Rejected And Favored

Prologue

When Lyra Mason woke up that morning, she felt a tinge of happiness in her spirit, unlike other days, she was quite hopeful about how the day would go, it was her eighteenth birthday after all, maybe things would begin to change from there for the better.

she was very sure that she would soon gain her freedom from her abusive foster parents and she was also quite confident about the letter she would give to her one true love that day.

Her instincts had told her that he would greatly appreciate it and if things went very well, he may even asked her to be his girlfriend and her instincts never lie.

She caressed the paper in her hand gently as she walked down the school hallway that day, smiling sheepishly to herself at the very thought of handing it to her crush.

"Hey you! Yes you, the ugly bitch, what have you got there huh? Why are you smiling like a fool?." A voice heading towards her direction had startled her and she looked up to find Olivia, the school's self acclaimed queen bee and also the stereotypical bully who has made Lyra her main target.

Just like very other day she completely ignored her, she has no strength to withstand all her insults that day because she was saving it for more important things like handing over her love note to Josh Hunter.

She was about to walk away when the girl caught her by the hair and dragged her backward, together with her minions, they harassed her and yet no one came to her rescue.

It didn't matter, she wouldn't succumb to their wishes either way, her note would be read by her and Josh alone, no one else.

It was like a dream when she saw him from her peripheral, he waltzed into the place like a knight in shining armor and he pulled her back up, gave all her bullies a stern warning including Olivia and then walked out of the place with her hand firmly grasped in his.

Lyra followed him like a love sick puppy, instantly forgetting all that had gone wrong that day. it was indeed a sign from above, he had never helped her before, why would he then if not that it was destiny that she would tell him her true feelings.

She gave him a long hug immediately they got outside and away from everyone else. The fact that he was not as passionate as she was didn't matter, what mattered was the words she had made up her mind to say to him next.

"I have always liked you Josh and I've been looking for the opportunity to say this for a while now. I... I..." she cleared her throat.

"Here." She said handing him the note. When he delayed and didn't collect it for a while, she felt he had been taken unawares.

She looked up at him with expectation expecting him to accept the letter from her and finally see what it was that she had been keeping in her heart about all her feelings for him but he surprised her with what he did next.

He pushed the letter away from her hand and it fell to the ground, it was just a piece of paper that fell but for her, it felt like her heart had broken into tiny pieces.

She blinked in disbelief and then rushed to where the paper was and picked it up again, it was probably by mistake, he didn't mean to do it. She picked it up and rushed to give it to him again.

"Lyra, please, I don't want to see it." He yelled. "I don't want to have anything to do with you!" He let those words out of his mouth before he would rethink it.

Lyra tried to control herself but no tactic was working, the tears still flowed at will.

"W-" she started but choked on her words, "Why?" She managed to speak at last.

"Because there is nothing special about you." He said coldly with his hands clenched by his side.

"You are weak! You can't even stand up for yourself and you let people walk all over you. You are not even beautiful. What would I want to do with you?" Her heart was breaking with each word he spoke but he didn't seem to care.

"Now listen to me and listen good, don't think because I saved you from Olivia and her friends, I care about you or something because I don't, not at all! And don't get any ideas in your head, in fact from now on, I don't want to see you anywhere around me, If I do then I won't be responsible for what happens." He walked away after that with anger boiling in his heart, he walked past his friends when he got to them and found his way home immediately.

Lyra didn't know how she would move on after what happened, all her dreams and fantasies destroyed in the blink of an eye. She was grateful for the fact that till the end he tried to be a gentleman and didn't humiliate her in front of the whole school. Josh was nice, he wasn't at all mean, so what happened? Was she really that bad? Maybe she was.

In the quiet of the place, she sank to the floor and wept. She cried for her dignity which had been trampled and for lost love.

She felt so alone at that point and she couldn't help but remember her mother, at least she would have someone to cry to and her Dad? All his funny jokes would get her to forget her sorrows like magic. But they weren't there and she would have to bear the burden of her pain all alone,

She didn't know how long she stayed there but she knew she had had it when the day began to darken. It was not night time yet but it was way beyond school hours and she needed to get home, at least before her Pa and Ma got too angry.

She had already gathered her things and prepared to leave when she saw the note that was probably the genesis of all her current problems, probably her worst mistake. She was about to walk right by it but then a thought flashed through her mind, what if someone saw it? That was what made her pick it up quickly.

