1. Rejected

Zahara

“Are you excited about your coronation?” I asked Tristan, walking on tiptoes on the edge of the hill, our weekly ritual. He would be crowned as the alpha king in two days.

Excitement ran through my veins at this event. Tristan and I had been best friends since childhood, when my family was murdered, and I had to come live in the palace and serve the king. As a child, I was just the prince's companion. He was kind, and that made us friends, best friends. The inevitable happened. I secretly fell in love with him and that was something that, due to my position, was useless to feel.

“I am, but I'm also afraid,” he admitted, giving a weak smile.

“Fear?” I questioned, looking at him. His big blue eyes briefly met mine.

“Yes, you know,” he walked along the hill, looking up at the sky. “When I come of age, besides becoming the alpha king, I'll be able to find my mate.”

A long sigh escaped him. My body shuddered, making my heart race in my chest. The morning after the coronation, he would have the power to recognize his mate, as it marked the hour of his birthday. And if she was me? Or worse, if she wasn't?

“I know destiny will send you someone perfect,” I replied, smiling and trying to put my thoughts in place. I had never thought so much about the possibility of finding my mate. I hadn't reached the age to recognize mine, so whenever someone entered the mate cycle, a line of hope filled me.

“I hope she…” he didn't complete the sentence. Behind us, Kaiden, his future beta, shouted his name, catching his attention to the road.

“Tristan!” He said, approaching us. “Finally found you! Miss Zahara,” he said in a brief nod to me, returning his attention to Tristan, “Alpha Damien is looking for you. It's something about your coronation, I think you should go see him.”

Apart from Tristan, a few of the pack talked to me. Kaiden was no different, just a practical and formal greeting. They said I was cursed, and that was why my parents died. A terrible rumor that cost me days that could have been happy.

“Tell him I'm on my way,” he replied briefly. Kaiden bowed and left, leaving us alone again. “I have to go see this with my father,” he said with an unhappy expression. “Will I see you at the coronation?” He whispered and winked, giving me a kiss on the cheek before leaving. “I want to tell you something.”

“I'll be there, Tristan,” I responded with a heart full of hope, watching him disappear on the path back to the castle.

The day of the coronation arrived faster than I could see. After a long day at the castle, I went to my cabin and prepared for the meeting with Tristan; it was a very important day for both of us. I watched the coronation from afar, adjusting to the crowd. Our kingdom was isolated and protected by magic, but many other packs had come for this day.

Night fell in a dense twilight, only the moon shining in the sky. I didn't find Tristan in the palace, but I sensed his scent in the direction of the forest. My eyes adjusted to the low brightness of the path that led to our special place. As I approached, the trees began to decrease in number, and I continued walking until I found Tristan sitting on one of the rocks in front of the cabin. He was handsome, as always, his dark hair shining in the moon's embalmed light, and his crown's blue and gold tones enhancing his elegant and ethereal features.

"Tristan?" I called, catching his attention. His serene blue eyes staring at me. "Zahara!" he said, smiling and showing his white teeth. "You found me!"

"Of course, I always find you,” I replied, approaching and sitting next to him. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Come on, let's go inside," he said, dragging me into the old cabin we used to play in since childhood. The interior of the cabin was incredibly clean and organized, which made me even more uneasy. Why would he bring me here after his coronation?

"Aren't you supposed to be celebrating or something?" I asked, pulling my hand close to my body.

He laughed and began to stare at the wall. "Well, Zah, you've always been a very important person to me, you know..." he cleared his throat. "With my coronation and the expectation of finding my mate, I couldn't let this pass..." he sighed with a brief pause. "Not without first telling you I've had these feelings for you for some time." My heart was jumping inside my chest with a shadow of joy surfacing. "In the morning, I will know that you are my mate." He turned to me again. "I don't want to wait to find out if you are mine, Zahara. I want you!"

The sound of Tristan's words made my body tremble. The palpitation was undeniable. The smell of cut grass, wet earth, and fresh oranges filled my nostrils, intensifying the release of pheromones when he approached incisively. His eyes turning amber. I knew his wolf was on the edge.

"Tristan… What if I'm not her…" I murmured, feeling his touch bring electric currents to my core, pressing my thighs to contain the excitement. My wolf was restless, pacing back and forth.

