The Rejected Male Luna

Chapter 1

RUBY'S POV

I had waited for this day for so long. Since I was a young girl and news of my mother being unable to bear more children hit the pack, the future of the pack had fully rested on me. I was groomed to lead the pack and, most especially from the Luna's position. My parents were sure I would present as an omega as my body was on the smaller side. Alpha traits manifested from a young age and none were present in me. Female alphas existed but mated with male alphas, as male omegas were not something that we had.

The compound was hosting visitors from other packs who were to spread the word on my designation so that courtships would begin. True mates were a rare phenomenon and most people died without meeting them. The few who got mated to their true mate were definitely blessed by the Moon Goddess. I had already chosen my mate, unbeknown to the rest of the pack members and my family too. Gerald was

an alpha from the neighboring pack who had presented two seasons ago and we had been seeing each other for sometime. We had agreed he would formally court me and we would later mate once I presented. In both our packs no one

had mated their true mate and so we believed the chances of any of us getting one was nil.

I was sharing my presentation with Max, who obviously was going to be an alpha. If my father was not hell bent on fostering ties with the neighboring packs, I would probably have been mated to Max. He was one of the best warriors in our pack and was ready to take his father's position after we both presented. One thing I was sure about was he was going to be in the future council of elders for the pack. The festivities were set to begin at sunset, as once the full moon rose our inner wolves would emerge to witness the presentation. Mary my wolf was quiet, the air of excitement not getting to her. Was it because we already knew I would present as an omega and there was no excitement about the known? Designations were not a big thing, we would both have loved to present as an alpha to make my father proud, but we had no power with the hand destiny gave us. Outside, song and dance was all over the pack, drums beating, different aromas of roasted herbs and meat permeating the air. Gerald had promised to meet me at the border of our lands after the ceremony. I couldn't help the warm blush that spread across my cheeks as he had promised to give me my first kiss as a gift. This was definitely the best day of my life.

My daydreams were interrupted by my parents walking into my room. My mother still looked as beautiful as ever. She had the gift of youth but the pain of not bearing more heirs for my father never left her eyes. She had begged my father to remarry to ensure the pack would remain under our lineage, but my father had refused and vowed never to. His loyalty remained to his mate regardless of what happened. I admired him most for that quality and vowed to be the same for my mate.

"You look so beautiful,'' my mother cooed next to my father. "You will definitely be the most beautiful person at the party today. I am so proud of you Ruby." I could feel tears prickling my eyes, it was rare my mother expressed her pride in me. I felt like I failed her as I was her only child who would need an outsider to become an established leader. If I was to present as an alpha, I wouldn't need all that, just marrying a pack member and life would go on. That feeling had always been something that caused tension between my wolf and I, as Mary felt that I didn't love her because she was an omega. The proud look in my parents' eyes was something that we both needed.

My father moved closer and opened his arms and I walked into the hug where he and my mom engulfed me in their warmth. And at that moment, I truly believed my parents loved me. I was ready for the next step in my life. My parents then left the room and I counted down the minutes till I was escorted out when it was finally sunset. My heart beating fast and palms sweating, I walked out to the unknown.

MARY'S POV (Ruby's Wolf)

I was definitely going to be an omega and being excited about today was the last thing on my mind. I could feel something nagging at the back of my mind. I didn't even know where my certainty of being an omega came from, but I was sure of it, Ruby's stature not withstanding. After presenting, we would begin our quest to find a mate. Every wolf's dream was to get a true mate, but as time progressed, true mates became rarer and rarer. But why did I feel like I had already met my mate who wasn't the Gerald guy Ruby was seeing?I was feeling antsy and letting my anxiety bleed into Ruby's emotions was not something I would do. She was anxious enough as it was. I was forgetting something but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. As sunset drew closer, the antsier I got, I wanted to run out and clear my head, but without Ruby presenting I could not shift. I focused my thoughts on Ruby's feelings and couldn't help but feel the happiness that she radiated. Her parents' acceptance meant so much to her. Contrary to what she thought, I didn't really want to be an alpha. Something inside me just assured me I was not going to be one and that was okay with me. Whatever the night brought was something I was prepared for, running through the fields in my true form was what I looked forward to most. Darkness had already set in and the moon was illuminating the night and suddenly my anxiety turned into a sense of fore-boding.