The courtyard’s cold stone pressed against my back as I stood beneath the rising moon. Its silver light felt like ice on my skin, sharp and watching.

I tilted my head up, eyes tracing the stars as they danced above me. They looked like they were rejoicing.

My chest pulled an odd sensation again, the exact one I felt in the forest. It tugged at me painfully.

Nyra hadn’t shut up since this morning. She’d been restless, clawing at my insides, pushing words into my mind I couldn’t always hear and certainly couldn’t understand.

I rubbed my fingers over the crescent moon tattoo on my neck. It tingled again, burning just a little, like it had something to do with the pounding in my chest.

The Blood Moon Festival was here. The first night of it anyway.

Dancing, music, and maybe, if the Moon Goddess deemed me worthy, my mate.

But everything that happened yesterday was still heavy in my mind.

The way Kael looked at me, storm-gray eyes boring through everything I tried to hide.

A spark of hope had lit up inside me, foolish and warm. I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be feeling this way, but I am.

I pushed off the wall, dragging my fingers through my tangled curls, willing the thoughts would go away.

The fortress throbbed with life tonight.

The scent of roasted meat, pine, and wolf fur filled the air. Laughter and drumbeats spilled from the great hall behind me, bright and thunderous.

I glanced down at the gray shift dress clinging to my frame. It's plain, now faded. It looked like ash next to the festival colors, but omegas didn’t get silks or jewels. No one expected us to shine.

I smoothed the fabric anyway, trying not to think of the scars under my sleeves. They didn't show. That was enough.

“Even omegas like you get a chance under the Blood Moon,” Elder Mara had said. I did believe her then, and somehow the believe in those words started to reduce.

I had to stand before the pack and pretend like I belonged there, even though I do not.

The great doors towered in front of me, carved with wolves howling beneath a blood-red moon.

I slipped inside, staying close to the walls, trying to disappear into shadow.

The hall was chaos and color. Crimson pennants hung from the rafters, stirring with the heat of so many bodies. Moonstone charms flickered on tables, casting soft glows over plates of venison and tankards of dark wine.

Wolves spun in the center, dancing wild to the rhythm of drums. Others leaned into corners and shadows, laughing, whispering about mates and marks and fate.

The moon altar stood tall at the hall’s heart, overflowing with herbs and moonpetals. The carved wolves on its edges seemed to watch me as I passed.

I wrinkled my nose. The scents here were stronger, cedar, sweat, and something metallic. Sharp, like iron.

Nyra stirred, rising fast inside me, her senses flaring. I felt she drew me forward, forcing my eyes across the crowd.

And that’s when my eyes landed on him.

The Alpha.

Alpha Kael Blackthorne.

He stood above everyone else, on the platform beside Beta Roland and the elders.

His black tunic clung to the cut lines of his body, the firelight making his dark hair shine. His storm-gray eyes swept over the room... until they found me.

I froze.

The pull in my chest snapped tight.

I breath heavily, trembling as Nyra whimpered, heat rising under my skin like wildfire.

Mate, she whispered, fierce and sure.

I shook my head. No. It couldn’t be. Kael was the Alpha. He was promised to Luna Celeste.

He wasn’t mine.

He could never be mine.

But his eyes didn’t let me go. They locked onto mine with something deeper than curiosity, something harder than chance.

Then a she-wolf stepped up to him, speaking into his ear, and he turned away.

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms.

Why did he keep looking at me? In the corridor yesterday. Here tonight. What did he see?

I pushed through the crowd, walking in the paved way, between warriors and giggling she-wolves, until I reached a corner table.

The lower ranks gathered here, omegas and outsiders, laughing softly and the familiar ones talking to themselves.

I sat quietly, hiding the basket I’d carried under the bench, and tried to lose myself in their talk about mates and rituals. But the pull in my chest only grew stronger than before. Nyra scratched my skin from inside, relentlessly.

And then, a hand brushed my shoulder.

I turned quickly, my heart racing. Tessa stood there, her eyes gleaming with cruelty and hatred.

Her dark brown hair was braided back with red silk bands, her dress the same deep crimson. She looked like the festival, all polished and smug.

