Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

I drifted into a hazy dream, returning to the year I turned eighteen. Back then, I was the perfect good girl, the pride of my parents, the Blue Moon Pack’s respected elders, and the pack’s young wolves. I was the future Luna, groomed to lead with grace and strength. Meanwhile, Amazon Morrison was a promising warrior but reckless and often at odds with the pack’s rules. Our lives seemed destined to run parallel without crossing—until fate thought otherwise.

That summer, I stumbled upon Amazon in the woods near our territory after a training session. He was caught up in a fight with rogues, his muscular frame battered and bloodied. He sat against a tree, his white T-shirt stained crimson around his abdomen. Hearing my footsteps, he looked up at me, his striking features barely visible beneath the bruises. I offered to help him up, but he growled at me, his alpha tone sharp and commanding, telling me tersely to leave him alone. Ignoring his words, his pale face from the blood loss compelled me. Determined, I helped him to his feet, supporting his towering, muscular frame step by step to the pack’s healing center.

I watched as the healer tended to his wounds, my presence lingering even after the worst of it was over. Sitting on the edge of the healer’s cot, he watched me with those piercing eyes, a tear-shaped mole at the corner shimmering slightly. He introduced himself slowly, his voice rough but steady, "Amazon Morrison."

I nodded, acknowledging him. As I turned to leave, his impatient voice stopped me. "What’s your name, Luna?"

"Mikayla Morrison," I replied, though the title felt strange coming from him. It was the first time he’d addressed me as Luna, but it wouldn’t be the last.

That was our first encounter.

Later, on a day when rogues cornered me in the woods after a training session, Amazon came to my rescue. His wolf form was massive, towering over the rogues with an aura that made them cower. With a relaxed air, he shifted back to human form and returned the favor I’d done for him, his deep voice carrying a hint of gratitude. For the next few days, he lingered near the training grounds, his presence a silent but unmistakable shield. He made sure the rogues—and everyone else—remembered that I was under his protection, untouchable by anyone else.

From then on, we gradually became closer. I’d occasionally bring him food during his patrols, like sandwiches and spiced honey cake, and he’d often walk me back to the pack house. When my parents, the elders of the pack, found out, they insisted I stop spending time with him. They warned me that Amazon’s recklessness and his bond with Vienna, a Delta in the pack, would only bring trouble. But for Amazon, I disobeyed them for the first time—like I would countless times afterward.

Even then, I could feel the tension between us and the pack’s expectations. Amazon’s closeness to Vienna was already a whispered topic among the pack, but I ignored it, just as I ignored the way my wolf stirred uneasily whenever she was near. I was too young, too naive, to see the cracks forming in the life I thought I was building.