For whatever reason, she was prompted to open it up and she did. Who knew her own words staring back at her would break her so much?

"Dear Josh, I have been wanting to say these words to you since the first day I met you but I had never found the courage to do so..." the tears started leaving her eyes again as she read,

"You are the most handsome boy I have ever met..." She burst into full on sobs and collapsed to the floor once again, leaving the note to slide across the floor.

She heaved as she struggled to breath through the ball of tears in her throat. The loud noises she was making didn't stop her from hearing the signature 'click clack' sound that was a tell tale sign of Olivia's presence.

She rushed to hide the letter which was a few feet away from her even as she cried but she was too late. What were those girls even doing in school at that hour?

"Well, well, well, look who we have here girls." Olivia announced with a very fake, plastic smile. "If it isn't little miss desperate"

She walked towards Lyra as she spoke. "The pathetic fool was on the floor once again, crying her eyes out like she was about to die, she could take a wild guess of what happened, she had been delusional enough to think that Josh cared so much about her and would probably reciprocate her feelings for him just because he was being nice.

Oh Josh, that was what Olivia loved the most about him, that kindness and sweetness never failed to turn her on. She smiled a wicked smile just thinking about him and about all the times she was sure she had the boy in her grasp so she could do with him whatever she wanted yet he always managed to slip away. He could run as long as he pleased but she would get him eventually.

One of her minions handed her the letter and she took it like it was piece of shit, holding it with only two fingers. It was already a bit soggy and had an absurd feel to it, but for the fact that she was extremely curious, she would have never even dreamt of touching the piece of paper. She laughed out loud as she read the note, she was right all along, the foolish girl thought she had a chance.

"...the truth is, I've been so scared to tell you because I didn't know how you would react, I would rather you never notice me so I can continue to admire you from afar..."

She couldn't read it anymore, those words sounded so foreign and baseless and she couldn't for the life of her imagine how someone would find that sweet.

"Girls you will never believe it, this little witch thought she could have a chance with Josh!" She exclaimed and they began laughing again.

"Oh Josh I love you, oh I can literally melt at your feet, oh, you're so handsome..." She mimicked in a high pitched voice and they all laughed at Lyra's expense, tossing her around whenever they got the chance.

Lyra didn't want to feel that way, she felt useless and weak, she wanted to yell at them, tell them to leave her alone and mind their business but she couldn't, she just sat there and let them mess with her.

Olivia suddenly got mad, just rethinking what had happened. The fool was making passes at her man? She squeezed the paper in her clenched fist and grabbed Lyra's jaw bringing her closer.

"Look here you ugly bitch, let this be the last time you pull any stunt like this, Josh is mine and mine alone. You hear me?" She yelled, spitting in her face in the process.

All the girls strutted away after that and as Lyra watched them go, the burning fire of pain reignited in her heart, it was so much, she couldn't contain it. She could almost feel the physical pain gnawing on her chest.

She had to get out of that place quick before the memories of their humiliation would eat her up so she ran, she ran like someone who was stepping on hot coal, she ran and didn't look back, it didn't matter that she didn't know where she was going.

She just kept running with hope she would leave it all behind and she did.

Josh.

A year had past since he rejected her and yet, it's still feels like yesterday.

Josh Hunter was your typical nice kid with a handsome face, nice grades, incredible sporting achievements and a loving home, he had no problems, his life was what one would call perfect. Never would he have guessed in a million years that it would all fall apart with one single mistake.

He had rejected his mate, Lyra Mason and even though at the time, he thought it was the right decision, he didn't realized he was going to regret that very decision.

He could still remember it all as though it has been only yesterday. The moment he walked down that hallway and saw her being bullied by those dumb girls.

"Mate!" He could still hear the clear and protective voice of his wolf yell within him, he should have known when he actually felt the urge to interfere but it all became clear to him only when his wolf confirmed it.

It didn't matter though, he was determined to save her and he did, not minding the prying eyes and many questions. It was a shame that he tried his best to save her but had hurt her more. Even more than they all did put together.

