The Lycan's Luna

‎Seris POV

‎The night I turned eighteen, the moon felt heavier than it ever had before.

‎It hung full and bright above Moonveil Pack, casting silver light over the clearing where the entire pack had gathered. Lanterns glowed softly between the trees, their warm light doing little to chase away the cold knot in my chest. Laughter echoed around me, excited murmurs, teasing remarks, the sound of celebration.

‎It was supposed to be my night.

‎The night my wolf awakened.

‎The night fate chose my mate.

‎I stood at the edge of the clearing, fingers twisting the fabric of my simple pale-blue dress. I hadn't chosen it for beauty. I chose it because it was quiet. Because it wouldn't draw attention. Because I already felt like I took up too much space just by existing.

‎"Omega Seris," someone whispered as they passed me, their tone sharp, amused.

‎I lowered my gaze.

‎Being an Omega meant surviving on the edges of everything - never loud, never demanding, never enough. My parents stood several feet away, my mother's lips pressed into a thin line, my father staring at the ground as if willing it to swallow him whole. They loved me, I knew that. But love didn't change what I was in this pack.

‎Weak. Replaceable. Forgettable.

‎Only one person stood firmly at my side.

‎Theo.

‎"You're shaking," he muttered under his breath, leaning closer. "And don't deny it. I can feel it."

‎I let out a weak huff. "You always can."

‎Theo was a year older than me, his wolf already awakened, his sarcasm sharpened by years of watching me be stepped on. He stood a little taller tonight, arms crossed, eyes scanning the clearing like he was daring someone to say something cruel.

‎He always protected me. Even when it cost him.

‎"Relax," he said. "If your mate turns out to be an idiot, I'll punch him."

‎That earned a small smile from me. "You can't punch an Alpha."

‎"I absolutely can," he replied. "I just won't survive it."

‎Before I could respond, a sudden hush rippled through the crowd.

‎The Alpha, Lucien, stepped forward, his presence commanding instant silence. Beside him stood Draven his son, the future Alpha of Moonveil Pack.

‎My heart skipped.

‎Draven was... everything the pack admired. Strong. Handsome. Confident. He had golden eyes that gleamed beneath the moonlight and a presence that pulled attention like gravity. I had known for years. Deep down, in that quiet place I never dared to speak from, I had hoped.

‎Not expected. Not demanded. Just hoped.

‎The moon pulsed.

‎The air shifted.

‎And then... Pain.

‎It slammed into my chest so suddenly I gasped, clutching at my heart as heat raced through my veins. My knees nearly buckled as something snapped into place, sharp and undeniable.

‎The mate bond.

‎My wolf - soft, timid, long-silent stirred for the first time. There, she whispered. Him.

‎I looked up.

‎Draven's head snapped in my direction at the same moment his eyes widened. For one terrifying second, hope flared so brightly in my chest it hurt.

‎We were mates.

‎The murmurs exploded.

‎An Omega.

‎Draven's mate is an Omega?

‎This has to be a mistake.

‎I took a shaky step forward, heart pounding so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. Theo's hand shot out, gripping my wrist, grounding me.

‎"Seris," he warned softly.

‎But it was too late.

‎Draven stepped forward, jaw tight, eyes cold not shocked, not confused.

‎Angry.

‎The pain that followed was worse than the bond snapping into place.

‎"I reject her."

‎The words rang through the clearing like a blade striking bone.

‎Silence fell so fast it felt suffocating.

‎"I, Draven of Moonveil Pack, reject Seris as my mate."

‎My world shattered.

‎The bond tore apart violently, ripping through me with white-hot agony. I screamed...couldn't stop it as I collapsed to the ground, clutching my chest as tears streamed freely down my face. My wolf whimpered, shrinking back into nothingness. Rejected. Publicly. Completely.

‎Gasps and whispers erupted around us, but none of them mattered. Not the pity. Not the shock. Not the thinly veiled satisfaction on certain faces.

‎Draven didn't even look at me.

‎"She is weak," he continued, voice sharp, final. "An Omega with no value to this pack. I will not bind my future to someone who cannot stand beside me."

‎That was when I saw Mira.

‎She stood near the front, lips curved into a triumphant smile, her friends clustered around her like vultures. Her eyes gleamed with victory.

