Isla's POV
I drop the wine tray.
Crystal glasses shatter across the marble floor, red wine spreading like blood. My hands shake so badly I can't hold anything.
"Stupid girl!" Another servant hisses, shoving a new tray into my arms. "Don't mess this up or we'll all be punished!"
I want to tell her I'm terrified. That I've never served at a royal ceremony before. That my weak wolf is making me dizzy and sick. But I just nod and press myself against the cold stone wall.
The Sacred Moon Temple is more beautiful than anything I've ever imagined. Moonlight pours through the crystal dome like liquid silver. Golden candles float in the air without anything holding them up—magic I've only heard about in stories. Hundreds of nobles fill the space in silk gowns and jeweled suits.
And I'm here in my plain black servant dress, trying to be invisible.
Just pour wine when they ask. Don't look at anyone. Don't speak unless spoken to.
The same rules I've followed my whole life.
A trumpet sounds, and everyone turns toward the entrance.
Princess Seraphina glides through the massive doors.
She's stunning. Her silver gown sparkles with diamonds. Her golden hair flows down her back in perfect waves. She walks like she's floating, her head held high, a confident smile on her red lips.
Every single noble bows as she passes.
"The future queen," someone whispers near me.
"So perfect for the Wolf King."
"Finally, someone worthy of the throne."
My chest tightens with something I don't want to name. Jealousy? No, I have no right to be jealous. She's everything I'm not—beautiful, powerful, confident. She belongs here.
I don't.
Seraphina takes her place near the altar, and that's when I see him for the first time.
The Wolf King sits on a throne of black stone. He's terrifying—broad shoulders, cold silver eyes, jaw set in hard lines. They say he killed a hundred enemies when he was barely older than me. That he's ruthless and cruel and cares about nothing except power.
He looks exactly like someone who could do all those things.
His eyes sweep across the crowd, and I shrink back further into the shadows. For a moment, his gaze passes over me, and I feel it like a physical touch. My wolf stirs inside me—the first time she's reacted to anything in years.
What's wrong with you? I ask her silently.
She doesn't answer. She just keeps pushing, restless and desperate.
The High Priestess steps forward. She's ancient, her white hair flowing to her feet, her eyes glowing with power. She raises her hands, and the entire temple falls silent.
"Tonight, we gather under the sacred moon," her voice echoes. "The goddess will choose the Wolf King's destined mate. The one whose soul matches his. The one who will stand beside him and protect our kingdom."
My heart pounds. I shouldn't care about this. It has nothing to do with me. But I can't look away.
"The Moon Blessing cannot be bought or earned," the priestess continues. "It cannot be forced or faked. The goddess sees into the depths of our hearts. She knows who we truly are."
The moonlight grows brighter, flooding through the dome until the whole temple glows silver. It's so beautiful it hurts to look at.
"She will mark her chosen one with the Moon's Kiss—a sacred bond that cannot be broken."
Princess Seraphina steps forward confidently. She lifts her chin, smiling like she already knows the outcome. The nobles whisper excitedly. Even the Wolf King leans forward slightly in his throne.
The priestess begins chanting in a language I don't understand. Ancient words that make the air vibrate with power. The moonlight swirls above us, gathering into a beam of pure silver light.
My wolf goes crazy inside me. She's clawing, pushing, trying to break free. I grip the wine tray tighter, afraid I'll drop it again.
Stop it, I beg her. Please, just stop.
But she won't. If anything, she gets worse.
The beam of moonlight descends slowly, like it's searching. Everyone holds their breath. The silence is so complete I can hear my own heartbeat.
The light moves toward Princess Seraphina.
She smiles wider, opening her arms to receive it.
The light gets closer. Closer.
Then it stops.
Just inches from Seraphina, the moonlight stops moving.
Confused whispers ripple through the crowd. The princess's smile falters. She looks up at the light, waiting.
The priestess's chanting grows louder, more urgent.
And then the moonlight does something impossible.
It turns.
Like a living thing, the beam pivots in mid-air. It sweeps across the temple, searching, hunting for something else.
My wolf screams inside me. Pain explodes through my body.
No, I think desperately. No, no, no—
The moonlight finds me.
It slams into my chest like a physical blow. I gasp, and the wine tray crashes to the floor. Crystal shatters everywhere. Red wine splashes across white marble.
But I barely notice because my skin is burning.
The Moon's Kiss sears into my flesh—my neck, my collarbone, spreading in intricate silver patterns that glow brighter than the moon itself. I scream and fall to my knees.
The pain is unbearable. Like being branded. Like my bones are breaking and reforming. Like something inside me is being ripped open.
When the burning finally stops, I look up with tears streaming down my face.
Every single person in the temple is staring at me in absolute horror.
The Moon's Kiss marks my skin, visible to everyone. The sacred symbol that means only one thing.
I'm the Wolf King's chosen mate.
Princess Seraphina's face twists with rage. "IMPOSSIBLE! She's NOTHING! She can't even shift properly!"
The nobles erupt in chaos.
"This must be a mistake!"
"The moon goddess would never choose a servant!"
"She used dark magic! She must have!"
Through the noise and confusion, I find his eyes.
The Wolf King is standing now, staring at me with an expression I can't read. Shock? Anger? Something else?
Our eyes lock, and the world tilts.
I feel everything. A pull so strong it steals my breath. Recognition that makes no sense. Like I've known him forever even though we've never met. Like we're connected by invisible threads.
My wolf finally breaks through, and I hear her voice clearly for the first time in my life:
MATE.
Then the temple doors explode inward.
Hooded figures pour through the entrance—ten, fifteen, maybe twenty of them. They move like shadows, fast and deadly.
And every single one of them has a weapon pointed at me.
"KILL THE FALSE CHOSEN!" Someone shouts.
The assassins charge.
Straight toward me.