The pain and agony he felt within was indescribable, it didn't matter that he had to do it, he was the future Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. one of the most notable werewolf packs amongst all the twelve packs in the area and he couldn't afford to have someone as weak as Lyra Mason as his Luna, he just couldn't, yet it didn't make him feel any better when he walked away from her that day.

If he was indeed doing the right thing then why did it hurt so much? Why did he feel so incapacitated and hurt? Right then and there, he should have known but he didn't as there was no one to answer his questions.

Well, maybe there was but the answers he got were not the ones he wanted to hear.

"Mom, what are you saying? I don't understand what you are telling me!" He yelled. He had gotten home that day and his mother had tried to drive him more crazy with explanation.

"Why did you do this son? You should have asked us, you should have told us first and we would have known what to do!" His mother chided.

He sank to the floor in utter defeat.

What had he done?

"Having a human mate is the most precious thing to happen to us, their simplicity makes them love you more than anything and their awe and adoration for you would make them do just about anything for you. This is a sign from the goddess, she is telling you that your reign will be good."

Josh watched his mother with blank expression as she explained it all to him all over again for the umpteenth time. She was very pensive and he could understand. Her son had just acted foolishly.

"What is going on here?" His father, Alpha Richard stormed into the room and his mother didn't waste anytime explaining everything to her husband.

"Joshua Benedict Hunter! What have you done? You will go back there and apologize to that young girl and you must make sure she forgives you! I told you to always consult me..." He tuned out his father's words.

He had heard enough, he couldn't stand to hear such an easy going man get so upset because of him.

He paid close attention to one thing though, he had to say sorry to Lyra and he had to at all costs.

That was the mindset he took to school the next day as he searched fervently for her all to no avail, he tried the next day and the day after that and the day after that and he still didn't find her.

It was as if she disappeared off the surface of the earth. No one has seen or heard from her. But he never stopped trying, with a heavy heart and guilt for the rest of his days, he dedicated all his strength to finding the one he wronged, the mate he rejected.

His one true mate Lyra Mason.

**

"Josh, Josh." A woman with slowly thinning hair called out from the door of an office she visited more times than she would like. The person she was calling paid her no mind, his mind seemed to be very far away.

"Josh!" She yelled again, this time injecting more power into her voice. That was when he looked up, surprise evident on his face.

"Mom when did you get here?" He asked, trying to clear his confusion and also trying to spark a conversation with the woman before she started giving him one of her sermons.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking about the contract I have to sign soon. You know we will be finalizing everything this week-"

"Enough of that Josh, when will all this end? When will you finally take your life back?" She asked, almost in tears.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Mom." He said with a tone of finality and started arranging his desk.

"Fine then, I didn't come here for that. You have to go for an event. I should have told you earlier but either ways, prepare yourself." She said and dumped the paper she was holding on his table before walking out.

Josh sighed loudly before picking up the paper. After reading through it for a few seconds, he concluded that it was an invitation letter.

"You are cordially invited for the introduction

ceremony of the future queen of werewolves..."

He flung the paper away almost immediately. What did his mother want from him? How could she suggest he go to such a place, when he didn't have a Luna, how could he stand in the same place with all those Alphas?

She just wouldn't let him be, ever since the event that happened a years before, she became even more doting than usual and when his father died, it became worse, only this time it felt like all the carefulness she once used to relate with him was all gone. That was why he had to go even though he wasn't interested, he couldn't stand to hear her nag him that day.

He got himself ready in no time, suddenly eager to leave the house. It was only when he got into his car that he realized the foolishness he was about to commit, going to that place without a mate or at least a Luna would be suicide. He'd become the laughing stock of the event.

He stepped out to get some air and probably think clearer and a certain thought or rather a certain person started creeping into his head.

"Well hello there Alpha." Someone purred as she approached Josh, she smiled seductively while batting her eyes continuously, she even went as far as tracing her finger down his chest not minding all his aides that were watching. How did she leave his thoughts and appear in real life?

"Olivia." He said as he grabbed her hand and halted her movements.

"Have some respect." He whispered in anger.

"Respect? That's not what you asked for the other night you naughty, naughty boy." She could have whispered like he did if she really needed to say something that crude, but the girl clearly didn't care. Her reputation was already ruined, it didn't matter which other person's own she would damage alongside hers with her crazy antics.

