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- Herausgeber: BookRix
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
Under the Blood Moon, I was supposed to become Luna.
Instead, my mate—Alpha Kael of Nightfall—rejected me in front of the entire pack.
One sentence. One public humiliation. One bond that refused to break.
Cast out. Stripped of rank. Branded unwanted.
But rejection didn’t destroy me.
It set me free.
Beyond pack borders lies rogue territory—a place ruled by Lucian, the Beast every Alpha fears. Ruthless. Dominant. Unclaimed by pack law. He doesn’t bow to councils or follow tradition.
And he doesn’t want a Luna.
He wants me.
Not as a trophy.
Not as leverage.
Not as fate.
As a choice.
But bonds don’t die quietly. Kael invokes ancient law to take back what he once discarded. Dominance trials are called. Blood is spilled. War brews between territories.
Two Alphas.
One bond that refuses to sever.
And a woman who refuses to be claimed like property.
If I return to Nightfall, I reclaim my birthright as Luna—but only on their terms.
If I stay with the Beast, I step into power without crown, without council, without cage.
The problem?
The bond still burns.
And when obsession, pride, and loyalty collide beneath a full moon, someone will bleed.
In this dark, gritty werewolf romance, rejection becomes rebellion, power demands choice, and love is not fate—it’s war.
For readers who crave:
* Alpha male tension with real emotional depth
* Possessive but powerful love interests
* Public rejection, redemption arcs, and dominance trials
* Strong heroines who refuse to kneel
* Slow-burn obsession that turns explosive
She was rejected by her Alpha.
Now the Beast wants her.
And this time—
She’s the one who decides who gets to claim her.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2026
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Mathias Scholz
Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by the Beast
A Dark Shifter Romance of Rejection, Blood Oaths, and Choosing the Beast
Copyright © 2026 by Mathias Scholz
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or localities is entirely coincidental.
First edition
This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com
Contents
1. Prologue
2. The Rejection Under the Blood Moon
3. Stripped of the Luna Mark
4. Banished Beyond the Border
5. The Beast in the Dark
6. Claimed by Claws, Not Fate
7. The Alpha’s Regret
8. Territory of the Ruthless
9. Power Recognizes Power
10. The Hunt for What Was Lost
11. Mine to Protect, Mine to Break
12. The Bond That Refuses to Die
13. Obsession Has a Scent
14. War Is Declared at Dusk
15. The Luna They Never Saw Coming
16. Blood Oath Beneath the Full Moon
17. Break the Alpha or Break the Bond
18. Crowned in Teeth and Fire
19. Claimed by the Beast
20. Epilogue
One
Prologue
chapter-seperatorThe first time I learned what it meant to be unwanted, I was twelve years old and standing in the dirt behind the training ring.
Blood covered my knuckles. Not mine.
Ronan’s son lay flat on his back, staring up at me like I’d grown fangs in front of him. Maybe I had. My wolf had pushed close to the surface that day. Too close.
“You don’t hit a future Beta,” Ronan barked from the sidelines.
I didn’t lower my fists.
“He swung first,” I said.
The other boys watched in silence. Some impressed. Most careful not to smile.
My father stepped between us before Ronan could move closer. “She’s still a child.”
Ronan’s mouth twisted. “She won’t be for long. And she’d better learn her place before then.”
My place.
That phrase followed me for years.
Nightfall Pack doesn’t forgive what it doesn’t understand. And it doesn’t understand girls who don’t bow their heads.
I was born under a winter storm. That’s what the elders say. Wind tore branches from trees the night my mother died bringing me into the world. They like to tell it like an omen. A sign that something difficult arrived with me.
My name is Aria Vale. I’m nineteen years old. I’m five foot six, with dark brown hair that never behaves and skin that tans deep in the sun. My wolf is charcoal gray, lean and fast, not the biggest in the pack but not weak either. I’m not soft. Not fragile. And not built for smiling on command.
My father, Darius Vale, is one of Nightfall’s senior warriors. Loyal to the bone. Scar across his collarbone from a border fight ten years ago. He raised me alone. Taught me to throw a punch before he taught me how to braid my hair.
We live in a small house near the training grounds. Close enough that I fall asleep most nights to the sound of sparring and snarling.
Nightfall is led by Alpha Kael Thorne.