“Hiding already, omega?” she sneered. “Think the Moon Goddess gives a damn about a rat like you?”

My teeth pressed together. I forced my voice steady. “I’m just here for the festival. Same as you.”

She laughed, sharp and cold, her voice slicing through my skin like a razor. A few wolves looked at our direction. I quickly ducked my head when I noticed.

“You?” Tessa stepped in closer, placing on hand on my shoulder . “You’ll be lucky if a rogue claims you. No one here wants an omega’s broken blood.”

I felt Nyra bristle, the growl rising in her chest echoing in mine. I wanted to bare my teeth, to snap.

But maybe Tessa wasn’t wrong afterall.

I looked down and nodded. Let her have her victory, so she'll walk away.

She did, walking away proudly while laughing like something was funny.

My heart ached immediately she was gone.

Maybe she was right. Maybe I never should’ve come. Maybe this is a wrong decision.

The drums stopped.

The room fell into silence, and I turned toward the platform as Elder Mara stepped forward. Her silver hair shimmered in the moonstone glow, and then she raised her arms.

“Wolves of the Black Fang Pack,” she called, with a clear and strong voice. “The Blood Moon rises! Tonight, we honor the Moon Goddess, who binds our souls and guides our fates. The mate reveal is tomorrow. But tonight, we feast and dance under her magnificent glow!”

Cheers broke out. The drums was started again, louder.

Wolves filled the floor with howls and wild steps.

I didn’t move.

Tomorrow.

The mate reveal was tomorrow.

The pull in my chest tightened again. My eyes drifted, unwillingly, to Kael.

He stood by the altar now. Alone. Broad shoulders straight, arms crossed. He looked like he's observing everything, everyone. He turned and his gaze caught mine again.

Everything inside me became still.

Nyra’s voice rose again, so loud that it hurt. 'Mate.'

I couldn’t breathe. I vouldn’t even stay.

I slipped from the bench and moved through the edge of the crowd, past the doors, out into the cool night.

The courtyard was empty now, the moon higher in the sky. It gleamed like a red eye, watching all of us below.

I leaned against a stone pillar, gasping, my chest aching, heavy with different thoughts, and confusion.

It couldn’t be him. Kael was powerful, cold, the Alpha of Black Fang.

I am... nothing. An omega girl with hidden scars and a wolf who just would never shut up.

And yet... his scent clung to me, like he was next to me.

I heard a snapping sound behind me.

I turned quickly expecting it to be Tessa’s mocking voice, or her friends, or perhaps a guard coming to scold.

But it was him.

Kael.

He stood in the doorway.

I froze, my pulse seized.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said, voice low and rough. Not wicked, but not friendly either.

I swallowed. “I... I needed air.”

He didn’t move. He just watched me, his eyes flickering down to the mark on my neck. Something changed in his face. His jaw tightened, like he'd seen something he shouldn't.

“Stay with the pack,” he said quietly, and then he turned, his boots echoing on the stone as he walked away.

I didn’t say anything else. I couldn’t. I didn't even have anything to say.

I just stood there, heart burning, Nyra howling inside me, the pull so strong it nearly brought me to my knees.

Kael Blackthorne couldn’t be my mate.

But the Blood Moon didn’t lie.

I didn't sleep that night.

How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw storm-gray eyes staring back at me. Every time I tried to push away the impossible thoughts, Nyra would stir restlessly, whimpering about mates and bonds and things that couldn't be real.

The blood moon hung outside my broken window like a crimson eye, watching me toss and turn on my thin cot. Its light painted my small attic room in shades of red, making everything look like it was drenched in blood.

Kael Blackthorne couldn't be my mate.

I repeated the words like a prayer, like a mantra, like something that could make them true if I said them enough times.

But the pull in my chest hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown stronger since our encounter in the courtyard. The invisible thread connecting us hummed beneath my skin, warm and insistent.

Dawn came too soon and not soon enough.

The fortress buzzed with nervous energy as wolves prepared for the second night of the festival. Tonight wasn't just dancing and feasting. Tonight was the Lunar Bonding Ritual, when the Moon Goddess would reveal fated mates to those she deemed worthy.

