THE ROGUE QUEEN

Present Day – Bloodfang Pack Territory

They were celebrating.

The sound of drums, laughter, and cheers filled the air, seeping through the cracks of my small basement room. It was the night of the Moonrise Ceremony, the night when every eighteen-year-old got to shift for the first time, showing their strength and earning their place in the pack.

I sat quietly on the edge of my old mattress, staring down at my hands.

Ten years ago, my mother had told me something I never forgot. She said I wasn't wolfless like everyone believed-that there was power inside me, waiting for the right moment to wake up.

Ten years ago, I buried that truth and the pendant my mother gave me, because I was too scared to face what it meant.

For all those years, I kept believing the same lie everyone else believed: that I was nothing.

But tonight, on my eighteenth birthday, a small part of me still hoped she'd been right. That maybe my wolf would finally wake up and prove everyone wrong.

Instead, there was nothing. No spark, no pull, no sign of life from the creature that was supposed to be inside me.

Only silence.

"Selene!" Marcus's voice thundered from upstairs. "Get up here! Now!"

My stomach twisted.

They never called me during pack ceremonies. I was always left alone in the basement, forgotten, while everyone else celebrated their power.

I climbed the stairs slowly, my heart racing faster with every step.

When I reached the main hall, I stopped.

Everyone was there.

The whole pack, almost two hundred wolves stood in a wide circle around the center of the room. The ranked members were seated above the rest: Beta Kane and his family, the Gamma, the enforcers.

And at the front, sitting on a throne-like chair, was Alpha Victor.

He looked like a king, strong, proud, and full of authority.

And his golden eyes were fixed on me.

"Come here, Selene," Alpha Victor said, his deep voice echoing through the quiet hall.

I stepped forward on shaky legs, feeling every single stare burn into me.

Whispers broke out around the room.

"The wolfless girl..."

"Why is she even here?"

"This is embarrassing..."

I stopped a few feet from Victor's chair, keeping my head down and my hands tight together.

"Look at me," he ordered.

I lifted my eyes to his-

And everything changed.

It hit me like lightning, a sudden force slamming into my chest. My heart jumped, my body burning as something deep inside me stirred awake. My wolf, silent all these years let out a faint, desperate howl.

Mate.

Victor froze. His whole body went stiff, his jaw tight, his hands gripping the chair until the wood split.

He felt it too.

For one breathtaking moment, hope burst inside me. This had to be it-the reason I had suffered for so long. The Moon Goddess had chosen him for me. Not just anyone, but the Alpha himself. Maybe I wasn't useless after all. Maybe I was meant for something greater.

Maybe... he would save me.

The pack broke into a wave of shocked murmurs.

"Did you see that?"

"The Alpha and the wolfless girl?"

"No, that can't be true-"

"SILENCE!" Victor's voice thundered, and the room went still.

He stepped down from the platform, his face cold and hard to read, and began walking toward me. Each step echoed, heavy and slow, like time itself was holding its breath.

My heart hammered in my chest. My hands trembled.

When he finally stopped in front of me-so close I could feel his warmth-hope flickered again in my chest.

"Victor," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I felt it-the bond. You're my-"

"Don't." His voice cut through the air, deep and cold. "Don't say it."

I blinked, confused. "But... I thought-"

"You thought I'd accept this?" He motioned toward me, his eyes filled with disgust. "You thought I'd claim a wolfless, weak, useless girl like you?"

His words hit me like sharp knives, cutting deep.

The small spark of hope inside me died right there.

"You've been nothing but a weight on this pack," Victor said louder, making sure everyone could hear. "You eat our food, live under our roof, and give us nothing in return. You're not a wolf, Selene. You're barely human."

Tears burned in my eyes, but I held them back. I wouldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

"Please," I begged softly. "Please, Victor, I-"

"Alpha Victor," he corrected, his tone sharp and cold. "And I won't let you shame this pack any longer."

He stepped back, his face unreadable, his eyes empty as he spoke the words that broke me apart.

"I, Alpha Victor Hartley of the Bloodfang Pack, reject you, Selene Hale, as my mate and Luna."

