Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Lycan King

At the Full Moon Banquet, my husband didn't just announce a surrogate. He humiliated me.

Alpha Bennett stood center stage, radiating power, while I stood in the shadows-the embarrassment, the Wolfless Luna.

"Kelsey is too fragile," he announced to the pack. "Aria will carry our legacy."

He called it a medical necessity. But later, I heard him tell his Beta the truth:

"I look at her and see a dead end. Aria smells like a mate should."

The humiliation didn't stop there. Aria moved into our home, scent-marking my bed with her vanilla perfume. When she staged a fall, Bennett didn't check if I was okay. He grabbed me by the throat, accusing me of trying to kill his unborn "Alpha twins."

He even drained his own blood to save her fake pregnancy, while I bled from silver wounds he ignored.

Broken and replaced, I left my wedding ring on the table and vanished to Paris. Bennett was so eager to be rid of me, he signed the separation papers without even reading them.

It wasn't until his wedding day to Aria that the truth came out. The pregnancy was a lie. The twins were a fraud created by witch potions.

Desperate and regretful, Bennett tore through Europe to drag me back, thinking I was still his weak, human wife.

He didn't know he was walking straight into the Lycan King's territory.

And he certainly didn't expect to find that his "Wolfless" wife had finally awakened as the legendary White Wolf.

Chapter 1

Kelsey POV:

The crystal chandelier above the ballroom cast a fractured light over the crowd, but it couldn't hide the shadows in their eyes when they looked at me.

I stood by the long table laden with raw meats and delicacies, gripping my champagne flute so hard I feared the stem might snap. This was the Blood Moon Pack's monthly Full Moon Banquet. For everyone else, it was a release. For me, it was a monthly reminder of my failure.

"She shouldn't be up there," a whisper floated from a group of female Betas near the entrance. "A Luna who can't shift? It's embarrassing the Alpha bloodline."

"Heard she's completely Wolfless. Just a human playing dress-up," another sneered.

I took a sip of the drink, letting the bubbles burn my throat. I wasn't human. I was born into a werewolf family, but my wolf had never come. The Awakening ceremony at eighteen had passed with agonizing silence. No bone-breaking shift, no voice in my head. Just me.

Alpha Bennett, my husband, stood at the center of the room. He looked magnificent, dammit. His shoulders were broad, straining against his tuxedo, and his dark hair was swept back, revealing the sharp, predatory lines of his face. He radiated power-the Alpha Aura-a physical pressure that made weaker wolves lower their heads.

He tapped a spoon against his glass. The room fell into an instant, obedient silence. The Alpha's Command.

"My pack," Bennett began, his voice deep and resonating in my chest. "We are the strongest pack in New York. We hold the financial veins of this city. But strength requires continuity. It requires a legacy."

My stomach dropped. I knew this speech. We had argued about it for months.

"As you know, my mate, Kelsey, has... limitations," he said, gesturing vaguely toward me without meeting my eyes. "Her body is too fragile to carry an Alpha pup. The strain would kill her. And I, as a benevolent leader, cannot risk her life."

Bullshit. The pack doctors said I was healthy. It was Bennett who refused to touch me, claiming he didn't want to "break" me.

"Therefore," Bennett continued, a smile touching his lips that didn't reach his eyes, "I've made a call for the good of the Blood Moon. We're bringing in a surrogate. A she-wolf of strong stock, to keep the bloodline pure."

The doors opened.

A woman walked in. She didn't walk; she prowled. She had cascading blonde hair and a figure that was practically poured into a shimmering gold dress. But it was her scent that hit the room first. Even with my dull human senses, I could smell it-a heavy, overly sweet aroma of vanilla and musk. It screamed 'fertility.'

"This is Aria," Bennett announced. "She has graciously agreed to help us."

Applause broke out, polite but confused. I stood frozen. He hadn't told me he had already chosen someone. He hadn't told me she would be here.

Aria glided through the crowd, her eyes locking onto Bennett. I saw the way her nostrils flared, inhaling his scent-storm clouds and pine. It was intimate. Too intimate.

I watched as she reached the podium. She didn't bow to me, the Luna. She stood right next to Bennett, her arm brushing against his.

"Thank you, Alpha," Aria purred. Her voice was like honey laced with venom. "It is an honor to carry the future of this pack."

