Rejected On Blood Moon, I Found My True Alpha

"You will have to earn it."

I raised my bleeding hand, bracing myself as the massive shadow lunged from the trees.

The beast didn't hesitate. It slammed into my chest, driving me into the muddy forest floor. Razor-sharp claws tore through my dress, slicing deep into my ribs.

"Get off me!" I yelled.

I grabbed a jagged rock from the dirt and smashed it against the creature's skull. It snarled, shaking off the blow, and sank its teeth into my shoulder.

Agony ripped through my nerves. I kicked upward, catching it in the stomach. The beast stumbled back just enough for me to scramble away. I dragged myself toward the roots of a giant oak tree, leaving a trail of blood in the dirt.

My vision blurred. The Blood Moon above fractured into red shards. The beast stalked closer, its yellow eyes fixed on my throat.

"Kane..." I whispered, my voice failing.

The creature pounced again. I raised my arms to block, but my strength vanished. My head cracked against the tree trunk. The forest faded into absolute black.

***

"Wake her up."

A boot slammed into my ribs.

I gasped, choking on stagnant air. Cold stone scraped against my bare back. I tried to sit up, but my arms wouldn't move. Thick, rune-carved iron cuffs pinned my wrists above my head. The metal burned against my skin, draining the last traces of energy from my veins.

Anti-magic chains.

"She is awake, Alpha," a guard announced.

"Leave us, Kael. Stand by the door," a deep voice commanded.

Heavy footfalls approached my cell. I blinked through the haze of pain and blood loss.

Ezra stood on the other side of the iron bars. The Alpha of the Shadow Veil pack stared at me with hollow, merciless eyes. He wasn't alone.

Lyla clung to his left arm, wearing the glowing moonstone pendant he had given her hours ago.

"Why am I alive?" I spat blood onto the damp floor.

"Do not flatter yourself," Ezra said. "You are not a guest. You are a tool."

"A tool for what?" I asked.

"Leverage," Ezra answered flatly. "Iron Ridge threw away their fated Omega. A stupid move on Kane’s part. But highly useful for me."

"He banished me," I pointed out. "He doesn't want me."

"Pride dictates otherwise," Ezra countered. "He threw you away, but he will despise knowing I possess you. It makes him look weak. You are my insurance policy to keep his borders quiet."

Lyla stepped closer to the bars, her fingers twisting the fabric of Ezra’s black coat.

"Alpha Ezra, please," Lyla murmured, her voice laced with fake terror. "You shouldn't have brought her to your territory. She is dangerous."

"She has no wolf, Lyla," Ezra said. His harsh tone softened entirely as he addressed her.

"You don't know her like I do," Lyla insisted. "She hates me for taking Kane. She hates you for giving me the Luna's blessing. She holds a vicious grudge."

"I hold the truth," I shot back.

"Listen to her!" Lyla gasped, shrinking behind Ezra’s broad frame. "The moment she breaks free, she will come after me. She will kill us both in our sleep."

"You lying snake," I snarled. I yanked at the chains. The iron cut into my wrists, sending fresh blood dripping down my forearms.

Ezra stepped forward, shielding Lyla completely from my view. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

"Control yourself, Omega," Ezra warned.

"You are protecting a fraud!" I yelled. "She has no magic! She uses dark arts!"

"Jealousy is a pathetic trait, Serena," Ezra said.

"It is the truth!"

"Enough," Ezra commanded. He turned slightly to Lyla, offering her a reassuring nod. "You have nothing to fear. She will never leave this cell."

"Are you certain?" Lyla asked, her eyes wide and innocent. "She always finds a way to ruin things."

"She is a hostage," Ezra stated. He looked back at me, his expression turning to stone. "She has no rights here. No privileges. She is meat on a hook."

A bloody smile stretched across my face. It was the only defense I had left.

"Meat on a hook," I repeated. "Make sure the hook is sharp, Alpha."

Ezra’s jaw tightened. He didn't like the defiance in my tone.

"Kael," Ezra called out.

The guard stepped back into the torchlight. "Yes, Alpha?"

"She needs a lesson in respect," Ezra ordered.

"She is bleeding out, Alpha," Kael noted, glancing at the dark puddle forming beneath my torn ribs. "If I strike her again, she might not survive the night."

Ezra looked at the wounds the beast had left on my body. He showed zero pity.

"I did not tell you to strike her," Ezra said. "Pour salt on the lacerations. Keep her awake."

Lyla smiled. A tiny, vicious upward curve of her lips that vanished the second Ezra glanced in her direction.

"Let us go back upstairs," Ezra told Lyla. "The damp air down here is not good for your health."

"Thank you for protecting me, Ezra," Lyla whispered.

"Ezra!" I shouted. "You are making a mistake!"

He didn't stop walking. He didn't even turn his head. He guided Lyla up the stone steps, leaving me in the dark with his enforcer.

Kael walked over to a wooden barrel near the cell door. He plunged his hand inside and pulled out a fistful of coarse, gray rock salt.

"Hold still, rogue," Kael laughed.

He unlocked the cell door and stepped inside.

"Don't touch me," I warned, kicking my leg out.

Kael caught my ankle and shoved my leg hard against the wall. The rough stone scraped the skin off my shoulder. He pinned me down with his knee.

"The Alpha gave an order," Kael sneered.

He jammed the handful of salt directly into the open claw marks on my ribs.

I screamed. Fire erupted across my torso. Every nerve ending screamed in agony. I thrashed violently against the iron cuffs, tearing my own skin to escape the burning pain.

Up on the stairs, Ezra paused. He looked down through the heavy iron grate.

"Quiet her down," Ezra called out, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Lyla has a headache."

Kael pulled his fist back and struck me across the jaw.

My head snapped to the side. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. My vision swam, the torchlight blurring into a single streak of orange flame.

Kael stood up, wiping his bloody hands on his trousers. He walked out of the cell and slammed the iron door shut. The lock clicked into place.

Footsteps faded up the stairs. The heavy wooden door at the top of the dungeon slammed shut, plunging the room into near absolute darkness.

I hung from the chains. Blood dripped from my chin onto my collarbone. The salt continued to burn into my flesh, keeping me agonizingly awake.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my breathing.

Then, a low scraping sound echoed from the far corner of the cell.

Someone else was in the dark with me.

"They left you a mess," a raspy, unfamiliar voice whispered from the shadows.

I jerked my head up. "Who is there?"

A pair of glowing silver eyes opened in the pitch black.

"Just a prisoner," the voice replied. "But your blood... it smells exactly like the prophecy."