The air in the Moonstone pack house felt colder than usual.
Maybe it wasn't the air, maybe it was me.
I stood in the center of the great hall, the marble floor reflecting the dim glow of the chandeliers above. My palms were slick with sweat, my heartbeat a drumbeat in my chest. Every sound echoed, the shuffle of feet, the murmurs of the gathered wolves, the faint crackle of the fire that had no warmth tonight.
He stood across from me.
Alpha Kael.
My mate. My curse.
Kael's gray eyes, always unreadable, were shards of winter as they locked on me. There had been a time when I believed those eyes held galaxies, mysteries only my soul could unravel. But tonight, they looked at me as if I were something he'd already decided to discard.
"Say it," I whispered, though I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it.
He hesitated, jaw tightening. "Aria of the Moonstone pack…" He exhaled, his voice steady, sharp, final. "I, Alpha Kael of the Bloodridge pack, reject you as my mate."
For a heartbeat, I didn't breathe. The words hit like silver blades, slow, piercing, irreversible.
The murmurs grew louder behind me, whispers of disbelief and pity. Someone gasped. Someone else laughed bitterly, perhaps in relief that it wasn't them standing here.
Rejected.
The bond burned as if invisible fire tore through my veins. My wolf whimpered in agony deep within me, clawing to reach him, to beg, but I refused to let her. Not this time. My knees threatened to give way, but I stood still, swallowing the sob that clawed at my throat.
"Why?" I managed, my voice shaking.
Kael's gaze flickered, just once. "Because you're weak, Aria. And I need a Luna who can stand beside an Alpha, not hide behind one."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "Weak? Or not the one your council chose for you?"
His silence was answer enough.
Behind him, a woman stepped forward, tall, graceful, wrapped in crimson silk. Celene. The daughter of the High Beta, chosen, trained, perfect. My heart cracked at the sight of her hand sliding into his.
So that was it. Political gain. Power over bond.
"Under the Moon's witness, the rejection is sealed," Kael said. His tone was formal, empty.
A searing light flashed between us as the bond snapped. I gasped, clutching my chest as the pain tore through every nerve. It was more than heartbreak, it was soul-death.
The pack members bowed their heads. The ritual was done. My wolf howled within, fading into silence.
I straightened slowly. "You'll regret this," I whispered. My voice was small, but something ancient stirred beneath it, something defiant. "You've rejected me, Kael. But the Moon never forgets."
He didn't answer. He turned away.
I walked out of that hall with my heart in pieces, but my spine unbroken.
The night air outside was cold enough to bite. The moon hung low and red over the trees, watching. My hands trembled as I reached the forest's edge, collapsing beside an old oak. My body felt hollow, but somewhere in the emptiness, a spark flickered, a faint whisper from my wolf: Not the end. The beginning.
Tears blurred my vision as I looked up at the stars. "If the Moon made a mistake pairing me with him," I murmured, "then maybe she plans to correct it."
The wind shifted. Somewhere far away, a wolf howled, low, powerful, unfamiliar. It wasn't from my pack. The sound sent a strange shiver down my spine, both fear and… recognition.
Whoever he was, that howl felt like destiny answering back.
The stars were kinder that night, softer, as if the Moon herself was listening.
"You always watch the sky when you can't sleep," Kale said, his voice low behind me. I felt his warmth before I saw him, the familiar brush of his energy curling around mine.
"It reminds me that even the Moon changes," I whispered. "Maybe love does too."
He stepped closer, fingers grazing my wrist, gentle but firm, the kind of touch that used to quiet every storm inside me.
"Don't say that," he murmured. "Love doesn't change, Aria. People do. But not this." His forehead rested against mine, breath mingling with mine, hearts beating in that silent, sacred rhythm only mates know.
For a heartbeat, the world stopped. His scent, cedar and storm, wrapped around me. I believed every word.
"Then promise me," I said, my voice barely a tremor. "No matter what the Moon decides… you'll choose me."
His hand lingered against my cheek, trembling. "Always."
A promise that broke before dawn.
The forest rustled again. I rose, wiping my tears, and began to walk. I didn't know where I was going, only that I couldn't stay where I was unwanted.
Behind me, the Moonstone pack house glowed faintly in the distance, but ahead, the dark woods whispered a promise: survive, and rise.
If Kael had truly seen weakness in me, then he hadn't looked deep enough. Because weakness wasn't in my nature, it was in his belief that power came only from dominance.
I took one last look back.
Then I disappeared into the shadows.