The music started again. Bennett took Aria's hand, leading her to the dance floor. I was left standing alone on the dais.

I needed air. I walked stiffly toward the terrace doors, ignoring the pitying glances of the Elders.

Outside, the night air was cool, but my skin felt hot with humiliation. I leaned against the stone railing, looking out over the sprawling estate.

"She's perfect, isn't she?"

I froze. Bennett's voice drifted from the shadows of the lower balcony, just beneath me. He wasn't alone.

"She is strong, Alpha," a male voice replied. It was his Beta, Marcus. "But the pack... they are confused. Kelsey is your mate."

"Kelsey is my burden," Bennett scoffed. The sound was like a physical blow to my gut. "I look at her and see a dead end. No wolf. No power. Just a fragile doll I have to babysit."

"And Aria?"

"Aria..." Bennett's voice changed. It dropped an octave, thick with lust. "When I look at Aria, my wolf paces. She smells like a mate should, Marcus. Fertile. Available. I'm not just doing this for the heir. I need a she-wolf who can take what I give."

I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob.

"Are you going to mark her?" Marcus asked, his tone wary.

"Not yet," Bennett said. "I told Kelsey it's just a business arrangement. If she knew I was planning to take Aria to the Moon Lake villa for the mating cycle, she'd make a scene. We need to keep the peace until the pups are born. Then... well, the pack will naturally prefer the mother of the heir over a barren human."

I stumbled back from the railing.

He wasn't just looking for a surrogate. He was replacing me. He was going to take her to Moon Lake-the sacred ground where Alphas took their true mates.

I rushed back inside, grabbing my purse. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the clutch. Bennett was still on the dance floor, his hand resting possessively on the small of Aria's back. He looked up, his eyes meeting mine.

For a second, I saw panic. He tapped his temple-a signal that he was trying to Mind-Link me.

Kelsey? Where are you going? I'm just checking her health through the link. Don't be jealous.

I couldn't hear the words, of course. I was deaf to the Mind-Link. But I knew the look. It was the look of a liar.

He walked over to me, leaving Aria smirking in the center of the room.

"I have to go," he said, smoothing his tie. "Border patrol. There's been Rogue activity reported near the north perimeter. I might be gone all night."

Border patrol. Another lie. He was going to her.

"Okay," I said. My voice was surprisingly steady. "Be safe, Bennett."

He leaned in, pecking me on the cheek. He didn't smell like my husband anymore. He smelled like her vanilla perfume.

"Go home, Kelsey," he said dismissively. "Get some rest. You look tired."

I watched him leave with Marcus. A moment later, Aria slipped out the side door.

I didn't go home immediately. I went to the ladies' room and locked the door. I pulled out my phone, my fingers hovering over a contact I had saved months ago, just in case.

Shadow Runners. Mercenaries who specialized in disappearing people.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Pale skin, dark eyes, no wolf spirit shimmering behind the irises. I was done being the doll. I was done being the burden.

I pressed the call button.

"I need a specialized extraction," I whispered when the distorted voice answered. "Protocol: Vanish."

Kelsey POV:

The next morning, the house felt too big. It was a modern fortress of glass and steel, designed to impress, not to comfort.

I sat on the floor of my walk-in closet, surrounded by boxes. I wasn't packing clothes-Bennett would notice that. I was packing assets. Jewelry I had inherited from my grandmother, bearer bonds, and cash I had been siphoning from my personal allowance for two years.

I had to be smart. In the werewolf world, the Alpha owned everything.

My phone buzzed. It was Bennett.

Meeting ran late. Checking the southern borders now. Don't wait up.

I stared at the screen. It was 10:00 AM. He hadn't come home last night.

I needed to get out of the house. I needed to buy the herbs the Shadow Runners had requested-Wolfsbane and Sage-to mask my scent during the extraction.

I drove my sedan toward the city center. My mind was a fog of grief and anger. I was so distracted that I didn't see the red light until it was too late. I slammed on the brakes, but my bumper clipped the SUV in front of me.

It wasn't a bad crash. Just a jolt. But my head hit the steering wheel, and a sharp pain radiated through my temple.

I sat there for a moment, dazed. I reached for my phone to call Bennett. It was instinct. He was my husband. He was supposed to protect me.

I dialed. It rang once. Twice.