He took over at twenty-three after his father died in a rogue ambush. Ruthless. Controlled. Strategic. The kind of leader who watches more than he speaks. Broad shoulders, black hair, sharp eyes that weigh everything in front of him.
Including me.
He’s twenty-five now. Three years older than me. I’ve known him my whole life.
He’s never liked me.
Not openly. Not cruelly. Just… cold. Distant. As if I’m something inconvenient he’d rather not deal with.
It never mattered before.
Until the night my wolf chose him.
It happened two weeks ago.
Full moon. Pack run.
We shifted near the northern ridge and ran as one body through the forest. The air was sharp. The ground damp from rain. My wolf was in her element, fast between the trees, chasing nothing and everything at once.
Then I caught a scent that didn’t belong to the forest.
Smoke and steel.
Alpha.
My body reacted before my mind did. Legs slowed. Head turned.
He was ahead of me, cutting through the woods like he owned them.
When his wolf glanced back, our eyes locked.
Something inside me snapped tight.
Not painful. Not gentle either.
Claiming.
My wolf surged forward without asking me. She wanted closer. Wanted contact. Wanted—
Mine.
That word wasn’t mine. It wasn’t even human. It came from something older and deeper.
Kael stopped abruptly. His wolf’s ears flattened.
The rest of the pack kept running.
It was just us.
I shifted back first. The cold hit hard. I didn’t care.
He shifted seconds later. Taller than me. Bare skin catching moonlight. His chest rose slowly, controlled, but his eyes weren’t calm.
“You felt that,” I said.
He didn’t answer.
The space between us felt charged in a way I’d never known before. Heavy. Focused.
“Say something,” I pushed.
His jaw flexed. “Get dressed.”
That was it.
No explanation. No denial.
He walked away.
I stood there in the dirt, naked and shaking—not from cold.
The bond settled into me that night. Not warm. Not sweet. It felt territorial. Sharp. Demanding.
Mate.
The word circled my mind for days.
I avoided him at first. It was easier that way.
He didn’t avoid me.
Training sessions shifted. Patrol assignments changed. I started seeing him more. Not close enough to touch. Just enough to remind me he was there.
Watching.
The council called a meeting three days later.
I wasn’t supposed to be present. Father insisted I stay home.
I went anyway.
The council chamber sits beneath the main lodge. Stone walls. Torches burning low. The air always smells faintly of smoke and old wood.
Kael stood at the center.
Elder Maris leaned on her staff. Beta Ronan to the right. A few senior warriors behind them.
They fell silent when I entered.
“You weren’t summoned,” Ronan said flatly.
“I know.”
Kael’s gaze locked onto mine. It wasn’t surprise I saw there.
It was calculation.
Elder Maris tilted her head. “Alpha, does this concern her?”
“Yes,” he said.
That one word shifted the air.
My pulse picked up. I stepped forward anyway.
Kael didn’t look away. “The Blood Moon rises in three nights.”
Elder Maris nodded slowly. “A strong omen.”
Ronan crossed his arms. “Why bring that up now?”
Kael’s voice remained even. “Because I’ve identified my mate.”
The room went still.
My throat tightened.
No one looked at me yet.
“Who?” Ronan asked.
Kael didn’t hesitate. “Aria Vale.”
All eyes turned at once.
Heat flooded my face. Not embarrassment. Something closer to shock.
Ronan scoffed before he could stop himself. “Her?”
Father’s hand curled into a fist beside me.
Kael’s stare sharpened. “Is there a problem?”
Ronan hesitated. “The Luna must command respect.”
“I am aware,” Kael replied.
The dismissal in his tone was clear.
Elder Maris studied me carefully. “Do you accept this bond, child?”
My mouth felt dry. “It’s not about accepting. It already happened.”
Kael’s gaze flicked toward me again. Brief. Intense.
The bond pulsed faintly.
“It will be confirmed under the Blood Moon,” Elder Maris declared. “Before the pack.”
Just like that, my life tilted.
Word spread before we even left the chamber.
By nightfall, half the pack had stopped me to offer stiff congratulations. The other half pretended not to see me.
Selene didn’t pretend.
She cornered me near the water well the next morning.
Tall. Blonde. Perfect posture. She’s Beta Ronan’s daughter and has acted like future Luna since she learned how to walk.
