Nora's POV
"I, Alpha Gavner Wolfgrimm of the Midnight Prowlers Pack, reject you, Lenora Silverberg, as my mate this instant."
His voice was sharp, dripping with disgust. Each word sliced through me like a jagged blade. I let out a bitter laugh, the sound was like a whisper even to my own ears.
"You are not fit to be my Luna," he growled. His emerald eyes flashed as I flinched, my hand gripping the back of a chair for support.
"You can't do this to me," I whispered. "The moon goddess chose me for you. Fate—" I stopped, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I looked up, searching his face, but he quickly turned away.
"I have every right to reject you," Gavner spat. "You are nothing but filth."
But I saw the truth in his eyes. He wanted me, no matter how much he tried to cover it, the spark was there.
"Lenora Silverberg," he said coldly, "leave my sight this instant."
I turned without another word, walking toward the door, out of his sight and his life.
~
My name is Lenora, but everyone calls me Nora. The moon goddess chose me for Alpha Gavner, and he rejected and threw me away like trash.
I was different. A hybrid…a mix of werewolf and vampire. No one knew, but I suspected Gavner did and it baffled me how he got to know. Or maybe he didn't, either way, it meant I had to leave the pack before he came for me.
From the moment I was rejected, I knew my life would turn into a chaos of mess.
"To kill me," I muttered under my breath.
I lived with my mother all my life, and had no idea who my father was. My mother was a werewolf, and my dad was a hybrid…a vampire with werewolf blood.
My father was executed by the covens for mating my mother, just like his parents were banished for giving birth to him as a hybrid.
When I was born, I was ordered dead, but my mother wrapped me in her bloodstained maternity gown and fled the pack under the cover of the night for both of our safety.
We hid in Washington, D.C., in the Midnight Prowlers Pack. I grew up among werewolves, my mother enrolled me in a high school to blend in with them and hid my true self. They never suspected what I was. A vampire-born werewolf was the ultimate sin, they were hated to the peak, and were hunted.
I had never seen how mates were chosen. When I heard Alpha Gavner needed one, curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to see how things would go. I never thought the moon goddess would be cruel enough to mate me to him.
I wasn't ready to be someone's mate…not to talk of the alpha's mate, yet there I was…openly rejected and humiliated.
My throat tightened as I swallowed hard, my chest burned like a wound that was ripped open. My eyes blurred, but I forced the tears back, gripping my sides to hold myself together. Every suppressed cry was like a silent knife twisting deeper into my heart.
My breath came in short, shaky gasps, but no matter how hard I tried to keep it in, the pain only pressed harder, suffocating.
I bit down on my lip, tasting blood, as my chest tightened like a fist squeezing my heart.
I clenched my jaw, staggering through the forest, my steps unsteady as I crossed the wide, tiled road and the street lights cast an indigo reflection on me which stretched my shadow across the pavement.
My breath hitched. Was mom already aware of the situation at hand?
Was she waiting for me?
When I reached the house, I pushed the door open, walked in and saw her standing by the window. Her back was stiff and her hands were tight at her sides. It seemed like she had been waiting for me to return.
"Why did you go there?" she asked, not turning around.
I swallowed hard as I slowly pulled off my hoodie, throwing it to the floor beside me.
"Mom… I'm sorry," my voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
I reached for her hands, she was all I had.
"It just happened… I got rejected." The words came out rough, like a growl, as my mom guided me onto the couch. My hands shook, my nails dug into my skirt.
Her voice was firm but gentle. "Nora, you need to relax. This is not the time to let out your wolf."
"I know, Mom, but I can't control it now… It's overwhelming." My breath came in sharp gasps as my chest tightened.
"Nora, you can."
I swallowed hard, my throat burning. "I'm just scared. Alpha Gavner knows I'm a hybrid. That's why he rejected me."
Mom's eyes darkened. "Are you afraid he'll come back for you?"
I nodded.
"Mum, we have to leave this pack." My voice shook as I took a deep breath. "I can't lose me like I lost my father."
Mum wiped a tear from my eye with a shaky finger.
My chest tightened. "How did this happen? Why did the Moon Goddess choose me?"
I cocked my head, staring at my mother, but the fear in her eyes made my stomach twist.
She let out a slow, unsteady breath. "For all I know, Nora, you were chosen for a reason… but that also means your life is in danger." she paused. "But, leaving?"
But it wasn't enough.
"We are leaving first thing in the morning." Mum said.
"Mom, we have to leave now." My voice was urgent, almost desperate. "Tomorrow might be too late… and the night is long."
"Nora, you should—"
I didn't wait for her to finish. I spun around, my heart pounding, as I rushed into my bedroom and grabbed a bag. My hands trembled as I stuffed in whatever clothes I could find.
"What if he rejected you for other reasons and not because of who you are?" Mom's voice followed me, steady but firm. "If he knew the truth, Nora, you wouldn't be standing here. You'd be in that filthy dungeon."
I froze, my grip tightening around the bag. She was right. Gavner wasn't the type to let something like this slide. Gavner was no ordinary man. He was a cruel and ruthless wolf, and yet cold blooded. He was a wolf who saw weakness as a sin.
I wasn't the first mate he rejected. And the other mates he rejected? They never got a second chance. Some spent the rest of their lives locked away and the others were sold as sex slaves.
I swallowed hard. But then—
"Mom… have you ever been in the dungeon?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She hesitated. "That's a question for another day."
Without another word, I grabbed my car keys, took her hand, and pulled her toward the door. My pulse pounded in my ears. We had to go and we had to go now.
As soon as we stepped outside, a strong gust of wind hit us, cold and heavy, like a warning. My wolf whined deep inside me, uneasy. I clenched my jaw, trying to push the feeling away.
The werewolf and vampire blood inside me clashed, emotions swirled and I hadn't learned how to control them yet, but I could feel it.