‎Theo moved.

‎He was at my side instantly, kneeling, arms around me as I shook. "Hey. Hey, breathe. Look at me," he whispered fiercely. "You're okay. I've got you."

‎I wasn't okay.

‎I felt hollow. Broken. Like the moon itself had turned its back on me.

‎The Alpha cleared his throat, uncomfortable but unmoved. "The bond has been severed. The matter is settled."

‎Just like that.

‎My fate, discarded.

‎Theo helped me to my feet, his arm firm around my shoulders. I could feel eyes on us as we walked away - judging, whispering, dissecting my humiliation like it was entertainment.

‎Mira's laughter followed me.

‎That night, the Moonveil Pack celebrated.

‎Not my birthday.

‎Not my awakening.

‎My rejection.

‎I locked myself in my room and cried until my chest ached and my throat burned. The bond scar throbbed beneath my skin, a constant reminder that fate had chosen me once only to rip it away.

‎I didn't know then that fate wasn't finished.

‎I didn't know that this was only the breaking point.

‎I didn't know that the strongest Lycan to ever walk this land would soon step into Moonveil territory...

‎or that the same night my heart shattered, his fate would awaken.

‎The night Seris was rejected, the moon felt wrong.

‎Too bright. Too sharp. Like it was watching us bleed and enjoying the show.

‎I stood outside her door, back pressed to the wooden frame, fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. Inside, I could hear her muffled sobs, quiet, broken sounds she probably thought no one else could hear.

‎She was wrong.

‎I heard everything.

‎Every shaky breath.

‎Every hiccup of pain she tried to swallow.

‎Every whisper of her name as she begged herself to be okay.

‎I'd watched the bond snap.

‎I'd felt it ripple through the air like a scream no one else cared to acknowledge. When Draven said those words "I reject her" something inside me had cracked right along with her heart.

‎Coward.

‎That's what he was.

‎An Alpha in title only.

‎I should have killed him.

‎I pushed off the doorframe and paced the narrow hallway, forcing myself to breathe. If I went back out there right now, I'd end up dead or dragging Draven's body through the clearing by his throat. Neither option would help Seris.

‎What she needed wasn't revenge.

‎She needed someone to stand.

‎I stopped pacing when I heard footsteps.

‎Soft. Hesitant.

‎I turned just as her door creaked open.

‎Seris stepped into the hallway, wrapped in a thin sweater that did nothing to hide how small she looked. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face pale. The bond scar glowed faintly beneath her skin, a cruel reminder of what had been taken from her.

‎She tried to smile.

‎That nearly broke me.

‎"You don't have to stand guard," she murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

‎"Good," I replied flatly. "Because I am."

‎She huffed weakly. "Theo..."

‎I stepped in front of her without thinking, blocking her view of the hallway as voices drifted from the packhouse below. Laughter. Celebration.

‎"For what it's worth," I said, jaw tight, "they're idiots."

‎Her eyes flickered with something painful and raw. "He didn't even hesitate."

‎"I know."

‎"I wasn't enough," she whispered.

‎"No," I snapped, then softened my tone when she flinched. "You were too much for someone who doesn't deserve you."

‎Silence stretched between us.

‎Then her knees buckled.

‎I caught her before she hit the floor, arms wrapping around her automatically. She clung to me like I was the last solid thing in a world that had gone unstable.

‎I held her.

‎I held her while she cried.

‎I held her while the pack celebrated her destruction.

‎And in that moment, something inside me shifted.

‎I wasn't just her best friend anymore.

‎I was her shield.

‎The next few days were hell.

‎Mira didn't even pretend to hide her delight. She and her friends followed Seris through the pack grounds, their whispers loud enough to cut.

‎"Rejected Omega."

‎"Imagine thinking an Alpha would want her."

‎"She should be grateful Draven noticed her at all."

‎I noticed everything.

‎And I made sure they noticed me noticing.

‎"You keep running your mouths," I said one afternoon as I stepped between them and Seris, "and I'll rearrange your faces."

‎Mira scoffed. "You're an Omega, Theo. Stay in your place."

‎I smiled slowly. "Touch her again and see what happens."

‎She didn't test me.

