From Rejected Mate to Luna

Julia's POV

I stood in the corner of the Reynolds' massive backyard, wishing I could be anywhere else. After receiving Nathan's "invitation" earlier that day, I knew it wasn't really a choice—it was a command from the future Alpha that I couldn't refuse without consequences.

So here I was, watching as Nathan held court among his admirers. Lanterns hung from trees, casting a golden glow over the party. Music pumped from expensive speakers while pack members mingled, laughing and dancing. All of them enjoying themselves, while I counted the minutes until I could escape.

"Drink this," Eric appeared beside me, shoving a red cup into my hand. "You look pathetic standing here alone."

My brother—star athlete, future warrior for the Star Shadow pack, and Nathan Reynolds' best friend and future Beta. The perfect son to my father's Beta position, while I was the disappointment.

I sniffed the cup suspiciously. "I'm fine without it."

"Nathan's asking where you are," he said with a smirk. "Better not keep him waiting."

My stomach twisted with anxiety. I'd managed to avoid a direct confrontation so far, but I knew my time was running out. Nathan had organized this entire spectacle just to make a point—to me and to anyone who might notice our interaction.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way through the crowd toward him. People parted as I approached, whispers following in my wake. Nathan's gaze locked onto mine, his eyes cold despite his charming smile.

"Julia!" he called out, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "There you are. I was beginning to think you weren't coming to my party."

The crowd around him quieted, sensing entertainment was about to unfold. This was nothing new—Nathan had been making me his target since elementary school. "Chubby Julie" and "Herb Freak" were his favorite nicknames back then. The bullying had been relentless through the years, and even though I'd lost the baby fat during high school, his contempt had only evolved into something more sophisticated.

"Thank you for inviting me, Nathan," I said stiffly.

His smile widened. "You know, I was just telling everyone about how you've been following me around since elementary school." He gestured dramatically. "What was it you used to leave in my locker? Homemade herbal remedies?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd. My cheeks burned with humiliation. I'd never left anything in his locker—we both knew that—but this was about crafting a narrative where I was the pathetic stalker.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I managed to say.

Nathan's eyes hardened. "Play along, or I'll tell everyone exactly what the Moon Goddess decided for us," his voice cut through my mind via our private mindlink. "Admit you've been obsessed with me, or I swear I'll announce our mate bond right here."

Cold fear washed over me. Six months ago, when Nathan had turned eighteen and awakened his wolf, he'd discovered the horrifying truth—that I, the girl he'd tormented since childhood, was his fated mate. His reaction had been pure fury.

"You'll never be worthy," he had told me that night, his voice dripping with contempt. "The moment you turn eighteen and get your wolf, I'm formally rejecting you. Until then, enjoy the wait."

If people knew we were mates and that Nathan was rejecting me, I'd never escape the pity and gossip. I'd be branded as the unwanted mate of the Alpha for life.

"Come on, Julia," Nathan prompted aloud. "Don't be shy now. Tell everyone how you've been chasing after me all these years."

I swallowed hard, forcing words past the lump in my throat. "I... I did have a crush on you. For a long time."

The satisfaction in Nathan's eyes made me sick.

"And what about all those notes you wrote? The ones professing your undying love?" he pushed, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

"I never wrote any notes," I sent back through our mindlink, rage building inside me.

"Say it out loud or deal with the consequences," came his immediate reply.

Every night for the past six months, I'd endured waves of excruciating pain when Nathan took other women to his bed. The mate bond turned his pleasure into my agony. Without my wolf—still dormant until my eighteenth birthday in six months—I couldn't even shift to ease the pain or formally reject him myself.

I knew exactly what "consequences" Nathan was threatening—more nights of that unbearable torment. Pain so severe I'd bitten through my pillow on multiple occasions, pain that left me trembling and vomiting for hours afterward. Pain that made me consider the most desperate measures for relief. If publicly humiliating myself meant one less night of that torture, I'd take the humiliation. I couldn't face another episode of feeling like my insides were being shredded while he took his pleasure.

"I wrote notes," I admitted, each word like glass in my mouth. "I thought... I thought you might notice me."

The crowd erupted in laughter. Sophia—my sixteen-year-old sister and social media addict who worshipped the ground Nathan walked on—looked confused but joined in, eager to align herself with the popular opinion. Eric was grinning broadly beside Nathan, clearly enjoying my public humiliation.

"Well, I've noticed you now, Julia," Nathan said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. He approached and placed his hand on my shoulder, leaning close to whisper in my ear, though loud enough for those nearby to hear: "But I'm not interested in herb witches who can't take a hint."

More laughter. More whispers. I stood frozen, tears threatening to spill.

"Thank you for coming to my party," he concluded loudly, dismissing me with a pat on the shoulder. "It's always good to have loyal pack members who know their place."

I fled the party, his cruel laughter echoing in my ears, the bond between us pulsing with his satisfaction at my humiliation.

It started again just after midnight—a slow burn deep in my chest that quickly turned into searing agony. I buried my face into my pillow and bit down hard, desperate to muffle any sounds that might escape. The waves of pain radiated through my body, each one more intense than the last.

Nathan was with someone again tonight. Probably someone from the party. The bastard had promised—actually promised—that if I played along with his humiliation game tonight, he would give me a break. "Just one night off from the pain," he'd said with that cruel smile. Another lie from the future Alpha.

I curled into a tight ball on my bed, tears streaming silently down my face. Through our unwanted connection, I could feel echoes of his pleasure, twisted into agony for me. The third time this week. Rage bubbled inside me alongside the pain—rage at my own helplessness. If I had my wolf already, I could fight back, could formally reject him. Instead, I was trapped, a prisoner to biology and tradition and the Moon's cruel joke.

"Moon Goddess, please make it stop," I whispered into the darkness of my bedroom, hands clenched so tight my nails drew blood from my palms. "Just give me the strength to survive until I can reject him. Please."