Rejected By Beta But Mated To The Lycan King

*Aria Winters' POV*

I walked into the grand hall, feeling out of place in my simple, worn clothes. The Crescent Moon Pack had gathered for the New Alpha's Mating Ceremony, and the air was thick with excitement. Everyone was dressed in their finest, their eyes gleaming with hope or ambition. I, however, was met with cold stares and death glares from nearly every direction. No one wanted me here, not the girl who lived on the fringes of the pack, the one they whispered about—the poorest member of the Crescent Moon Pack.

My hands fidgeted with the hem of my dress as I made my way to a quieter corner. My mother had insisted I come tonight, clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, I would find my mate and our lives would change for the better. She always believed in things like that, even when life was cruel.

"Go, Aria," she had urged with a weak smile from her bed, her pale face flushed with fever. "You might find your mate, and he will take care of you, take care of us."

I had reluctantly agreed, knowing deep down that the chances were slim. Still, I wasn't ashamed of our situation. Despite everything, I held onto hope that one day, my life would turn around. Maybe not tonight, but someday.

The hall was buzzing with conversations, but I tuned them out. I didn't belong in their world of riches, power, and status. As I leaned against the wall, trying to blend into the shadows, something strange happened.

I smelled it.

A scent so intoxicating that my knees nearly buckled under me. It was a rich blend of sandalwood and leather, with a hint of pine that made my wolf stir inside me. My senses sharpened, and before I knew it, my feet were moving on their own, tracking the scent like a lost soul searching for its salvation. 

My heart pounded in my chest as I weaved through the crowd, not caring about the curious glances I received or the whispers that followed me. All I could think about was that scent. It pulled me in, guiding me like a thread tied to my soul.

And then I stopped.

In front of me stood Beta Colin Hunt.

He was dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, standing tall and confident as the newly appointed Beta. His dark, slicked-back hair glistened under the soft glow of the chandeliers, and his sharp green eyes looked past the crowd with indifference. He was everything the pack admired—powerful, handsome, and wealthy.

But in that moment, none of that mattered. The scent surrounded me, and I felt my wolf stir more intensely than ever before.

"Mate," my wolf whispered in my mind, her voice filled with excitement and longing.

I gasped, my eyes widening as I realized the truth. Beta Colin was my mate.

A few heads turned toward me, having overheard the word I'd spoken out loud. My heart raced, a mixture of fear and disbelief bubbling in my chest. How could this be? Of all people, *he* was my mate?

I stepped forward, my lips parting to say something, anything, but before I could get a word out, Colin turned toward me. His sharp green eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his gaze. But then his expression hardened, and I felt the chill in the air before he even spoke.

"No," Colin said flatly, his voice cold and distant.

My stomach dropped. "W-what?"

His lips twisted into a sneer, and he took a step forward, looking me up and down as if I were something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "You? You're my mate? No. I won't accept this. You're disgusting."

I flinched at his words, my heart breaking into a million pieces as the room seemed to close in on me. Whispers broke out among the pack, eyes turning toward me with judgment and pity. 

"I don't want some poor, useless girl from the outskirts of the pack as my mate," Colin continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "Look at you. You're nothing. You can barely afford clothes, let alone stand by my side as Beta's mate."

Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall in front of him. In front of all of them. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words were stuck in my throat, strangled by the pain of his rejection.

"I, Colin Hunt, reject you, Aria Winters, as my mate," he said, his voice loud and clear for everyone to hear.

I stumbled back, the weight of his words crushing me. My wolf whimpered in agony, the bond between us shattering before it even had a chance to form. The pain was unbearable, like something had been ripped out of me, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.

I could feel their eyes on me—the judgment, the sneers, the pity. I was nothing to them, just the poor girl from the edge of the pack, rejected by someone who was supposed to love me unconditionally.

Without another word, I turned and ran, pushing through the crowd as their whispers followed me. My chest heaved with sobs, but I refused to let them see my tears. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

I ran into the forest behind the hall, the cool night air biting at my skin. My feet carried me deeper into the woods until I couldn't hear the noise of the ceremony anymore. I collapsed against a tree, finally letting the tears fall.

How could this have happened? My mate, the one person who was supposed to love me above all else, had rejected me in front of everyone. I had always known I wasn't good enough for people like Colin, but to be humiliated like that…

I buried my face in my hands, my body shaking with sobs. I had no idea how long I sat there, the cold seeping into my bones, when suddenly, I felt it again.

The scent.

It was different this time—deeper, stronger. It was warm, like the earth after a rainstorm, mixed with musk and something ancient. My wolf stirred again, and I lifted my head, my breath catching in my throat.

A shadow moved through the trees, and then, stepping into the moonlight, I saw him.

He was tall, towering over me with broad shoulders and an aura of power that made the air feel heavy. His salt-and-pepper hair gleamed under the moon, and his silver eyes, glowing faintly, locked onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. All I could do was stare as he stepped closer.

"Mate," he growled, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine.

Before I could even process what was happening, he reached out, pulling me to my feet with a gentleness that didn't match the fierce expression on his face. And then, without warning, he kissed me.

His lips were warm and commanding, and the bond that had been broken with Colin reignited inside me, stronger and more powerful than before. My mind spun, and when he pulled back, I could only stare at him in shock.

The Lycan King.