"Never mind! I know you feel the same way about me, Zah!" He said, gripping my hand tighter. "I can smell it… your scent. The arousal." Rubbing his nose on my neck, his hands around my waist. "Don't deny me…" I couldn't help but moan at his touch. I was on edge, too. I loved him. And he knew it.

"Be mine. I'll make you my Luna!"

My body convulsed, and I tried to hide it more, breathing slowly. Useless, since he could feel it. Even if I wasn't his mate, his effects on me were devastating. "Come on, Zahara, he wants us!" My wolf howled in ecstasy, restless in my consciousness.

"Are you sure about this?" I questioned, ignoring her voice and refusing to believe what I was hearing from him. "If I'm not her…"

"I don't care…" With his hand in my hair and pressing his lips to mine, he answered me gently by biting my lower lip and giving it a light pull with a growl. I whimpered, feeling myself getting wet and sensitive between my legs. Tristan pressed himself against me, making sure I felt his hard cock rubbing against my sore pussy.

"Be mine, Zahara. I don't want anyone else. I want you!" He whispered in my ear, his rough voice reverberating throughout the room. His warm touch descending on the cold exposed skin outside my dress made everything more intense. There was something between us that I couldn't explain, much less deny its existence.

I lowered my head, tilting it to the side in a show of submission.

"I'll be yours." I murmured finally, letting him weave a trail of kisses on my neck. He pushed me back, making my knees hit something, sitting me on the bed that I only just now noticed was there. His clothes fell as fast as my eyes blinked, displaying his ivory sculpted body. Every defined muscle and fit in the mountain of a man that he was.

With a smug smile on his face, he approached me, untying the dress strings. Gasping in anticipation, I let the fabric fall off my shoulders, exposing my pale breasts framed in red hair.

"You're so beautiful." He said, pressing his fingers on my chin, pulling my lips back to his. His hands groping at my exposed breasts elicited a moan from me.

"Just… be gentle." I murmured, looking away in embarrassment. "It's my first time too, don't be nervous."

My face lit up with his words, smiling back at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my eyes shut, letting him take control. We both gasped for air between kisses, not wanting to break the connection. My hands ran up and down his bare chest, marveling at how smooth his skin was to the touch, my fingers then running along his abdomen just before he plunged into my hips, not so gentle, but not so rough. Tearing from our lips, a unison moan.

We started at a slow and sluggish pace that built up over time. "Bite him!" My wolf cried out. "Claim him." But I couldn't. He should have done it. He didn't. Instead, he continued to penetrate me fast and voraciously until he reached climax. His body fell to the side, and we lay there until sleep overtook me.

The next morning, he wasn't there when I woke up. I searched for him everywhere, but there was no trace of him. A heavy weight settled in my heart as I adjusted and returned to the palace, as the sun was already shining high in the sky. Ignoring the abandonment that occurred and returning to my duties. If he was going to pretend that nothing happened, then so be it.

"The king found his mate this morning," one cook said to another.

"Oh, a thousand blessings on mating! We will have a Luna!" the other exclaimed.

It weighed like an anvil on my ankle. My eyes filled with tears, along with the panic that filled me. I ran to the main hall, and he was holding hands with her. She was his mate. What could I do? A spark of panic spread through my mind. My wolf was desperate, "Damn it!" She growled. "Let's run! This hurts, Zah."

I took a few steps forward, trying to catch up with them, but I stopped midway. Everyone was blessing the king. I kept my eyes fixed until his met mine. He ignored me after a while of staring. His supposed feelings for me had turned into insignificant words that he threw to the wind. I wasn't his destined mate, and every word, affection, and memory of that night turned to dust on an old shelf.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I wiped them away with the backs of my hands.

"You don't understand, Zah." His voice reached me through the mental bond we created over the years, making me stop in the middle of the corridor. "She's my mate. I can't keep you."

Anger filled my heart. Just yesterday, I was his Luna.

"And everything you told me yesterday was a lie?" He didn't answer. "Goodbye, Tristan. Never again!"

That night, I gave myself to Tristan. I was his, but the next morning, everything was a big lie.

The bitter taste filled my throat, but wanting to maintain the little remaining dignity, I turned and left without looking back. I took the few things in my cabin and left Wolf Town.

I went to the human world, where I easily integrated into one university and graduated as a doctor.

What I didn't expect when I left there was to be pregnant. With triplets.