Rejected But Wanted

PROLOGUE

It was nearly midnight, the night sky was picturesque, the pale crescent moon shining like a silvery claw in the night sky.

I stared at my parents with teary eyes. I didn't know what was going on. I was only twelve years old.

"You failed as the alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. You betrayed the pack, and you shall be executed," Oliver, my aunt's husband, said to my dad, and the werewolves in our pack howled in acceptance.

"Let the execution begin," the leader of our community said.

The mother of Janet, my friend, came to take me away, but she was stopped by my aunt Emily.

"This is none of your business. She is not related to you," I heard Emily say to her.

"She is just a child. How can you make her watch her parents get killed?" my friend's mother said to Emily.

Emily held my hands forcefully. "I am now the Luna of this pack, and you won't disobey my orders. She has to watch it so she will see how traitors are punished, so she won't try to become one," my aunt said, and my friend's mother backed off.

The executioner raised his silver sword to the moon and used it to cut off my dad's head, and his head rolled on the ground. My small body was fidgeting; I was shocked and scared. I could see the triumphant smile on Emily's face.

"I love you," were the last words I heard from my mother to me before her head came rolling to the ground where I was standing.

Everything was like a dream to me. My vision became blurry, and I collapsed due to extreme shock.

******

******

I woke up immediately, sweats covering my body. My hands reached for the jug, and I poured myself water in the cup and gulped it down immediately, inhaling and exhaling. This has been a dream haunting me in my sleep every night. Witnessing the death of my parents molded me into a weak person. I was scared of everything around me.

My aunt was not helping matters at all. She didn't fail to remind me that my parents were traitors and that I would be killed like them too if I became one, but deep within me, I knew my parents were innocent. I knew my parents well, and I looked up to them. Ever since my parents died, life has been hell for me in my aunt's house.

The only day I held on to for my freedom was the day I would turn eighteen, the day I would find my mate which was two days later.

******

******

The day has finally come. It was the mating ceremony, the time for the teenagers to find their respective mates. This day was a day of joy for every young girl. I was very happy that day, preparing for the occasion. I cleaned the house earlier, and I did all my house chores so my aunt would not find a reason to hold me back from attending the ceremony.

"Why are you so happy today?" Ivy, my aunt's daughter who is the same age as me, asked me. I ignored her. I didn't have time for her. She and my aunt were always looking for ways to taunt me.

"You think finding your mate today will finally save you from us. What if your mate is ugly, and he is not an Alpha?" she said, laughing. "I bet her mate will be an omega like her too, low blood," her mother added, coming down the stairs.

"I don't care about the identity or status of my mate. What matters is that I found him, and he loves me too," I replied to them.

"And what makes you so sure that you will be loved? Don't deceive yourself, girl. You can never be loved. You are cursed," Ivy remarked, and tears flowed down freely from my eyes.

"You can say whatever you want. I'm out of here," I said, leaving their presence.

Third person's POV:

Emiliana, her aunt, scoffed. "Look at her, acting all bold and mighty because she thinks she is leaving here today,I bet her mate would reject a mutt like her. Nobody in his right sense would want to be with the daughter of a traitor." Emiliana said to her daughter, who didn't reply. She looked at her daughter and realized that she was crying. "Hey, baby, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" she asked Ivy.

"I'm scared, Mummy. I'm scared," she replied, crying profusely. "Scared of what, baby? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion for you," Emily asked, drying her tears with her handkerchief.

"I don't want to lose Nicki. I love him. What if he's not my mate? Then he will be out of my life forever. I don't want to lose him. I'm scared," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Come on, baby. You won't lose him. If he loves you like he said, he would reject his mate for you. That's not a problem, so stop crying," Emily said, hugging her. "Thanks, Mummy," Ivy said, hugging her back.

"Good girl, that's my baby girl. Now, go and prepare for the occasion and make sure to look beautiful for your future Alpha, Niklaus," her mummy said, breaking free from the hug. Ivy blushed at her words. "Okay, Mummy, let me go and prepare," she said and ran upstairs to dress up.

Niklaus is the son of the most powerful Alpha. He was next in line to be the alpha. His pack was the most powerful pack. Many alphas wanted their child to be the lucky one to become Niklaus's mate. Ivy was Niklaus's girlfriend. Many girls envied her. She acted arrogant in the high school they attended because she knew nobody would mess with her since she was Niklaus's girlfriend and she was the daughter of an alpha too.

Many girls prayed earnestly to be Niklaus's mate at the mating ceremony.

