Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Mafia Vampire Boss

The wind howled through the pines, a sickening sound that echoed the dread in my heart. Silver moonlight peeked through branches, painting the pack below in ethereal tones. My fingers gripped the ivory hem of my gown, the embroidery scratching at my skin. This was my night. The night I became Luna of the Savagecrest Pack, claimed by Rylan Halloway, our Alpha.

But something was wrong. Terribly, bone-chillingly wrong.

It wasn't just the frigid mountain air or the smoky scent of the bonfire. There was something else, too-a raw undercurrent of fear, sharp and metallic, my fear, echoed and magnified in the faces around me. Rylan had been distant for weeks, his usual warmth replaced by a wary look I couldn't interpret. But I knew the true source of this fear: my father, Alpha Donovan, had opposed this bond from the beginning.

"Saphira."

I turned and there she stood: Aeliana, my sister. Dark hair fell over her shoulders around her face-too pale, too delicate. Her blue eyes, usually bright with mischief, were wet with tears as she reached for me. The sapphire silk of her dress fluttered around her like whispered secrets.

"You look beautiful," she whispered, her hands cool on my cheeks. Her thumbs wiped away tears I hadn't realized were falling. "Everything will be okay. I am here for you."

I pressed into her touch, desperate for the comfort that would only last so long. "What if he doesn't want me, Liana? What if the bond... what if it isn't enough to make him stay?"

Her smile faltered, and she glanced down at the crowd, at Rylan, standing firm, for just a moment. "Rylan would be a fool to let you go. You're everything this pack needs, everything he needs. You're strong, Saph. Don't forget that."

I bit my lip, remembering the hours I'd spent training, trying to earn my father's respect. But Alpha Donovan liked Aeliana better-the younger sister who embraced the pack's brutal ways without question. I could never be cruel enough for him.

The drums began to beat. Their rumbling, ancient rhythm shook the ground, shook my body. Aeliana squeezed my hands one last time before she vanished into the night. I walked forward. The icy dirt cracked beneath my bare feet. The pack of wolves moved, stepped aside, as I approached. I couldn't see their faces in the fire's dancing flames.

There in the middle stood Rylan, his broad shoulders stolid under his robe, his dark hair shading his brow, yet his green eyes twin emeralds in the dusk.

Our eyes met.

For just a moment his mask cracked. A hint of something... pain? Regret? My heart thumped. Did he feel it too? The mate bond, that invisible line woven between our souls, pulled at me.

"Rylan," I whispered.

His jaw tightened. "Saphira Vandermere."

The way he said my name-cold and formal-made my stomach drop. The pack quieted, the drums to a low rumble. The wind held its breath.

"You stand before this pack," he said, his voice sounding formal, chilling me, "as my mate. But the Moon Goddess tells the truth, not lies. She looks into our hearts." His hands clenched at his sides. "And the truth is... you are not mine."

The words stayed there, sharp as a knife.

No. This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

I staggered back, the bond in my chest clenching into an agonizing knot. "Rylan, please, just stop it. This isn't-"

"I reject you, Saphira."

The earth shook and the warmth of the bonfire was gone. I felt the cold seeping into me. Whispers came around me, but all I heard was a crack, like bones snapping. My legs were swaying and I went down on my knees. My chest was so tight I couldn't breath. Everything went black.

"Why?" The word tore from my throat, raw and broken.

He didn't flinch. "The mate of the Alpha must be strong and unyielding. You are weak, Saphira. You are a liability."

Lies. All lies. I trained with him. Hunted this pack with him, bled for it. One of the best trackers. But when I looked up, his face was stone, no guilt, no regret, just ice.

"Rylan, please..."

"Enough," he said, and the crowd fell silent. "You are exiled. By morning's light, you will be out of Savagecrest lands."

A sob choked me. This couldn't be happening. The bond... it was gone. A gaping hole where warmth used to be

"Rylan, stop this madness!"

Aeliana's voice sounded, tearing and angry, and she rushed forward, her dress tumbling around her legs as she threw herself between us. Her tiny frame trembled as she looked up at Rylan. "You can't do this! She's your mate, your true mate!"

Rylan looked at her, and for one brief moment the frost was gone from his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Aeliana, stand aside. You have nothing to do with this."

"No! More than anyone else!" She spun round to me, tears falling. "Saph, get up. Fight him! Don't let him do this! Show him what you are!"

Her hands grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet. My legs though were like lead. I slumped down against her and my hair was tangled in hers. "Liana... help me..."

"I'm here, " she choked, her arms tight around me. "I won't let him hurt you. I promise I'll fix this. I promise."

Rylan looked over her shoulder at us. His nostrils flared and for a second I thought I saw something in his eyes – a darkness, then gone. Like a shadow over the moon.

"Aeliana," he said, very gently, "too gently, "you know what must be done."

She froze. "No. Don't ask me to choose. Please, Rylan."

"The pack needs a Luna. They're afraid and need leadership." His voice lowered, became pleading. "It needs you. You know the pack traditions better than anyone."

The words were more than rejection. Aeliana whimpered, shaking her head. "I don't want this! Saphira is your mate, not me! Please, Rylan-"

"The ceremony is binding. the Goddess has made her choice." He came up to us, tall and strong, and said, "I have made mine."

Aeliana paused. Her face twisted toward me. "I'm so sorry, Saph. I didn't want this. I just wanted you to be happy... always."

The crowd erupted

"Be gone!" someone yelled.

"Exile the weakling!"

A rock flew past my head, barely missing me. Aeliana yelled, blocking the rock with her body. "Stop it! She's still Alpha Donovan's daughter! You've got to have some respect!"

That name - my father's name - was a punch in the gut.

Rylan turned to the crowd, and roared, "Silence! Donovan Vandermere, come forward and take your daughter."

My father stood there, stern, granite face, Alpha, the man I'd always looked up to. He was really doing this?

He looked at me with cold dead eyes. "Saphira you have always disappointed me. You are no longer my daughter. You are no longer a part of this pack. I Donovan Vandermere, Alpha of the Emberfang Pack, cast you out."

My chest tore open. My father, the man who had raised me and taught me everything I knew, was pushing me out. The betrayal was an injury, pushing air out of my lungs. His words carried the disappointment that'd hung over me my entire life, unspoken but always there. Aeliana was everything he'd wanted in an heir-strong, ruthless, and willing to do whatever it took to protect the pack. I could never be that.

But the pack was raging, howling for blood-my blood. Rylan stood, his expression blank as Aeliana begged.

"Rylan, do something!" she screamed, her voice cracking.

His eyes met hers and there was a brief, fierce conversation going on between them that was too quick, too raw for me to understand. Then he put his hand up.

The pack fell silent, expectant.

"Get out," he said, in a voice that carried a note of danger. "Before I lose my temper and do something we'll both regret. "

Aeliana's arms tightened around me. "I'll go with her! You can't send her out alone! She'll never make it!"

"No," Rylan said, sharply. "You stay here, where you belong. The pack needs its Luna."

She let out a hard, broken sob, her hands digging into my shoulders. "Saph, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."

I didn't fight as hands grabbed me and pulled me out of the room. My sister's screams echoing through the forest.

"I'll get you! I'll make it up to you! I'll do it" she cried.

But when I turned back, she was in Rylan's arms–his grip tight, his face in her hair.

And the bond inside me?

It wasn't just broken.

It was dead, truly and completely dead. And in its place a terrible emptiness.