After My Alpha Chose Her, the Lycan King Claimed Me

The forest floor is damp beneath my paws as I run, my wolf form moving mechanically through the familiar territory. Dawn light filters through the canopy, casting dappled shadows across the pack as we move in formation. Every member of Shadowpine is here for the mandatory run—a tradition meant to strengthen pack bonds before major ceremonies. Like my marking ceremony, scheduled for tomorrow.

I keep to the rear of the group, my gray wolf form smaller than most. Even after eight years, my late shifting still leaves me slightly behind in strength. Christian runs at the front, his powerful black wolf leading the pack with confident strides. The sight of him used to make my heart race with pride. Now, it just makes my chest ache.

The pack moves in near-silence, only the soft padding of paws and occasional huff of breath breaking the morning stillness. I focus on keeping pace, trying to ignore the hollow feeling that's been growing since yesterday's betrayal. The Luna quarters—my quarters—now belong to Faye. The thought makes my wolf whimper, but I push her down. I won't show weakness. Not here. Not now.

Then I hear it.

Christian's voice filters through the pack mind-link, but it's not meant for me. It's private—a conversation with his Beta that he's forgotten to shield. His thoughts bleed into the link, clear as day to anyone paying attention.

'Hazel is the sensible choice, good for breeding and administration, but Faye... Faye is the one that got away. I have to save her.'

My wolf stumbles mid-stride, a choked yelp escaping before I can stop it. The words hit harder than any physical blow, confirming what I'd been desperately trying to deny. Eight years. Eight years of devotion, of proving myself worthy despite being a late bloomer, and I was just... sensible. A practical choice. Not loved. Not cherished. Not his first choice.

Several wolves around me falter in their stride. They heard it too. Marcus, our Gamma, shoots me a look of sympathy that feels like salt in an open wound. No one speaks, but the silence is deafening. The pity in their eyes is unbearable.

Christian doesn't even look back to check on me. He just keeps running, his black wolf form powerful and proud, completely unaware—or perhaps not caring—that he's just shattered something fundamental between us.

I force my legs to keep moving, though every step feels like running through quicksand. My wolf is howling inside, a sound of pure anguish that I'm barely containing. The sensible choice. The practical choice. Not the one he wanted.

By the time we return to the pack house, I'm numb. The run ends with forced smiles and awkward pats on the back, but the damage is done. The pack knows. I know. And nothing will ever be the same again.

That evening, Christian calls for a formal dinner. I sit at the long oak table, surrounded by pack members who can't quite meet my eyes. The conversation is stilted, the laughter forced. I pick at my food, appetite gone, waiting for Christian to address the elephant in the room.

He stands, glass raised, and I feel a flicker of hope. An apology, perhaps? Some explanation that makes sense of yesterday's cruelty?

'Ladies and gentlemen of Shadowpine,' Christian's voice carries across the dining hall. 'Tomorrow marks what should be a joyous occasion. But tonight, I want to honor someone special.'

He gestures toward the door, and Faye enters, wearing a flowing white dress that makes her look like a vision from a fairy tale. My stomach twists as she takes her place beside Christian, her delicate hand finding his arm.

'Some of you know Faye Bradley,' Christian continues, his voice warm with an affection I've never heard directed at me. 'She's been through unimaginable hardship, and I want to present her with something special.'

From his pocket, he produces a small wooden box. The pack elders exchange glances, and I feel my heart stop. I know that box. I've seen it in the pack vault, heard the stories about the rare moonstone necklace inside—an Alpha heirloom meant for the official Luna, the mate who would stand beside him for life.

Christian opens the box, and the moonstone glows with an ethereal blue light. 'This moonstone has healing properties,' he announces, carefully lifting the necklace. 'And I can think of no one more deserving of its protection than Faye.'

He fastens it around her neck, and she gasps in delight, her fingers tracing the stone reverently. 'Christian, it's beautiful! I don't deserve—'

'You deserve everything,' he interrupts, his voice thick with emotion.

I sit frozen, my hands clenched in my lap so tightly my nails draw blood. The moonstone—the one thing I'd been promised, the one symbol of our bond—now hangs around another woman's neck. The pack elders shift uncomfortably, but no one speaks. No one defends me.

And in that moment, watching Christian's tender smile as he adjusts the necklace on Faye's neck, I realize that the ceremony scheduled for tomorrow is never going to happen. I was never going to be his Luna.

I was just the sensible choice. The placeholder. The one he settled for while waiting for her.