AURORA'S POV:

"Oh, my baby girl, you are looking so beautiful," Janet, my best friend, told me.

"Like, seriously, are you sure?" I asked, unsure of myself because the clothes I had on were my old clothes. "Yeah, babe, you are always a natural beauty even if the clothes you wear are rags. I have told you countless times to put my dress on for this ceremony, but you keep on refusing," she said.

"I don't want to be a bother to you besides I want my mate to love me for who I am and not the dress I wear. I am content with the little I have," I said to her, and she nodded at me. "Whatever you say, baby girl," she said to me. "You are looking good too," I told her, and she blushed. "I wonder who my mate is. I wonder who our mates are," she said to me, and I smiled at her.

Janet is my childhood friend and best friend. We were like sisters. She had always been with me since my nightmare began. She is the daughter of my father's gamma. When my uncle became the alpha, he removed her father as the gamma because he was close to my dad.

My name is Aurora Wilson, but my friends call me Rora. When I say friends, I mean my bestie Janet and my special friend Dave, the son of a beta. They were the only friends I had. I am the only child of my late parents. I attend Polar High School, the only high school in our community where werewolves reside. In this community, it was divided into many packs. The most powerful pack was that of Niklaus King.

Our pack was also the second most powerful pack in our community.

My parents were the former Alpha and Luna of our pack. They were framed for betrayal of the pack, and they were killed in cold blood. This happened when I was 12 years old. After their death, the husband of my aunt became the alpha of our pack. I was degraded to the status of an omega. I lived with them as a maid, doing all the house chores, while Ivy, their daughter, did nothing other than eating, sleeping, and making life miserable for me.

I have always waited for the day the mating ceremony would come so my mate would set me free, and my dream has finally come true. After waiting for so many years, after enduring many hardships, the day has finally come for me to be set free.

I smiled, looking up to the sky. "My dream has finally come true. The day for me to be set free from the hands of my aunt," I said, and Janet hugged me. "Come on, baby girl, don't make me cry. Let's get going before we are late," she said to me. "I can't wait," I said to her, and we held hands and left for the mating ceremony.

The hall where the mating ceremony was to take place had been decorated. It was already filled with both teenagers and adults who would witness the ceremony, and music was playing. The girls of the same age as me were all dressed beautifully. When I saw them, I looked down at myself and felt out of place in my old dress. I should have accepted Janet's offer to wear her clothes.

"What's wrong?" Janet asked, sensing that something was off about me. Tears threatened to escape my eyes. "Janet, I look horrible in this old dress. I shouldn't have worn it. What if my mate doesn't like me?" I confided my insecurities to her.

Janet shrugged her shoulders. "Don't look at people; be proud of yourself. Walk with your head held high. You can do this. Your mate will love you. You are very beautiful, Rora. Your mate will be so lucky to have you," she advised me. "Okay," I nodded.

"Fighting!" We both chorused together and entered the hall. As soon as we did, all eyes were on us. I wished the ground would open and swallow me, as my clothes looked horrible. I squeezed Janet's hand tightly. I saw Dave seated with the other teenage boys. I glanced at him, and he smiled at me.

I saw all the boys from our high school staring at me, and the girls were whispering to each other.

"Who would be so unlucky to have her as his mate?" one boy said to his friend. "I forbid it; I sincerely pray that she won't be my mate, a lowly omega. She looks so horrendous," another boy said.

I heard all their rude comments, and tears escaped my eyes. No one wanted me. Janet sat down, making space for me to sit too.

I tried to sit, but a girl named Linda (one of Ivy's friends) pushed me away, and I fell with a thud, my dress rising up and exposing my old underwear for everyone to see.

"Hahahaha!" Everyone in the hall laughed at me. I was so ashamed. What if my fated mate saw me? I was so disgraced. I felt like strangling Linda to death. Why did she have to humiliate me today?

Janet helped me up, throwing Linda a killer look. "What's your problem?" she asked angrily. "Stay out of this, Janet. It's none of your business," Linda replied, rolling her eyes at me.

"And what if I say that I don't want to stay out of it because it is my business?" Janet said, staring into Linda's eyes.

"What do you want, huh? I just don't understand why you decided to be friends with a loser," Linda said, standing up to face Janet.

Seeing them, I knew a fight would break out if I didn't stop them. I had to stop Janet. I tugged on her arm, but she pushed me away.

"Take back what you said," she said to Linda, who didn't want to back down either. "Why should I? I said the truth; she is a loser," Linda replied, staring into Janet's eyes.

