(Luna's POV)
The night air was sharp with the smell of pine trees and damp earth. My feet sank into the forest floor as I ran, the cold air burning my lungs. My wolf stirred inside me, restless, urging me forward. The full moon glowed above the canopy, silver light cutting through the shadows.
I wasn't running for fun. I wasn't running for freedom.
I was running because tonight, everything would change.
My eighteenth birthday. The night of my first shift. And most importantly, the night I would discover my mate.
The mate bond. The thing every wolf was born craving. The one thread that tied us to fate. The bond that promised love, safety, and belonging.
But for me, it wasn't excitement that made my heart pound. It was fear.
"Luna, slow down!" I heard my best friend, Mariah, calling behind me. Her laugh carried through the night. "You're going to scare off your mate before you even meet him."
I stopped, leaning against a tree, trying to calm my racing heart. I forced a smile as she caught up to me.
"I just… I needed some air," I lied.
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "You're nervous."
Of course I was.
Because while most wolves dreamed of meeting their mate and being swept into happiness, I knew better. My mother had once been a Luna too, the mate of my father, Alpha Raoul. But love hadn't saved her. The mate bond hadn't protected her. She had died protecting me when I was a child, leaving me with scars that never healed.
I wasn't sure if fate had anything good in store for me.
Mariah squeezed my hand. "It's going to be fine. Whoever he is, he's going to fall at your feet."
I laughed softly, but it didn't reach my eyes.
The howl of the Alpha echoed in the distance, commanding all unmated wolves to gather. The ceremony was about to begin.
We walked together toward the heart of the forest where a clearing had been prepared. Lanterns hung from branches, glowing softly like stars. Wolves of every rank stood in a circle, their eyes glittering in the moonlight. I could feel the tension, the anticipation in the air.
At the center, Alpha Damien stood tall and proud. My breath caught when my eyes met his.
Damien Blackthorn. The Alpha of our pack. Strong, ruthless, feared by enemies, admired by everyone else. His dark hair fell just above his stormy gray eyes, and his sharp jaw made him look untouchable.
And yet, when my eyes locked with his, something inside me shifted.
A heat burned in my chest, spreading fast, consuming every nerve in my body. My wolf howled inside me, clawing at my soul with desperation and longing.
I froze.
No. It couldn't be.
But the truth hit me harder than any blow could.
Damien. My Alpha. My mate.
I gasped, clutching my chest as the bond pulled me toward him. My knees trembled, and I swayed on my feet. His eyes darkened, his nostrils flaring as he caught my scent. For a moment, he seemed just as stunned as I was.
"Mate," I whispered under my breath.
I waited for him to claim me, to say the word that would bind us together forever. The air between us sparked, heavy with tension. Every pair of eyes in the clearing shifted between us. The pack held its breath, waiting for the Alpha's reaction.
Damien's jaw clenched. His eyes hardened, and just like that, the warmth I felt from the bond turned cold.
"No," he growled.
The word pierced through me like a knife.
My heart stuttered, breaking before it even had the chance to hope.
Damien stepped forward, towering over me, his voice loud enough for the whole pack to hear.
"This cannot be."
The whispers started immediately. Gasps, shock, disbelief. The Alpha rejecting his mate? That never happened.
I stared at him, my throat tightening. "What… what do you mean?" My voice trembled, barely above a whisper.
His eyes locked on mine, cold and unyielding. "You are not fit to be my mate."
The bond inside me twisted painfully, like claws tearing through my chest. My wolf whimpered, thrashing in my head, confused and broken.
I stumbled back, my legs weak, tears burning behind my eyes.
"Damien…" I tried, my voice breaking.
But he turned away from me, dismissing me as if I was nothing.
"I will not accept her," he declared to the pack. His voice rang out with finality. "She is not my Luna."
The ground beneath me seemed to shatter.
Every wolf stared at me, pity and judgment in their eyes. Mariah reached for me, but I shook her off, unable to breathe. The bond was ripping me apart from the inside, screaming for a love that had been denied.
My mate. My Alpha. The one person fate had chosen for me… had just rejected me.
The pain was unbearable. My wolf howled in agony, a sound no one else could hear. My chest burned, every breath like knives.
I stumbled into the darkness of the forest, unable to face the eyes of the pack any longer. Branches scratched my skin as I ran blindly, my tears mixing with the night air.
My life had just changed forever.
Not because I had found my mate.
But because my mate had destroyed me.
And deep down, I knew this was only the beginning of my pain.