I dressed slowly, my hands trembling as I pulled on the same gray shift dress. My reflection in the cracked mirror showed a girl with wild dark hair and frightened eyes. The crescent moon tattoo on my neck seemed to pulse with its own light.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," I whispered to my reflection.

Nyra stirred, her presence stronger than it had been in years. Tonight, she whispered, her voice clearer than ever before. Tonight, everything changes.

I pressed my palm against the glass, watching my breath fog the surface. "What if I'm not ready for everything to change?"

But Nyra had already retreated, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.

The great hall had been transformed overnight. The moonstone altar now stood in the center of a perfect circle, carved with ancient symbols that seemed to shift and dance in the flickering candlelight. Wolves gathered around the edges, their conversations hushed and reverent.

I slipped in through the side entrance, keeping to the shadows as always. The air thrummed with power, thick and electric. It made my skin tingle and my wolf pace restlessly.

Elder Mara stood beside the altar, her silver hair braided with moonstone beads. She wore robes of deep midnight blue, and her eyes held an ancient wisdom that made me shiver.

"Wolves of the Black Fang Pack," she called, her voice carrying easily through the hall. "The Blood Moon reaches its peak. Tonight, we honor the sacred bonds that tie us to our other halves. Those who are unmated and of age, step forward."

My heart hammered against my ribs as I watched wolves move toward the circle. Some walked with confidence, others with nervous excitement. A few, like me, hung back in the shadows.

"Come, child." Elder Mara's eyes found mine across the crowded hall. "This ritual is for all wolves, regardless of rank."

Heat flooded my cheeks as every eye turned to me. I wanted to sink into the floor, to disappear entirely. But Nyra pushed forward, lending me strength I didn't know I possessed.

I stepped into the circle, my bare feet cold against the stone floor. The other unmated wolves formed a ring around the altar, and I found myself directly across from where the Alpha stood.

Kael hadn't looked at me yet, but I could feel his presence like a flame against my skin. He wore black leather tonight, and his dark hair was pulled back, revealing the strong lines of his face and the scar that cut across his throat.

"The Moon Goddess sees all," Elder Mara continued, raising her arms toward the blood moon that shone through the open ceiling. "She knows the hearts that beat as one, the souls that were split at the dawn of time and have searched for their other half ever since."

The temperature in the hall seemed to drop. Goosebumps rose along my arms as ancient power filled the air, thick and intoxicating.

"When the moon reaches its peak, the bonds will be revealed. But remember," Elder Mara's voice turned sharp, "the Moon Goddess's gifts cannot be refused. What she binds, no wolf can break."

My throat went dry. Around the circle, wolves shifted nervously. Some looked excited, others terrified.

Then the moon moved higher, and everything changed.

The first scent hit me like a physical blow. Cedar and storm clouds, wild and masculine and completely overwhelming. My knees nearly buckled as heat spread through my veins like liquid fire.

Nyra threw back her head and howled inside my mind, the sound so loud and joyful it made my ears ring.

Mate. Mate. MATE.

The scent grew stronger, wrapping around me like invisible arms. I gasped, my hands flying to my chest as something hot and bright bloomed beneath my ribs.

Across the circle, Kael's head snapped up. His storm-gray eyes found mine, and I saw my own shock reflected back at me.

The mate bond slammed into place with devastating force.

It felt like being struck by lightning and embraced by the sun at the same time. Every nerve in my body came alive, singing with recognition and desperate want. The invisible thread that had been pulling at me for days became a chain of molten silver, binding us together in ways I'd never imagined possible.

For a moment, perfect and terrifying, I felt complete.

Kael's eyes widened, his lips parting in surprise. Around us, other wolves were experiencing their own revelations. Joyful cries filled the air as newly mated pairs found each other, but I barely heard them.

All I could see was Kael. All I could feel was the bond humming between us, strong and true and undeniable.

Then his expression changed.

The wonder in his eyes died, replaced by something cold and hard. His jaw clenched, and I watched in horror as disgust flickered across his features.

No. No, this couldn't be happening.

