Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

The Moonrise Pack gathering sparkled with crystal chandeliers and the soft murmur of pack politics. I smoothed down my simple navy dress—modest compared to the glittering gowns around me—and searched the crowded great hall for Ryan. My heart quickened at the thought of seeing him after his week-long absence negotiating territories.

I spotted him across the room, commanding attention in his tailored black suit, his chestnut hair perfectly styled. Even from a distance, his presence made my chest tighten with pride. This was my Alpha, my mate—though not yet officially marked.

*He looks so powerful tonight,* I thought, watching pack members bow their heads respectfully as he passed.

*Something feels wrong,* Selene, my wolf, whispered in my mind. *Be careful.*

I brushed aside her concern. Selene had always been protective, but tonight was about celebrating Ryan's success. The alliance he'd been working toward would strengthen our position among the packs.

As I approached, Ryan's eyes met mine briefly before sliding away to greet someone else. I pushed down the flicker of hurt and waited patiently at the edge of his circle.

"Congratulations on the alliance," I said when I finally reached him, pressing his hand gently. "You've worked so hard for this."

The moment our skin touched, an electric current surged through my chest, and Selene howled within me.

*MATE!* she cried, the intensity of her reaction startling me. *Our mate!*

Of course he was our mate—we'd known this for years. But something about Selene's desperate assertion felt different tonight, almost like a warning.

That's when I noticed them—Ryan's Beta pack-brothers huddled nearby, their eyes darting between Ryan and me with smirks that made my skin crawl.

"Fifty says he doesn't even acknowledge her tonight," one whispered, not quite quietly enough.

"Hundred says she still doesn't get it after he marks the Blackwood girl," another replied with a snicker.

The words hit me like ice water. I stepped back, my hand falling from Ryan's. He barely seemed to notice, already turning to speak with an elder from another pack.

*They're betting on me?* The realization made me feel suddenly exposed, as if I were standing naked before them all. *Betting on my humiliation?*

Selene growled, her ears flattening in my mind. *Listen to them. They know something we don't.*

I retreated from the circle, heart pounding. The beautiful hall now seemed suffocating, the glittering lights too harsh. I needed air, needed to think. Making my way toward one of the side alcoves, I slipped behind a marble column.

That's when I saw them.

In the shadowed alcove, partially concealed by heavy velvet drapes, stood Ryan. And in his arms, pressed intimately against him, was Isabella Blackwood—the golden-haired daughter of the powerful Alpha whose alliance Ryan had been pursuing.

"Tonight," Ryan murmured, his voice carrying to me in the quiet space. "After the announcement."

Isabella's laugh was soft and triumphant as she tilted her head, exposing the smooth column of her throat. "I've waited long enough to be your Luna."

The moonlight streaming through the nearby window caught her golden hair, creating a halo effect that made her look ethereal. Beautiful. Worthy.

And then Ryan lowered his head, his lips brushing against her neck before his fangs extended, pressing against her throat in the sacred marking ritual.

*NO!* Selene howled in agony, the sound echoing through my entire being. My vision blurred with tears as I watched the most sacred bond of our kind being formed before my eyes—not with me, but with another.

I stumbled backward, my hand covering my mouth to stifle my gasp. How could he? After years of promises, of building a life together, of me supporting his every ambition...

I needed to escape, to run, but my feet carried me deeper into the shadows instead, behind an ancient tapestry depicting the first Alpha pair. There, hidden from view, I heard voices—Ryan's and his closest Betas.