Rejected By The Alpha, Choosen By The Lycan

I stood frozen outside the Silver Moon Pack Hall, my hand pressed against the cold glass door. Through the frosted windows, I could see white roses everywhere. Hundreds of them. The exact flowers I had told Derek I wanted at our wedding.

Our wedding.

Except this wasn't our wedding. This was his wedding to someone else.

"Maya, you shouldn't be here." My best friend Cara's voice came from behind me, gentle but worried.

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Inside, Derek stood at the altar in a black suit, looking more handsome than I had ever seen him. Next to him was Vanessa Blackwood, the daughter of the Alpha from the Mountain Ridge Pack. She wore a dress that probably cost more than my family's house.

"He told me he needed time," I whispered. "He said the pack needed him to focus on becoming Beta. He said we would have our chance later."

That was three months ago. Three months since Derek had stopped holding my hand in public. Three months since he started making excuses not to see me. Three months since I felt our mate bond growing weaker and weaker.

"He's a coward," Cara said, taking my arm. "He should have told you the truth."

The truth. I almost laughed. The truth was that I was an Omega. The lowest rank in our pack. My father was a guard. My mother cleaned the pack house. I had no money, no status, no wolf strong enough to make anyone respect me.

Vanessa had everything I didn't.

Through the window, I watched the ceremony begin. The pack elder raised his hands. Derek turned to face Vanessa, smiling at her the way he used to smile at me.

My wolf whimpered inside me. Even though Derek and I had never completed the mating bond, we had recognized each other as mates two years ago. That recognition was supposed to mean something. It was supposed to be sacred.

"I, Derek Matthews, accept you as my chosen mate."

His voice carried through the walls. Each word felt like a knife in my chest.

I pressed my hand against my stomach, feeling the secret I had been carrying for three weeks. The secret I had been so excited to tell him. The secret that didn't matter anymore.

"Maya, we need to go." Cara pulled at my arm harder now.

But I couldn't leave. I needed to see this. I needed to watch my entire future fall apart so I would stop hoping it could be saved.

Vanessa spoke her vows. The elder wrapped a silver cord around their joined hands. The pack members cheered.

And then Derek did something that made my knees weak.

He looked straight at the window where I stood. Our eyes met through the glass. For one second, I thought I saw regret flash across his face.

Then he looked away and kissed his new wife.

The mate bond snapped.

I gasped as the pain hit me. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and torn out a piece of my soul. I stumbled backward, and Cara caught me.

"I've got you," she said. "I've got you."

But she didn't. Nobody did.

I fell to my knees on the cold ground outside the pack hall. Inside, people were celebrating. Outside, I was breaking into pieces.

"Miss Maya?"

A deep voice spoke from the shadows. I looked up, tears blurring my vision. A man stood a few feet away, dressed in all black. He was tall and broad, with silver eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Cara stepped in front of me protectively.

"My name is Marcus. I serve the Lycan King." He bowed his head slightly. "His Majesty has requested Miss Maya's presence at the Royal Court."

I stared at him. This had to be a joke. Or a dream. Or maybe I had actually died from the pain of losing my mate, and this was some weird afterlife.

"The Lycan King?" I managed to say. "Why would he want to see me?"

Marcus's expression didn't change. "I am not permitted to discuss His Majesty's business. But I have been sent to bring you to the palace. Tonight."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Cara said firmly. "We don't even know if you're really from the palace."

Marcus reached into his coat and pulled out a scroll sealed with red wax. The seal showed a wolf's head with a crown. Everyone knew that symbol. It belonged to King Raphael, the most powerful Lycan in all the territories.

"This is not a request," Marcus said quietly. "The king does not make requests."

Behind us, the pack hall doors opened. Music and laughter spilled out. I turned and saw Derek standing in the doorway with Vanessa on his arm. They were leaving for their reception.

Derek saw me on the ground. Saw Marcus standing over me. His eyes widened.

"Maya?" He took a step forward. Vanessa pulled him back, whispering something in his ear. He stopped walking but kept staring at me.

I used Cara's arm to pull myself up. My legs shook, but I stood.

"I'll go with you," I told Marcus.

"Maya, no!" Cara grabbed my hand. "You don't know what he wants. This could be dangerous."

I looked at my best friend. Sweet, loyal Cara who had been there for every moment of my pathetic life. Who had held me while I cried over Derek. Who had listened to me talk about baby names I would never use.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I asked. "The worst thing already happened."

I glanced back at Derek one last time. He stood there with his perfect new wife, his perfect new future. He had everything he wanted.

And I had nothing to lose.

"Let's go," I said to Marcus.

He nodded and gestured toward a black car parked at the edge of the lot. As we walked toward it, I felt dozens of eyes watching us from the pack hall. Let them watch. Let them whisper about the Omega girl who got picked up by the Lycan King's guard on the night her mate married someone else.

At least it would be an interesting story.

I slid into the back seat of the car. The leather was soft, and it smelled like pine and something else. Something wild and dangerous.

Marcus got in the driver's seat. As we pulled away, I looked out the window one last time. Derek still stood in the doorway, watching me leave.

Good. Let him wonder. Let him regret.

Let him watch me disappear.