The mirror didn't lie, but tonight I almost wished it would.
I stood in my bedroom, staring at my reflection in the full-length antique mirror that had belonged to my mother. The silver dress hugged my body like liquid moonlight, its intricate beadwork catching the soft glow from the chandelier above. My silver-white hair fell in careful waves down my back, and my violet eyes—the Montenegro family trademark—looked bigger than usual against my pale skin.
Twenty-one years old as of exactly... I glanced at the ornate clock on my dresser. Exactly three hours and seventeen minutes ago.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart."
I turned to find my father, Alpha Marcus Montenegro, standing in the doorway. Even in his formal black suit, he commanded attention—all six feet and one inch of him radiating the kind of power that made other werewolves instinctively bow their heads. His silver-gray hair was perfectly styled, and his deep purple eyes, so similar to mine, held a mixture of pride and something else I couldn't quite identify.
Worry, maybe?
"Dad." I smoothed down the dress one more time, my hands trembling slightly. "Do you think... do you think he'll be there tonight?"
"Your mate?" Dad's expression softened just a fraction. "If the Moon Goddess wills it, then yes. But Aria, remember what we've discussed. The mate bond is sacred, but it's also political. Whoever your fated mate turns out to be, this union will affect the entire Silver Creek pack."
Right. Because heaven forbid I get to have a normal twenty-first birthday where the biggest worry is whether I'll get too drunk on champagne.
"I know, Dad. Pack first, personal feelings second." The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I'd been hearing them my entire life. "I won't let you down."
"You never could." He stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Your mother would be so proud."
The familiar ache squeezed my chest. Mom had died when I was five, killed by werewolf hunters who'd tracked our pack to a family camping trip. But that wasn't the only tragedy that haunted our family.
"Dad," I said carefully, "what if my mate turns out to be... complicated? What if he's from a pack that doesn't align with our interests?"
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Like the Blackwoods, you mean?"
My blood chilled. The Blackwood name was rarely spoken in our house, and never without a shadow of old pain crossing Dad's face. "I was just thinking hypothetically—"
"There's nothing hypothetical about hatred that runs three generations deep, Aria." His purple eyes darkened. "Damien Blackwood killed my brother in cold blood during the territorial wars. His son Kai carries that same violence in his veins. If the Moon Goddess is cruel enough to bind you to that bloodline..." He shook his head. "Let's pray she's wiser than that."
I'd heard whispers about Uncle Richard's death, but Dad never spoke of it directly. The way his hands clenched into fists now told me everything I needed to know about the depth of that wound.
"Your mother would be so proud," he repeated, but his voice carried a weight of worry now. "She always said our bloodline was special. That you would be special."
"The ceremony begins in twenty minutes," Dad continued, checking his expensive watch. "Are you ready?"
Was anyone ever ready to potentially meet their soulmate in front of two hundred pack members, visiting dignitaries, and whatever political allies Dad had invited to witness this spectacle?
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Dad nodded and headed for the door, pausing at the threshold. "Aria? Whatever happens tonight, remember that you are a Montenegro. You are the future Luna of Silver Creek. And you are stronger than you know."
Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my reflection and my racing heart.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my clutch, and headed downstairs.
The Silver Creek estate had been transformed into something out of a fairy tale. Hundreds of white roses and silver ribbons decorated every surface, and soft classical music drifted from the string quartet positioned near the grand staircase. The main ballroom's french doors had been thrown open to reveal the gardens beyond, where more guests mingled under strands of twinkling lights.
But the real action was happening on the back lawn, where a raised platform had been erected under the full moon. Ancient stone circles marked the sacred space, and burning torches cast dancing shadows across the assembled crowd. This was where the official ceremony would take place—where I would officially come of age as a werewolf and, hopefully, find my fated mate.
"Aria! Oh my god, you look incredible!"
I turned to find my best friend Sophia rushing toward me, her dark curls bouncing with each step. She wore a deep blue dress that complemented her olive skin, and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement.
"So do you," I said, accepting her enthusiastic hug. "Thank you for being here."
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world." She pulled back and studied my face. "How are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Ready to find Prince Charming?"
