Rejected and Saved by my Alpha

LILY Today is the day before the best day of my life, I smiled as I admired my reflection in the mirror. “Oh my Goddess! You look absolutely amazing!” Cassie, my best friend, squealed, jumping up and down all around the dressing room. “Well, I can’t really debate you on this,” I chuckled as I took a spin in my wedding dress, just to see once again how amazingly the shining white fabric followed and danced with my body. I wasn’t used to feeling pretty – but now, with that dress on, I felt absolutely, powerfully beautiful. It was a full-on princess wedding gown, with a sweetheart neckline and off-the-shoulder straps, entirely embroidered with motifs of moons and stars with dark blue and silver thread on the thinnest layer of violet tulle – the same pattern and fabric of my veil. A significant glow-up from my usual sweater, jeans, and sneakers combo. “We should try it with the jewelry as well,” Cassie grinned, running towards the dresser to pick up a now-familiar dark blue, velvet box. Sparkles lit up the room when I carefully opened it, revealing the beautiful sapphire, moonstone, and amethyst tiara inside: the tiaras all Lunas wore on their wedding day. At the mere thought of it – my wedding day – another huge, lovesick grin spread on my face. Goddess – it seemed just yesterday that I’d met Connor, the Alpha of the Silver Lake pack, during that moonlight run. Just yesterday that our eyes had met and the mate bond between us had snapped into place. Just yesterday that we’d shared that kiss under the blessed moonlight – or that he’d knelt down before me to ask me to become his wife and Luna. Those six months with him had been so incredible, so exciting, I still couldn’t quite believe it was all true. After four years of watching my friends all find their mates, most of them as soon as they’d turned eighteen, I’d started to think I’d just never find mine … and then, it had happened. Connor had happened, with his warm brown eyes, chocolate hair, and a smile just as warm and honest as his soul. The mere thought of him made my eyes well up with tears, and my heart with love: I hadn’t believed it at first, when my friends first told me how, with mates, it was often a love at first sight so intense and blinding as the summer sun, but as soon as I’d met his eyes … I had known. I had known that man was my mate, that he was my forever, and that I loved him. It was the most beautiful, unexplainable feeling of all. My breath caught short in my throat as Cassie rose on her tiptoes to gently place the beautiful tiara on my hair, already placed in the updo I’d sport the following day: I couldn’t even begin to think how beautiful it was. And uncomfortable. Goddess – even if it wasn’t my first time trying it, I still couldn’t believe how such small stones could weigh that much. “Well, if that doesn’t scream Luna-queen, I don’t know what does,” Cassie grinned. “You look incredible. Connor’s gonna go crazy when he sees you walking down that aisle”. Oh, Goddess. I couldn’t wait for that moment – for the doors to open up and for me to walk down that aisle towards my handsome, smiling, proud mate. Yes – he would love that whole ensemble. Blue was his favorite color – that was the reason why I’d chosen sapphire jewelry to go along with the tiara, and a blue veil. Too excited, I took another spin, then breathed a sigh, trying to keep the tears at bay. I just couldn’t believe the day I’d hoped for so long was just about to come – that I’d just done my final try-on of my wedding dress. It’s happening. It’s really happening. In less than twenty-four hours, I was about to become Mrs. Lily Harrison, the wife and mate of Alpha Connor Harrison, and Luna of the Silver Lake pack. “This is crazy,” I muttered. “This is real,” Cassie, though, replied with a smile. “You deserve this, hon. I don’t know anyone who deserves it more than you”. Those words made my throat close up, and I moved my hand behind myself to find and squeeze her own. I said nothing – I couldn’t find the words to express all of the gratitude and affection I felt for my forever friend, but I knew they weren’t needed. Cassie had always understood me, even when I couldn’t speak my heart. My mom, when she was still with us, used to say that she “had enough words for me as well”, because she’d always been very chatty, while I was quieter. Hadn’t it been for that chatterbox of my friend and her love for parties, I would’ve probably never gone to that summer party in which I’d met my mate. Had it not been for her, I wouldn’t have been there, holding her hand as I took in my reflection in my wedding dress. “Thank you,” I murmured, as I tried to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks. I mean – she’d spent a good hour and a half doing my last make-up try-on! Cassie chuckled, resting her chin on my shoulder. “There’s nothing you should thank me for. Now – let’s take that all off. We have a fancy dinner to attend”. Which was my second bachelorette party. The actual and wild one had taken place a few days ago, and merely for make-up purposes: Cassie didn’t think her skills with concealers and brushes were enough to properly hide the dark circles I’d get if we had my bachelorette the actual night before my wedding. So, we’d had our fun before and settled for a simple but nice dinner out for the night before the big day. “Then go get changed,” I said. “I can take this off by myself”. Cassie shot me a look. “At least let me help with the dress”. Half an hour later, I walked out of the shower feeling refreshed and more than ready to take on the night with my friends: that day had been exhausting, between the last rehearsals and try-ons and my duties as the pack’s still unofficial Luna, but now I was feeling regenerated, and I had no doubt some time with my friends would recharge my batteries completely. I sat down on the bed – I still had some time before meeting with my girls down in the pack house’s hall to go to the restaurant, so I had a few minutes for some mindless scrolling. A smile popped up on my face when I noticed Connor had texted me. Hope your day was better than mine, he’d written. Don’t wait for me tonight, I have a very hot date with a big-ass pile of paper here. Hope your night will be a blast, babe. Love you. I sighed. Being the mate of the Alpha was cool, but it also came with its own downsides: Connor’s job demanded so much of his time that it left very little for us to enjoy. I couldn’t exactly say I didn’t mind, but by now, I’d learned how to live with it – and treasure all the moments we got to steal, in which he was not the pack’s Alpha, but just my sweet, loving mate. Sounds very hot indeed, I texted back. Let me know how it goes. I’ll head out in a few. Love you too! Knowing he probably wouldn’t answer – I’d seen firsthand how big those piles of documents could get – I left the phone on the bed we shared and walked into the bathroom to do my makeup. I hadn’t even made it to the door when the sound of a notification pinged through the room. Surprised, I walked back to the bed and picked up the phone. Another text from Connor. And when I read it, my whole world fell apart. I’ll be at the ultrasound next week.