Mated to Triplet Alphas After Rejected by One

(Sera's POV)

The grand hall of the Crimson Moon Pack house buzzed with excitement. Strings of twinkling lights adorned the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the gathering crowd. My heart raced as I smoothed down the front of my shimmering silver dress, a gift from my parents for my twentieth birthday.

"Sera! There you are!" My best friend, Mia, rushed over, her green eyes sparkling. "You look absolutely stunning. Marcus won't be able to take his eyes off you."

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. "Thanks, Mia. I'm so nervous. Do you really think he'll propose tonight?"

Mia squeezed my hand. "Are you kidding? It's your birthday and your mate ceremony. Plus, I saw him earlier, looking all fidgety and secretive. Trust me, that boy's got a ring burning a hole in his pocket."

I allowed myself a small smile, hope blooming in my chest. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the night everything changed. No more feeling like the invisible daughter, the afterthought to my vibrant younger sister, Lilith. Tonight, I would claim my destiny as the future Luna of the Crimson Moon Pack.

The crowd parted, and there he was. Marcus. My breath caught as I drank in the sight of him – tall, broad-shouldered, with those piercing amber eyes that never failed to make my knees weak. He was dressed in a crisp black suit, his dark hair artfully tousled. Our eyes met across the room, and for a moment, the world faded away.

But then... something flickered in his gaze. Uncertainty? Guilt? Before I could decipher it, my sister's voice rang out.

"Marcus! There you are, darling!"

Lilith sauntered over, her red dress hugging every curve. She wrapped herself around Marcus's arm, shooting me a smug look. A chill ran down my spine.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Alpha Damon's voice boomed through the hall. "We are gathered here tonight not only to celebrate my son's mate ceremony but also the twentieth birthday of our Beta's eldest daughter, Seraphina."

A smattering of polite applause. I forced a smile, even as unease coiled in my stomach.

"Marcus," Alpha Damon continued, "I believe you have something you'd like to say?"

Marcus's gaze met mine, and for a split second, I saw a flicker of... was it guilt? Before I could decipher it, he spoke, his voice ringing out clear and strong in the hushed room.

"I, Marcus Moon, reject you, Seraphina Moon, to be my mate."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Gasps and shocked murmurs erupted around me, but they seemed distant, muffled. A searing pain exploded in my chest, radiating through my entire body.

It felt as if something essential was being ripped away from me, leaving a gaping, raw void in its wake.

My wolf. I was losing my wolf.

The room spun, and I staggered, barely managing to stay on my feet. Through the haze of agony, I forced myself to focus on Marcus. He stood there, looking uncomfortable but nowhere near as devastated as I felt.

"Why?" The word came out as a broken whisper, barely audible over the growing commotion in the hall.

Marcus took a step towards me, his expression a mix of guilt and resolve.

"I am sorry," he said, wincing slightly as if in pain, though it was nothing compared to the torment coursing through me. "But Lilith is pregnant. I have to be responsible for her."

The world tilted on its axis. Lilith? Pregnant? How was this possible? When had this happened? Questions swirled in my mind, but I couldn't voice any of them through the overwhelming anguish.

As if from a great distance, I watched as Marcus turned away from me, ignoring the shocked whispers and pointed stares of the pack members around us. He moved to where Lilith stood, her face a mask of false concern that couldn't quite hide the triumphant gleam in her eyes.

Marcus knelt before her, producing a velvet box from his pocket. The ring inside caught the light, sparkling mockingly. "Lilith Moon," he said, his voice steady now, "Are you willing to be my mate?"

The world stopped.

Silence.

Then chaos.

Gasps and murmurs erupted around me, but I couldn't hear them over the roaring in my ears. This... this couldn't be happening. It had to be a mistake. A cruel joke.

Lilith's hand drifted to her belly in a gesture that seemed rehearsed, too perfect. She looked down at Marcus, then over his shoulder at me.

Our eyes met, and I saw it then – the smug satisfaction, the cruel joy at my pain. My sister, who I'd grown up with, who I'd loved despite our differences, had orchestrated my downfall.

"Yes," Lilith said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "I do."

I stood there, frozen, as Marcus slipped a glittering diamond ring onto my sister's finger. The room exploded in cheers and congratulations, but all I could focus on was the triumphant smirk Lilith shot in my direction.

"Sera?" Mia's voice seemed to come from far away. "Sera, are you okay?"

I couldn't answer. My legs felt like lead as I stumbled backwards, desperate to escape. I collided with someone – my father, Beta Silas.

"Watch where you're going, girl," he growled, barely sparing me a glance before joining the celebrating crowd.

I stumbled backwards, desperate to escape, to find some quiet corner where I could fall apart in peace. But there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide from the pitying glances and whispered gossip.

As I retreated to the edge of the room, a familiar, unwelcome voice cut through the noise.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the reject of the Crimson Moon Pack."

I looked up to see Vanessa, flanked by her usual posse – the same girls who had made my school life a living hell.

"Guess all that brown-nosing to Marcus didn't pay off, huh?" Vanessa sneered, her eyes glittering with malice. "Did you really think someone like him would ever want someone like you?"

Her friends tittered, the sound grating on my already frayed nerves. I wanted to run, to hide, but my legs wouldn't move. I was rooted to the spot, forced to endure their taunts just like in high school.

"I always knew you weren't good enough to be Luna," chimed in Brittany, Vanessa's right-hand woman. "I mean, look at you. No wonder Marcus chose Lilith instead."

Their words, cruel as they were, barely registered through the fog of pain and shock. But each syllable was another weight added to the crushing pressure in my chest.

"Hey!" A familiar voice cut through the fog. "Back off, you vultures!"

My eyes snapped open to see Mia pushing through the crowd, her face a mask of fury. She planted herself between me and my tormentors, hands on her hips.

"Don't you have anything better to do than kick someone when they're down?" Mia snarled. "Get lost before I show you what a real she-wolf can do."

For a moment, Vanessa looked like she might argue, but something in Mia's eyes must have warned her off. With a final sneer in my direction, she and her friends melted back into the crowd.

As soon as they were gone, Mia turned to me, her anger melting into concern. "Oh, Sera," she said softly, pulling me into a tight hug. "I'm so, so sorry. Are you okay?"

The simple question, asked with such genuine care, was nearly my undoing. I clutched at Mia, my body shaking with suppressed sobs.

"No," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I'm not okay. I don't think I'll ever be okay again."

Mia's arms tightened around me. "Listen to me, Sera. You are strong. You are beautiful. And you are worth so much more than this. Don't let them win. Don't let them break you."

I wanted to believe her. Wanted to find that strength she spoke of. But in that moment, all I felt was hollow. Empty.

Mia pulled back, her eyes full of concern. " Sera, we need to get you out of here. Come on, I'll take you home."

Home. The word echoed in my mind, devoid of the comfort it should have brought. Still, I let Mia guide me through the crowd.

When I finally escaped, I wandered around for a few hours and finally stopped at the door of my home.

But when I entered our house, I was greeted by the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.

Following the noise, I found myself at the entrance to our living room. There, gathered around a bottle of champagne, were my parents and a few close family friends.

"To Lilith and Marcus!" My father toasted, his face beaming with pride. "May they lead our pack to greatness!"

"And to our first grandchild!" My mother added, her eyes shining with tears of joy.

They hadn't even noticed me standing there, shell-shocked and heartbroken. As I watched them celebrate my sister's engagement – an engagement built on the ruins of my dreams – something inside me shattered.