The night of the mating ceremony was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.
Instead, it became the night I died.
Not physically.
But as a wolf. As a mate. As a daughter of the pack.
The entire Silver Moon Pack stood under the bright full moon, their eyes shining with excitement. Tonight, Alpha Adrian would officially claim his mate.
Everyone believed that mate was me.
I had believed it too.
For years, I had endured the whispers—
"She's too weak."
"She has no wolf yet."
"She's not fit to stand beside the Alpha."
But fate had marked us. The Moon Goddess had chosen us.
Or so I thought.
Alpha Adrian stepped forward, tall, powerful, untouchable. His golden eyes met mine, but there was no warmth in them.
Only coldness.
Only rejection.
"I, Adrian Blackwood, reject you, Elara Nightfall, as my mate."
The words shattered through the silent forest like a blade through flesh.
Gasps echoed around us.
My heart stopped.
Pain exploded through my chest as the bond snapped violently. I dropped to my knees, unable to breathe.
Why?
Why would he do this?
"I refuse to be tied to a wolfless disgrace," he continued, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "She is not worthy of being Luna."
Laughter spread through the crowd.
Humiliation burned hotter than the rejection.
But then—
Something inside me awakened.
A growl.
Deep.
Ancient.
Powerful.
The ground beneath my hands cracked.
The air shifted.
And for the first time in my life…
I heard a voice inside my head.
"You are no omega."
"You were born Alpha."
My eyes slowly lifted to meet Adrian's shocked gaze.
And I smiled.But it wasn't a smile of defeat.
It was a promise.
A promise that this humiliation would not be the end of me.
The wind howled around the clearing, stronger than before. My hair lifted, silver light flickering faintly around my skin.
Murmurs spread through the pack.
"Do you feel that?"
"Her aura…"
Alpha Adrian took a step back.
Just one.
But I saw it.
Fear.
The bond he thought he had destroyed was not gone.
It had transformed.
My wolf rose inside me — no longer weak, no longer silent.
She was vast.
Dominant.
Unbreakable.
"You rejected the wrong girl," I whispered.
The moon above glowed brighter, almost as if answering me.
Power surged through my veins, ancient and royal.
I was not meant to stand beside an Alpha.
I was meant to become one.
And this—
This was only the beginning.The crowd slowly began to step back.
No one spoke now.
No one laughed.
The same people who had mocked me minutes ago avoided my eyes.
I could feel it clearly — my aura had changed.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Dominant.
Alpha Adrian's jaw tightened. "Control yourself," he ordered.
Ordered.
As if I still belonged under him.
I let out a soft, dangerous laugh.
"For years," I said, my voice echoing unnaturally, "you called me weak."
I took a step forward.
The earth trembled again.
"For years, you let them treat me like I was nothing."
Another step.
"And tonight, you thought rejecting me would break me."
His beta moved protectively in front of him.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
They were afraid.
Good.
Because I was done being the quiet girl in the shadows.
My wolf's presence wrapped around me like a crown.
Silver light shimmered faintly in the air.
An elder from the pack gasped.
"That aura… It feels like the old bloodline."
Whispers exploded again.
"The lost Alpha line…"
"Impossible."
But nothing felt impossible anymore.
The Moon Goddess had not cursed me.
She had hidden me.
Protected me.
Prepared me.
And now—
I was awake.
I straightened my shoulders and met Adrian's gaze one last time.
"You rejected your mate," I said calmly.
"But you also rejected your Queen."
Silence.
Heavy.
Deadly.
Then I turned around and walked away.
Not as a rejected omega.
Not as a broken girl.
But as something far more dangerous.
Behind me, I heard the first crack in his composure.
And I smiled again.
Because regret…
Was coming.That night, I did not return to the pack house.
Instead, I ran.
Deep into the forest.
The trees bent as I passed, the wind following me like a loyal guard.
My heart was no longer shattered.
It was burning.
Every step felt different.
Stronger.
Faster.
Alive.
I reached the clearing near the old stone ruins — a place even the bravest wolves avoided.
The air there felt ancient.
Sacred.
As soon as I stepped into the center, the ground beneath me glowed faintly silver.
My wolf surged forward.
"Shift," she commanded.
Pain exploded through my body — but it wasn't the weak, broken pain I had imagined for years.
It was powerful.
Glorious.
My bones cracked and reformed.
Light wrapped around me like armor.
And when the transformation was complete—
I was no ordinary wolf.
My fur shimmered under the moonlight.
Silver.
Radiant.
Royal.
Larger than any wolf in our pack.
Stronger than any Alpha I had ever seen.
I lifted my head and howled.
The sound echoed across the entire territory.
Back at the pack grounds, every wolf froze.
They felt it.
They felt me.
Not as an omega.
Not as a rejected mate.
But as something higher.
Something chosen.
Miles away, Adrian staggered as the pressure of my aura crashed into him.
For the first time in his life—
He bowed his head.
And he didn't even realize it.
I looked toward the direction of the pack one last time.
"You rejected me," I whispered into the wind.
"But you awakened a Queen."
The moon shone brighter.
And I knew—
This was only the start of a war he was never prepared to fight.