Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

After my Coming of Age ceremony, Riley Ford, the Beta of the Lycan court, arrived at the Blue Moon Pack with a list of potential mates from the nearby packs. He instructed me to choose someone to form a mate bond with.

I told him I would leave it to chance.

In my past life, I had eagerly accepted Kayson Foster, the Alpha heir of the Shadow Pack, as my mate. But on the eve of our marking ceremony, he abandoned me to comfort Francesca Burns, a Delta whose inner wolf had become dormant. She had been devastated by the loss of her wolf and fell into despair. After being found wandering alone, she nearly took her own life.

Kayson blamed me for her suffering and led his pack to destroy my birth pack, the Blue Moon Pack, and claimed their territory for Francesca to recover in. He imprisoned me and allowed her to torture me until I died.

This time, I drew the name of Hunter Martinez, the Lycan Prince of the Red Flame territory, a quiet and reserved figure who rarely interacted with others.

But when Kayson found out, he lost his mind and vowed to ruin any chance I had with Hunter.

---

"Selena, until the mate bond is officially confirmed, keep this between us. Send the ceremonial gifts to the Red Flame territory first," my mother, Winifred Rivera, advised.

I followed her suggestion and prepared to send the gifts with the Blue Moon Pack's messengers. However, as we left the pack’s territory, Kayson intercepted us with Francesca by his side, his expression full of disdain.

"Stop wasting your time. The Shadow Pack doesn’t need your trinkets," he sneered.

Francesca leaned against him, her face smug with triumph.

"Kayson, keep your voice down. If everyone finds out she’s trying to mate with someone from the Shadow Pack, it’ll embarrass us," she said, her tone dripping with mockery.

Her condescending attitude was exactly the same as it had been in my past life, when Kayson had slaughtered my pack and imprisoned me for her sake.

The Blue Moon Pack was known for its peaceful nature, but its bloodline carried the potential to produce powerful warriors. Callahan Hart, the former Alpha of the Shadow Pack, had once spent weeks negotiating with my mother for a mating alliance, but she had refused. It was ironic that after thirty years of his pursuit, Kayson still looked down on my pack.

Kayson ignored me completely, jumping onto the carriage and grabbing a vial of rare herbs that the Blue Moon Pack had spent decades cultivating. He handed it to Francesca without a second thought.

I clenched my fists, my anger boiling over. "Those are ceremonial gifts from the Blue Moon Pack! You have no right to take them!"

He didn’t even look at me, feeding the herbs to Francesca in front of me, his arm wrapped around her waist. "Stop pretending. I know you chose me as your mate. These gifts are meant for the Shadow Pack anyway. What’s the harm in giving them to Francesca now?"

Before I could argue, he continued, "Francesca will be living with us after the marking ceremony. It’s your duty to take care of her."

"Francesca, see if there’s anything else you like here. Take whatever you want," he added.

Francesca’s eyes lit up as she rummaged through the carriage, carelessly breaking several precious items.

I was furious, my voice sharp as I shouted, "I’ve told you before—these are gifts from the Blue Moon Pack! They’re not meant for the Shadow Pack!"

He glanced at me, as if I were telling some absurd joke, and scoffed, "Still playing hard to get? How amusing. Everyone knows you’ve been obsessed with me for thirty years."

"It’s just some gifts. Let me make this clear—after the marking ceremony, my heart and loyalty will belong to Francesca alone."

The messenger stepped forward, trying to explain, "Alpha Kayson, these gifts are truly not for the Shadow Pack. Please don’t delay our journey."

Kayson crossed his arms, refusing to believe us, convinced we were lying.

Francesca picked up a ceremonial crown made of silver and adorned with moonstones, her voice sweet as she asked, "Kayson, I like this. Can I take it?"

I immediately objected, "Put that down! It belongs to my mother."

Kayson shot me a glare and placed the crown on Francesca’s head. "Take whatever you want. After all, these gifts are meant for you once they arrive at the Shadow Pack."

Francesca gave me a triumphant look, her smile smug.

The crown was my mother’s, a cherished heirloom meant to be worn during the marking ceremony. I stepped in front of them, my voice cold and firm. "Kayson, return the crown. I’ve told you before—I’m not mating with you."

He slapped my hand away, the force of it leaving a stinging pain on my arm. "Selena, what’s the matter? You’ve been chasing me for thirty years without shame, and now you’re worried about losing face over a few gifts?"

"Too late. You’re the one who insisted on mating with me. Let me make this clear—if you come to the Shadow Pack, you’ll only be there to watch me and Francesca together!"

With that, he pushed me aside and walked away with Francesca.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and turned to the messenger. "Return to the Blue Moon Pack. We’ll settle this when Hunter arrives in two days."