Knotting His Rejected Breeder

Destiny had never seen so many wolves in one place.

Everywhere she looked, someone was shouting, laughing, bargaining, or dragging carts through the crowded streets. The noise wrapped around her until she could barely hear herself think.

Her fingers tightened around the basket in her hands.

"Stay close," her father warned.

"I am."

But she wasn’t.

Within seconds, another crowd swept between them.

"You’re acting like one who’s never left the farm."

She couldn’t even argue. She had never left the farm this far and for the first time in her life, she realized just how small her own world had been.

They pushed through a narrow lane between spice sellers and a man yelling about enchanted rope that definitely looked like regular rope. A group of young warriors came through like they owned the path. Destiny stepped aside fast and still got her shoulder knocked. One of them muttered something that might have been an apology. Might not.

"This place is insane," she said under her breath.

She couldn’t stop looking around. Merchants from dozens of packs filled every corner of the market, some sold weapons carved with ancient runes. Others displayed colorful fabrics she had only heard about in travelers’ stories. Somewhere nearby, a musician played a cheerful tune while children chased one another through the crowd.

For the first time in her life, the world felt bigger than the little farm she had always called home.

A smile tugged at her lips.

Maybe coming here had been worth it after all.

Her mother only hummed and kept walking, already eyeing a stall with dried herbs.

Near the center of the market, Bloodmoon arrived with less noise but more attention. Dane stepped down from his horse like the whole thing bored him already. Henrik stayed close. Hannah immediately wandered toward a stall selling wooden animals and started arguing with the seller about the price of a carved wolf. Helena watched the crowd the way soldiers watched borders.

"You’re already in a mood," Henrik said quietly.

"I’m already being watched by people who want something," Dane answered. "Same thing."

Not far away, Silvercrest’s group moved in cleaner formation. Princess Aurora walked near the front, calm, composed, noticing more than she showed. Her eyes found Dane once, lingered half a second too long, then moved on like it hadn’t happened.

Destiny saw none of that.

She only realized she had drifted ahead of her parents when she turned and couldn’t immediately spot them. She stepped back and walked straight into someone solid.

The jars in her arms went flying.

One cracked against the ground, another rolled, the third she tried to catch and only slapped farther away, Coins spilled from her pouch. Her list fluttered, the small cloth-wrapped stone she should never have brought bounced once and landed near a polished black boot.

Destiny stared at the mess scattered across the dusty road.

One jar had shattered completely, sticky berry preserve spreading over the ground. Another rolled beneath a nearby stall, Coins from her pouch spun in different directions, disappearing beneath boots. The cloth-wrapped stone bounced once before stopping beside a polished black boot.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Before anyone else could notice it, she lunged forward and snatched it into her hand, slipping it deep inside her pocket.

Destiny stared at the mess scattered across the ground.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the cloth-wrapped stone lying beside a polished black boot. She quickly snatched it up and slipped it back into her pocket before anyone could notice.

Only then did she slowly lift her head.

Her eyes met his.

For a brief second, the noise of the market seemed to disappear.

He was taller than anyone she had ever stood this close to. Broad shoulders. Calm grey eyes. There was something about him that made the air around him feel heavier. Powerful.

Too handsome for his own good.

The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.

She immediately frowned.

He’s still blocking the road.

Dane looked back at her with the same calm expression. Most people lowered their heads when they met his eyes.

She didn’t which was Interesting.

For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke.

Henrik stepped forward before the silence became awkward, he crouched, picked up the only unbroken jar, brushed the dust from it and handed it back to her.

"My apologies," he said politely. "The market gets crowded."

Destiny blinked before accepting it. "Thank you."

Henrik smiled. "First time here?"

She nodded.

"Is it that obvious?"

A small chuckle escaped him. "I could tell."

Only then did the Alpha finally speak.

Dane’s eyes swept over her quickly, checking for injuries before settling on the broken jars at their feet.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice calm.

The question caught Destiny off guard.

She frowned. "I’m fine."

His gaze dropped to the mess on the ground. "Good." He nodded once. "Then watch where you’re going."

Embarrassment warmed her cheeks, It lasted only a second before annoyance replaced it.

"I was watching," she shot back. "You were standing in the middle of the path like a statue."

A laugh escaped Hannah before she could stop herself.

She leaned closer to her brother. "Congratulations."

Dane glanced at her. "For what?"

"That girl didn’t faint when she saw you."

