"We will be mated tonight."For a heartbeat, I forget how to breathe. The words hang in the air like thunder before a storm. He seems calm, absolute, and devastating.I blink at him, certain I misheard. "W… what?"Xavier's expression doesn't shift. His voice is unbothered. "You heard me, Samantha. Tonight."My stomach twists. Tonight. The word echoes through my mind, soft and sharp at once.Every she-wolf dreams of this moment. The binding, the vows, the Moon Goddess's blessing. But for me, it doesn't feel real. It feels… wrong. Like a cruel fantasy I'll wake from too soon."Tonight?" I whisper again, barely trusting my voice.He nods once, as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "Go and eat. Prepare for the night. You'll be summoned when it's time."There's no warmth in his tone, no flicker of affection, only command.I nod because that's what's expected. My voice is lost somewhere between disbelief and fear. "Yes, Alpha."When he turns away, I'm left standing there, trembling.Just two nights ago, I was a nobody, a servant scrubbing floors, invisible to everyone.Now… I'm supposed to be mated to the Alpha. The thought feels too big to hold. Too fragile to believe.Maybe the Moon Goddess is playing some kind of cruel joke on me. Maybe this isn't destiny at all just another test of how much humiliation I can endure.The pack kitchen is alive with chatter when I step in, but the moment they see me, silence falls like a blade.Dozens of eyes turn toward me. Faces I've known my whole life, wolves who used to bark orders, not greetings. Their stares crawl over me, mocking, measuring, hating.Then the whispers begin."Oh look, the wolfless one thinks she's Luna now.""The Alpha must have gone mad."I keep my head down. My heart pounds in my throat, but I pretend not to hear. I've been invisible all my life and I can survive being hated too.Someone laughs under their breath. Another sticks a foot out.My body pitches forward, but I catch myself just in time. Their cruel laughter erupts, sharp and familiar.My cheeks burn, but I keep walking. If I stop, they win.A plate of food clatters onto the table in front of me — cold meat, stale bread, a cup of something that tastes faintly bitter. I swallow the first bite like it's gravel, forcing it down.I have survived worse, I tell myself. If this is the price to stand beside him, I'll pay it.I finish every bite, even when it makes me sick.When evening falls, two older women come for me. Their faces are blank. They were just here for their duty, not kind."Come," one says curtly. "The Alpha doesn't like to wait."They lead me to a small dressing room lit by a few flickering candles. Shadows dance on the walls, stretching thin and long. A folded white gown lies on the chair.It's simple, almost painfully so. Plain fabric, no lace, no jewels. It's not what I imagined the Luna of a powerful pack would wear. But maybe I was never meant to imagine such things at all."Is this for me?" I ask quietly.Neither woman answers. One gestures to the chair. "Sit."Their fingers are rough as they pull my hair back, tugging too hard, pricking my scalp. When I wince, one mutters under her breath, "You should be grateful that someone's even touching your hair."I bite my finger to keep from snapping. I taste blood and swallow it down with the tears threatening to spill but I drag them in. Not willing to see you then win when they're waiting for me to break.When they finish, they hand me the gown. "Change quickly. The Alpha doesn't like to wait."I slip it on, the fabric whispering over my skin like ghostly silk. It fits perfectly but feels foreign, like I'm wearing someone else's destiny."Follow," they command when I'm ready.No bridesmaids. No laughter. No music.Just the echo of my bare feet against the cold stone floor as they lead me outside.---The night air is cold enough to sting. My breath comes out in pale clouds as I walk the path to the sacred clearing.The forest looms on either side, silent but watching. The moon above is huge and blindingly bright, as if even She can't look away from what's about to happen.My white gown brushes the dirt, collecting dust and leaves.Each step feels heavier than the last.I think of all the mating ceremonies I've seen. The laughter, the music, the love. Even the way mates looked at each other like their souls had finally come home.This… isn't like that.This feels like walking to my judgment.My heart races so fast it hurts. What if he regrets it already? What if this is nothing but duty for him?And beneath it all, a smaller, crueler whisper: What if he never wanted me at all?I think of the whispers in the kitchen. Of the way Ashlyn Verse the beautiful, perfect Ashlyn looked at me earlier that day with that smirk."If the Moon Goddess truly made you Luna," she'd murmured, her voice dripping honey and venom, "then maybe She's not as perfect as we thought."Her words still sting. Maybe she's right. Maybe the Goddess made a mistake.But it's too late to undo it now.The trees open into the sacred clearing.Dozens of torches flicker, their flames bending to the cold wind. The elders stand in a semicircle, silent as statues. Their eyes track me as I step forward, the hem of my gown brushing against the damp earth.And Xavier is standing there at the center. He looks every inch the Alpha: tall, composed, radiating strength.But when his eyes meet mine, I can't read them. There's no softness there, no hint of warmth. Just a wall I can't climb.My throat tightens. I stop a few feet away, unsure if I should bow or speak or simply wait for whatever comes next.For a moment, the whole world feels suspended. Even the wind seems to hold its breath.Then he says quietly, "You came."It's not a question. Not even a welcome. Just a statement of fact."I…" My voice falters. "I was told to."Something flickers in his expression, something almost human, but it was gone before I can catch it.He takes a step closer. His scent, dark pine and storm air fills the space between us. "Do you regret it already?" he asks, voice low.The question hits harder than it should. Do I?My heart whispers no.My fear screams yes.But I can't give him either answer, so I just stare at the ground."I don't know what to feel," I admit quietly.He exhales slowly, the sound like a sigh swallowed by the wind. "Then feel nothing. It's easier that way."His words sting more than I expect. Feel nothing? As if that's even possible.But maybe that's the only way he knows how to survive, by burying every feeling deep enough to forget.I look up at him then, really look. He's beautiful in the way fire is beautiful — dangerous, mesmerizing, untouchable.And I realize, maybe this isn't love. Maybe this is something else entirely.But I can't back away now.I lift my chin and whisper, "If the Moon Goddess truly chose this path, then I'll walk it. Even if it burns."He watches me for a moment that feels eternal. Then, with the faintest nod, he turns toward the altar."Then let it begin."My heart hammers as I take the final step forward, the air thick and trembling around us.The moonlight spills down like judgment, silver and merciless, as I stand beside him, the wolfless Luna about to be bound to her Alpha.And somewhere deep inside me, a quiet thought stirs:If this is what destiny feels like… it's colder than I imagined.