"It's just a waste of time talking to you and to think I was even considering taking you to the Queen's introduction ceremony." He muttered angrily as he walked away, not expecting that anyone had heard him but Olivia was too obsessed with him to not have heard such an important detail, that was all she needed to finally scale up her chances of having him all to herself for the rest of her life.

"Josh? What did you say? Come on, tell me what you said." Her voice had gone down a notch, she was finally coming back to her senses, the way she behaved sometimes, one would never guess that she had royal blood in her, her father was the former beta and she could have succeeded him but she had a bad reputation and no sense of responsibility at all.

"Just forget it." He said in an attempt to rile her up and make her more desperate.

"No I won't. Come on Josh." She pleaded, "I would love to go with you to the ceremony."

"With the way you are acting, that stopped being a possibility a long time ago."

"Me? I don't need this, for all we know, you need this more than I do." She had switched from pleading to very rude in the blink of an eye.

"You can go alone and face the consequences, what do I care?" For some reason, watching her resign in her efforts was what encouraged Josh to finally decide to go with her or was it because he couldn't picture himself showing up at the occasion alone, whichever way, the next words he said were,

"Go wear something presentable, we're leaving in five minutes."

Lyra.

"Please, bring those over here." A young beautiful lady instructed as she led the hefty men who were carrying some decorative items around the compound.

"Yes and keep these ones here." It was quite a contrast to see such big men carrying things as petty as those but it had to be done.

That day was a very important day for the crowned Prince of the werewolf kingdoms, he would be introducing the woman he had chosen to be his mate to all the Alphas in his kingdom and it had to be perfect.

"Perfect! Yes this is perfect, well done guys!" The pretty lady exclaimed with her hands clasped together.

The men only bow to her respectfully before they left the place to go and settle some other things. The young lady herself was also leaving the now beautifully decorated garden but then after having a second thought, she changed her mind and went back to inspect everything one last time.

"Mommyyyy! Mommy!" A little girl yelled as she approached her mother with full force, she giggled as she was so happy that she was escaping from her father.

"Sally, come on." The man complained as he was forced to run like a little child, his daughter was something else entirely and it was so hard to control her, he was grateful for his future wife, she knew just how to handle her. Soon enough he stopped and just watched them as they related with each other.

"Oh my little princess." She cooed, "You want to see Mommy huh? I know you missed me." She said as she tickled her, peals of laughter filled the air.

"Oh you naughty girl, you made Daddy run again didn't you. Now go and say sorry to him. And do as he says okay? Mommy is coming." She nudged her forward as the little girl took unsure steps towards her father. He pulled her into a warm embrace before she even said a word and just like that, they had made peace. He picked her up and held her close to himself as he turned to leave.

"And why are you standing there looking at us like that? You're coming too Vicky."

"But I still need to-" she tried to object.

"No buts. You are coming with us, you've been working all day and besides you need to get ready."

"Okay fine." She accepted begrudgingly.

He went on with their daughter to hand her over to the maids that would get her ready for the big event while he went to brief the servants one last time on what was expected of them, what a hypocrite he was.

He told her to stop working and he couldn't do the same. She smiled as she thought of how caring he could be, he was not the most expressive of men but his actions usually said everything. Just like his actions and not words would prove to her just how beautiful her dress was.

She admired what she was seeing in the mirror. One year ago she would have never appreciated herself the way she was doing at that moment but things took a drastic turn and in the end she was rejoicing.

She was wearing a sleeveless pearly white dress decorated with gold embellishments, it stopped mid thigh at the front and looked like an A-line dress but behind, it was flowed backwards. Ethan himself had picked it and she couldn't love it more.

"I don't like you and I never will." She heard those horrid words that had once crushed her too many times resound in her head once again.

"Well, how do you like me now?" She whispered to herself as she smiled again. She ignored the choking sensation in her throat and rather focused all her attention on what she was seeing.

"You're so pretty, Lyra." She reassured herself with tears in her eyes. Then she hurriedly wiped the tears.

"No, not Lyra. Vicky. Vicky Michaelson." Ethan walked in through the doors at that exact moment.

"Let's get go-" his words died in his throat as he observed what he thought was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He couldn't have made a better decision and he was so proud of himself.

"You look beautiful." He complimented once he got closer to her and he meant it in every sense of the word, since he found her, he felt like he could breath again, after Anna, it was quite hard.