"Alpha Kael," Elder Mara's voice cut through the chaos, "the Moon Goddess has blessed you with your mate."

The hall fell silent. Every wolf turned to look at us, at the impossible pairing of the powerful Alpha and the lowly omega.

Kael's hands clenched into fists at his sides. When he spoke, his voice was like ice.

"No."

The word hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled backward, one hand pressed to my chest as if I could hold the bond together through sheer will.

"The Moon Goddess has made an error," he continued, his voice carrying easily through the stunned silence. "I will not be bound to an omega. I will not accept this... mistake."

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Around us, wolves whispered and pointed. Some looked shocked, others disgusted. A few seemed almost pleased by the drama.

"Alpha," Elder Mara's voice held a warning, "you cannot refuse the Moon Goddess's gift. The bond—"

"Can be broken," Kael finished, his eyes never leaving mine. "And it will be."

The rejection hit me like a tidal wave. The beautiful, terrible heat of the mate bond began to dim, replaced by a cold so deep it made my bones ache.

Nyra whimpered, her presence starting to fade as the bond stretched and frayed.

"Please," I whispered, the word torn from my throat. "Please don't do this."

But Kael had already turned away, his broad shoulders rigid with determination.

"I, Kael Blackthorne, Alpha of the Black Fang Pack," he began, his voice formal and final, "reject you, Aria Lane, as my mate."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

And somewhere in the crowd, I heard a familiar laugh. Cold and triumphant.

Luna Celeste stepped forward, her golden hair gleaming in the moonlight, a smile playing at her lips.

The rejection ritual was about to begin.

The words echoed in the sudden silence like stones dropped into still water.

"I, Kael Blackthorne, Alpha of the Black Fang Pack, reject you, Aria Lane, as my mate."

Time seemed to fracture around me. The great hall, filled with hundreds of wolves, felt like a tomb. Every eye was fixed on us, on the impossible scene unfolding before them. Their Alpha, bound to an omega. Their Alpha, about to sever that bond in the most brutal way possible.

My legs gave out.

I dropped to my knees on the cold stone floor, my hands clutching at my chest as the first wave of pain hit me. It felt like someone had reached inside my ribcage and started tearing out my heart piece by piece.

"No," I whispered, the word barely audible. "Please, no."

But Kael's face was carved from stone. His storm-gray eyes held no warmth, no mercy. Only cold determination and something that looked dangerously close to disgust.

"The ritual must be completed," Elder Mara said, her voice heavy with regret. "If the Alpha truly wishes to reject his mate, it must be done properly, before the Moon Goddess and the pack."

Luna Celeste stepped forward, her golden hair catching the candlelight. She was beautiful in the way that flowers were beautiful before they were plucked and crushed. Her smile was sharp as a blade.

"My Alpha," she said, her voice honey-sweet, "surely you don't need to put yourself through this. We all know what she is. What she's always been."

The words hit me like physical blows. Around the circle, wolves nodded and murmured their agreement. Of course they did. I was nothing to them. I had always been nothing.

Kael's jaw tightened. "The rejection must be formal. Complete."

He stepped toward me, and I could smell his scent even stronger now. Cedar and storm clouds, wild and masculine and everything I would never have. The mate bond pulled at me desperately, trying to draw me to him even as he prepared to destroy it.

"Stand," he commanded.

I couldn't. The pain was too intense, radiating from my chest through every limb. Nyra was howling inside my mind, a sound so broken and desperate it made my soul ache.

"I said stand."

His voice cracked like a whip. Somehow, I found the strength to push myself upright. My legs shook, and I swayed on my feet, but I stood.

The pack formed a circle around us now, pressing close to witness the spectacle. Their faces were a mix of excitement, disgust, and cruel anticipation. Some looked hungry for the drama. Others seemed almost disappointed that their Alpha had been saddled with such an unworthy mate.

"The rejection ritual requires the rejected mate to accept the severing," Elder Mara explained, her voice carrying to every corner of the hall. "Only then can the bond be fully broken."

I stared at Kael, searching his face for any sign of the man who had saved me from Tessa's cruelty just days ago. But that man was gone, replaced by this cold stranger who looked at me like I was something disgusting he'd found on the bottom of his boot.