"All of the above?" I laughed, but it sounded forced even to my own ears. "What if he doesn't show up, Soph? What if I'm one of those unlucky wolves who doesn't have a fated mate?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Sophia waved a dismissive hand. "Look at you. You're gorgeous, intelligent, powerful, and you're going to be a Luna. Any male would be lucky to have you as their mate."
If only it were that simple.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice boomed across the lawn. "Please gather for the Awakening Ceremony."
My stomach flipped. This was it.
Sophia squeezed my hand. "You've got this."
I made my way through the crowd, accepting congratulations and well-wishes from pack members and allies. I recognized faces from other packs—the Cascade Mountain wolves from the north, the Olympic Peninsula coastal pack, even a few international visitors. Dad had really pulled out all the stops for this.
The platform glowed under the moonlight, ancient symbols carved into its wooden surface seeming to pulse with their own inner light. Elder Patricia, our pack's spiritual leader, stood at the center wearing flowing white robes. In her hands, she held a silver chalice that had been in our pack for over three centuries.
"Aria Montenegro," she called, her voice carrying clearly across the silent crowd. "Step forward, child of the moon."
My legs felt like jelly, but I climbed the steps and took my place in the center of the circle. The assembled wolves formed a ring around the platform, their eyes reflecting the torchlight as they watched my every move.
"Twenty-one years ago, you were born under the blessing of the full moon," Elder Patricia began, her weathered hands steady as she lifted the chalice. "Tonight, we celebrate your passage into full adulthood, and we call upon the Moon Goddess to reveal your destined path."
She handed me the chalice. The silver was warm against my palms, and the liquid inside—a mixture of wine, herbs, and something that smelled like starlight—glowed faintly.
"Drink, and awaken to your true nature."
I raised the chalice to my lips and drank. The liquid burned going down, but it was a good burn, like sunshine in my veins. Almost immediately, I felt something shift inside me. My senses sharpened—I could hear individual heartbeats in the crowd, smell the distinct scent signature of every person present, see details in the darkness that would have been invisible moments before.
This was it. This was what it felt like to be a fully awakened werewolf.
But something else was happening too. A strange tingling sensation spread across my skin, starting from the moon-shaped birthmark on my left shoulder blade and radiating outward. The mark grew warm, then hot, then began to pulse with an ethereal silver light that made my dress seem to glow.
Several people in the crowd gasped audibly. I heard Elder Patricia's sharp intake of breath, and someone whispered, "Blessed Moon, it's true. The old bloodlines live."
"Now," Elder Patricia said, her voice taking on an otherworldly quality that hadn't been there moments before, "we call upon the Moon Goddess to reveal your fated mate, should they be present among us."
The tingling intensified, and the silver light from my birthmark grew brighter. My heart hammered against my ribs as I scanned the crowd, my newly awakened senses searching for... what? Some kind of sign? A bolt of lightning? A choir of angels?
What I got instead was a scent that made the silver light flare so brilliantly that several wolves shielded their eyes.
Pine and storm clouds. Wild wind and something darker, more dangerous. It hit me like a physical blow, so intense that I actually staggered backward. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to find the source, to follow that intoxicating smell until I could wrap myself in it and never let go.
My mate. He was here.
I turned in a slow circle, my newly awakened senses searching desperately. The scent grew stronger as I faced the back of the crowd, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw him.
Tall. Dark-haired. Golden eyes that seemed to glow in the torchlight.
And wearing the wrong colors.
Because while everyone else at my ceremony wore silver—the color of my pack—this man wore deep blue and black. Shadowmoon colors.
No. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening.
But even as my mind rebelled against what I was seeing, my body knew the truth. The mate bond snapped into place like a rubber band pulled too tight, and I felt his shock echo through the connection.
Kai Blackwood. Heir to the Shadowmoon pack. Son of the man who'd tried to kill my father six years ago.
My fated mate.
The crowd had gone completely silent, but it wasn't just because of the mate bond. I could feel their stares, see the mixture of awe and fear in their eyes as they looked at the silver light still emanating from my birthmark. When I glanced at Elder Patricia, she was staring at me with something approaching reverence.
"The Moonlight Bloodline," she whispered, loud enough for the front rows to hear. "I never thought I'd live to see it awakened."
Moonlight Bloodline? What did that mean? But before I could ask, I was distracted by the crowd parting like the Red Sea as people noticed where my gaze had landed.
