moon was full.
That was how I knew my life was about to change.
Every wolf waited for this night—the night their mate bond awakened. The night destiny revealed the person who would complete them.
I stood in the center of the Moonstone Circle, heart pounding as the silver light washed over me. My hands trembled. My wolf stirred for the first time in my life.
Excitement burned in my chest.
Across from me stood Alpha Darius Blackfang.
Strong. Cold. Ruthless.
And my fated mate.
I felt it the moment the bond snapped into place.
So did he.
His golden eyes darkened. The air between us crackled with energy. My wolf howled in joy inside my chest.
I took one step forward.
"Darius…" I whispered.
His face hardened.
Then he did the unthinkable.
"I, Alpha Darius Blackfang, reject you," he said coldly. "As my mate and future Luna."
The words struck like a blade.
Pain exploded in my chest. I gasped, falling to my knees as the bond ripped itself apart. My wolf screamed in agony.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
Someone laughed.
I looked up through tears and saw Selene, the Beta's daughter, standing behind him—smiling.
Darius didn't look at me again.
"You are weak," he said. "A wolfless omega has no place beside an Alpha."
The bond shattered.
So did my heart.They dragged me from the circle.
No one helped.
No one defended me.
The pain was unbearable—like my soul was being torn in half. I collapsed in the dirt, clutching my chest, choking on sobs.
That was when I heard her voice.
"You really thought he would choose you?"
I looked up.
Selene stood above me, wearing the necklace Darius once gave me.
"You… you're his—"
"His mate?" She laughed. "No. Something better. His choice."
My vision blurred.
"You planned this…"
She leaned down, her voice a whisper.
"He never wanted you. I made sure of it."
Footsteps approached.
Darius stopped beside her.
For a moment, I thought—hoped—he would say something.
He didn't.
"Take her to the outer lands," he ordered. "If she survives, she survives."
That was my sentence.
Exile.I ran.
Through the forest. Through blood and tears. Through pain so deep I wished for death.
But death didn't come.
Instead—
Something answered.
The ground trembled beneath my feet.
A presence older than the packs. Stronger than alphas. Darker than legends.
My body burned.
My bones cracked.
I screamed as power surged through me.
A voice echoed inside my mind:
"Rejected… but not broken."
"Abandoned… but chosen."
My eyes snapped open—glowing silver and red.
"You are mine now," the voice said.
I collapsed into the dirt as the mark burned onto my skin.
Not a wolf's mark.
A Lycan's.When I woke, I wasn't alone.
A man stood before me—tall, terrifyingly beautiful, eyes glowing like molten silver.
"I am Kael," he said.
"King of Lycans."
I tried to move. Couldn't.
"You were rejected by your mate," he continued calmly.
"So the Moon gave you to me."
My heart pounded.
"I don't want another bond—"
He stepped closer.
"You don't have a choice."
His hand brushed my cheek.
"But I will give you power.
I will give you vengeance.
And when the Alpha who broke you kneels…"
His lips curved into a dark smile.
"…you will decide whether he lives."The pain did not fade.
It spread.
Fire raced through my veins, searing my bones, tearing through every part of me that had once belonged to the Blackfang pack.
I screamed.
The forest shook.
The mark on my shoulder glowed silver-red, burning like molten iron pressed into flesh.
"Don't fight it," the voice said calmly.
I looked up through blurred vision.
The Lycan King stood before me, arms crossed, watching as my body convulsed.
"This bond isn't like a wolf's," he said. "It doesn't ask for permission."
My heart hammered violently.
"You're killing me," I gasped.
He stepped closer.
"No. I'm unmaking what they broke."
The pain peaked.
Then—
Silence.
I collapsed into darkness.When I woke, I was lying on black stone.
The air smelled ancient… powerful.
I sat up slowly, my body light—too light.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Faster.
My senses exploded.
I could hear wind miles away. Feel the pulse of the land beneath me.
"What… am I?"
A shadow shifted.
The Lycan King stepped into the light.
"Mine," he said simply.
I stiffened. "I didn't agree to—"
"You were dying," he cut in. "Your Alpha tore your soul in half. I sealed the wound."
I clenched my fists.
"And the mark?"
His eyes glowed faintly.
"A claim. Not ownership. A contract."
I stared at him. "What do you want from me?"
A slow smile curved his lips.
"Survive."He showed me the truth.
A vision bloomed in the air.
Darius stood before the pack elders.
"She's too weak," he said. "If I reject her, the Moon will release me."
Selene stepped forward.