"Janet, stop. I'm okay," I said to her, but she wouldn't listen.

"You will really get what you're asking for, bitch," Janet said to Linda, who got provoked because Janet called her a bitch. The attention of everyone in the hall was now on us. I hated this type of attention. "Janet, stop!" I yelled, shifting Janet's attention towards me. I was now crying profusely.

"Why won't you ever listen to me? I said I'm fine, but you won't listen. I hate this type of attention. Now I've been noticed by everyone, thanks to you. Why won't you stop when I told you to?"

"But I..." Janet tried to defend herself, but I cut her off. "I don't want to hear anything. I just want to be alone. Don't talk to me right now," I said to her and went to another chair.

"Just take a look at the kind of friend you're keeping. See, she doesn't even appreciate your efforts to defend her. She's selfish, a lowly omega. Betrayal runs in her blood. She doesn't deserve to be friends with you," Linda said to Janet, who rolled her eyes at her. "Just shut up," Janet yelled at her.

"Whatever," Linda replied, sitting down. She looked at Ivy and smiled, and Ivy smiled back at her.

Janet was the daughter of a powerful beta, the former beta of Alpha Terrick, Aurora's late father. Their family still had their respect, so nobody tried to mess with Janet.

I sat down on another chair, tears escaping my eyes. I looked in the boys' direction and saw Niklaus, the guy I was crushing on. He looked very handsome today. My heart ached at the thought of him seeing me being disgraced.

"Take this," a beautiful woman said, handing me her handkerchief. "Stop crying," she said to me. I took the handkerchief and wiped my tears.

"You have grown into a beautiful woman, Aurora. Your mate would be so lucky to have you," she said to me. I was shocked. Who was this woman, and how did she know my name?

"Who are you?" I finally asked her.

"Someone special," she said and stood up, leaving.

I was confused about how this woman knew my name, as I had never seen her before, but that wasn't my main worry now. My main worry was finding my mate. Soon, the ceremony began, and after the dancing, the chairman of the werewolf council took the microphone.

"Today, we have all gathered for the mating ceremony, the time when our offspring will find their destined mates, the time when our offspring will have the right to succeed us in our different positions. Let the ceremony begin," he announced.

My heart started beating faster. It was night already, and the full moon would appear soon. Everyone had to find their mates before the full moon appeared.

Janet found her mate already, Fredrick, one of Niklaus's friends. They looked good together, and she was so happy that her mate accepted her. Dave found his mate, but he was not happy, and neither was his mate happy. His mate was my cousin Ivy.

I was left alone. "Where is my mate?" I wondered.

It was time for people to show their mates, and when it was my turn, I broke out in cold sweats. I was scared. Wasn't I gifted a mate by the moon goddess? Was I really cursed? These were the questions running in my head.

"Don't you have a mate? Are you mateless?" the chairman asked.

"I...I..." I stammered. I was so scared. I didn't want to pass through the punishments mateless werewolves had to endure. On such occasions, the mateless people were taken to the dungeon, where they would suffer for the rest of their lives. I was so scared. I didn't want to go there. Was I really cursed? Was this how my life would end? I kept asking myself.

I looked at Janet. She was staring at me with tears in her eyes, her mate consoling her. I looked at Dave; he was staring at me with pity. I saw my aunt; she was smirking. "This is it. My life has finally ended," I thought to myself, smiling sadly.

I reminisced on the good times I spent with my two friends, the only people who really loved me for who I am. I smiled sadly. I remembered how I was mistreated by my aunt, her daughter, and all those who bullied me in school. "Finally, I'm leaving all of you to be with my parents," I thought.

What hurt me the most was that I couldn't do anything to bring justice for my parents. I was weak and useless. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I had made up my mind to take my life after today instead of going to the dungeon where mateless people stayed to serve punishment for the rest of their lives.

The chairman cleared his throat. "Since you aren't speaking, young lady, I will mark you as mateless. Sign here so you will be taken to the dungeon," he said, handing me a pen.

I took the pen, ready to sign, signing my death certificate in my mind. "Goodbye," I muttered in my head.

After signing, I was about to be given the mark of the mateless when I heard a loud but intoxicating voice.

"Stop!" the person said in a loud voice.

Everywhere was filled with murmurs. I looked up to see my savior, the person who wanted to stop me from being marked mateless.

It was Nicklaus King, my childhood crush and my cousin's boyfriend.

He has finally noticed me. Maybe he loved me too. My head was filled with stupid imaginations. I was so overwhelmed with happiness.

