Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

The monthly pack meeting was held in the great hall, where generations of Silvermoon wolves had gathered to witness pack business. Today would be no different—except that I intended to make history.

I stood at the entrance, watching as pack members filed in, their eyes carefully avoiding mine. The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone knew something was brewing between their Alpha and Luna.

When Archie entered, Dahlia was two steps behind him, her eyes downcast in a perfect picture of submission. The sight of her made my wolf snarl beneath my skin.

"Let's begin," Archie announced, taking his place at the head of the circle. "We have territory reports and—"

"Before we proceed," I interrupted, my voice carrying across the suddenly silent hall, "I have something to address."

Archie's jaw tightened. "This isn't the time, Kenna."

"I think it is." I stepped forward, my Luna aura flaring around me. "Three years ago, under this very roof, you made sacred vows to me and to this pack. You swore to honor our mate bond above all else."

Murmurs rippled through the assembly. No Luna had ever publicly challenged an Alpha like this.

"You also made a promise," I continued, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "You said that when our bond was wounded one hundred times, you would release me."

Archie's eyes flashed dangerously. "You're out of line."

"I'm exactly in line," I countered. "So I'm asking you now, before our entire pack—will you honor your vows? Or will you continue to let our bond deteriorate while you parade your Omega through our home wearing my sacred symbols?"

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the oldest pack members looked shocked. No one challenged an Alpha this way.

Then Archie's Alpha aura exploded outward, crushing and suffocating. "KNEEL," he commanded, his Alpha tone reverberating through the hall.

My knees buckled against my will. The mate bond allowed him this power over me—a power he'd never used before.

"You will show respect to your Alpha," he growled, his eyes glowing with fury. "You will bare your neck and acknowledge your place."

I fought against the command, my wolf howling in protest, but the Alpha tone was too powerful. Slowly, painfully, I lowered my head, exposing my neck in submission.

"Better," he said coldly. "Now, we will proceed with the meeting."

* * *

That evening, I waited in our private chambers, the wooden box open on the bed between us.

"What is this?" Archie demanded, his anger still simmering from the public humiliation I'd orchestrated.

"Ninety-seven stones," I said quietly. "Ninety-seven moments when you wounded our bond."

I lifted a small white stone. "This one was our first anniversary. You forgot, but I didn't."

His face remained impassive, but I saw the flicker in his eyes.

"And this one," I continued, lifting a gray stone, "was when you missed Emma's first shift ceremony because you were 'training' with Dahlia."

Archie's expression hardened. "This is ridiculous."

"It gets worse," I said, lifting a black stone. "This was when you let her wear my ceremonial jewelry. And this—" I held up a red stone that seemed to pulse with my anger, "—was today, when you used your Alpha tone to force me into submission before our entire pack."

With each stone I named, Archie's face grew paler. "You've been keeping track of all this?"

"I promised myself I would remember every moment," I said softly. "Just as you promised to release me when we reached one hundred."

I closed the box, leaving three empty spaces in the velvet lining. "We're almost there, Archie. Just three more betrayals until you have to let me go."

He stared at the box, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he grabbed it and stormed toward the door.

"This is insane," he snarled. "I won't participate in this childish game."

"Then reject me properly," I called after him. "Perform the ceremony and set us both free."

But he was already gone, the door slamming behind him.

I felt my wolf retreating deeper into my consciousness, withdrawing from the mate bond that had once been our greatest strength. She was preparing for the end—for freedom.

Through our bond, I felt the exact moment when Archie shifted into his wolf form, his human consciousness giving way to pure animal instinct. He was running, fleeing from the pack house, from me, from the truth of what he'd done.

And as his presence faded into the distance, I felt something inside me harden into resolve. Three more stones. Just three more wounds before I would be free.

My wolf curled up in the darkest corner of my mind, waiting for the final betrayal that would set us both free.