"Thank you." She appreciated him with all sincerity and then they locked themselves in a warm embrace.

**

"Two years ago, I would never have guessed that I would be here so soon to be announcing my marriage to you all. Some tragic events have happened in the past that I never thought I would bounce back from but here I am today, standing tall amid all the problems and the challenges, one of the reasons why I am able to do this is because of the woman I have by my side, the beautiful, ever radiant, kind and compassionate mother of my child, my fellow Alphas, I introduce to you, Miss Vicky Michaelson."

Roars and cheers erupted into the air not necessarily from the group of respected dignitaries in the crowd but from all the servants around and the pack members of the Deadly Silver pack. They all loved and revered the lady who was walking up the stage at that moment and going to stand at her rightful place beside the crowned prince.

Ethan greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and she blushed wildly, it was a wonder that even after everything, she still acted as shy as she had been the very first day they met, his mind went back to that day.

"What are you doing?" He had asked and her face turned beet red, he looked at her in utter confusion, wondering if it was embarrassment that was causing her to act that way or if she was sick. She looked so pale and distressed.

He had walked into the room and found her with her hand in her shirt, he didn't want to imagine that she was trying to do what he thought she was.

Lyra had been trying to get little Sally to stop crying after she, with the help of some maids managed to get her clean so she had pretended to try to give her breast milk and anytime she tried, Sally would keep quiet, she was in the middle of those antics when Ethan walked in and she became mortified, heat creeped up her cheeks and neck and she felt like the ground should swallow her.

"Uhm, nothing." She said and brought out her hand as discretely as she could.

Presently, Lyra smiled a toothy smile when she realized that Ethan was thinking exactly the same thing she was thinking, she really was not the most normal person the very first day she got to that pack, who would have thought that she would ever get used to being there, now she was so happy and content and she would have it no other way.

°°Somewhere in the crowd°°

Josh Hunter had experienced a lot of things in his life time but he was certain that none of them could compare to the shock he was feeling at that very time. He was seeing the lead female character in all his dreams standing right in front of him, acting cozy with the future king and all he could do was stare with wide eyes.

The way Olivia tightened her grip on his arm showed him that he was not imagining things, she was seeing her too.

Lyra?

The same thoughts racked Olivia's mind. Was it really Lyra the ugly witch she was seeing? She had understood a long time before then that her star would never shine, she had to fight for everything she had and she didn't mind, she was a good fighter and she always won in the end, those were her thoughts as she held Josh, she had won already and no ugly fool would contest her victory, not a chance in hell.

Lyra's bright smile faltered when her eyes landed on who she thought was the worst thing to have ever happened to her and she could have sworn that she was imagining things. What was he doing here? This was a gathering for Alphas wasn't it? He was a human being. Josh was a human being so what was he doing there?

He clearly was not, she felt so played and all the happiness she was feeling started evaporating into thin air. She became even more upset when she saw the blonde seated so close to him, she was practically on his lap, she guessed nothing had changed since that time, they were still both the thorns in her flesh.

"Vicky? Is anything wrong?" Ethan asked with concern written all over him.

"Huh?" She replied stupidly.

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah sure, why wouldn't I be?" She managed to put herself together and forced a smile, praying and hoping that Ethan wouldn't notice.

"Good. Now get ready, very soon, the Alphas would start coming this way to say hi to you." She paled once she heard that, the Alphas? Wouldn't Josh come too? What madness was going on?

"Hey, relax, okay, just hold on to me and you'll be fine." Ethan had mistaken her fear for anxiety, and she boldly went along with it.

"Are you sure? What if they ask me something I can't answer, what if they don't like me? What if..." It was when she started speaking that it dawned on her that she was indeed afraid of the things she had just mentioned. What if they didn't want her as their queen. Would they sense it? Would they sense that she had not been a werewolf since birth?

"Hey, hey, breathe." He said as he halted her rambling. She took a deep breath. "You don't have to answer any question you don't want to answer. Just smile and be polite that's all," he said in a very monotone voice yet she could see all the emotions he was feeling in his eyes and she trusted him completely. She inhaled some more oxygen and smiled her signature smile, that caused Ethan to smile too and soon, they were lost in each other's eyes.

"Sorry to break up this beautiful show of Love, my Prince." A very familiar voice said and Lyra froze.