"She's already unstable. The rejection will kill her."
Darius hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Good."
My hands shook.
He knew.
He had known I would break.
"You were never rejected for love," the Lycan King said quietly. "You were sacrificed for power."
Tears streamed down my face.
"I gave him everything…"
"You gave him your obedience," the Lycan replied. "And he mistook it for worthlessness."
Something hardened inside me.
"I want them to pay."
His eyes gleamed.
"Then you will learn to hunt."Training began immediately.
No mercy.
No rest.
He pushed my body until my muscles tore and healed again.
"You hesitate," he snapped as I fell to my knees.
"I'm trying!" I cried.
"You're surviving," he corrected. "Not fighting."
The ground trembled.
"Shift."
"I can't—"
"Do it."
Something snapped inside me.
Pain exploded through my spine.
Bones cracked.
Claws tore free.
I screamed as my body twisted, reshaped—
And then I stood.
Not a wolf.
Something taller. Stronger.
Silver-black fur.
Crimson eyes.
A Lycan.
The forest bowed.
The King smiled.
"Good," he said. "You didn't die."News spread quickly.
The Blackfang pack had found my scent.
They came at dawn.
Darius stood at the front.
His eyes widened when he saw me.
"Y-You're alive?"
I stepped forward.
He flinched.
"I came to take you back," he said quickly. "We can fix this."
I laughed.
The sound was sharp. Cold.
"You broke me."
His jaw clenched. "You were weak—"
I moved.
In a blink, I was in front of him.
My claws stopped at his throat.
The pack froze.
Fear rolled off them in waves.
"I was weak," I said softly. "Not anymore."
He swallowed.
"Please…"
I leaned close.
"This is mercy."
I stepped back.
And turned away.That night, the Lycan King stood beside me on a cliff overlooking the lands below.
"They will come again," he said. "Stronger. Crueler."
I nodded.
"I know."
"Are you afraid?"
I looked at my hands.
At the claws.
At the power humming beneath my skin.
"No."
The wind howled.
"I'm ready."
His voice lowered.
"Then tomorrow, we begin your ascension."
Lightning cracked across the sky.
Far away, Selene woke screaming.
And somewhere deep within me—
Something ancient smiled.Pain became my teacher.
Every night, the Lycan King pushed me beyond my limits.
Every morning, I woke broken.
My body healed faster now—but the pain never faded.
"You hesitate again," he said coldly as I collapsed to one knee.
Blood dripped from my palms where my claws had torn the stone floor.
"I'm trying," I whispered.
"That's your problem," he replied. "Trying isn't surviving."
He raised his hand.
The pressure hit me like a mountain.
My knees slammed into the ground.
"Stand."
"I—can't…"
His eyes glowed.
"If you fall in front of your enemies, they will not wait for you to rise."
Something inside me snapped.
I screamed and forced myself upright, bones screaming in protest.
The pressure vanished.
The Lycan King nodded once.
"Good. You're learning."They came again at dusk.
This time, not as warriors.
As messengers.
Three wolves from the Blackfang Pack stood at the forest edge, trembling.
"We bring a message from Alpha Darius," one said carefully.
I stepped forward.
My presence alone made them bow.
He swallowed. "He wishes to… apologize."
The word tasted rotten.
I said nothing.
"He didn't know the rejection would—"
I moved.
In a blink, I stood inches from him.
"Tell him," I said quietly, "that ignorance does not erase cruelty."
Their fear was thick in the air.
"And tell him," I added, eyes burning, "that the girl he rejected no longer exists."
They fled.
The Lycan King watched silently.
"He regrets losing power," he said. "Not you."
I nodded.
"I know."That night, I dreamed.
I stood in a burning field.
Bodies lay at my feet—wolves, alphas, warriors.
Their eyes were empty.
A crown of bone formed above my head.
A voice whispered:
"Rule them."
I jolted awake, gasping.
My hands were shaking.
The Lycan King stood nearby, watching.
"Power tempts," he said. "Especially when born from pain."
I looked at him. "Will I become a monster?"
He paused.
"Only if you forget why you fight."
The dream lingered long after I woke.Selene came alone.
She was trembling when she stepped into the clearing.
"I didn't mean for it to go this far," she whispered. "Darius loved me—"
I laughed.
She flinched.
"You think love excuses betrayal?"
Tears streamed down her face.
"I was afraid of you," she sobbed. "Everyone said you were weak, but what if you weren't?"
I stepped closer.
"You were afraid because you knew," I said softly. "You stole what was never yours."