All I could focus on was him—the way his jaw tightened as he stared back at me, the way his hands clenched into fists at his sides. But now I noticed something else too: he didn't look surprised by my glowing birthmark. While everyone else gaped in shock, Kai Blackwood looked like he'd been expecting this all along.
He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world.
"Aria." Dad's voice cut through the noise, sharp with warning. I turned to find him pushing through the crowd, his face a mask of barely controlled fury. "Step down from the platform. Now."
But I couldn't move. The mate bond hummed between Kai and me like a live wire, and despite everything—despite the politics and the history and the fact that this was literally the worst possible outcome—I felt drawn to him.
He was beautiful. Dangerous. And he was looking at me like I was some kind of disease he'd just discovered he'd been infected with.
"Well," Elder Patricia said, her voice cutting through the tension. "This is... unexpected."
Unexpected. Right. That was one way to put it.
I finally found my voice. "Kai Blackwood."
He inclined his head slightly, a mockery of politeness. "Aria Montenegro."
Even the way he said my name—flat, emotionless—felt like a slap.
"What are you doing here?" Dad had reached the platform now, and his alpha power pressed against the assembled crowd like a weight. "This is a private ceremony."
"I was invited." Kai's voice was smooth, cultured, with just a hint of an accent I couldn't place. But there was something in his tone—a carefully controlled quality that made me wonder if he was telling the complete truth. "Your daughter's coming of age is big news in the supernatural community."
"Invited by whom?" Dad's voice was deadly quiet.
Kai's lips curved in what might have been a smile, but there was no warmth in it. "Does it matter? I'm here now."
The evasion sent a chill down my spine. Most wolves would never dare speak to an Alpha with such casual disrespect, especially not on his own territory. Either Kai Blackwood was incredibly arrogant, or he had a very specific reason for being here that he didn't want to share.
"Did you know?" I found myself asking. "Before tonight, did you know it was me?"
Something flickered in his golden eyes—pain, maybe, or regret. But beneath it, I caught a flash of something else. Something that looked almost like... guilt?
"Did I know you were my fated mate?" His voice was carefully neutral. "No. I didn't know that."
The way he phrased it made my skin prickle. He'd answered my question without really answering it at all. What wasn't he telling me?
The mate bond throbbed between us, and I saw him wince slightly. Good. At least I wasn't the only one being tortured by this cosmic joke.
"This changes things," Elder Patricia murmured, and I realized she was speaking to Dad. "The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes. If she's chosen to bind these two..."
"The Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humor," Dad bit out. He looked at me, and for the first time in my life, I saw my father look truly lost. "Aria, come down. We need to discuss this privately."
But I wasn't ready to leave. Not yet. Because despite everything, despite the impossibility of the situation, I needed to know.
"Do you feel it?" I asked Kai, my voice barely above a whisper. "The bond?"
His jaw tightened. "Yes."
"And?"
"And nothing." His golden eyes were cold as winter. "Feeling something and acting on it are two different things."
The words hit me like ice water. I'd been preparing for this moment my entire life—dreaming about meeting my fated mate, wondering what he'd be like, imagining the fairy tale romance that would follow. Instead, I got the one man in the world who was guaranteed to break my heart.
"I see." I lifted my chin, drawing on every lesson Dad had ever taught me about dignity under pressure. "Thank you for clarifying."
I turned to step down from the platform, but Kai's voice stopped me.
"Aria."
I looked back at him, hating the way my heart leaped at the sound of my name on his lips.
"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "I'm sorry."
Sorry for what? For being my mate? For not wanting me? For the fact that our families had been at each other's throats for decades?
All of the above, probably.
"So am I," I managed, and then I was walking down the platform steps on unsteady legs, the whispers of the crowd washing over me like a tide.
Dad was immediately at my side, his hand steady on my elbow. "We're leaving. Now."
But as we made our way through the crowd, I couldn't resist one last look back. Kai was still standing where I'd left him, his dark hair gleaming in the moonlight. Even from a distance, I could feel the pull of the mate bond, urging me to go back, to fight for this connection the Moon Goddess had given us.
Instead, I let Dad lead me away from the crowd, away from the ceremony, away from the man who was apparently my destiny but wanted nothing to do with me.
Behind us, I heard Elder Patricia's voice ring out across the lawn: "The ceremony is concluded. Please join us inside for refreshments."