He walked up to us, looking me in the eyes. His face was expressionless. This was the first time I stood so close to him ever since I was born.

I was so happy, I was smiling like a fool. I arranged my hair perfectly and straightened my dress so I would look attractive to him.

Wait a minute, why am I so happy right now? I must be stupid. I should be wondering why he was here.

"So Nicklaus King, what brought you here? Why did you stop me?" the chairman asked.

"I stopped you because she is not mateless, she is my mate," he announced and stared into my eyes.

If this was a dream, I don't want to wake up. What did I just hear? I couldn't believe my ears. Did he just say that I was his mate? I pinched myself to know whether I was dreaming, but I was not. My heart was about to burst with happiness. You know the feeling when the person you love turns out to love you too? That is exactly how I felt.

Everybody was murmuring, some people making harsh comments, and others staring daggers at me. I didn't care. The only thing I cared about now was that I found my mate, and he turned out to be the person I had been crushing on since I was little.

I saw Ivy staring at me with hatred, and I saw my aunt too, staring at me as if she would kill me.

I saw Janet smiling at me. She was so happy. "Fighting," she whispered. From where she was standing, I knew what she said through her mouth movement.

"Fighting," I whispered back, smiling. I saw Dave; he was smiling too, but there was a hint of pain in his eyes, and I knew why.

Dave always loved me since we were kids. He even asked me out, but I refused, saying he was like a brother to me, and that was true. Dave was like a brother to me, and that didn't stop us from being friends, though he still had feelings for me till this day.

I saw the unfamiliar woman who had given me her handkerchief. She was smiling at me too. "Who is this woman?"

I decided to stop thinking about anything else and focus my attention on my mate.

*****

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"What are you saying, Nicklaus King? Are you sure about this? You know the consequences of your actions," the chairman asked, unable to believe his ears.

How could a powerful person like Nicklaus be mated to such a lowly girl? He couldn't believe that this lowly omega standing before him would become the future Luna of the most powerful pack in the community. The chairman stared at Aurora with disdain.

"Why would I lie about her being my mate? I can feel the connection now; she is my mate," Nicklaus declared as he touched Aurora, and a spark erupted from their skin. "Mate," his wolf whispered.

Aurora felt like fainting. Was this really happening? Was she dreaming?

****

Aurora's POV

Everywhere was now noisy when he confirmed about me being his mate for the second time.

I could see Ivy crying profusely, and her mother was hugging her. Seeing them, tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I wish my mother was still alive so I could shed tears of joy in her arms.

"So you are mated to Aurora Wilson," the chairman asked again.

"Yes, but I have something to say," Nicklaus announced. My heart skipped a beat. Why do I feel that something was off about him? Why do I feel that this is not going to be good news?

He came closer to me, his beautiful sea blue eyes staring into my hazel eyes. "I, Nicklaus King, the future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, reject Aurora Wilson as my mate," he declared, and my world came crumbling down.

My worst fear had come to pass. Tears trickled down my cheeks. I couldn't speak; no word could come out of my mouth. I was speechless. I tried to speak, but I found myself staring at him like a fool.

I could see the chairman smiling, and I could see Ivy's face beaming with happiness. Everyone in the hall was happy, except for two people: Dave and Janet.

Dave was clenching his fists in anger. I couldn't see that strange woman again; maybe she had left. The chairman was smiling wickedly.

Why were people so wicked? What would he gain from my despair? It's not like his daughter would become Nicklaus's mate. What would he gain?

"Why did you reject Aurora as your mate?" the chairman asked Nicklaus, with smiles written all over his face.

My heart ached at the question. Why should he ask him that question? Today was not a mating ceremony for me, but my disgracing ceremony. My heart was aching into pieces, my soul was tearing apart, my whole being was restless. I was heartbroken.

Today was the day I really felt what heartbreak was.

Nicklaus stared into my eyes to answer the question. The worst part of it all was that he didn't even bother about my feelings; he rejected me in the face, like I was just a piece of trash to him.

What did I expect from a bad boy like him? He and his friends were notorious in our school, breaking all the rules and bullying people, but we had never encountered them before. He usually ignored me in school, like I never existed. Sometimes I wished to be bullied by him, at least for him to notice me, but it didn't come true.

I fell in love with a bad boy, but I don't regret it. I love him for being a bad boy, but the bad boy turns out to be my mate, and he rejected me.

"Why do you reject her as your mate?" the chairman asked again. Nicklaus was staring at me. The only thing I wished for now was for him not to say something harsh to me.

My heart beat increased in its pace.