Rejected By My Cruel Alpha, Saved By My Cursed Mate

"Ugh, your body disgusts me! Is the Moon Goddess blind to bind us together?"

The words shattered a hope I've held onto since I was eight.

I stood frozen in place, unable to move before the pain gradually seeps in. My lungs struggle to inhale air, my gasps shallow and rapid. Only the growing numbness in my legs and arms kept me standing.

If I collapse now, I'll never be able to recover from the shame.

I stare at the ground, too humiliated to exchange glares with the eyes I knew were piercing me into from every direction.

'No matter what you look like, your mate will love you.' My mother once told me this back when I still believed in fairy tales. But I'm smarter now.

A bitter sound escape my throat, as a single tear trickles down my cheek. I was wrong to hope.

"Look at yourself, Kiera." Damon's voice echoes across the clearing. "You're twice my size. Did the Moon Goddess make a mistake?"

The pack laughs.

I recognize every voice. These are the wolves I've fed, cleaned up after, served without complaint for years.

I gave all I had to this pack.

The pack mocked me because of my fat figure, but I comforted myself it didn't matter. They excluded me from pack gatherings, and I convinced myself that I preferred solitude. Damon passed by me like I was nothing, and I accepted it as my place.

I realize my wolf was right all along. They don't want me here. But I found out way too late.

A storm raged above and the snickers and hisses intensify. Damon circled me deliberately and the mate bond burns in my chest. It called out to him even as he destroys me.

I forced myself to look toward the pack house for the final time. My aunt stood at the top of the stairs with her arms folded and the same cruel smile on her lips. The same smile that she wore at my parents' funeral. That was when it all started.

"Come here." Damon's commands cut through my thoughts.

Five she-wolves step out of the crowd with practiced grace. Their bodies flawless, their faces beautiful. All that I am not.

No, please.

Not this.

Anything but this.

The she-wolves approach him eagerly, confidence flowing from their every step. Sera, the blonde one with flawless looks, smirked at me as she passes by.

She asked for my help yesterday to style her hair for this evening's ceremony, smiling innocently all the while. Now I know why.

Damon lead the pack to his secluded cabin on the other side of the clearing. The cabin has floor to ceiling windows facing straight out toward where the pack gathers.

Where I am.

My stomach churns violently. I should run, but my body refuses to budge. My feet might as well be rooted to the ground. I saw everything clearly from the transparent windows.

Damon pulled the first she-wolf closer and his mouth crash over hers in a deep kiss. He releases her and claims the second. Then the third. Then the fourth.

Hot tears trailed down my cheeks and I barely noticed the hundreds of wolves witnessing my complete humiliation.

Damon's eyes find mine through the window and he makes sure I'm watching as his hands roam over the fifth she-wolf.

Time ceases to exist. He exit the cabin at some point and the she-wolves trailed behind him, adjusting their disheveled clothes and hair. Sera catches my eye again and smirked.

Damon appeared where I've fallen onto the damp grass, my body finally giving up the fight to stay upright.

His hand shoots out and encircled my jaw, jerking my head up.

"I, Damon Thorne, Alpha of Bloodmoon pack, reject you, Kiera Ashford, as my mate and Luna."

A yell tore itself from my throat. My chest feels like it is carving inward. I fall completely, my fingers scrabbling desperately at the ground.

"You are banished from Bloodmoon lands." I could barely hear his voice now. "Return and you die."

Rough hands close around my arms, hauling me up. I look back to see two warriors, their faces expressionless. These are Damon's personal guards. His most loyal followers.

They pull me through the crowd and the pack members step aside to allow us through. One of them spits and the saliva land on my arm. A rock strikes my head from the other direction and warm blood immediately trickle down my temple.

We approach a black vehicle parked along the perimeter of the pack and they shoved me roughly inside.

I flop across the seat as silence descends on the car. My arburn hair hangs in tangled strands across my face.

The two warriors climb into the front. I recognize them as Tristan and Gray, Damon's right and left hands.

I stare blankly at my ruined dress. I have since stopped crying, yet I have trails on my cheeks. Time passes. I have no idea how long. An hour? Two? Maybe three?

At first, I expect they were taking me to the border. But the car didn't stop after a long time. When I finally lift my head to look out the window, the unfamiliar landscapes passed by.

We've entered the dark forest inhabitated by rogues. My heart beats faster suddenly. "Where are you taking me?"

My question is met with silence.

"I asked you where you're taking me." I shout again.

"Quiet." Gray said flatly as he stares at me in the mirror, his eyes ice-cold.

He's Damon's friend. His most devoted soldier.

The truth sent shivers crawling up my spine. They're not just escorting me out of Bloodmoon. They're planning to end me. Permanently.

My eyes dart frantically to the window as reality hits me.

They've taken everything. My mate, My home, My pride.

Now they want my life too.

Rage burns in my chest, incinerating the numbness. My mind snap back to the car door. Locked, of course. In my current state, weakened by rejection, I am no match for two fully grown warriors.

But I have to at least try something.

Adrenaline floods my veins. I clenched my fists as desperation grips me.

Without thinking twice, I throw myself at the window.

My shoulder collides with the glass and on the third impact, it shatters. I push myself through the opening, ignoring the sharp edges that pierce my arms and legs.

I hit the ground with a hard thud. My shoulder takes most of the impact, and I could hear my own bones cracking.

I staggered up to my feet and ran.

Growls echo behind me. They've transformed.

"Stop running!" Gray's voice sounded through the mind link.

Never.

I push myself harder, the trees blurring together.

Suddenly, claws tear down my back. I scream as the force sent me flying.

I tumble down a steep hill and I could feel the roots and rocks hitting my body from every direction.

My spine crashes into something solid and I lie there. I winced, trying to remember how to breathe through the pain.

Cool breeze brushes against my cheek. I turned my head and my breath caught at the sight in front of me.

I'm lying on a cliff edge. Behind me, two giant wolves creep closer, their fangs bared.

Gray and Tristian circled me slowly, blocking all paths.

Realization dawned on me. I'm trapped.

I forced myself upright. My back throbbed where they had raked me with their claws and blood had soaked through my dress. My chest rises and fall with every labored breath.

I position myself at the very edge and lift my chin, meeting their eyes without flinching.

"Tell Damon that he destroyed the wrong person. Tell Bloodmoon they'll pay for this."

"How dare you curse the Alpha!" Tristan lurches towards me with killing intent in his eyes.

I close my eyes, preparing to fall.

And then I felt something shifts in the atmosphere.

A strange smell reaches my senses. The scent closes in around me, awakening something deep. It felt like finding shelter after getting lost in a storm.

My eyes suddenly burst open and I scanned the woods frantically.

A massive form bursts out of the darkness, running with supernatural speed. It crashes into Gray's wolf, launching him into the air before finally throwing him in the bushes.

And then I saw him clearly.

My mate. My second chance.

He's enormous, looming over the wolves. His tan skin glows under the moonlight and his eyes burned with rage.

Tristan tries to attack him but with one smooth motion, he grabs the wolf's hind leg out of mid-air and hurls him across the clearing like a rag doll.

Then he sprint towards me, his arm reaching out in my direction.

But I'm already leaning back.

My foot finds nothing but air as the edge of the cliff gave way.

The last thing I saw as the darkness engulfs me is his hand reaching frantically towards mine, and his eyes shifting to the most beautiful deep blue I've ever seen. Deep blue I felt like I've seen before, though I couldn't remember where.