Her Alpha's Rejection, His Luna's Rise

Selene

The maids swarmed me the moment I crossed the threshold, a flurry of hands and excited chatter. Mira, the eldest with her silver-streaked braids, grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the dressing chamber. "There you are! We were starting to think you'd run off to hunt forever. The Alpha's been pacing like a caged beast."

I laughed, letting them strip away my muddied tunic and leathers. "Pacing? Kaelen? He'd sooner chew through iron than show impatience in public. What, did he send you to drag me back?"

"Not him," giggled Lira, the youngest, her fingers deft as she unlaced my boots. "But the elders were muttering about traditions and timeliness. As if you haven't kept this pack fed through worse than a late ceremony."

Mira draped a silken gown over my head, the fabric cool and whispering against my skin. It was deep crimson, embroidered with silver wolves along the hem, a nod to our pack's fierce heritage.

"You'll be the perfect Luna," she said, her voice softening as she pinned my hair into loose waves. "Not just because of the bond, but because of this." She tapped my chest, right over my heart. "You've always put us first. The people see it. The Alpha sees it."

I met her eyes in the polished mirror, seeing myself transformed. The wiry hunter faded beneath the elegant lines of the dress, my red hair almost the safe color as the dress. "I hope so," I replied, my voice steady despite the thunder in my chest. "Kaelen and I... we've built something real. Not just by fate's decree, but by our own choices. Every day."

Lira adjusted the necklace at my throat, a simple moonstone pendant Kaelen had given me years ago. "And tonight seals it. The marking and vows. You'll stand beside him, and the pack will roar your name."

Their enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself smiling, the earlier unease forgotten. "Alright, enough fussing. Let's get me out there before the elders decide to marry him off to someone else."

They laughed nervously and scurried aside. I grabbed the cloak they'd forgotten, swung it around my shoulders, and strode out before any more well-meaning words suffocated me.

The corridor smelled of pine oil and candle smoke. My heart drummed. I'd grown up in these halls, carrying baskets of meat to the kitchens, patching leathers for the warriors when my father's debts weighed too heavy. Tonight was supposed to wash that past away. Tonight I was meant to stand beside Kaelen, not as the poor Beta's daughter who hunted rabbits to keep her family alive, but as his Luna.

Kaelen and I weren't perfect in any way, we argued like wildfire meeting wind, but the bond hummed between us like a living thread that pulled me forward.

Just beyond, I could hear voices murmuring, but they weren't the joyous chants I'd expected. No drums, no howls of celebration. My pace slowed as a chill creept up my spine.

Something