The moon was swollen and silver, hanging like an unblinking eye in the heavens. Its glow spilled over the clearing, painting fur, skin, and stone in pale light. The entire pack had gathered, hundreds strong, forming a living circle around the ritual ground. The sound of drums echoed through the night—slow, steady, like the heartbeat of the mountain itself.
I stood in the center of it all, clutching the ceremonial cup of moonwater in shaking hands. My breath misted in the cold night air, every exhale a reminder of how fragile I felt beneath so many eyes.
This was supposed to be the proudest night of my life.
The Night of Awakening. The night the Moon Goddess herself revealed our fates. Tonight, I would finally know the truth: who I was meant to belong to. Who I would stand beside. Who I was destined to love.
My heart raced as I dared to glance up. He was there.
Alpha Darius.
He stood at the head of the gathering, taller than any warrior, broader than any Beta. His presence was a weight, pressing down on the entire pack. Even standing still, he radiated dominance. The glow of the moon caught in his dark hair, casting his sharp jaw and proud features in pale silver light.
And those eyes—golden, bright, burning—looked carved from legend. They were the eyes of a man destined to lead.
My chest tightened painfully. The Goddess could not be so cruel as to deny me this. My heart whispered it, my blood sang it: please, let it be him.
The Eldress's voice carried across the circle, trembling with age but clear as the toll of a bell.
"Aria of the Hollowfang bloodline. Step forward, and let the Moon decide."
Whispers rippled through the crowd. I heard them—sharp, cutting, impossible to ignore.
"Hollowfang? They're nothing now."
"She's weak. Always has been."
"An Alpha's mate? Impossible."
My cheeks burned hot. My hands shook harder. I wanted to shrink, to vanish into the shadows. But the eyes of the Goddess were on me, and I forced myself to step forward.
The ritual circle was etched deep into the earth, glowing faintly with silver runes. My bare feet pressed against the cold stone as I moved to its center. The air here was heavier, thick with ancient power. It prickled against my skin and raised gooseflesh along my arms.
I raised the cup to my lips and drank.
The moonwater scorched its way down my throat, icy and burning all at once. The world lurched sideways, my body seizing, vision blurring. My mark—the faint crescent at my throat—flared, burning like fire. Light exploded inside me, filling my veins with silver fire until I could hardly breathe.
And then I heard it.
A voice, absolute and undeniable, whispered through the marrow of my bones:
"Fated Mate: Alpha Darius."
Gasps erupted from the gathered wolves. The drums faltered, then stopped altogether. A hush swept the circle, every head turning toward me, toward him.
My knees nearly buckled with relief. A sob caught in my throat, tears stinging my eyes. The Moon Goddess had heard me. She had chosen him. The strongest Alpha in generations. My Alpha. My destiny.
I turned toward him, my heart hammering, waiting for his gaze to soften, for his lips to curve in recognition, for the pack to see the pride on his face—
But his expression did not change.
Darius's golden eyes swept over me, sharp and cold, as if he were staring at a stranger. His lips curved—not in joy, not in awe, but in disdain.
He stepped forward, each stride heavy, deliberate. The ground seemed to tremble beneath his boots. The crowd fell silent, the only sound the crunch of gravel as he closed the distance between us. His shadow fell over me, swallowing me whole.
"So it's true." His voice was low, smooth, carrying easily across the circle. "The Goddess has chosen you."
Hope fluttered weakly in my chest. "Yes," I whispered, barely able to breathe.
And then his mouth twisted into a cruel smile.
"Pathetic."
The word cut sharper than any blade.
Murmurs rippled through the pack. My face flushed hot, my chest ached with the sudden crack in my hope.
I staggered back a step, clutching the cup to my chest. "W-what do you mean?"
He laughed, the sound harsh and merciless. "Did you truly believe fate would bind me to someone like you?" His gaze raked me up and down, filled with contempt. "Weak. Fragile. You nearly spilled the cup walking into the circle. How could a wolf like you ever stand as Luna at my side?"
Gasps. Whispers. The words spread like fire through dry grass.
My throat closed, but I forced out words, broken and desperate. "The Moon—she chose me—"
The Eldress stepped forward, horror on her face. "Alpha, the bond is sacred—"
But Darius silenced her with a single raised hand. His voice boomed, carrying to every wolf present.
"The bond is a mistake. And I will not chain myself to weakness."
He leaned closer, so only I could hear the venom dripping from his next words.
"You will never be my Luna."
And then, before the entire pack, he straightened, eyes burning with cold finality.
"I, Darius of the Silverfang Pack, reject this bond."
The words slammed into me like a blow.
Pain detonated in my chest, sharper than claws, deeper than fire. I screamed, collapsing to my knees as silver light flared across my skin, the threads of the bond snapping one by one. My wolf howled inside me, a sound of loss and agony that tore through my soul.
The laughter of the young warriors stung worse than the pain. Others turned their faces away, ashamed—or unwilling to stand against their Alpha. Not one reached for me. Not one defended me.
I clawed at the dirt, my vision swimming, tears spilling hot down my face. "Why?" I gasped. "Why would you—"
"Because the Goddess is blind," Darius said coldly. He turned his back on me, the final humiliation. "Take her away."
Two Betas moved forward, shadows looming over me. My body trembled too much to resist. The humiliation burned hotter than the pain in my chest.
But before their hands touched me, the moon above flared blinding white.
Light seared across the clearing, washing the runes, the wolves, the Alpha himself in silver fire. My body convulsed, my lungs locked, and the world vanished into darkness.
And then—
A voice rang through my head, cold and mechanical, etched into the very marrow of my bones.
> [Moon System Activated]
Condition: Survived Mate Rejection.
Reward: Strength +1, Willpower +5.
Quest: Rise from the ashes of rejection.
Failure: Death.
The agony dulled. Something new sparked inside me, curling like silver flame through my veins. Weak though my body was, broken though my heart felt, the spark would not fade.
I gasped, tasting iron and frost on my tongue. My chest heaved as power pulsed faintly beneath my skin.
I wasn't finished. Not yet.
For the first time in my life, I didn't feel weak.
For the first time, I felt chosen.
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