Just like that, my twenty-first birthday—the most important day of my life—was over.
And I'd never felt more alone.
"This is a disaster."
Dad was pacing back and forth across his study, his usual composure completely shattered. I sat curled in one of the leather armchairs, still wearing my silver dress, still feeling the phantom pull of the mate bond even though Kai had left an hour ago.
"The Shadowmoon pack," Dad continued, running his hands through his hair. "Of all the males in the supernatural world, why did it have to be Damien Blackwood's son? After what his family did to ours—after Richard—" He cut himself off, but the damage was done.
"Tell me about Uncle Richard," I said quietly. "The whole truth this time."
Dad stopped pacing and looked at me with haunted eyes. "Your uncle was going to be mated to Damien's sister, Elena. It would have ended the territorial wars, brought peace between our packs. But the night before their mating ceremony, Damien accused Richard of attacking Elena, of trying to force the bond. It was a lie—Elena herself said so later—but by then it was too late. Damien had already challenged Richard to a death match."
"And Uncle Richard lost."
"Richard was a healer, not a warrior. Damien knew that when he issued the challenge." Dad's voice turned bitter. "Elena tried to stop it, but pack law had been invoked. We watched Damien Blackwood tear my brother apart while his son stood beside him and smiled."
My blood ran cold. "Kai was there?"
"He was fourteen. Old enough to understand what he was witnessing. Old enough to choose." Dad met my eyes. "And he chose to stand with his father's lies."
The mate bond throbbed painfully in my chest. How could the Moon Goddess bind me to someone whose family had destroyed mine?
"How are you feeling? Are you... is the bond painful?"
It was, actually. Like a constant ache in my chest, as if something vital had been torn away. But I wasn't about to admit that to Dad when he was already looking like he might have a stroke.
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. No one would be fine in this situation." He resumed pacing. "We'll figure this out. There have to be options. Mate bonds can be rejected, though it's rare..."
"Dad." I stood up, smoothing down my dress. "I'm going to bed."
"Aria, we need to discuss—"
"Not tonight." I was exhausted, emotionally drained, and the last thing I wanted was to spend the next three hours discussing the political ramifications of my cosmic bad luck. "Tomorrow. We'll figure it out tomorrow."
Dad looked like he wanted to argue, but something in my expression must have stopped him. "All right. Get some rest. We'll... we'll handle this."
I made it halfway to the door before his voice stopped me.
"Aria? I know this isn't what you wanted. What you dreamed of. But sometimes the Moon Goddess has plans we can't understand."
I turned back to look at him—this man who'd raised me, protected me, taught me everything I knew about strength and leadership. "What if her plan is for me to suffer?"
"Then we'll find a way to change it."
I nodded and headed upstairs, but I couldn't shake the feeling that some things—like fate, like destiny, like the golden-eyed man who'd looked at me like I was his worst nightmare—were beyond even my father's considerable power to control.
In my room, I finally allowed myself to fall apart. I sat on the edge of my bed, still in my beautiful silver dress, and cried for the fairy tale that would never be. For the love story that had ended before it began. For the mate who wanted nothing to do with me.
But as the tears fell, questions began to surface through my grief. Why had Kai been so evasive about who invited him? Why had he looked unsurprised by my glowing birthmark when everyone else was shocked? And what had Elder Patricia meant about the Moonlight Bloodline?
I stood and walked to my mirror, turning to look at my shoulder blade. The moon-shaped birthmark was still there, pale silver against my skin, but now it seemed different somehow. More defined. As if the awakening ceremony had changed something fundamental about what I was.
The Mark of the Moon Goddess, my mother used to call it. She'd always said I was special, that our bloodline carried ancient power. I'd assumed it was just the usual parental pride, but what if she'd meant something more literal?
And somewhere, in the depths of my despair, I felt something else stirring. Something that made the moon-shaped birthmark pulse with warm, silver light again. Something that whispered of power, and destiny, and the fact that maybe—just maybe—Kai Blackwood had made a mistake he would live to regret.
The Montenegros weren't called the Silver Moon pack for nothing. And if Kai thought he could reject me and walk away unscathed, he was about to learn exactly what that heritage meant.
But that was a story for tomorrow.
Tonight, I just cried.