"What?" His voice was breathless, impatient.

"Bennett, I... I had an accident. Downtown. My head hurts."

There was a pause. In the background, I heard a giggle. A high-pitched, feminine giggle.

"Is the car totaled?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so. But I'm scared."

"Kelsey, I'm in the middle of a critical strategic meeting with the Elders," he snapped. "Call a tow truck. Call the pack doctor if you need to. I can't drop everything just because you can't drive."

The line went dead.

I sat in the stunned silence of the car cabin. Strategic meeting. With a giggling woman.

I handled the insurance myself. I drove myself to the pharmacy with a throbbing headache. By the time I got back to the estate, the sun was setting.

I walked up the stairs to our master bedroom, needing nothing more than to curl up and sleep. But the moment I opened the door, I gagged.

The smell hit me like a physical wall. Vanilla. Musk. And something else-something primal and pungent.

Marking scent.

It wasn't just perfume. Someone had deliberately rubbed their scent glands all over the room. It was on the curtains. It was on the carpet.

I walked to the bed. My pillows were thrown on the floor. In their place were silk cushions I didn't recognize.

I grabbed one and brought it to my nose. It reeked of Aria.

She had been here. In my sanctuary. In my bed.

Rage, hot and unfamiliar, boiled in my veins. This was a violation of the highest order. A wolf's den was sacred. For a Rogue-or whatever she was-to scent-mark an Alpha's bedroom was an act of war.

I grabbed my keys. I knew where he was. If he wasn't at the borders, and he wasn't here, he was at the Onyx Club, the private lounge for high-ranking wolves.

I didn't change out of my wrinkled clothes. I didn't fix my hair. I stormed into the club, pushing past the bouncer who tried to stop me.

The music inside was heavy, a rhythmic bass that vibrated in the floor. The air was thick with smoke and pheromones.

I saw them in the VIP booth. Bennett was lounging with his arm spread across the back of the sofa. Aria was nestled into his side, her hand resting casually on his thigh.

They were laughing.

"Bennett!" I screamed.

The music didn't stop, but the conversation at their table did. Bennett looked up, his eyes widening.

"Kelsey? What are you doing here?"

"She was in our room," I said, my voice trembling. I pointed a shaking finger at Aria. "She rubbed her scent all over my bed. How dare you let her into our home?"

Bennett stood up. His expression wasn't apologetic; it was annoyed.

"Lower your voice," he commanded. The Alpha tone rippled through the air, pressing down on my shoulders like a heavy weight. "You are embarrassing yourself."

"I'm embarrassing myself?" I laughed, a hysterical, broken sound. "You lied to me. You said you were on patrol. You're nesting with her!"

"It is part of the bonding process for the surrogacy!" Bennett growled, stepping closer. He loomed over me, using his height to intimidate. "The mother needs to feel comfortable in the Alpha's environment. It helps the pup's development. It's biology, Kelsey. Something you wouldn't understand."

"Biology doesn't require her to sleep in my bed!"

"It's just a bed!" Bennett roared. The glasses on the table rattled. "She carries the future of this pack! You carry nothing but my pity!"

The silence that followed was absolute. Even the DJ cut the music.

Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I looked at Aria. She was sipping her drink, a smug little smile playing on her lips. She wasn't scared of me. Why would she be? I was nothing.

I looked down at the tablet sitting on the table in front of Bennett. A message notification popped up.

Aria: My wolf calls for you, Alpha. Make her leave so we can finish what we started.

I looked at Bennett. He saw me read it. He didn't even flinch.

"Go home, Kelsey," he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. "We are done here."

I turned around. I walked out of the club, feeling the eyes of every wolf on my back.

I got into my car, my hands gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.

"Shadow Runners?" I dialed the number again.

"Identify," the voice said.

"Kelsey Randolph. I'm ready to move the timeline up."

"Destination?"

I looked at the rearview mirror, at the city that had chewed me up and spit me out.

"Paris," I said. "Take me to the Neutral Zone."

Kelsey POV:

Three days later, Bennett threw me a birthday party.

It was a farce. A PR stunt to show the pack that the Alpha and Luna were still a united front, despite the rumors swirling from the club incident.

I wore a pale blue gown that Bennett had chosen. It was modest, blending into the background.

