Isla's POV
"Don't embarrass me tonight, Isla."
My father's voice was a low growl, sharp as the blade of a knife. His thick fingers clamped around my wrist so tightly I bit my tongue to keep from crying out. He yanked me close until the musky scent of his wolf smothered me, until the heat of his dominance pressed against my chest like a boot grinding me into the dirt.
"Yes, Alpha," I whispered, lowering my head.
The full moon hung high above us, its pale light spilling down like silver fire across the gathering. Tonight was the Blood Moon Festival, the night packs from across the region gathered to feast, to laugh and most importantly, to find their fated mates. It was a night blessed by the Goddess herself. For some, it was the night their lives began.
For me, it was just another stage to bleed on.
My father released my wrist with a rough shove. "Stay silent. Stay out of sight. If you bring shame to me..." He didn't finish the threat. He didn't have to. His eyes promised pain if I failed him.
I dipped my head. "Yes, Alpha."
The clearing was alive with light and sound. Lanterns strung between trees flickered gold and crimson, casting dancing shadows over wolves dressed in their finest. The women shimmered in gowns of velvet and silk, their hair braided with gemstones that glimmered under the torches, while the men stood tall in embroidered tunics, boasting, drinking and laughing. The air smelled of roasted venison and spiced wine, but also of something heavier: anticipation.
I smoothed my ragged brown dress, though nothing could hide its frayed seams and threadbare fabric. It clung to me like shame, marking me as less than all the others. While they sparkled like royalty, I looked like the servant I was.
A tray of silver goblets was shoved into my hands by another maid. "Go," she muttered quickly, glancing nervously toward Logan.
I clutched the tray and stepped into the throng. Everywhere I moved, voices trailed me, each word heavy with scorn.
"Why is she even allowed here?"
"An Omega? At the festival?"
"Alpha Bruno must be desperate to keep her chained."
I kept my head down, my tray steady. My wolf stirred faintly inside me, uneasy but quiet. She hadn't spoken since the training ground earlier, but I could feel her bristling, restless, waiting for something I couldn't name.
I stopped at a table, offering wine to a group of Alphas but none of them took it. One waved me away as if I carried disease. Another sneered, his voice sharp enough to cut.
"Don't let her touch you. The curse might rub off."
The laughter that followed burned hotter than fire across my skin. I forced myself to walk away.
"Isla."
The voice froze me mid-step and it was Logan. He stood in the center of the clearing, dressed in black embroidered with silver thread, his broad shoulders framed by firelight. His golden hair gleamed, his eyes glittered and his jawline was carved like stone. He looked every inch the Alpha heir he was, every inch the leader the pack praised and every inch the monster I feared.
"Come here," Logan called, his voice carrying over the crowd. The chatter fell quiet. All eyes turned to me. "Come show everyone what the Goddess cursed us with."
My tray wobbled in my hands. My heart slammed against my ribs. Still, my legs moved, obeying even as my soul screamed no.
The warriors and guests shifted, clearing a path. Their eyes crawled over me as I walked, each step heavier than the last. By the time I reached Logan, I could barely breathe.
He sneered, his voice sharp with mockery. "Look at her. Daughter of our Alpha, born of noble blood and yet nothing more than a crawling Omega. A curse on Ivory Moon Pack."
The laughter that answered him rolled like thunder. My face burned hot, tears pricking my eyes, but I forced them back. I would not cry.
Logan stepped closer, his smirk cruel. "Tell me, sister, do you think the Goddess made a mistake when she gave you life?"
My lips trembled, but I said nothing. My silence was safer than words.
Then it hit a spark and a fire. My skin ignited, the air shifted and every nerve screamed as something ancient and powerful surged through me. My wolf snapped awake, howling one word so loud it shook me to the core... Mate.
My chest seized. My breath hitched. I looked up instinctively, straight into Logan's eyes.
His smile faltered, his body stilled and his pupils dilated while glowing faintly. His chest rose and fell, his nostrils flaring as if he'd caught a scent he couldn't escape.
The world stopped. Gasps erupted around us, horrified whispers swelling like a wave.
"No..."
"Impossible..."
"They're siblings!"
