REJECTED BY MY ALPHA... CLAIMED BY HIS FATHER

CHAPTER 1 - REJECTED BEFORE THE MOON

The moon hung low, heavy with something Aria couldn't name.

She stood at the center of the gathering grounds in white silk, silver threading catching the torchlight. Three years of waiting. Three years of believing the bond, trusting it, living for this moment. The Alpha's son. Her fated mate. Everything the universe promised her.

Around her, the pack formed a perfect circle. Hundreds of wolves in human form, silent and expectant. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath.

Liam stood across from her.

For a second, just one, she thought she saw hesitation cross his face. His jaw tightened. His hands clenched at his sides. Then his expression cleared into something cold and unfamiliar.

Aria's stomach dropped.

"Liam," she said quietly. "It's time."

He didn't answer. Didn't move. Just looked at her like she was a stranger he'd only just noticed was there.

Then he stepped forward.

Her heart leaped. *This is it. This is actually happening.*

He raised his hand, and she instinctively reached for him-

"I reject you."

The words landed like a guillotine.

The bond snapped. Aria felt it tear through her chest, a physical rupture that bent her forward. Her hand flew to her ribs. The pain wasn't just emotional-it was *real*, sharp teeth gnawing through her insides.

When she looked up, a woman was standing beside him.

Selena Vire. Of course it was Selena. Beautiful, powerful, everything Aria could never be. Selena's hand found Liam's arm, and she smiled like she'd won a prize.

The crowd erupted in whispers.

"Never worthy-"

"-saw it coming-"

"-poor thing-"

Aria couldn't breathe. Couldn't think past the white noise of humiliation. She forced her voice out anyway, needing to understand, needing some version of the truth that made sense.

"Why?"

Liam didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. Just cold. Clinical.

"You were never fit to be Luna," he said. Like it was obvious. Like everyone already knew.

And maybe they did. Maybe she'd been the only one stupid enough to believe in a bond. In a future. In being chosen by someone who mattered.

Aria turned to leave before she shattered in front of them all.

That's when she heard it.

Footsteps. Slow. Heavy. The kind of footsteps that made the entire pack tense without a sound being raised. She turned back.

A man emerged from the shadows at the edge of the gathering grounds. Tall. Dark coat that probably cost more than the entire pack earned in a year. When he stepped into the firelight, she recognized him immediately.

Kael Draven. The Alpha King.

The entire clearing shifted. Bodies straightened automatically, heads lowered in deference. Liam's arrogance evaporated like smoke.

The man moved between Liam and Aria like the space belonged to him. Like everything belonged to him.

When he spoke, his voice carried the kind of authority that made wolves submit without thinking.

"She is not rejected."

Liam's head snapped up. "Father, I don't think you