The air was thick with anticipation.
I could feel it in every whispered breath, every watchful gaze lingered just a second too long. Tonight was the night—ths Mate Ceremony. The night every wolf dreamed of.
And the night that would destroy me.
My fingers trembled as I stepped into the center of the clearing, the moonlight pouring over me like judgment. The entire pack had gathered, forming a circle around the sacred ground. Torches flickered. Eyes burned.
Waiting.
Watching.
Judging.
"Step forward, Lira."
The Alpha's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Alpha Kael.
My mate.
Even before tonight, I had felt it—the pull. The invisible thread tying my soul to his. Strong. Unbreakable. Fate itself had chosen him for me.
And I… I had been foolish enough to feel happy about it.
I stepped forward, my legs unsteady, my breath shallow. Kael stood tall at the center, broad-shouldered, powerful, untouchable. The future Alpha King.
And now… my mate.
For a moment, our eyes met.
Gold met gold.
The bond sparked.
Electric.
Undeniable.
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
They felt it too.
Relief flooded my chest. He feels it. He knows.
This was it. My life was about to change.
I opened my mouth, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Alpha… I—"
"I, Alpha Kael of the Silverfang Pack," he interrupted coldly, his voice echoing across the clearing, "reject you."
The world… stopped.
At first, I thought I had misheard him.
The words didn't make sense. They twisted in the air, foreign and impossible.
"…what?"
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
My ears rang. My chest tightened painfully, as if something inside me was cracking apart.
Kael's gaze hardened, all warmth gone—if it had ever been there.
"I reject you, Lira," he repeated, louder this time. "As my mate."
The bond—
It snapped.
A sharp, invisible force tore through my chest, ripping the air from my lungs. I staggered back, a broken gasp escaping me as pain exploded through every nerve in my body.
It felt like dying.
No… worse than dying.
Because I was still alive to feel it.
Why…?" My voice trembled, barely holding together. "Why are you doing this…?"
A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Did you really think I would accept a weakling like you?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "A nobody? You would drag down this pack. You would drag me down."
Laughter broke out.
Soft at first.
Then louder.
Sharper.
Each sound cutting deeper than the last.
My vision blurred with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them.
Not in front of him.
"I didn't choose this," I whispered. "The Moon Goddess did—"
"Then she made a mistake."
The words struck harder than any blow.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Crushing.
I felt it then… the shift in the air.
The bond was gone.
Completely.
Like it had never existed.
Like I had never mattered.
"Get her out of my sight," Kael said, turning away as if I were nothing more than dirt beneath his feet.
Just like that.
It was over.
My mate… rejected me.
My knees buckled, but I forced myself to stand. I wouldn't fall. I wouldn't break—not where they could see me.
Not where he could see me.
Without another word, I turned and ran.
Past the crowd.
Past the whispers.
Past the laughters that chased me into the darkness of the forest.
Branched clawed at my skin as I ran deeper, faster, desperate to escape the pain tearing me apart from the inside.
My chest burned. My lungs screamed.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Because if I did—
I might shatter completely.
Finally, my legs gave out.
I collapsed onto the cold forest floor, my body trembling violently. The tears I had held back finally spilled, hot and unstoppable.
"Why…?" I choked, clutching my chest. "Why would you give me a mate… just to take him away?"
The moon hung high above me.
Silent.
Unforgiving.
And for the first time in my life…
I felt completely alone.
A sudden rustle echoed through the trees.
My breath hitched.
I froze.
Slow.
Heavy footsteps approached from the darkness.
Not one of my pack.
No…
Something else.
Something… dangerous.
A deep, chilling voice broke the silence.
"Well… this is interesting."
My heart stopped.
I wasn't alone.