Her eyes widened.
"I—I can fix this!"
I leaned in, my voice cold.
"No. You already chose."
I turned away.
The forest shifted.
The Lycan King's voice echoed behind her.
"Leave. And pray she never sees you again."
She ran.
Crying.
Broken.
Just like I once was.The moon was red that night.
I stood at the cliff's edge, wind tearing at my hair.
"I won't be weak again," I said.
The Lycan King stepped beside me.
"What do you swear?"
I closed my eyes.
"I swear I will never beg.
Never kneel.
Never allow anyone to decide my worth."
The air trembled.
The mark on my shoulder burned.
Power surged through me—deeper, steadier, darker.
The Lycan King smiled.
"Then rise," he said.
"Not as prey.
Not as mate.
But as something the world will fear."
Lightning split the sky.
And for the first time…
I welcomed the darkness.The pain did not fade.
It lived beneath my skin now—coiled, waiting.
The Lycan King stood behind me as I knelt within the stone circle. Ancient symbols glowed faintly beneath my feet, carved long before my birth.
"Do you know what it means to bear my mark?" he asked.
I clenched my fists. "Power."
He stepped closer.
"No. Consequence."
His hand hovered over my shoulder. The moment his fingers touched my skin, fire erupted through my veins.
I screamed.
Not in agony—
In awakening.
The mark seared itself deeper, spreading like molten ink across my back. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. I felt everything—every breath in the forest, every creature moving in the dark.
I collapsed forward.
He caught me.
Strong arms. Unmoving. Steady.
"You're still standing," he murmured.
Barely.
I looked up at him, vision blurred. "What… did you do to me?"
"I bound you to truth," he replied. "No lies. No weakness. Your strength will now answer only to your will."
I swallowed. "And the cost?"
His eyes darkened.
"You will never be able to return to who you were."
I closed my eyes.The next attack came without warning.
Rogues burst from the treeline at dawn—fast, desperate, starving.
I felt them before I saw them.
Something inside me answered.
"Stay back," the Lycan King ordered.
I didn't.
The first wolf lunged.
I moved.
Not with thought—but instinct.
My claws tore through air. My body twisted unnaturally fast. I felt bone snap beneath my grip, felt hot blood spray my skin.
I froze.
I had killed him.
The others hesitated.
Then fear took them.
They ran.
I stood shaking, breath ragged, staring at my hands.
"What have I become?" I whispered.
The Lycan King approached slowly.
"Alive," he said. "And dangerous."
I turned to him, eyes burning.
"I didn't mean to kill him."
"You will," he said quietly, "if you hesitate next time."
Something inside me broke.
And something else hardened.That night, I couldn't sleep.
I sat on the stone steps, staring into the endless dark.
"You're afraid of me now," I said without looking back.
The Lycan King was there, as always.
"No."
"Then why do you keep your distance?"
He was silent for a long time.
Then he spoke.
"Because I've seen what happens when I grow close."
I turned. "To who?"
His jaw tightened.
"My mate," he said.
The word struck like lightning.
"She died because of me."
The wind howled between us.
"I loved her," he continued. "And the world punished her for it."
I stood slowly.
"So you won't let yourself care again."
His eyes met mine—dark, storm-filled.
"I won't let you die because of me."
My voice was soft.
"Too late."
For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then he turned away.Word spread.
The girl who survived the Lycan King.
The girl who killed without mercy.
The girl who carried his mark.
Wolves came.
Not to fight.
To kneel.
One by one, they lowered their heads before me.
I didn't ask for it.
I didn't want it.
But they saw something in me—something that scared them more than death.
A young warrior spoke, voice trembling.
"Lead us."
I looked to the Lycan King.
He said nothing.
So I answered.
"I won't rule you," I said. "But I won't protect cowards either."
They bowed deeper.
And just like that…
A pack was born.That night, I stood at the edge of the cliffs.
The moon was full.
"So this is how it begins," I murmured.
The Lycan King joined me.
"You're becoming something they can't control."
I turned to him.
"Does that scare you?"
He hesitated.
"Yes."
Silence stretched between us.
Then I asked the question I'd been avoiding.
"If I lose myself… will you stop me?"
His jaw tightened.
"I will try."
"And if you fail?"
His voice dropped.
"Then I'll die with you."
The air thickened.
The bond between us pulsed—dangerous, unspoken, inevitable.
Below us, the world waited.
And far away…
Alpha Darius felt it.
The shift.
The coming storm.
And for the first time—
He was afraid.