The scent hit me before I saw him.
Pine and smoke. Raw, intoxicating, dangerous.
My wolf stirred instantly, claws raking against the inside of my skin. Mate.
I froze in the middle of the crowded hall, heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. Today was my eighteenth birthday—the day the Moon Goddess would reveal my mate. I had imagined this moment a thousand times in my head. I thought I would smile, run into his arms, and feel safe for the rest of my life.
I never imagined it would be him.
Alpha Kael Blackthorn.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. The most feared Alpha in the region—and the richest man in the werewolf world. His dark suit fit him like a second skin, the silver watch on his wrist glinting under the chandeliers. Every pair of eyes in the room followed him, yet his cold, grey gaze was locked on me.
For a heartbeat, I thought I saw something soften there. But then he blinked, and it was gone.
He walked straight toward me. People stepped aside like the sea parting for Moses. My breath caught when he stopped in front of me, his towering frame casting me in shadow.
"Aria Hale," he said, his deep voice rolling over my skin like a storm. "You're my mate."
The crowd gasped. Whispers rippled through the hall. My wolf purred in delight, pressing against me, urging me to accept him.
But then Kael's mouth curled into a smile so sharp it cut me to pieces.
"And I reject you."
The words were a blade to the chest. My knees almost buckled. Heat rushed to my cheeks, humiliation burning me from the inside out.
I stared at him, willing him to take it back. "What…?" My voice cracked.
"You heard me." His tone was clipped, businesslike, as if he were discussing a merger, not shattering my soul. "You're weak. The daughter of a disgraced Beta. You'd be a liability to me, to my pack. I don't mate with liabilities."
Gasps turned into murmurs. Some people smirked. Others looked away, unable to watch my public execution.
My wolf whimpered, retreating into the depths of my mind. My heart felt like it had been torn out and stomped on in front of everyone.
But I refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of him.
"Fine," I whispered, forcing steel into my voice. "Reject me, then. But one day, Alpha, you'll regret it."
Kael's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second—then he turned his back on me and walked away.
That was the moment something inside me died… and something else was born.
I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit, ignoring the eyes that burned holes into my back. The music resumed, as if my humiliation had been nothing more than an intermission. My ears caught snatches of whispered gossip:
"She should've known…"
"A Beta's daughter? What was she expecting?"
"Poor thing."
I clenched my fists, forcing my head high. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break.
The night air hit me like ice when I stepped outside. The crisp scent of pine was sharper here, tinged with damp earth and autumn leaves. My breath came in shaky bursts as I crossed the gravel path toward the forest edge.
"Aria!"
I stopped. My best friend, Lila, came running after me, her brown curls bouncing. She caught my arm, her eyes wide with worry. "Don't listen to him—Kael's an arrogant bastard. You didn't deserve that."
"I don't want to talk about it," I said, my voice flat.
She squeezed my arm. "Then at least let me walk you home—"
A deep, low growl sliced through the night.
Lila's words died on her lips. We both turned toward the trees. The darkness between the trunks seemed thicker, heavier… moving.
"Rogues," I breathed.
Three figures emerged from the shadows—tall, broad, with wild eyes and ragged clothes. Their scent was acrid, unwashed fur and blood. My wolf stirred weakly, still wounded from Kael's rejection, but fear forced my muscles to tense.
"Well, look what we've got here," one of them sneered, his voice a gravelly rasp. "Two little lambs, all alone."
Lila's grip on my arm tightened. "We need to run."
We backed away, but the rogues spread out, blocking the path to the pack house. My heart pounded. No one would hear us scream from here.
The leader stepped forward, his yellow eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "I'll take the pretty one." His gaze raked over me, and bile rose in my throat.
Something in me snapped.
Heat bloomed in my chest—wild, raw, burning. My vision sharpened, colors turning vivid, almost unreal. I could hear the thud of the rogue's heartbeat, the rustle of leaves behind him, the faint hum of power in the air.
My wolf surged forward—not weak anymore, but blazing with fury.
"Touch me," I growled, my voice lower, sharper, "and you'll lose that hand."
The rogue laughed, baring sharp teeth. "Or what, little pup?"
I didn't think. I moved.
One second he was reaching for me, the next a burst of white-hot light exploded from my hands, slamming into his chest. He flew backward, hitting a tree so hard the trunk shuddered.
The other rogues froze, eyes wide. Lila gasped, her fingers digging into my arm. "Aria… what was that?"
I stared at my hands, still tingling, faint traces of light dancing across my skin. "I… I don't know."
But before I could think, before I could breathe, another presence hit the clearing—a powerful aura that made the air hum.
Kael.
He emerged from the shadows like a predator, his eyes blazing silver. His gaze swept over me, then the fallen rogue, then back to me. "What the hell did you just do?"
I opened my mouth to answer—but the ground shook, and a deafening howl split the night.