“You look surprised,” she said lightly.
“I am.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t get comfortable.”
I held her gaze. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
She stepped closer. “You don’t belong at his side.”
“Not your decision.”
Her fingers brushed the silver pendant at her throat. “Some bonds don’t last.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m advising you.”
I leaned in slightly. “Advice works better when it’s asked for.”
For a moment, her calm cracked.
Then she straightened and walked away.
The pack shifted around me after that. Warriors who once joked with me became formal. Females who trained beside me whispered when I passed.
Future Luna.
It didn’t feel real.
Kael didn’t speak to me about it again.
Not privately. Not publicly.
Two nights ago, Father found me sitting outside watching the moon climb.
“You understand what this means,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“You’ll be expected to lead.”
“I can lead.”
His eyes softened slightly. “Not just with strength.”
I didn’t answer.
He crouched in front of me. “Kael is not a soft man.”
“I know.”
“He won’t bend easily.”
“Neither will I.”
A corner of his mouth twitched. Pride. Worry.
“You’re walking into fire,” he said.
“I was born in it.”
That earned a low chuckle.
But something else lingered in his expression.
Doubt.
Last night, I dreamed of standing alone in a clearing.
No pack. No bond.
Just silence.
When I woke, the bond inside me felt strained. Tense.
Today is the Blood Moon.
The ceremony will take place at midnight in the central clearing. The entire pack will attend. It’s tradition. The Alpha confirms his mate publicly. Marks her before witnesses. Declares her Luna.
Simple.
Permanent.
I spent the morning sparring.
If I was going to stand beside him, I would stand strong.
The warriors didn’t hold back. Neither did I.
By noon, sweat soaked my shirt and my arms ached. Good. Pain keeps thoughts from spiraling.
Kael watched from the edge of the ring.
He didn’t speak.
Didn’t smile.
Didn’t offer praise.
He just watched.
When I finally pinned my opponent to the ground, I glanced toward him.
Our eyes met.
Something unreadable passed between us.
Then he turned and walked away.
No nod. No acknowledgment.
I wiped blood from my lip and forced myself not to follow.
Evening came fast.
The sky turned red before the moon even rose.
Pack members gathered near the clearing. Torches lined the path. Drums sat ready at the edges.
Father adjusted the leather band around my wrist. “You still have time to back out.”
“And go where?”
He didn’t answer.
Exactly.
When the first edge of the Blood Moon appeared above the trees, a ripple went through the crowd.
I stepped forward.
Kael stood at the altar already.
He wore dark trousers and nothing else. The scar along his jaw stark in the red light.
He didn’t look at me right away.
Elder Maris raised her staff.
“The Blood Moon witnesses truth,” she called out. “Under its light, bonds are sealed or severed.”
Severed.
That word shouldn’t have landed so hard.
The drums began.
Slow. Deep. Steady.
I took my place across from him.
The bond inside me felt tight. Coiled.
“You ready?” I asked quietly.
His eyes shifted to mine.
There was no warmth there.
Just something sharp.
“Stand still,” he said.
The crowd leaned in.
My wolf pressed forward inside me, restless.
Elder Maris continued, “Alpha Kael Thorne, do you confirm Aria Vale as your fated mate and Luna of Nightfall?”
The world held its breath.
Kael stepped closer.
Close enough that I could see the slight tension in his jaw.
For a split second, I thought I saw conflict.
Then he inhaled slowly.
“I—”
The bond flared painfully.
Not warmth.
Not possession.
Resistance.
And in that instant, before the words even left his mouth, I understood something was wrong.
The moon hung above us, red and watching.
Kael’s eyes hardened.
“I reject you.”
The drums stopped.
And the ground beneath my feet might as well have vanished.
That was the moment everything changed.
That was the moment Nightfall decided I was disposable.
And that was the moment someone else, somewhere beyond our borders, caught the scent of a bond being torn apart.
I didn’t know it yet.
But rejection under a Blood Moon doesn’t just humiliate.
It calls predators.
Two
The Rejection Under the Blood Moon
chapter-seperatorThe first time an Alpha rejects you, it’s supposed to be private.
Mine wasn’t.
The whole pack stood in the clearing, shoulders squared, heads tilted toward the sky as the Blood Moon climbed higher. The light turned everyone’s skin red, like we were already marked for slaughter. Drums pounded slow and heavy at the edge of the circle. Elders stood near the stone altar. Warriors lined the outer ring, silent and armed.
