The Exalted Luna

Vanessa's POV.

I stared around the hall, the decoration was coming in place just like I planned, it was imitating the images I had in my head. We were halfway done with the decoration.

Today felt draining, the wedding preparation felt like a ton of bricks on my shoulders, and being the only one assigned to this was too much workload. But who could I complain to? After all, I am the pack's comedy relief. Not having a mate at the age of 19 came with a lot of gossip and laughter. I am proof of that.

"Vanessa?" My father called, penetrating the wave of anger that I felt brewing.

I moved my attention to him. "Go to the pack house and get more decorations." he ordered.

I felt pissed being treated like a slave. It was my sister's wedding, not a stranger I was hired to work for.

"I have a lot of things yet to be done. Send someone else to go get them"

A scowl marred his face, he always hated it when I spoke back at him. "You will do as I say. After all, you are useless here."

The word useless has turned into a mantra In my head from so many times I have been called so.

"Why do I have to go? Send Everlyn, she has been In her room all day" I glared at him.

"She is the one getting married not you"He eyed me with so much hatred that I looked away.

There was no point trying to make him listen to me, I was the daughter that brought embarrassment into his family.

Dropping the basket of flowers in my hand on the table beside me, I turned and walked out the door, discarding the fact that my hair was in a mess.

Everyone was looking at me, each of them judging me in a way or two.

"I feel pity for her, the way she looks is probably the reason she hasn't been betrothed, I heard her sister is getting married tomorrow." I heard a lady murmur to an associate.

"Must be a shame to her father, after all, he is the pack's beta"

There was this jab of pain in my heart, hearing people talk about me, just because the moon goddess decided to make things different for me.

I ignored the buzzes as usual and fastened my way to the pack house.

*****

I picked up her wedding dress and the decorations I was asked to fetch. Stepping out the threshold of the house, the sounds of drums coming from the back got my attention.

Curiosity sank its fangs in me and I began moving towards the direction of the sounds.

I walked a bit further to be met with a small gathering of people, some people were dancing while some were beating drums and singing.

The way they were dancing captured my attention and I found myself standing to watch them.

A smile stained my face, something that I hadn't done in a while. No one was looking at me, no eyes were judging me.

Feeling overwhelmed I joined the circle, and I began dancing, swirling with the old lady. It felt refreshing, it wasn't normal to me.

Suddenly everything ceased, there was no longer music, and everyone wasn't dancing anymore.

Everyone was greeting a person and the air tensed with fear.

Confusion sat itself in my mind, and I began wondering the reason.

Hands to hands with my consciousness, I turned back, who I encountered wasn't who I expected, standing face to face with me was our Alpha.

It hasn't been long since our previous Alpha had died, causing the unexpected handing of power.

My eyes connected with his orbs and everything else faded, Shocked filled me and happiness followed after"Mate" the voice of my wolf echoed around In my head.

The Alpha is my mate, after 2 years of searching. I would finally be free, but apprehension seeped into my head and sucked in my happiness, leaving just a whisper behind.

What if he rejects me right in front of everyone? I would never be good enough for him, it was something I already knew.

I mustered up the courage to look at him again, wondering if he was feeling the tug like I was. His eyes were on me but I couldn't read them, it was just a reel of deep brown.

I looked away quickly, afraid of whatever he was seeing in me. I didn't want him to know how much this bond meant to me.

He began walking to me, his attention just on me, afraid he was going to say something to soil my name deeper into the mud.

But surprisingly he took my arm in front of everyone and dragged me into the pack house and into the first room he saw.

A smile took over my face, happy that he wanted something with me. I won't be ridiculed anymore.

Pursuing my intuition, I stood on my toe and pouted my lips at him with closed eyes. We were going to seal our bond with a kiss.

I stumbled backwards trying to catch myself, I looked at him trying to find reasons for the sudden push.

His eyes scanned me with disgust, the first expression I had gotten out of him since we crossed paths.

"What do you think you are doing?"His voice was thick with disapproval.

"I just thought—"

"Thought what?" He raised a brow. "That I would accept someone like you as my mate?"

He burst out laughing like the thought of it was amusing. I chide myself for getting ahead of the situation.

"Have you seen yourself?" I try to comb my hair down with my fingers, feeling self-conscious.

"I, Alpha Kilan, reject you, Vanessa Miller, as my mate." He eyed me one last time before leaving me in the confinement of the room.

I don't know where it started, the dull ache that blossomed into the gasping of air was kind of painful, it felt heart-wrenching, it felt like it was going to swallow me whole.

Tears began falling, and the strings holding my heart in place were tightening around it.

Why did the moon goddess have to do this to me?

I was no longer the 19-year-old girl without a mate but a girl who got rejected because she wasn't worthy to be loved.