DANE POV
Something was wrong with my wolf.
Reign was snarling inside my head, clawing at my mind like he wanted to rip free from my skin. That never happened. I was an Alpha—my wolf and I were supposed to be perfectly in sync.
But right now, as Sable Calloway pressed against my side claiming to be my fated mate, Reign was going absolutely insane.
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! he howled. Not her! NOT HER!
"Shut up," I growled internally, forcing a smile as Sable's father Corwin pumped my hand enthusiastically. The Beta was already talking about mating ceremonies and alliances, his face red with excitement.
I should be excited too. Sable was perfect—beautiful blonde hair, confident smile, the kind of girl who knew how to work a room. Every unmated wolf in the territory wanted her. Having her as my Luna would strengthen my position, especially since I'd only been Alpha for six months.
My father would have approved.
Father is dead, Reign snarled. And this female is WRONG!
"Are you alright, Alpha?" Sable's voice was honey-sweet as she touched my chest. Right where it had been hurting all night. "You look troubled."
"I'm fine." I pulled her closer, ignoring how Reign recoiled from her touch. "Just surprised. I didn't expect the Moon Goddess to bless me tonight."
That was true, at least. I'd come to the Lunar Gathering out of duty, not hoping for a mate. At twenty-three, I had years before anyone would question why I hadn't found my Luna. I had territory disputes to settle, pack politics to navigate, and a hundred responsibilities that came with being the youngest Alpha in five generations.
I didn't have time for mate bonds.
But now one had apparently found me anyway.
Except...
I didn't feel anything.
Shouldn't there be some kind of sign? A spark? Recognition? All the stories said mate bonds were undeniable—a pull so strong that nothing else mattered. But when I looked at Sable, I just saw a pretty girl. No cosmic connection. No overwhelming certainty.
Maybe it took time to develop?
"Come, Alpha!" Corwin boomed. "Let's announce this properly! The pack should celebrate!"
As Corwin pulled me toward the center of the bonfire, I caught sight of Sable's twin sister standing at the edge of the crowd.
Thea.
She looked like she'd seen a ghost. Her face was pale, her grey eyes huge and shocked. She clutched her chest like something hurt.
Yes! Her! THAT ONE! Reign suddenly stopped snarling and started howling instead. Go to her! NOW!
I stumbled, confused by my wolf's sudden shift. Why was Reign fixating on Thea? She was nothing like Sable—quiet where her sister was bold, plain where Sable sparkled, invisible where Sable commanded attention.
"Jealousy is so ugly," Sable whispered, following my gaze to her sister. "Poor Thea. She's never had anything of her own."
Something about those words made my chest hurt worse.
Before I could think about it, Corwin raised his voice: "Pack members! The Moon Goddess has blessed us tonight! My daughter Sable has found her fated mate—our Alpha Dane Thornbrook!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
I forced myself to smile, to accept congratulations, to play the role of happy Alpha who'd found his Luna. Sable beamed beside me, soaking up attention like she'd been born for it.
She probably had been.
Wrong wrong wrong, Reign whimpered now, no longer snarling but sounding... sad? We're making a mistake.
"Alpha Dane!" someone called from the crowd. "Kiss your mate! Make it official!"
The pack started chanting: "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
Sable turned to me, expectation shining in her green eyes. This was it—the moment that would seal everything. Once I kissed her in front of the pack, once I claimed her publicly, there would be no taking it back.
My eyes found Thea again without meaning to.
She was crying.
Silent tears streamed down her face, catching the firelight. She made no sound, didn't try to wipe them away. She just stood there, looking at me like I'd stabbed her through the heart.
Why did seeing her cry make me feel like I was dying?
Because she's— Reign started.
I kissed Sable.
The crowd went wild. Wolves howled. People clapped and cheered. Sable melted against me, her arms wrapping around my neck.
I felt nothing.
No spark. No bond. No cosmic certainty that this was right.
Just my wolf screaming in my head and a pain in my chest that kept getting worse.
When I pulled away from Sable, I looked for Thea again.
She was gone.
"Sable Calloway," I heard myself say, loud enough for the whole pack to hear. "I claim you as my chosen mate. In three weeks, we'll hold the mating ceremony and you'll become my Luna."
Perfect. Official. Binding.
So why did it feel like I'd just made the worst mistake of my life?
Sable pressed herself against me, whispering so only I could hear: "I'll make you so happy, Alpha. You'll never regret choosing me. I promise."
Something about the way she said "choosing" made my stomach turn.
Had I chosen her? Or had she chosen me?
Reign had gone silent in my head—a terrifying silence that felt like grief.
As the celebration continued around us, as wolves congratulated me and planned the ceremony, I caught a glimpse of movement at the forest's edge.
Thea, running.
Running like something was chasing her.
Running like her heart was broken.
And suddenly I remembered—right before Sable had grabbed my hand, right before everything went crazy, I'd been walking past the bonfire and felt something. An electric shock. A pull. A moment where my chest had exploded with pain and recognition and—
I'd looked up and seen grey eyes staring at me from across the fire.
Thea's eyes.
My heart stopped.
"Dane?" Sable's voice seemed far away. "Are you listening?"
But I wasn't listening to her. I was listening to the memory of what Reign had been trying to tell me all night.
The word my wolf had howled when I'd first felt that electric shock.
MATE.
Not when Sable grabbed my hand.
Before.
When I'd walked past Thea.
Oh gods. What had I done?