‎Not that day.

‎Seris tried to act like it didn't hurt. She went quiet. Withdrawn. Like she was folding herself smaller and smaller, hoping the world would forget she existed.

‎I wouldn't let it.

‎I walked her everywhere. Sat beside her during meals. Slept on the floor outside her room when the nightmares got too bad.

‎"Why are you doing this?" she asked one night, voice barely above a whisper.

‎I shrugged. "Because someone has to."

‎"You don't owe me..."

‎"I know," I cut in. "That's why it matters."

‎A week later, the air changed.

‎I felt it before anyone announced it, a pressure rolling through Moonveil territory, heavy and undeniable. My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin, instincts screaming.

‎Something powerful was coming.

‎The pack gathered again, curiosity buzzing through the clearing like static. I stood beside Seris, my body angled protectively in front of her as Alpha Lucien addressed us.

‎"The Bloodmoon Pack has requested entry," he announced.

‎The murmurs were instant.

‎Lycan territory.

‎The king's pack.

‎Why here?

‎My heart sank.

‎Bloodmoon Pack didn't visit out of courtesy.

‎They visited for a reason.

‎Seris's fingers curled into my sleeve. "Theo..."

‎"I'm here," I said immediately.

‎And then I felt it.

‎A surge of power so intense it stole the air from my lungs. The forest seemed to bow as figures emerged from the shadows, warriors clad in dark armor, eyes glowing with restrained dominance.

‎At their center walked a man.

‎Tall. Broad-shouldered. Commanding in a way no Alpha I'd ever seen could compare to. His presence pressed against my senses like a physical weight.

‎A Lycan.

‎The king.

‎His gaze swept the clearing and then locked onto Seris.

‎The world went still.

‎Her breath hitched.

‎And somewhere deep inside me, my wolf whispered in awe and fear, Fate isn't finished.

‎I stepped forward without thinking, placing myself fully in front of her.

‎Because whatever this was, whatever he was, I would not let the world hurt her again.

‎Not without going through me first.

‎The moment the Lycan King stepped into Moonveil territory, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.

‎The forest seemed to shrink beneath his presence, ancient trees bowing as if recognizing a ruler far older than any Alpha line. Power rolled off him in suffocating waves; raw, dominant, unmistakable. Every wolf in the clearing felt it. I saw it in the stiffened spines, the lowered gazes, the instinctive submission that rippled through the pack.

‎Even my father stood straighter.

‎Even I did.

‎I hated that.

‎I hated the way my wolf pressed against my ribs, restless and uneasy, as if sensing a predator far beyond our reach. I hated the way the night felt heavier with him here, the moon suddenly sharper, brighter almost blood-tinged.

‎But most of all, I hated where his eyes went.

‎Seris.

‎She stood partially hidden behind Theo, small and pale beneath the moonlight. Her scent soft, familiar brushed against my senses, and pain flared hot and unwanted in my chest.

‎The bond scar burned.

‎I clenched my jaw.

‎I had done what I needed to do.

‎I told myself that over and over again.

‎"She's nothing," I whispered under my breath, though no one stood close enough to hear. "An Omega. Weak. She would've ruined everything."

‎My wolf didn't answer.

‎He hadn't spoken since the rejection.

‎Alpha Lucien stepped forward, voice respectful but guarded. "King Xavian of the Bloodmoon Pack," he greeted. "To what do we owe the honor?"

‎Xavian stopped a few feet into the clearing. He didn't bow. He didn't smile. He simply stood there like the world belonged to him by right.

‎It probably did.

‎"I came because I felt a disturbance," Xavian said, his voice deep and calm and somehow more terrifying for it. "A mate bond was broken on this land."

‎The clearing went dead silent.

‎I felt every eye flick toward me.

‎Heat crawled up my spine.

‎"That matter has been settled," my father replied carefully. "The bond was rejected."

‎Xavian's gaze sharpened. "By choice?"

‎My throat tightened.

‎Lucien hesitated. "Yes."

‎The Lycan King's eyes glowed faintly gold.

‎"Interesting," he murmured.

‎I shifted my weight, unease twisting my gut. Something about the way he said it felt like a warning. Like a predator circling prey.

‎Then his gaze moved again.

‎Back to her.

