Rejected to Claimed

The tension in the ballroom thickened as more pack members gathered around us. I could feel their judgment pressing against my skin like a physical weight. Grant's eyes remained cold as he stared at me, while Vivienne's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

"You have some nerve showing up here," she hissed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "An Omega who was rejected by an Alpha."

I lifted my chin, refusing to be cowed. "I'm here on official business."

"Official business?" Grant's voice carried a dangerous edge. "Or perhaps you're here to embarrass another pack?"

Before I could respond, a hush fell over the crowd. The air suddenly felt charged with electricity. Conversations died mid-sentence as heads turned toward the grand entrance.

"What is the meaning of this commotion?"

The voice was deep, commanding, and unmistakably powerful. It seemed to vibrate through the very floor beneath our feet.

I turned slowly, along with everyone else, to see a tall figure striding into the ballroom. Sterling Foster, the Lycan King himself, moved with measured steps that somehow covered ground impossibly fast. His midnight black hair was swept back from a face that could have been carved from marble—sharp cheekbones, piercing eyes the color of storm clouds, and a mouth set in a hard line.

But it was his aura that made my breath catch. Power radiated from him in waves that were almost visible, making the air around him shimmer. Every Alpha in the room instinctively lowered their heads as he passed, some even taking a step back.

"My Lord," Grant said, his voice suddenly deferential. "We were just handling a security matter."

Sterling didn't immediately respond. Instead, he continued moving through the crowd, which parted before him like water. His gaze swept over the scene—the guards flanking me, Vivienne's smug expression, Grant's defensive posture.

When he finally stopped, it was directly in front of us. Up close, his presence was even more overwhelming. I had to fight the urge to bare my neck in submission.

"A security matter?" Sterling's voice was deceptively soft, but it carried to every corner of the now-silent ballroom. "That requires such a public spectacle?"

Vivienne stepped forward, her confidence visibly wavering but still attempting to maintain her composure. "Your Majesty, this Omega was caught near our sacred artifacts. Given her history—"

"Silence." The single word cracked like a whip.

Vivienne's mouth snapped shut, her eyes widening with shock.

Sterling turned his cold gaze to Grant. "And you, Alpha Reynolds. Do you have anything to add?"

Grant shifted uncomfortably, his Alpha aura dimming in the face of Sterling's Lycan dominance. "My Luna was simply protecting our interests."

"Your interests," Sterling repeated, his tone making it clear he found this response lacking. "And what of the girl?"

I felt everyone's attention shift back to me. My heart hammered against my ribs as Sterling's storm-gray eyes finally met mine.

"Destiny Smith," he said, my name sounding different in his mouth. "Heir to the Ancient Moonstone Pack."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. I blinked in confusion—how did he know about my family's lineage? We had kept it hidden for generations after our pack fell from grace.

"That's impossible," Vivienne sputtered. "She's nothing but an Omega."

Sterling's gaze shifted to her, and something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "Are you questioning my assessment, Luna Chapman?"

The title sounded like an insult on his lips.

"I—I mean no disrespect," Vivienne stammered, taking a step back.

"Then show none." Sterling's voice dropped lower, but somehow carried even further. "Destiny Smith stands under my protection now. Any slight against her is a slight against the Royal Lycan throne."

The implications of his words sent shockwaves through the gathering. My protection? The Lycan King was publicly declaring himself as my protector?

Vivienne's face drained of color as Sterling's aura expanded, filling the room with oppressive power. Her knees buckled slightly, and before anyone could react, her head tilted to the side, exposing her neck in involuntary submission.

The gesture—so primal, so complete—silenced the room. The Alpha King's daughter, forced to bare her neck to a Lycan. It was unprecedented.

"Remember this moment," Sterling said, his voice carrying to every corner of the ballroom. "Remember that some bloodlines run deeper than you know."

His eyes found mine again, and something in them made my wolf stir with recognition.

"Destiny Smith is under my protection," he repeated. "And woe to anyone who forgets it."