The Night was Rejected
The night air was too cold for a celebration.
Yet laughter echoed through the clearing as if no one could feel it.
The bonfire roared at the center of the pack grounds, its flames licking the dark sky while sparks drifted like dying stars. Music filled the air—loud, rhythmic, alive—but to me, it sounded distant. Muffled.
Like I was already being pushed out of this world.
Tonight was supposed to be the most important night of my life.
The night I would finally be seen.
The night I would become Luna.
My fingers trembled as I stepped forward, clutching the thin fabric of my white dress. It was too light, too simple for a night like this—but then again, no one had ever expected much from me.
A few whispers followed my movement.
Not admiration.
Not excitement.
Something else.
Doubt.
Mockery.
Pity.
I swallowed hard, forcing my feet to keep moving.
You knew this would happen, Clara.
A voice inside me whispered.
No… I didn’t.
Or maybe I did.
Maybe I had always known.
But a small, foolish part of me still hoped…
That he would choose me.
That he would look at me—just once—not as an obligation, not as a mistake… but as his mate.
As his Luna.
My gaze lifted.
And there he was.
Alpha Ardan.
Standing tall beneath the firelight, his broad shoulders casting long shadows behind him. His dark hair shifted slightly with the wind, his sharp features carved in cold perfection.
Power radiated from him.
Dominance.
Authority.
Everything a true Alpha should be.
Everything I was not.
My chest tightened as I approached him, my heartbeat pounding so violently it hurt.
This was it.
The mating ceremony.
The moment where everything would change.
“Ardan…” My voice came out softer than I intended, barely audible over the music.
But he heard me.
I knew he did.
And yet—
He didn’t look at me.
His gaze remained distant, cold, uninterested… as if I didn’t exist.
A chill ran down my spine.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
“Alpha,” one of the elders spoke, stepping forward with authority. “It is time. Acknowledge your mate before the pack.”
Silence fell instantly.
The music stopped.
The laughter died.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
All eyes turned to us.
To him.
To me.
Waiting.
Judging.
Anticipating.
My heart pounded louder.
He has to feel it too…
The bond between us wasn’t weak.
I had felt it for years—subtle, quiet, but undeniable.
It had guided me, anchored me, given me purpose.
He couldn’t ignore it.
He wouldn’t.
…right?
Seconds passed.
Too many seconds.
One.
Two.
Three.
Each one stretched longer than the last.
Then finally—
Ardan moved.
But not toward me.
He took a slow step back.
Away.
And in that moment…
Something inside me cracked.
“I reject this bond.”
The words fell like a death sentence.
Cold.
Sharp.
Final.
For a second, I didn’t understand.
My mind refused to process it.
Rejected?
No.
No, that’s not possible.
Not tonight.
Not like this.
“Ardan…” My voice trembled, my throat tightening painfully. “This isn’t funny.”
He turned his head slightly.
Our eyes met.
And whatever hope I had left…
Died.
There was nothing there.
No warmth.
No hesitation.
No regret.
“I never wanted you,” he said flatly.
Each word landed like a blow.
“You are not the Luna I choose.”
The ground beneath me felt unstable.
My breath hitched as I took a step back, my legs threatening to collapse.
“But… we’re mates…” I whispered, my voice breaking under the weight of it.
A faint scoff escaped him.
“Mate does not equal destiny,” he replied coldly. “I am the Alpha. I decide my own future.”
Murmurs erupted instantly.
Like fire catching dry leaves.
Whispers spread through the crowd—sharp, cruel, merciless.
“She really thought…”
“An omega like her?”
“How embarrassing…”
I could feel their eyes on me.
Burning.
Laughing.
Judging.
Tears blurred my vision, but I forced myself to stay standing.
I wouldn’t fall.
Not yet.
“Then… who?” I asked, my voice barely holding together.
If not me…
Then who?
For a moment, silence returned.
Then—
A figure stepped forward from behind him.
And my heart stopped.
Selena.
She moved like she owned the ground beneath her feet, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her red dress hugging her perfect figure.
Beautiful.
Graceful.
Everything a Luna should be.
Everything I wasn’t.
And the smile on her lips…
Was cruel.
“Her,” Ardan said without hesitation. “Selena will be my Luna.”
Cheers exploded around us.
Loud.
Excited.
Celebratory.
As if this was something worth cheering for.
As if my humiliation was entertainment.
My chest tightened painfully, making it hard to breathe.
This wasn’t just rejection.
This was betrayal.
“You… planned this…” I whispered, my voice hollow.
Ardan didn’t deny it.
That silence was louder than any answer.
Selena stepped closer, her heels clicking softly against the ground. She stopped right in front of me, her gaze sweeping over me slowly.
Deliberately.
Like she was inspecting something worthless.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her tone soft—too soft to be real. “But the position of Luna… isn’t for everyone.”
My hands clenched at my sides.
I wanted to scream.
To fight.
To tear that fake smile off her face.
But I couldn’t move.
Because deep inside—
Something was breaking.
The bond.
The sacred connection that tied me to Ardan.
I could feel it now—
Twisting.
Cracking.
Being ripped apart from the inside.
A broken sound escaped my lips as my knees hit the ground.
Pain shot through my chest, sharp and unbearable.
It felt like my soul was being torn in half.
“Take her away,” Ardan ordered coldly. “I don’t want to see her again.”
That…
That was the final blow.
Not rejection.
Not betrayal.
But indifference.
Like I meant nothing.
Like I had never meant anything.
Two guards stepped forward, reaching for me.
But before they could touch me—
A voice cut through the air.
Low.
Dark.
Dangerous.
“Touch her… and you’ll lose your hands.”
Silence fell instantly.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Terrifying.
My breath caught.
That voice—
It didn’t belong to Ardan.
Slowly… I lifted my head.
From the shadows of the forest, a man stepped forward.
And everything changed.
His presence alone was enough to suffocate the air around him. The darkness seemed to cling to him, wrapping around his tall frame like a living thing.
Power radiated from him.
Not the kind that commanded respect.
But the kind that demanded fear.
His eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight—
And when they landed on me…
My heart stopped.
Not because I was afraid.
But because something deep inside me responded.
Something primal.
Something undeniable.
A bond.
Another bond… forming.
Impossible.
Terrifying.
Real.
His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.
“If he rejects you…” he said, his voice low and steady, sending chills down my spine, “then I will claim you.”
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
Because everyone knew who he was.
The Alpha of the North.
Their greatest enemy.
And the way he looked at me—
Like I already belonged to him.
Yes!! I really think an Alpha is weak when he nor only rejects the Goddess's selection but when that Alpha does it publicly like that. I hope this loser loses his power, his standing and his pack. He's not worthy of the gifts the Goddess bestowed upon him.
Why was he first discribed as Kael and then turned into Ardan?