‎Seris flinched when his eyes found her, instinctively stepping closer to Theo. That movement small, defensive sent a violent spike of emotion through me.

‎Possessiveness.

‎Regret.

‎Anger.

‎I shoved it down.

‎"She's irrelevant," I said suddenly, louder than I intended.

‎Heads turned.

‎Seris stiffened.

‎Xavian looked at me for the first time.

‎The weight of his attention nearly crushed me.

‎"You are?" he asked.

‎Draven of Moonveil Pack," I answered, lifting my chin. "Next-in-line Alpha."

‎His eyes swept over me slowly. Assessing. Cold.

‎"You rejected your mate," he stated.

‎It wasn't a question.

‎A murmur rippled through the crowd.

‎I forced myself not to falter. "I did what was best for my pack."

‎Xavian tilted his head slightly. "And what makes you believe that?"

‎"She is an Omega," I snapped. "Weak. Submissive. She would have been a liability."

‎Theo snarled softly.

‎I ignored him.

‎Xavian's gaze flickered briefly to Seris. Something unreadable passed through his expression.

‎Then the air changed.

‎Pressure slammed into the clearing, heavy and commanding. Wolves dropped to one knee without meaning to. My own wolf recoiled, instincts screaming submission.

‎Xavian hadn't moved.

‎But his power had.

‎"Never mistake gentleness for weakness," the Lycan King said quietly. "And never assume an Omega lacks value."

‎His eyes burned into mine.

‎"Some Omegas are born to kneel," he continued. "Others are born to rise."

‎My heart pounded violently.

‎I didn't know why his words felt like a blade to my ribs.

‎Xavian turned away from me as if I were no longer worth his attention. His focus returned to Seris fully, unmistakably.

‎I felt it then. A pull.

‎Sharp. Sudden. Terrifying.

‎My knees nearly buckled. No.

‎No, that wasn't possible.

‎The bond was broken. Severed. Gone.

‎And yet.

‎Xavian inhaled slowly, his expression hardening as something ancient and powerful stirred in his gaze.

‎Mate recognition.

‎The realization slammed into me like a fist.

‎Cold dread seeped into my bones.

‎"You," Xavian said, his voice resonating through the clearing. "Come here."

‎Seris froze.

‎Theo stepped forward instantly, placing himself between them. "She doesn't have to do anything."

‎Xavian's gaze shifted to Theo not angry, not offended.

‎Curious.

‎Then, unexpectedly, he inclined his head slightly. "I respect loyalty," he said. "But this does not concern you."

‎"It concerns me," Theo shot back. "Everything that happens to her does."

‎Something flickered in Xavian's eyes, approval, perhaps.

‎Seris swallowed and stepped around Theo before he could stop her. Her movements were hesitant but resolute.

‎"I'm here," she said softly.

‎The mate bond scar on her skin pulsed faintly.

‎Xavian took a single step closer.

‎The air crackled.

‎I couldn't breathe.

‎"This land has wronged you," Xavian said. "And fate is not finished with you."

‎Her eyes widened.

‎Theo stiffened.

‎The pack erupted into whispers.

‎"No," I muttered. "No, this isn't happening."

‎Mira's sharp intake of breath reached my ears. I glanced at her and saw fear etched across her features for the first time.

‎Good.

‎Xavian straightened and addressed the pack. "Moonveil Pack," he announced. "I will remain on your land for the night."

‎Lucien hesitated, then nodded. "You are... welcome."

‎Xavian's gaze dropped to Seris one last time.

‎"Rest," he said gently. "Tomorrow, we speak."

‎Then he turned and walked away, his warriors following like shadows.

‎The clearing exploded with noise the moment he disappeared into the forest.

‎I stood rooted to the spot, heart racing, hands trembling.

‎Theo guided Seris away, his arm protective around her shoulders. She didn't look back.

‎The bond scar on my chest burned violently, pain tearing through me like punishment.

‎For the first time since the rejection, my wolf spoke.

‎"You made the wrong choice".

‎I clenched my fists.

‎"No," I whispered. "I did what I had to."

‎But deep down, where the truth festered, I knew this wasn't over.

‎I had rejected my mate.

‎And fate had answered by giving her to a king.

‎