the pack grounds from my room, hear distant heartbeats, feel the pull of something—someone—calling to me.
Tears burned my eyes as I pressed my hand to my chest.
I was finally whole.
And that meant only one thing.
Today, I would stand beside him.
The pack gathered under the open sky, the sacred stone circle etched with symbols older than memory. My hands trembled as I stepped forward, my heart full of fragile hope. He was already there, standing tall at the center, looking every bit the future Alpha everyone adored.
My childhood best friend.
The boy who wiped my tears when my parents died. The man who swore he would never abandon me. The one who promised, again and again, that fate didn't matter—I did.
"I'll marry you," he told me once, fingers laced with mine. "Wolf or no wolf."
I believed him with my whole heart.
As I approached, the bond flared violently inside me, sharp and overwhelming. My wolf stirred, restless and eager, recognizing him instantly. This was it. This was destiny finally rewarding my patience.
The elder began the ritual. The wind shifted. The air vibrated with magic.
I waited for him to turn to me.
He didn't.
He stared straight ahead, jaw tight, eyes cold.
"I reject her."
The words were soft. Deadly.
For a moment, the world stopped.
I couldn't breathe. My ears rang as if I'd been struck. Surely I had imagined it. Surely this was some cruel misunderstanding.
"What…?" My voice came out broken, barely a whisper.
He turned then, finally looking at me—and there was no warmth in his gaze.
"I reject you as my mate," he said clearly. "The bond was a mistake."
A murmur swept through the crowd. Shame crawled up my spine, burning my skin. My knees weakened, but I forced myself to stand straight.
He wasn't done.
"I will be marrying another," he announced, pulling a woman to his side. "She is more suitable to stand as my Luna."
Laughter followed. Whispers. Pity.
The woman leaned into him, smug and victorious. My chest felt like it was caving in. Every promise, every memory, every dream shattered at my feet.
I had never felt so small.
Then the air changed.
A crushing pressure slammed down on the pack grounds, so sudden and powerful that wolves staggered back. Some dropped to their knees. Fear spread like wildfire.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the stone.
I looked up—and my blood ran cold.
He stood at the edge of the circle like a living nightmare, tall and broad, power rolling off him in suffocating waves. His eyes burned gold, locking onto me with terrifying intensity.
The Lycan King.
The man whose name mothers used to frighten children. The monster who slaughtered my parents.
Fear rooted me in place as he stepped forward. No one dared stop him. Even the elders bowed their heads.
"She is mine."
His voice was calm. Absolute
Gasps erupted. My former mate went pale, stumbling back.
"I claim her as my mate," the Lycan King continued. "And I do not ask for permission."
My wolf screamed inside me, torn between terror and something darker—something that recognized him.
He reached out, lifting my chin with two fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"Second chances," he murmured, voice low and intimate, "often come wrapped in blood."
And as his mark burned into my soul, I knew—
Rejection was the least of my worries now