Bullied as Wolfless, Chosen as the Alpha's Luna

Whispers buzzed through the classroom like angry hornets.

"Did you hear? The King's son."

"He broke the bathroom door with his bare hands."

"I heard he threatened Chloe."

I kept my chin tucked to my chest, staring at the scratches on my wooden desk. My knuckles still throbbed from where Chloe had crushed them yesterday.

Mr. Harrison clapped his hands, cutting through the noise. "Settle down. We are adjusting the seating chart today. Julian, take the empty desk by the window."

Footsteps echoed against the linoleum. Julian bypassed the window entirely. He dropped his heavy canvas bag onto the desk right next to mine.

A collective gasp rippled through the room.

Chloe leaned across the aisle, whispering loudly to Maya. "Look at her. She totally planned this."

"Playing the poor, helpless victim to get a royal Alpha's attention," Maya snickered. "Disgusting."

I pressed my pen into my notebook until the plastic tip snapped. Ink bled across the lined paper. I didn't dare look at him. Julian had only stepped in yesterday because of royal duty. He saved a weak pack member from a beating. I wasn't going to flatter myself into thinking it meant anything else.

"Ignore them," Julian said.

His voice was a low rumble, meant only for my ears.

"I'm used to it," I replied, keeping my eyes firmly on the ruined page.

***

The cafeteria clattered with plastic trays and overlapping shouts. I sat at my usual corner table near the trash cans, picking at a bruised apple.

A tray slapped the table across from me.

I flinched, instinctively raising my arms to shield my face from whatever garbage was about to rain down.

Nothing hit me.

Julian sat down. He didn't ask for permission. He just pushed a foil-wrapped chocolate tart onto my tray.

"Eat," he instructed.

I lowered my arms, staring at the pastry. "I didn't ask for this."

"You haven't touched your food." Julian crossed his arms, leaning back in the rigid plastic chair. He ignored the hundreds of eyes drilling into our table. "Why do you always act like you belong under someone's boot?"

"You heard Chloe," I muttered, pushing the tart back toward him. "I don't have a wolf."

Julian stopped my hand. His fingers brushed my knuckles, his skin radiating an unnatural heat.

"Not having a wolf doesn't mean you lack value," he said.

I pulled my hand away, my chest tightening. "Easy for the future King to say. You don't know what it's like to be invisible."

"You aren't invisible to me."

My throat closed up. I grabbed my backpack and stood. "I have to go to the library."

I practically ran out of the cafeteria, desperate to escape the intense, unblinking focus of his ice-blue eyes.

***

The final bell rang. I hurried out the double doors, wanting to beat the crowd to the parking lot.

Footsteps matched my pace. Julian walked beside me, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets.

"You don't have to follow me," I said, quickening my steps.

"I'm walking to the gate," he replied flatly. "Unless you own the pavement?"

A sleek black sedan idled by the curb. The tinted window rolled down. Liam Mercer drummed his fingers against the leather steering wheel. His family had sponsored my education and housing ever since my mother passed away.

Liam's eyes darted from me to Julian. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek.

"Get in," Liam snapped.

I hurried around the front of the car and slipped into the passenger seat.

Liam slammed his foot on the gas before I even buckled my seatbelt. The tires screeched against the asphalt.

"Seems you're quite good at getting male attention," Liam sneered. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

"We were just walking the same way," I said, staring straight ahead at the passing trees.

Liam slammed the brakes at a red light. He reached over and grabbed my chin, jerking my face toward him. His nails dug into my jawline.

"Don't play dumb with me," Liam hissed. "You're a stray. Don't forget my parents put a roof over your head. Without the Mercer family, you are absolutely nothing. Stay away from him."

"Let go of me," I managed to say, prying his fingers off my skin.

He released me with a scoff, hitting the gas again. We drove the rest of the way in suffocating silence.

***

The front door opened before I even turned the brass knob.

Mrs. Mercer rushed onto the porch. She pulled me into a tight hug, smelling of expensive perfume and anxiety.

"We got a call from the school administration," she said, pulling back to inspect my face. "Are you hurt? Did those awful girls do anything else to you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Mercer," I said, stepping back awkwardly. "Really."

Mr. Mercer stood in the hallway, glaring at his son. "Liam, why didn't you step in yesterday? You go to the same school. You should be watching out for her."

"I have my own classes," Liam shot back, his face flushing dark red. "I'm not her babysitter."

"Watch your tone," Mr. Mercer warned, his Alpha aura flaring briefly. "She is part of this household."

Liam scoffed. He shot me a venomous glare before stomping up the stairs. The hardwood groaned under his heavy boots.

"Ignore him," Mrs. Mercer sighed, patting my shoulder. "Go wash up for dinner."

I nodded and headed toward my small room at the end of the hall, Liam's angry words still echoing in my ears. *Without us, you are nothing.*

***

Julian sat in the back of his armored SUV, staring at the glowing tablet screen.

His royal guard, Marcus, handed over a thick manila folder from the front seat. "That's the last of it, Your Highness. Three years of incident reports."

Julian flipped through the pages. Photos of vandalized lockers. Medical records detailing bruised ribs and sprained wrists. Dozens of ignored complaints filed by a girl with no wolf.

"The school administration did nothing?" Julian asked. His voice dropped dangerously low.

"They swept it under the rug," Marcus replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "Because she's wolf-less. The Alpha King's mandate states all pack members are treated equally, but local officials tend to look the other way when it involves defects."

Julian closed the folder. The thick paper crumpled in his fist.

His father always boasted about the perfect balance and absolute justice of the Blood Moon Pack. But looking at the documented torment of the girl who had trembled in his arms yesterday, Julian realized something terrifying.

The King's justice was a complete lie.

Julian pulled out the final document in the stack. It was a suppression order, legally barring the school from investigating the bullying.

He stared at the signature at the bottom of the page.

It belonged to Chloe's father. The Beta of the Blood Moon Pack.

Julian pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Marcus," Julian said, his eyes turning entirely black as his wolf pushed to the surface. "Turn the car around. We're paying the Beta a visit."