My tray slipped from my hands, silver goblets crashing against stone. Wine spilled across the ground, dark as blood under the moonlight.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head as my chest tore apart inside me. "No, no, no…"
Logan's face twisted with fury, his lips curled into a snarl and his voice boomed over the crowd.
"This is a mistake. She is no mate of mine!" The shock was instant. People staggered back, their eyes wide and their mouths open.
"I reject you, Isla," Logan spat, his words cutting deeper than any blade. "You're disgusting. A mistake of the Goddess. You will never be mine."
The rejection hit like claws ripping through my chest. My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, choking on air that burned like fire. My wolf whimpered inside me, howling in agony, but it wasn't over.
Logan stepped forward, his hand seizing my arm, jerking me upright. The instant his skin touched mine, the bond surged again, violent and wild. Sparks shot through me, blinding and burning. His wolf slammed against him so hard I felt it echo in my bones.
Logan's hand shook. His jaw clenched. His eyes glowed gold as his wolf roared inside him, desperate to claim me, to mark me, to make me his.
"Control yourself," he hissed through gritted teeth, though I didn't know if he spoke to me or to himself.
He shoved me backward, covering the moment with cruelty. "Stay away from me, curse. You'll rot alone."
The crowd stared, horrified and whispering, but none stepped forward and none helped me. I crumpled to the dirt again, gasping, tears streaking my face.
"Why me, Moon Goddess?" I whispered. "Why him?"
Logan's POV
She's ours... My wolf's voice, Ronan, thundered through my skull, relentless and savage. My wolf clawed at me, furious, desperate and roaring until my head split with the sound.
I stormed from the circle, my fists clenched, while my teeth ground so hard my jaw ached. Whispers followed me, but I didn't hear them; all I heard was him.
"You fool," Ronan snarled, his voice echoing in my blood. "You rejected her, our mate. You've damned us both!"
"No," I spat under my breath, shoving through the crowd. "She's nothing. She's filth."
"She's ours!" Ronan uttered.
"She's my sister!" I slammed my fist into a tree trunk, bark splintering under the force. Pain shot through my knuckles, but it didn't ground me. Nothing did. My chest burned, my skin crawled and my wolf clawed harder.
"You can't deny this bond," Ronan raged. "You felt it, the fire and the claim. She belongs to us!"
"I will never claim her." My voice was hoarse and ragged, but I meant every word.
"You'll destroy us both," Ronan warned, his growl vibrating through every nerve in my body.
"Then let us burn," I whispered. My chest heaved, my hands shaking. I pressed my forehead against the shattered bark, closing my eyes. "I'll burn the bond out of her if I have to."
Ronan snarled, furious. "You'll regret this and you'll beg for her before the end."
I squeezed my eyes shut. Her scent still clung to me, sweet and sharp, wrapping around me like chains and no matter how much I tried to deny it, deep down, I knew one truth.
I was already begging.
Isla's POV
As the festival continued, there was laughter and music all around. I saw mouths moving and lights flashing, but I heard nothing. All I could feel was the hollow ache in my chest. My wolf, Ava, whimpered low inside me, curling small and broken, and my body trembled where I knelt in the dirt like a child lost in the middle of a storm.
The rejection had not been words alone; it was a knife driven into my heart, cutting deeper than any claw and sharper than any blade. The dirt was cool under my skin and for one fragile moment, it was the only anchor I had in the chaos. My breath came unevenly and my lips were dry, but I forced the words out anyway.
"Why me, Moon Goddess?" My voice cracked, barely more than a whisper, lost to the drums and shouting around me. Tears streaked hot down my cheeks, dripping into the soil as if the earth itself might understand.
It was supposed to be a gift, a bond and a promise of love, of strength, of safety, but all I had been given was a chain and a curse.
I thought of his eyes when he spoke the rejection; it was cold and final. As if I were nothing, my wolf cried louder inside me. I wrapped my arms around myself, rocking slightly and wishing I could vanish into the ground.
The festival spun on without me, blind to my breaking and I, Isla, was left with only the dirt beneath my hand, the sting of tears on my face and a question that the Moon Goddess would never answer.
"Why him?"
What kind of goddess binds an omega to the very man who wants her gone? To the brother who looks at me with hatred sharp enough to kill?