Henrik coughed into his fist, hiding a smile.

Dane simply ignored them and glanced down at the smear of berry preserve now staining the edge of his boot. "Your jar is on my boot."

Destiny folded her arms. "Then maybe your boot shouldn’t have been in my way and also, move your boot next time."

Hannah made a noise that was definitely a laugh. Henrik raised an eyebrow and Helena just watched.

She dropped into a crouch to gather her things, face hot. Dane didn’t help, he also didn’t move and for a second they were too close—her reaching for scattered coins, him standing over her like the collision had been a personal insult.

She grabbed the wrapped stone first and shoved it deep into her pocket before anything else.

When she stood, her parents had finally caught up, her father’s face changed the moment he registered the cloak, the posture, the way people had slightly cleared space around the young Alpha.

"Destiny."

"I’m fine. We were discussing manners."

Hannah no longer hid her grin.

Her father’s face drained of color as he hurried forward.

"Destiny," he said under his breath, a quiet warning.

Then he bowed his head respectfully toward Dane. "My Alpha, please forgive my daughter’s sharp tongue, she meant no disrespect because the market is crowded, and the accident was unfortunate."

Her mother stepped beside him and offered an apologetic smile. "We’re truly sorry. We’ll replace the broken jar if we’ve caused any inconvenience."

Destiny’s brows pulled together. "Father, it wasn’t entirely my—"

A gentle look from her mother silenced her before she could finish and For a brief moment, the market around them seemed to fade.

Dane looked from the couple to Destiny. He could see the embarrassment on the older pair’s faces and the stubborn pride in the young woman standing between them.

"There is nothing to replace," he said evenly. "It was an accident."

Henrik gave the couple a reassuring nod. "No harm has been done."

Relief washed over Destiny’s parents.

"Thank you, Alpha," her father said sincerely.

Destiny glanced at Dane, surprised by his response.

He hadn’t accepted the apology because he wanted one, he had ended the matter because, in his eyes, it wasn’t worth dragging out.

For some reason...That irritated her even more.

Dane’s eyes moved over her once—simple clothes, stubborn jaw, the way she still hadn’t apologized.

"Try looking up next time," he said. "Try not blocking the entire lane."

They stood there with broken glass between them and the market roaring around them. Neither apologized, neither looked away first.

Henrik cleared his throat. "We should go. The eastern merchants are waiting."

Dane stepped around the mess without another word and walked on, Hannah gave Destiny one bright, curious look before following and also, Helena fell into step with Henrik, In seconds Bloodmoon was gone into the crowd.

She could still feel the solid wall of his chest when they had collided. The arrogant man had not even offered to help pick up her things.

Instead, he had looked at her as though she were the inconvenience.

Her jaw tightened.

What an insufferable Alpha.

Destiny’s mother knelt and started picking up the larger pieces of glass.

"Of all the people," her father muttered.

Destiny’s face still burned, but now it was mixed with something sharper, She could still feel the solid hit of him, the cool edge in his voice, the way he had looked at her like she was an inconvenience instead of a person.

"He was the one standing there," she said.

Her mother only sighed.

He slipped away without sound.

Destiny adjusted her bag strap and forced her feet to move, She told herself the whole thing meant nothing.

Her pulse, still too quick, refused to agree.

By the time they reached the quieter edge of the herb stalls, her father had gone still.

Destiny instinctively reached for the pouch at her waist. Her fingers closed on empty air, she frowned and checked again.

But it was nothing.

A cold feeling crept slowly down her spine.

"Where’s the money pouch?" her father asked.

Destiny reached for her belt without thinking.

Her hand met empty air.

She frowned. "It’s..."

She searched again. Then checked her bag, but nothing.

The smile disappeared from her face. "No..." Her breathing became uneven as she searched every pocket one after another. "It was right here."

Her father was already checking his own pockets.

Her mother’s basket slipped from her hands. "No..."

Silence settled between them. Then her father whispered the words that made Destiny’s stomach twist. "That was everything."

The coins from months of hard work. The money they had saved for this trip. Gone.

Destiny slowly turned toward the sea of strangers.

Hundreds of faces. Hundreds of hands. The thief could already be anywhere.

Then...A strange warmth spread through the pocket of her dress.

She froze.

Her fingers slowly slipped inside.The cracked stone, It was glowing again.

Brighter than it had the night before and for some reason...It felt like it was pulling her toward someone in the crowd.