My Fated Alpha Found Me Years Too Late

The ceremonial hall of the Moonveil Pack was ablaze with moonlight streaming through the high windows, casting silver patterns across the polished wooden floor. I stood at the edge of the crowd, my fingers clutching the delicate parchment of my mate letter so tightly it trembled. My heart—the heart that wasn't mine by blood but by grace—pounded against my ribs as I watched Colton, tall and commanding in his ceremonial Alpha robes, take his place on the dais.

Every step I took toward him felt like walking through water, the eyes of both Moonveil and Robertson pack members burning into my back. I could feel their judgment, their whispers—*an Omega with a borrowed heart, thinking she could be Luna.*

But Colton had promised me. Just last night, his fingers intertwined with mine as we stood by the lake, the moon reflecting in his eyes. 'Tomorrow, Priscilla. Tomorrow I'll make it official before everyone.'

I reached the dais, my simple white dress—the only formal thing I owned—rustling softly against the floor. Colton's eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something flicker there. Something that made hope surge through me.

'Luna Priscilla,' I heard someone whisper behind me, a title I'd never claimed but had secretly dreamed of.

'Moonveil Pack,' Colton's voice rang out, deep and carrying the unmistakable resonance of Alpha authority. 'Today we gather for the sacred Mate Ceremony.'

I held out my letter, the paper shaking slightly. His hand reached for it—and then stopped.

'I, Colton Owens, Alpha heir of the Moonveil Pack,' he began, his voice suddenly cold, 'reject Priscilla Owens as my mate.'

The world tilted. Gasps rippled through the crowd as Colton tore my letter in half, then quarters, then eighths. The pieces fluttered to the floor like dying butterflies.

'A wolfless Omega is unfit to be Luna,' he continued, his voice devoid of the warmth I'd known for years. 'I choose Liliana Robertson as my mate, to strengthen our pack's alliance with the Robertson bloodline.'

Liliana stepped forward from the shadows, her ceremonial gown shimmering with wealth and power. Her smile was radiant, triumphant.

I couldn't breathe. The heart in my chest—his mother's heart—seemed to constrict, each beat a reminder of the debt I could never repay and the love I'd never be worthy of.

Weeks passed in a blur of whispers and sideways glances. I kept to the shadows of the packhouse, trying to make myself invisible. Then came the night of the rogue attack.

The air was thick with the scent of blood and fear as rogues breached our borders. I found myself in the woods with Liliana, both of us trapped as snarls and howls surrounded us. Colton appeared with his Gamma squad, his eyes wild with the Alpha's protective fury.

'Get Liliana out first!' he commanded, his voice sharp with authority. 'Secure the retreat path!'

No mention of me. No command to save the girl who'd loved him her entire life.

As the rogues closed in, dragging me deeper