And at the center—me.
Across from me stood Alpha Kael.
Tall. Broad. Black hair cut close at the sides. The scar along his jaw caught the moonlight. He looked every inch the Alpha my father once swore loyalty to. Cold. Controlled. Untouchable.
Three days ago, he told the council he’d found his mate.
Me.
The pack had celebrated before I could even breathe.
Now his eyes were empty.
“Step forward,” Elder Maris ordered.
My legs moved because they had to. Not because I wanted them to. Every eye burned into my back. Some with curiosity. Some with envy. Some with open dislike. I’d never been popular. Too quiet. Too stubborn. Not soft enough to be harmless, not strong enough to be feared.
Kael didn’t look at me until I stood within arm’s reach.
The mate bond had been faint at first. A pull low in my chest. A steady awareness that he existed. It grew stronger once the moon rose. Not gentle. Not warm.
Possessive.
He inhaled slowly, testing the air between us. His jaw tightened.
“You feel it,” I said quietly.
His gaze snapped to mine. Sharp. Warning.
“Silence,” he muttered.
The crowd shifted. Whispers brushed the air like insects.
Elder Maris raised her staff. “Under the Blood Moon, the Alpha will confirm his mate before the pack and mark his Luna.”
That word—Luna—landed heavy.
Kael stepped closer. Close enough that I could see the faint gold in his eyes fighting to surface. His wolf wanted this. I felt it. A pulse against my ribs.
For a second, something flickered in his expression.
Then it died.
“I reject you.”
The words didn’t hit right away. They floated between us, unreal.
A murmur ripped through the clearing.
I stared at him. “What?”
His voice carried this time, loud and clear. “I, Alpha Kael of the Nightfall Pack, reject you as my mate.”
The bond inside me twisted. Not snapped—twisted. Like someone grabbing a live wire and yanking it sideways.
Pain followed.
Not the kind that makes you scream. The kind that makes your body go still.
Elder Maris stepped forward sharply. “Alpha—”
“I have spoken.”
He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.
The warriors straightened instantly.
My mouth went dry. “You told them I was your mate.”
His eyes finally met mine fully. No warmth. No apology.
“I was mistaken.”
The clearing fell silent.
Mistaken.
The Blood Moon hung high above us, watching.
“You felt it,” I said again, softer now. “You said you did.”
“That was before I considered what this pack needs.”
There it was.
Not strong enough.
Not worthy enough.
Not Luna material.
A low laugh slipped from somewhere behind the crowd. I didn’t have to turn to know it was Selene. Daughter of Beta Ronan. Tall. Polished. Everything I wasn’t.
Kael continued, voice steady. “The Nightfall Pack cannot afford weakness at its side.”
Weakness.
The word cut deeper than the rejection.
My wolf stirred inside me, furious. She wasn’t small. She wasn’t weak. She had teeth. But she was younger than his, smaller, untested. And she knew what this meant.
Rejection under a Blood Moon wasn’t just humiliation.
It was exile.
Elder Maris looked between us, unsettled. “Alpha, a public rejection carries consequence.”
“I am aware.”
He stepped closer again, lowering his voice so only I could hear.
“Be grateful I do this clean.”
Clean.
Like I was a stain he could wipe away.
Rage started to rise, hot and ugly. Good. Rage was better than whatever hollow thing was forming in my chest.
“You don’t get to pretend this is mercy,” I said.
His nostrils flared. “Lower your tone.”
“No.”
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
Gasps broke from the pack. No one defied the Alpha. Not like that.
His wolf flashed in his eyes, gold bright and sharp.
“Careful,” he warned.
“What are you going to do?” I shot back. “Reject me twice?”
For a heartbeat, I thought he might grab me. Might shove me to my knees. That would’ve been easier.
Instead, he straightened.
“As Alpha, I sever this bond. You are no longer under my protection. By dawn, you will leave Nightfall territory.”
There it was.
Exile.
My father sucked in a breath from somewhere behind me. I didn’t look at him. If I did, I might break.
The mate bond inside me frayed. It didn’t disappear, but it dimmed, like someone had thrown a heavy cloth over a flame.
The Blood Moon burned brighter.
