The moon cast an eerie red glow over the stone courtyard as Aria stood trembling in her shredded ceremonial gown. Her mate mark, once glowing with warmth, had faded entirely — as if Lucien had never been bound to her at all.
She was no longer his Luna.
No longer anything.
Behind her, the entire Nightfang Pack watched in silence. Some whispered in pity. Others looked away, ashamed. But not one of them stepped forward to stop what was about to happen.
"You have shamed our bloodline," Lucien growled, voice like stone. "Your presence weakens the pack. You are hereby… banished."
Aria's heart stopped.
Her wolf, Mira, whimpered deep within. We were supposed to rule beside him. He was our fate…
"I gave up everything for you," she whispered, her voice cracking. "My loyalty. My heart. My future."
Lucien didn't flinch.
From the shadows, Lucien's new chosen — Serena — stepped forward. Draped in a silver robe, smug satisfaction glittered in her eyes.
"I'll give the Alpha what he truly deserves," Serena purred. "Strength. Status. Obedience."
Guards approached Aria. Chains clinked in their hands.
"No," Aria said, stepping back. "I did nothing wrong."
"You were never enough," Lucien sneered, turning his back on her. "And you never will be."
Suddenly, the red moon pulsed brighter — unnaturally bright — and the ground beneath her feet cracked slightly. A wind unlike any she'd felt before surged through the courtyard, scattering leaves, howling with something… ancient.
Everyone froze.
From the darkness beyond the trees, a pair of burning crimson eyes opened.
Aria turned slowly, drawn by a force both terrifying and magnetic.
"She is not yours to cast aside, Alpha," came a voice that didn't belong in this world. It echoed inside her bones, soft and demonic, seductive and sovereign.
Gasps rang out.
A tall, shadowed figure stepped forward from the night — cloaked in black flames, radiating a presence no werewolf dared challenge.
Lucien's eyes widened. "That's… that's not a wolf."
The figure looked directly at Aria.
"You've been rejected by one Alpha," he said, his voice like velvet over steel. "Now rise, Aria… and be chosen by something far greater."