The bond snapped-like glass shattering inside my chest.

A searing pain tore through me, spreading fast, burning so deep I couldn't breathe. My knees gave out as I grabbed at my chest, desperate to stop the pain, to keep my heart from falling apart.

A scream echoed through the room.

It took me a moment to realize it was mine.

"Accept it," Victor said quietly, no hint of feeling in his voice. "Now."

Through the pain and the tears streaming down my face. I somehow managed to whisper the words

"I... I accept... your rejection."

The bond snapped completely, and I fell to the ground, unable to move.

The room filled with gasps, whispers, and cruel laughter.

"Oh my God, did you see her face?"

"She actually thought he'd want her."

"Pathetic."

Victor's voice rose above them all, cold and final.

"Selene Hale, you are banished from the bloodfang pack. You have until sunrise to leave our land. If you are still here after that, you will be killed on sight."

I looked up at him through my tears, my whole body shaking. "You're... sending me away?"

"You don't belong here." He turned his back on me like i was nothing. "You never did."

"But I have nowhere else to go-"

He didn't even glance my way. "That's not my concern."

Marcus stepped forward, grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. "You heard the Alpha. Move."

He pulled me through the crowd. They moved aside as if touching me might curse them. Some laughed, some whispered. Others just stared like i didn't exist.

Cassidy's voice rang out behind me, filled with mockery. "Bye, freak! Don't come back!"

Marcus pushed me through the doors and into the cold night. I stumbled down the steps, almost falling.

"By sunrise," he said, his voice cold. "If you're still here, I'll end you myself."

The door slammed shut behind him.

I stood there in the dark, the sounds of laughter and music fading behind the walls.

My mate had rejected me.

My pack had thrown me out.

Now I had nothing, no home, no family, no future.

I looked up at the full moon, shining bright above me like it was laughing at my pain. The last bit of hope in me slipped away.

Then I turned and walked into the forest.

---

I had no idea where I was going.

All I knew was that I couldn't stay there.

The forest closed around me fast, the tall trees standing like walls on every side. The deeper I went, the colder it got. My thin sweater was useless against the wind, and soon I was shaking all over.

But I kept walking.

I had to.

If I stopped, I knew I'd fall apart completely.

I don't know how long I walked-minutes, hours-it all blurred together.

At some point, my legs gave out, and I fell against a tree, struggling to breathe. My chest burned where the bond used to be, a sharp, endless pain that reminded me of everything I'd lost.

No.

Of what I'd **never had**.

"Why?" I whispered to the empty forest, to the moon, to the Goddess who'd cursed me with this life. "Why did you make me like this? Why did you let me hope?"

Silence.

Always silence.

I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in my arms.

Maybe I should just stay here. Let the cold take me. Let the forest claim me.

It would be easier than whatever came next.

I was so tired.

So tired of fighting, of surviving, of pretending I was strong enough to endure this.

I wasn't.

I never had been.

A twig cracked somewhere close.

I froze, my head snapping up as my heart raced.

Voices. Human voices.

"Over here! I found her tracks!"

"Don't let her cross the border. Alpha's orders."

Hunters.

Pack enforcers, making sure I stayed gone. Or maybe making sure I didn't survive the night.

Three men emerged from the trees, crossbows loaded, silver-tipped arrows gleaming in the moonlight. I recognized them-Marcus, Jace, and Cole. All of them had participated in my "training sessions." All of them had enjoyed it.

Marcus smirked when his eyes landed on me. "Well, look at that. The wolfless freak didn't even make it past the line."

I pressed myself against the tree, shaking. "I'm leaving. Just let me go."

"Can't do that," Jace said, moving to block my path. "Alpha said you were banished until sunrise. But he also said if you happened to... not make it through the night... well, that wouldn't be a problem."

My blood went cold. "He sent you to kill me?"

"He sent us to make sure you don't become a problem." Marcus raised his crossbow, aiming it at my chest. "Consider this a mercy. You won't have to suffer anymore."

The arrow flew.

And something inside me snapped.