Mated To The Prince Of Darkness

Lucia Volks, known as the pack’s disgrace, had just watched her only hope of escaping her fate shatter before her eyes.

She had just turned eighteen, and like everyone else, she had finally been able to sense her mate. The joy that filled her was immeasurable, especially when she realized it was Xander, the son of the Crimson Moon Alpha. Xander had always been one of the few who showed her kindness. Even before discovering he was her mate, she had harbored a small crush on him. So when she sensed the bond and found out it was Xander, the gentle, kind-hearted alpha’s son, Lucia believed her suffering had finally come to an end.

But fate had other plans.

“I, Xander Wolfpaw of the Crimson Moon Pack, reject Lucia Volks as my mate.”

His words shattered her heart into a million pieces.

“You knew I was your mate?” Lucia whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears.

You can only sense your mate once you have turned eighteen. That meant even if her mate had been beside her all along, she wouldn’t have known until today. But Xander was twenty-five, and he had known she was his mate for seven years, ever since she was just eleven.

“Yes,” a sharp voice cut in before Xander could respond. “Why do you think he’s ever shown you kindness?”

Aria. The one Xander had chosen over her. The daughter of Beta Jacob. Xander’s childhood friend. And, worst of all, Lucia’s greatest tormentor.

Lucia’s breath hitched as Aria smirked. “Finally, my love, you’re free from that witch.” She looked up at Xander expectantly, and to Lucia’s horror, Xander nodded, his expression one of pure relief.

“I couldn’t reject her until she turned eighteen,” Xander admitted, his voice laced with disgust. “I even tried to see if I could fall for her, but it was impossible.”

Lucia’s world crumbled. Her mate, the one who was supposed to love her beyond all reason, looked at her with nothing but loathing.

She glanced around, hoping for even a flicker of pity from the pack members who had gathered to witness her rejection. But she found none. Xander had made sure everyone was present, ensuring they all saw him cast her aside like she was nothing.

“I don’t understand.” Lucia’s voice was barely a whisper. “Isn’t the mate bond supposed to be the strongest of all? Doesn’t it surpass everything?”

“Don’t fall for that delusion.” Aria scoffed. “Mate bonds aren’t as powerful as people think. Xander loves me, not you. He chose me, despite the moon goddess picking you. In the end, we choose who we want to spend our lives with.”

“Besides,” another voice chimed in. Eva, Aria’s best friend. “What made you think Xander, the future alpha, would accept an orphan like you as his mate?” She sneered. “If not for the late Luna’s kindness, you’d be dead in some rogue’s hands.”

Eva’s words stung because they were true. Lucia had been rescued from rogues when she was just five years old. She had no memory of her origins or her parents—only what the late Luna had told her. According to her, the rogue who took her claimed to have killed her parents first. The Luna had taken Lucia in, treating her with kindness. But after her death, everything changed. The pack began treating her like a maid, her presence tolerated but never accepted.

She had endured it all, believing her mate would one day rescue her. She had prayed to the moon goddess, hoping her mate would be Xander. He was the only one, aside from the Luna, who had ever shown her kindness.

But she had been blind. He had been pretending all along.

“You should get back to the kitchen,” Xander said coldly. “We’re expecting visitors.”

The weight of his rejection pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. But no one offered a word of comfort. Xander and his friends walked away, leaving her standing there, abandoned and broken.

“Don’t fret, my girl,” a familiar voice said.

Lucia turned to see Selena, the pack’s matron, standing beside her. Selena had never mistreated her like the others, but she had never intervened either. She simply made sure Lucia completed her chores and stayed out of trouble.

“I was rejected twice,” Selena continued, her tone indifferent. “And it made me wake up to reality. Mate bonds aren’t what they’re made out to be. No one wants to be tied to someone who has nothing to offer.”

Lucia blinked through her tears. “Twice?”

“Yes.” Selena smirked bitterly. “My first mate was an Alpha. His parents told him to reject me because I had nothing to offer the pack, and he obeyed. My second mate was a Beta, and when he found out I’d already been rejected once, he didn’t want ‘damaged goods.’”

Lucia’s stomach twisted as Selena continued. “One rejection leads to another. No one wants someone who’s already been discarded.”

For the first time, Lucia saw a flicker of pity in Selena’s eyes.

The matron studied her carefully, taking in her fiery ginger hair and piercing blue eyes. Even with all the malnutrition and mistreatment, Lucia’s beauty still shone through. It was no secret that the other females in the pack resented her for it.

“I’d advise you to forget about ever having a mate,” Selena said, her voice firm. “If the moon goddess is merciful enough to give you another, he’ll still reject you. You’re the pack’s disgrace. And you’ve already been rejected once.”

Lucia felt her heart shatter into even smaller pieces. It was over. There would be no escape.

This was her fate.

The rejected mate. The disgrace of the Crimson Moon Pack.

“I’ll take care of things in the kitchen tonight,” Selena said after a long pause. “You can retire early.”

Lucia shook her head, swallowing down the lump in her throat. “No need. I’ll be fine.”

She had no choice but to accept her fate. If what Selena said was true, another mate would only bring another rejection. And after today, she had learned that love could exist outside of the mate bond. Xander had proven that.

“You’re right.” Selena nodded. “You’ll be fine.”

And with that, she followed Lucia back inside, leaving behind the shattered remnants of the girl’s broken dreams.

It had been five years since Lucia was rejected by Xander, and life had only grown more difficult for her. Aria and her minions seemed to take pleasure in making her life a living hell, and Xander would happily watch from the sidelines, never lifting a finger to stop them. Though Selena was powerless to help her, she had softened toward Lucia, perhaps because she now saw her as a kindred spirit, someone discarded, someone broken.

“The Alpha is finally coming home, and victory is ours!” Aria announced excitedly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“Yes, and he said he would officially make me the Alpha when he returns,” Xander added, his voice brimming with pride. He had waited for this moment for as long as he could remember.

“I’m sure the war must have tired him out,” Aria mused.

It was true. The war with the Western Lycans had raged for two years, and it must have taken its toll on everyone.

“We were lucky to have defeated them and turned them into a