Rejected Mate of the Devil Alpha
Chapter 1
Rejected Mate of the Devil Alpha
The moon had never looked like this before.
It loomed high above the Draven Pack territory, swollen and crimson, as if the sky itself had been wounded. Elders often said the moon watched over us, guiding fate and blessing new wolves with purpose. Tonight, it felt less like a guardian and more like a judge.
I stood at the far edge of the ceremonial grounds, my bare feet sinking slightly into the cold earth. The night air was sharp, biting through the thin white dress I wore—a dress given to me hours ago with no warmth in the gesture, no words of encouragement, only an order.
Wear this. Don’t embarrass the pack.
That was all.
Around me, torches burned in a wide circle, flames flickering violently as if disturbed by something unseen. The scent of smoke mixed with pine and damp soil, but beneath it all was another smell—power. Thick. Dominating. Suffocating.
The Draven Pack had gathered in full.
Warriors lined the inner circle, tall and broad-shouldered, their expressions hard and unreadable. Behind them stood nobles and ranked wolves, dressed in fine fabrics, their whispers sharp and curious. High above everyone else, seated on a raised stone platform carved with ancient runes, was the man every wolf feared.
Kael Draven.
The Devil Alpha.
Even without looking directly at him, I could feel his presence pressing down on me like an invisible weight. My chest tightened, breath coming shallow as my heart began to race for reasons I couldn’t yet explain.
Tonight was my Awakening Night.
The night my wolf would awaken.
The night fate would decide everything.
I had waited eighteen years for this moment, yet all I felt now was dread curling deep in my stomach.
I was not like the others.
I had no parents to stand proudly behind me. No lineage whispered with reverence. No powerful bloodline others expected greatness from.
I was an orphan.
Packless.
Taken in by the Draven Pack years ago out of obligation, not kindness. I worked where I was told, spoke only when spoken to, and learned early that survival meant being invisible.
Girls like me didn’t dream of powerful mates.
Girls like me prayed simply to be tolerated.
“Luna.”
The Elder’s voice cut through the murmurs, deep and commanding.
“Step forward.”
Every sound died instantly.
Hundreds of eyes turned toward me.
I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into the fabric of my dress as heat crept up my neck. My legs felt unsteady as I took my first step, then another, forcing myself toward the center of the clearing.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
The ground beneath my feet seemed colder now, the earth unforgiving. Whispers followed me, some curious, some mocking.
“That’s her?”
“She doesn’t even have a wolf yet.”
“Poor thing…”
I kept my gaze lowered. I had learned long ago that meeting eyes only invited cruelty.
The Elder raised his staff once I reached the center, its carved symbols glowing faintly under the red moonlight.
“Tonight,” he intoned, “fate awakens.”
The torches flared brighter, flames leaping higher as ancient words spilled from his lips—words older than packs, older than territory, older than the laws that governed us.
The air shifted.
Something moved inside me.
At first, it was subtle. A warmth spreading through my chest. Then—
Pain.
Sharp. Sudden. Merciless.
I gasped as it felt like fire ignited beneath my skin, scorching straight through my heart. My knees buckled, and I barely managed to stay upright as I clutched my chest, fingers digging desperately into fabric.
Inside me, something screamed.
My wolf.
The bond snapped into place with violent force, ripping a cry from my throat as the world seemed to tilt.
Mate.
The realization slammed into me just as powerfully as the pain.
My head lifted on instinct, drawn by something I couldn’t resist—
And my eyes met his.
Kael Draven stood.
The moment our gazes locked, the air between us crackled violently. His crimson eyes darkened, narrowing as recognition struck him with the same brutal certainty it struck me.
Mate.
The Devil Alpha was my fated mate.
A murmur swept through the crowd, swelling into shocked whispers. My heart thundered painfully as emotions warred inside me—fear, disbelief, and a fragile, dangerous spark of hope.
Because mates were sacred.
Because fate didn’t choose lightly.
Because no matter how cruel he was to others… an Alpha protected his mate.
Kael descended from the platform slowly, each step deliberate, controlled. Power rolled off him in waves, forcing weaker wolves to lower their heads instinctively.
He stopped several feet away from me.
Close enough that I could feel the heat of him. Close enough that my wolf whimpered weakly inside me, drawn to him despite everything.
“I feel it,” he said at last.
His voice was deep, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion.
“The bond.”
My lips parted, my breath hitching. I wanted to speak. To explain. To beg. To tell him I never asked for this.
Before I could utter a single word, Kael turned away from me and faced the pack.
“I, Kael Draven,” he announced, his voice echoing through the clearing with ruthless authority, “Alpha of the Draven Pack, reject this mate bond.”
The world shattered.
Agony tore through me with such force that I screamed, collapsing to the ground as if struck. The bond ripped apart violently, shredding my soul piece by piece. My wolf howled in pain, curling inward as darkness threatened to consume us both.
It felt like my heart was being torn from my chest.
Gasps erupted around us.
Some wolves turned away, unable to watch. Others stared openly, fascination and cruelty etched across their faces.
I clawed weakly at the ground, tears streaming uncontrollably as I forced myself to look up at him.
At the man fate had chosen to destroy me.
“You are weak,” Kael said coldly, his expression unchanged. “You carry no power. No lineage. No worth.”
Each word crushed me further into the dirt.
“I will not be bound,” he continued, voice sharp as steel, “to a nobody.”
Laughter followed.
Sharp. Cutting.
It burned worse than the pain ripping through my chest.
“I didn’t choose this,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, shaking violently. “Please… I didn’t ask for you.”
For a single heartbeat, something flickered in his eyes.
Regret? Conflict?
Then it vanished.
“Remove her,” Kael ordered. “She no longer exists to me.”
Strong hands seized my arms.
“No! Please!” I screamed, my nails scraping the earth as they dragged me away. “Kael! Please!”
He never looked back.
The torches blurred as tears blinded me. My chest ached where the bond had been torn, leaving behind an emptiness so deep it felt endless.
As the gates slammed shut behind me, cutting off the sound of the pack, cold darkness swallowed my cries.
And deep within that darkness, something stirred.
Not hope.
Not love.
Something ancient.
Something furious.
As pain faded into numbness, a single truth burned itself into my shattered soul:
The Devil Alpha rejected his mate.
And fate would demand a price.
You may also like
