CHAPTER 1:
( The Rite at Lunareth Mirror)
The wolves of Varkryth Pack gathered beside the lake known as Lunareth Mirror on a night that would change everything. The full moon was high in the sky, shining bright and watchful, casting a silver glow across the water. The lake's surface reflected the sky so clearly that it looked like another world beneath it. Tonight was the Rite of the Silver Ascension, a ritual where the elders called upon the Moon Goddess to awaken mate bonds. Every wolf in the pack had to attend if you were an Alpha, a warrior, or an Omega like me.
I stood near the back of the clearing with the low-ranked wolves, my arms folded loosely as I waited for the ceremony to start. I didn't expect anything from the night. The ritual was important for wolves especially those hoping to find their fated mate.. I had accepted that fate rarely paid attention to Omegas. My wolf was quiet inside me, calm and uninterested. The pack buzzed with excitement around me. Warriors spoke in voices. Young wolves stood closer to the lake eager to be chosen by destiny.
The elders stood at the water's edge in robes, preparing the ritual herbs to be cast into the lake. The air smelled of pine, smoke, and wolf scent. An owl cried out somewhere in the forest. The sound of the lake gently brushing the rocks was the peaceful thing in the clearing. Then the energy shifted. Conversations died down. Heads turned toward the path leading into the clearing. Dominance rolled through the air like thunder. Even my wolf stirred slightly in response. Only one wolf could cause that kind of powerful reaction. Alpha Draevor Kaelith.
He stepped into the clearing like a shadow beneath the moon. Tall, broad-shouldered, and powerful, his presence silenced the pack. Warriors lowered their gazes as he passed. Even the Betas straightened when he approached the lake. Draevor ruled Varkryth with authority. No one challenged him. No one questioned him. His wolf was one of the strongest in the territories. I kept my eyes lowered like any Omega should when the Alpha was near.
The elders began the ritual soon after he arrived. Their voices rose in chants as they called upon the Moon Goddess to awaken the sleeping bonds among her wolves. Silver dust from crushed moon herbs drifted into the air. Settled over the lake. The water shimmered faintly beneath the moon. Wolves stepped forward one at a time when the elders called their names. Most returned to the crowd unchanged. The mate bond didn't awaken for everyone.
I watched quietly waiting for the night to pass. Then something strange happened. A scent drifted across the clearing. It was sharp, powerful, and impossible to ignore. Pine and cold steel with something beneath it. My chest tightened suddenly. My wolf stirred again stronger this time. I frowned slightly, shifting my weight. Why was my body reacting like this?
The scent grew stronger. My pulse quickened without warning. My wolf moved restlessly beneath my skin. Across the clearing, Alpha Draevor suddenly stopped moving. His head lifted slowly as he inhaled deeply, his silver eyes scanning the crowd. The pack fell quiet again. Something was wrong. I could feel it in the air. The Alpha wolf was reacting to something.
My heart began to race for no reason I could understand. The scent surrounded me now overwhelming my senses. My wolf pushed forward suddenly, alert and restless. A strange warmth spread through my chest. Across the clearing Draevor's gaze swept across the wolves gathered near the lake. When his eyes landed on me his entire body went still.
The moment our gazes met my wolf surged forward violently. Mate. The word exploded through my mind so loudly it nearly knocked the breath out of me. My knees nearly buckled. Panic rushed through me. No. That couldn't be right. Mate bonds didn't work like this. Not between an Omega and the Alpha of the pack.
My wolf repeated the word stronger this time. Mate. Gasps rippled through the clearing as other wolves sensed the bond forming between us. Their instincts were sharper than mine. They could feel the connection rising between the two wolves chosen by fate. "The Alpha has found his mate " someone whispered.
My heart pounded hard and it hurt. Across the clearing, Draevors' wolf surged forward violently. His aura flared with raw Alpha power. The bond between us grew stronger with every passing second. I could feel it pulling at me like a thread.. Instead of relief or happiness, something dark crossed Draevor's face. Recognition. He knew me.
The memory flashed through his eyes instantly. The Omega from that night. Months ago during a pack celebration, I had been sent to serve the Alpha privately. Omegas often attended ranking wolves when commanded. It was part of surviving within the pack hierarchy. I had done it once. Never spoken of it again.. Draevor remembered.
His expression hardened immediately.. Something like dread flickered in his silver eyes. Around us, the pack waited for what should happen. The Alpha should claim his mate. The Luna of Varkryth should be revealed beneath the moon.. Instead, Draevor stepped forward slowly and raised his voice so the entire pack could hear him. "I invoke the Ritual of Severance."
Shock spread across the clearing. Wolves began whispering. Even the elders looked stunned. The Ritual of Severance was forbidden except in certain circumstances. It allowed a wolf to reject a mate bond before it fully formed. No Alpha had used it in generations.. Draevor stood firm beneath the moonlight, his expression cold and unyielding.
My chest tightened painfully as the bond between us struggled to hold. His gaze met mine briefly. Then he spoke the words that shattered everything. "I, Alpha Draevor Kaelith of Varkryth Pack…" The entire clearing went silent. "...Reject you Seralyn Thorne as my fated mate."
The bond snapped instantly. Pain ripped through my chest as my wolf cried out in agony. I staggered backward barely able to stay on my feet. The connection that had just begun to form was gone. Torn apart before it could exist. Gasps echoed around the clearing. Some wolves looked shocked. Others looked at me with pity.
Draevor had already turned away, his face completely unreadable. As if the Moon Goddess herself had not just chosen me for him. As if the bond between us had never existed at all. My wolf curled inward, wounded and silent. Beneath the light of the full moon and the reflection of Lunareth's Mirror, I realized something that made the humiliation even worse. My Alpha had rejected me in front of the pack.. There was nothing I could do about it.