Elder Maris lifted her staff again, voice heavy. “The rejection is witnessed. The bond is denied.”
A cold wind swept through the clearing.
It was done.
Kael turned away first.
That hurt more than the words.
No hesitation. No backward glance.
Just dismissal.
The circle began to break. Warriors relaxed. Pack members leaned toward each other, already whispering. My life had just split in two, and they treated it like entertainment.
Selene approached him, slow and confident. Her hand brushed his arm. He didn’t pull away.
That told me everything.
I stood alone in the center of the clearing while the world moved on.
“Move,” Beta Ronan barked as he passed me. “Don’t make this worse.”
Worse.
My father stepped in front of me then. His face looked older than it had this morning.
“Aria,” he said quietly.
I kept my eyes on Kael’s back. On the way Selene leaned closer. On the way the pack naturally shifted to make space for them.
“She’s already at his side,” I said.
Father’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t the place.”
“Isn’t it?” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “He made it the place.”
He exhaled slowly. “Come home. We’ll pack your things.”
Home.
A small house near the training grounds. Nothing special. But it was mine.
“Do I get until dawn?” I asked.
“Yes.”
That was generous, apparently.
As we walked out of the clearing, I felt eyes on my back. Pity. Relief. Satisfaction.
No one stepped forward.
No one objected.
The Nightfall Pack had chosen its Alpha over its rejected mate.
Fair enough.
By the time we reached the edge of the trees, the drums started again. Slower this time. Not for celebration. For closure.
Father stopped walking once we were alone on the path. “You shouldn’t have spoken to him like that.”
A short laugh escaped me. “What was I supposed to do? Thank him?”
“You challenged him in front of everyone.”
“He humiliated me in front of everyone.”
Silence.
He looked torn. Loyal to his Alpha. Loyal to his daughter. That conflict showed in the lines around his eyes.
“You’ll survive this,” he said finally.
“Will I?”
He didn’t answer.
We reached the house. The night felt different already. Colder. Like the territory knew I didn’t belong anymore.
Inside, I went straight to my room.
The walls were bare except for the old pack emblem above my bed. I stared at it for a long moment.
Nightfall.
Loyalty. Strength. Unity.
I tore it down.
The bond inside me throbbed once, faint and angry. It wasn’t gone. Not fully. Rejections weren’t always clean. Sometimes the bond fought to hold on.
Good.
Let it suffer like I was.
I packed light. Clothes. Boots. My mother’s silver bracelet. A hunting knife.
No tears came. Not yet.
The anger held them back.
Father stood in the doorway. “There are rogues beyond the northern border. You know that.”
“I’ll avoid them.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“You could ask the Alpha for reconsideration,” he said quietly.
I turned slowly. “You want me to beg?”
“I want you alive.”
“So do I.”
We held each other’s gaze.
“I won’t crawl,” I said. “If he wants a Luna who smiles and nods, let him have her.”
Father nodded once, slow.
The drums in the distance finally stopped.
Hours passed.
When the sky began to pale, I stepped outside with my bag slung over my shoulder.
The pack lands stretched ahead. Forest thick and dark. Familiar paths I’d walked since I was a child.
They weren’t mine anymore.
At the border stones, I paused.
The mate bond tugged faintly toward the center of the territory. Toward him.
Kael.
For a brief, stupid second, I wondered if he’d come. If he’d stand at the edge and stop me.
He didn’t.
Of course he didn’t.
I crossed the border.
The moment my foot hit rogue land, something shifted.
The air felt heavier. Wilder. Untamed.
A low growl echoed somewhere deep in the trees.
Not Nightfall.
Not familiar.
Rogue.
I straightened my spine.
“Fine,” I muttered to the empty forest. “Let’s see who survives who.”
Another sound answered me. Closer this time. Not just a growl.
Footsteps.
Slow. Confident. Not hiding.
The hair on my arms rose.
Someone was watching me.
And they weren’t afraid.
I turned toward the sound, hand tightening around the strap of my bag.
“Show yourself,” I called.
Silence stretched.
Then a voice—low, rough, amused.
“Well,” it said from the shadows, “looks like the Alpha threw away something valuable.”
My blood ran cold.
Because whoever stood beyond the trees didn’t sound like prey.
He sounded like a predator.
And he sounded interested.
