Rejected By The Alpha, Claimed By The Beast

Nikky Lumpo

The night air was thick with anticipation, the full Blood Moon hanging above the Darkwood Pack's gathering ground like an omen. Tonight was the night. The ceremony that would reveal true mates had been etched into my mind since childhood, a sacred ritual where the Moon Goddess herself would guide us to our fated other half. My heart pounded against my ribs, a mixture of hope and dread swirling within me.

Standing in the center of the clearing, surrounded by my packmates, I searched through the faces illuminated by the bonfire's flickering glow. My fingers curled into my palms, nails biting into flesh. The energy in the air crackled, stirring something deep inside me. Soon, the mate bond would take hold, sealing destinies with an undeniable force.

My gaze landed on Tobias Mattheus. The Alpha. The man I had loved for as long as I could remember. He stood tall, powerful, his dark hair tousled by the wind, sharp golden eyes scanning the crowd. A warrior in every sense, Tobias was the kind of Alpha legends spoke of- strong, ruthless, bound by duty. And tonight, I prayed to the Goddess that fate would finally tie us together.

A hush fell over the crowd as the pack's elders stepped forward, their robes billowing. Elder Marlow, her silver hair gleaming under the moonlight, lifted her hands. "The Moon Goddess reveals all," she intoned. "Tonight, those chosen will feel the pull of destiny."

A shiver raced down my spine. The heat of Tobias's gaze burned against my skin, and my heart leaped. Could it be? Was it really-

Pain shot through my body like lightning. A gasp tore from my lips, and I staggered. The world blurred, and a force stronger than anything I had ever known slammed into my chest. My wolf howled inside me, clawing to the surface, the overwhelming urge to run to him drowning my senses. My mate.

Tobias's eyes widened. His hands clenched at his sides. For a moment- just a moment- relief and something dangerously close to longing flickered across his face. Then it vanished, replaced by cold indifference.

He turned to face me, his voice like a blade slicing through the air. "No."

The single word echoed through the clearing. Whispers erupted around us. My breath caught, the sharp sting of rejection hitting me like a physical blow.

Elder Marlow stepped forward, brows furrowing. "Alpha Tobias, the bond has been revealed. Nikky is your fated mate."

His jaw tightened, golden eyes darkening. "She is weak." The words were spoken with the same certainty he used in battle, firm and absolute. "The Moon Goddess made a mistake."

A sharp pain lanced through my chest, far worse than the mate bond's initial pull. My knees buckled, but I refused to fall. He couldn't mean it. This had to be a mistake.

"Tobias," I whispered, barely able to speak through the lump in my throat. "You can't."

He took a step closer, towering over me. "You're not fit to stand by my side, Nikky. A Luna must be strong. You are nothing but a liability."

A collective gasp rippled through the pack. My hands trembled at my sides, fury and heartbreak warring within me. He had known me since childhood. He had fought alongside me. And still, he chose to humiliate me in front of everyone.

"I reject you," Tobias declared, voice carrying across the clearing. "Nikky Lumpo, you are not my mate."

The world tilted. A searing pain burst in my chest, my wolf's anguished cry echoing in my head. The rejection shattered something inside me, an invisible tether snapping. My breath came in short gasps, and for a moment, I thought I would break completely.

Tobias turned away, already walking back to the pack house as though I had never mattered.

Something inside me snapped. He thought I was weak? He thought I would just stand there, shattered and defeated? No. If he didn't want me, I would leave before anyone saw the tears threatening to spill. I pushed through the murmuring crowd, my body numb, my vision blurring with unshed tears. The forest loomed ahead, dark and endless. I didn't think. I ran.

Branches clawed at my skin, the wind howling in my ears. My wolf was silent, curled into herself, wounded beyond words. The bond was severed, but the pain lingered like an open wound. My feet pounded against the damp earth, driven by desperation. Away. Away from the shame, the whispers, the pitying stares.

