The moon hung heavy and silver over the Blackfang clearing, spilling its cold light over the gathered wolves. Every leaf, every shadow, seemed to shimmer as though the world itself held its breath. Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life the night I would be claimed as Luna, the mate of the Alpha.
I stood at the center of the circle, heart pounding, hands trembling. Around me, the pack formed a tight ring, faces bright with anticipation, or so I thought. Torches flickered against the darkness, casting dancing shadows that seemed almost alive. The scent of pine, fire, and wolf musk filled my senses, but none of it comforted me.
Alpha Kael stepped into the circle, tall and imposing, the golden firelight glinting in his eyes. He radiated power raw, undeniable, unyielding. My chest tightened. I had imagined this moment a thousand times, every hopeful scenario replaying in my mind. I would stand proud, my mate beside me, my place finally recognized, my life complete.
But reality had other plans.
"I, Alpha Kael of the Blackfang Pack," his voice echoed across the clearing, cutting through the murmurs of the pack, "reject Ayla as my mate and Luna."
The world stopped. My knees buckled beneath me, the ground suddenly foreign and cold. Whispers became gasps, gasps became murmurs, and murmurs turned to cruel laughter. I could feel every gaze on me friends, enemies, strangers alike all watching my humiliation.
"I… I don't understand," I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. My throat felt raw, my chest tight as if some invisible hand were crushing it. Every ounce of courage I had built for this moment evaporated into the night.
Kael's eyes bore into mine, indifferent, unflinching. "I will never accept a weak, wolfless omega as my Luna."
The words were a blade. Sharp, unforgiving. I stumbled back, falling to the earth, my hands scraping against the rough soil. Laughter erupted, not from a single source but a chorus of scorn. Someone spat at my feet. I shut my eyes, wishing desperately that I could vanish, that the earth would swallow me whole.
Tears burned my cheeks. Not just from humiliation, but from betrayal. I had trusted him. I had believed that we were bound, that destiny had somehow chosen us. And now… nothing.
The cold bit at my skin. The torches flickered violently as if reflecting the storm in my heart. Around me, the pack whispered, some sympathetic, most delighted at my misery. My ears picked up the snickers of those who had envied me, of those who had secretly wished for my downfall. I felt small. Weak. Invisible.
But amid the cacophony, something else stirred. subtle at first, like a faint pulse beneath my skin. A warmth. A vibration. Something ancient, stirring in the depths of my being. My vision blurred with tears, yet I could feel it, unmistakable. Something was awakening inside me, something they could not see, something they could not take.
I shivered, but not from the cold. My wolf instinct stirred, faint yet insistent, whispering that I was more than they knew. That I had power. That this rejection, this public scorn, was the beginning, not the end.
And then, I heard it. A soft, melodic voice in my mind, one that made the hair on my arms stand on end:
Child… it is time you awaken.
I froze. The world around me seemed to slow. The whispers, the laughter, even Kael's piercing gaze blurred at the edges. My heart pounded in a rhythm that did not match my own. My breathing caught. What… what was this?
I looked down at my hands. The skin tingled, and the blood that had dried on my palms seemed to pulse with a strange energy. My senses expanded. I could hear the distant pack guards whispering. I could smell the forest beyond the clearing moss, earth, hidden prey. I could feel… the moon. It called to me. Not as a lover, not as a friend, but as something ancient, something powerful.
I wanted to cry, scream, run, but my body refused. It listened. It waited. And the voice whispered again:
Do not fear, child. You are Moon-bound. The power within you has slept for too long.
Moon-bound? Power? The words meant nothing yet everything. I wanted to run, to escape the humiliating gaze of everyone here, but my legs moved as if on their own, drawn by a force I did not understand.
Kael's laughter had ceased. Now, his eyes narrowed, something flickering in them curiosity, fear? I could not tell. Around us, the pack murmured, uneasy, sensing a shift they could not define. Even the torches seemed to flare brighter.
I wanted to deny it all. But a small voice inside me whispered: You are not weak. You will rise.
I stumbled to my feet, unsteady but determined. Pain clawed at my chest, but anger burned brighter. This was not the end of me. Not by his hand, not by anyone's. I would awaken. I would grow strong. And when I returned, the same Alpha who spat on me would see… everything.
The clearing seemed to fade around me. My vision blurred with tears and fury, but one thing was clear: my life would never be the same again.
The Moon hung over the Blackfang pack, full and luminous, bathing me in silver light. It whispered promises I did not yet understand, but I felt them in my bones.
It is time…
And as I fell to my knees, trembling yet alive, I felt the first stirrings of power that would change everything.