Sold After Rejection to the Ruthless Lycan King

Elara POV

The moon was already high when they called my name.

"Elara Moonfall."

The crack of Elder Rowan's staff against the stone cut through the clearing so sharply that my shoulders jerked. Then the sound faded, and the silence that followed felt heavy, almost watchful. I could hear my own heartbeat. Too fast. Too loud.

Every omega dreamed of bond night.

I was the only one who felt like I was walking toward an execution.

Cold air slid beneath my skin as I stepped forward. The white dress they gave me was thin, almost weightless, and it clung to my damp palms when I tried to smooth it down. Frost covered the ground, biting into my bare feet until they ached.

Breathe, Elara.

I tried.

The scent of pine smoke drifted through the clearing, sharp and clean. Wolves stood in perfect rows around the ancient stone circle, their faces pale in the moonlight.

Alphas at the front.

Betas behind them.

Omegas near the trees, where shadows swallowed us whole.

That was where I belonged.

Except tonight.

Tonight, I stood in the center.

"You're shaking," Vera whispered.

Her shoulder pressed into mine, warm and solid. She tightened her grip around my wrist like she could anchor me to the earth.

"Breathe," she murmured again. "Your mate is already here."

Vera had always been my shield. Strong where I was quiet. Fearless, where I learned to disappear. When others mocked me for being weak, for being an omega who spent too much time with her head in impossible dreams, Vera stepped between us without hesitation.

Still... something felt wrong.

Not nervous, wrong.

Not excited wrong.

The kind of wrong you feel moments before a storm splits the sky.

"I don't feel right," I whispered. "What if the Moon is wrong?"

Vera let out a soft scoff. "The Moon isn't wrong. People are."

I wanted to believe her.

I really did.

Moonlight flooded the clearing, turning the ancient stones pale and glassy. Symbols carved deep into their surfaces glowed faintly, older than memory, older than the laws that ruled us.

Dozens of eyes burned into me.

Some curious.

Some amused.

Some are openly cruel.

The whispers started, quiet but impossible to ignore.

"An omega?"

"She thinks the Moon chose her?"

"This will be embarrassing."

Heat crawled up my neck, but I forced my chin higher.

Do not run.

If I ran, they would remember that forever.

This was my night.

I had waited for it since the first time my wolf stirred inside me. She had been small then, uncertain, almost shy. But even in those early days, she whispered the same name.

Darius.

Alpha Darius Blackmoor.

Future ruler of Silverclaw. Impossible. Untouchable.

Mine.

At least... that was what the bond had always promised.

"Elara Moonfall," Elder Rowan called. "Step forward."

The stone was freezing beneath my feet as I walked into the center of the circle. Each step echoed in my head.

Across from me stood Darius.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Completely