"Smile," Bennett whispered in my ear as we stood at the entrance of the banquet hall. His hand gripped my waist tight enough to bruise. "Stop looking like a funeral attendant."

"It feels like a funeral," I muttered.

"Don't start," he warned, flashing a dazzling smile at a passing Gamma.

Then, the doors opened.

Aria walked in.

She wasn't wearing a guest's dress. She was wearing a gown of deep, blood-red velvet. In werewolf culture, red was the color of power. It was the color of the Luna.

A hush fell over the room. To wear red at the Luna's birthday celebration was a direct challenge. It was a slap in the face.

She walked straight toward us.

"Happy Birthday, Kelsey," she said, holding out a small, wrapped box. Her eyes, however, were on Bennett.

"What are you doing here, Aria?" I asked, my voice tight.

"I invited her," Bennett cut in smoothly. "She is carrying my heirs. She is family now."

He reached out and placed his hand on the back of her neck. It was a primal, soothing gesture-something an Alpha did to calm his mate. He thumbed the sensitive skin there, and Aria leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut.

I felt sick. They were doing this right in front of everyone.

"Excuse me," I said, turning on my heel.

I rushed to the restroom, needing to escape the suffocating scent of them. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to calm my racing heart.

The door opened. Aria walked in.

She locked the door behind her.

"You should just give up, you know," she said, leaning against the sink. Her eyes flashed-the amber glow of her wolf surfacing. "He doesn't want you. He tolerates you."

"Get out," I said.

"He promised me," she whispered, stepping closer. "He said once the pups are born, he'll find a way to break the bond with you. He's going to mark me, Kelsey. A real mark."

She released her aura. It was wild and uncontrolled, a Rogue's aggression. She shoved me.

I stumbled back, crashing into a decorative table holding a tower of champagne flutes and silver platters.

Crash.

Glass shattered everywhere. But it was the silver platter that did the damage. The edge of the heavy tray sliced deep into my upper arm.

"Ah!" I cried out, clutching my arm. Blood seeped through my fingers, dark and fast.

Silver.

For a wolf, silver burned like acid. It prevented the natural rapid healing we were supposed to have. But for me? I didn't have rapid healing anyway. The silver just burned, a cold, toxic fire spreading through my veins.

The door burst open. Bennett rushed in, followed by a few guards.

"What happened?" he roared.

I looked up, dizzy from the pain. "She pushed me..."

"She attacked me!" Aria shrieked, falling to her knees and clutching her stomach. "Alpha! She tried to hurt the babies! She went crazy!"

It was such a blatant lie. I was the one bleeding on the floor.

Bennett didn't even look at my arm. He didn't smell the blood pouring from me. His eyes were locked on Aria.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice frantic. He scooped her up into his arms.

"My stomach..." Aria whimpered. "The stress..."

"Get the car!" Bennett shouted at the guards. "We're going to the hospital!"

He turned to leave, carrying her.

"Bennett!" I gasped. "I'm bleeding. It's silver."

He stopped at the door. He looked back at me, his eyes cold and hard.

"You should have thought about that before you endangered my children," he spat.

Then he was gone.

I sat alone on the bathroom floor, surrounded by broken glass. The pain in my arm was excruciating, but the pain in my chest was worse. It felt like my heart was cracking open.

A pack doctor, a young Beta named Sarah, hurried in a moment later. She gasped when she saw me.

"Luna! Oh my goddess, look at this blood."

She started cleaning the wound, picking out the silver shards. I hissed in pain.

"It won't stop bleeding," she muttered, panicked. "Because of the silver... and your... condition."

"Just stitch it up," I said, my voice dead. "I'll be fine."

Later, I sat in the hospital waiting room. My arm was bandaged, throbbing. I walked down the hall to the VIP wing.

The door to Aria's room was cracked open.

I saw Bennett sitting on the edge of her bed. He was releasing his Alpha Pheromones-a thick, calming scent meant to sedate and comfort.

"I'm here," he whispered, kissing Aria's forehead. "I'm not leaving you."

I looked down at my bandage. The blood was already seeping through the white gauze.

This marriage wasn't just a mistake. It was a death sentence. Like the silver in my arm, Bennett was a poison I couldn't heal from.

I pulled out my phone.

Message to Shadow Runners: I am ready. Tonight.