Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Lycan King

Ellene Millstein

Werewolf | Completed

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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.

Betrayal Alpha Rebirth Werewolf Personal growth

Chapter 19

01-06 22:31

Chapter 1

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."