A low growl rumbled through the trees. I froze. A presence, vast and ancient, stirred in the darkness. My pulse raced. The air thickened, charged with something primal and untamed. Eyes gleamed through the shadows-deep, piercing. Not human. Not wolf. A predator.

A monstrous figure emerged from the darkness, its hulking form barely visible under the moonlight. Clawed hands, sharp fangs, raw power rolling off him in waves. But it wasn't just the sheer size of him that made my blood run cold-it was the way he looked at me.

Like he had been waiting for me. A deep voice, gravelly and laced with something I couldn't name, shattered the silence. "Mine."

A shudder racked my body. The mate bond had been severed. Tobias had rejected me. But standing before me, the beast in the shadows spoke the one word that changed everything. Julio Irving had just claimed me as his.

Nikky Lumpo

The word hung in the air like a whispered promise and a curse all at once. Mine. Julio Irving's voice was rough, edged with something dark and primal. It sent a chill down my spine, but I couldn't tell if it was fear or something else-something dangerous and unfamiliar.

I took a step back, my breath ragged. "No," I whispered, shaking my head. "That's not possible. The bond-"

A sharp pain flared in my chest, a cruel reminder of Tobias's rejection. I had felt the bond snap, severed by his words, yet my body still trembled under the weight of another force-one just as potent, just as consuming.

Julio moved, and the moonlight caught his features. He was monstrous, yet not in the way of something grotesque. His presence was something more- more powerful, more untamed, more dangerous. His dark hair fell past his shoulders, wild and unkempt. Golden eyes burned with an unnatural glow, not like Tobias's, but deeper, older, like fire trapped beneath ice.

His bare chest rose and fell with slow, measured breaths, every inch of him rippling with raw, lethal strength. Scars marred his torso-marks of battles long past, of wounds that should have killed him but didn't. A beast. A Lycan.

The realization struck like lightning. Lycans were myths to most. Beasts who once ruled the forests before the rise of werewolf packs. Creatures who had been hunted, driven into hiding. The only reason one would still be alive was if he was strong enough to survive centuries alone.

He took a step toward me, the earth trembling beneath his weight. "Your body recognizes me, doesn't it?" His voice was lower now, almost amused.

Heat prickled across my skin. My wolf stirred-not in pain, not in fear, but in something that felt dangerously close to... longing.

No.

I forced my feet to move, retreating further. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I don't belong to you."

Julio's gaze darkened, and in an instant, he was in front of me. Faster than I could comprehend, his massive form towered over mine, trapping me between him and the trees. The scent of the wild clung to him- earth and rain, tinged with something distinctly him.

His head dipped, inhaling deeply, his nose grazing my neck. A shiver rolled down my spine, every nerve in my body screaming at the contact. "You smell of rejection," he murmured, his voice a low growl. "Pain. But beneath it... your scent is still unclaimed."

My breath hitched. "I-"

Fingers brushed my wrist, warm and solid, sending an electric jolt up my arm. My heart slammed against my ribs. His touch wasn't rough or forceful, but it was sure. Like he had already decided something.

Julio tilted his head, watching me like a predator contemplating his next move. "Tobias was a fool to cast you aside."

A fresh wave of pain slashed through me at the mention of Tobias's name, but it was different now. The hurt was still there, but it wasn't all-consuming. Not when something else had taken its place. Something primal. Something dangerous.

I should have been terrified. Everything about Julio screamed run. But my feet remained rooted to the ground. My pulse thundered, not from fear but from something more treacherous.

"You don't even know me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

His lips curled at the edges, a ghost of a smirk. "I know enough."

Julio lifted his hand, fingers tracing a slow path along my jawline. "You don't feel it yet," he murmured, "but you will."

A shudder racked through me. The mate bond was supposed to be sacred, unbreakable. And yet Tobias had shattered it without a second thought. Now, standing in the dark woods with a beast who shouldn't exist, a new bond was clawing its way into my veins. Julio Irving had claimed me. And the most terrifying part? A part of me wanted to let him.