"You will accept my rejection," he said. It wasn't a question.

"I..." My voice cracked. I swallowed hard and tried again. "I don't understand. The Moon Goddess chose us. She doesn't make mistakes."

Something flickered in his eyes. Pain? Regret? But it was gone so quickly I might have imagined it.

"The Moon Goddess has many enemies," he said. "Dark magic can corrupt even her sacred rituals. This bond is not real. It cannot be real."

The words cut deeper than any physical wound. He wasn't just rejecting me. He was denying the very existence of what we shared.

"But I can feel it," I whispered. "Can't you feel it too?"

His hands clenched into fists. "I feel nothing."

Liar. The bond might have been weakening, but it was still there. I could sense his emotions bleeding through, confusion and anger and something that felt like terror.

"The ritual," Elder Mara prompted gently. "It must be completed before the blood moon sets."

I looked up at the crimson orb hanging above us. It seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat, and I could swear I heard something like weeping in its light.

"Why?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you doing this?"

Kael's expression hardened. "Because you are an omega. Because you are weak. Because I need a Luna who can stand beside me, not behind me. I need someone who can bear strong pups and help me lead this pack. You..." He looked me up and down with obvious distaste. "You are none of those things."

Each word was a dagger to my heart. Around us, the pack murmured their agreement. Of course they did. Everything he said was true, wasn't it? I was weak. I was nothing.

But Nyra snarled inside my mind, sudden and fierce. She showed me flashes of memory. The way Kael had looked at me in the hall. The way his scent had wrapped around me like a caress. The way his eyes had widened when the bond snapped into place, not with disgust but with wonder.

He was lying. To the pack, to me, maybe even to himself.

"I won't accept it," I said suddenly.

The words surprised me as much as everyone else. Kael's eyes widened, and several pack members gasped.

"You will," he said, his voice deadly quiet.

"No." I lifted my chin, finding strength I didn't know I possessed. "The Moon Goddess chose us. If you want to break that bond, you'll have to do it yourself. I won't help you."

Fury blazed in his eyes. "You dare defy your Alpha?"

"I dare defy someone who would spit in the face of the Moon Goddess herself."

The words hung in the air like a challenge. Around us, the pack grew restless. Some looked shocked at my defiance. Others seemed almost impressed.

Kael stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. When he spoke, his voice was so low only I could hear it.

"You have no idea what you're doing. What you're risking."

"Then tell me," I whispered back. "Tell me why you're so afraid of this bond."

Something cracked in his expression. For just a moment, I saw through the mask he wore. I saw pain and longing and a fear so deep it made my heart ache.

Then the mask slammed back into place.

"Beta Roland," he called without taking his eyes off me. "Remove her from the circle."

"Alpha," Elder Mara's voice held a warning. "The ritual is not complete. The bond still exists."

"Then I'll break it another way."

He grabbed my shoulders, his fingers digging into my flesh. The mate bond flared to life at his touch, sending sparks of heat through my entire body. I saw his pupils dilate, watched him fight against the pull between us.

"I reject you," he said again, his voice rough with emotion. "I reject this bond. I reject everything the Moon Goddess thinks she knows about us."

The words hit me like acid. The bond began to fray, the beautiful silver thread connecting us starting to snap strand by strand.

"I claim Luna Celeste of the Northern Claws as my chosen mate," he continued, his voice growing stronger. "She will be my Luna. She will bear my pups. She will stand beside me as this pack's true leader."

Celeste's laughter rang out like silver bells. "I accept, my Alpha. I accept your proposal and your pack."

The crowd erupted in cheers. The political alliance they'd all been expecting was finally happening. The natural order was being restored.

And I was dying.

The severing of the mate bond felt like being torn apart from the inside. Fire raced through my veins, burning away everything the Moon Goddess had given me. Nyra's howls grew fainter and fainter until they were nothing more than whispers.

Blood trickled from my nose, hot and metallic. My vision blurred, and I collapsed to my knees again.

"It is done," Kael announced to the pack. "The false bond is broken. Tomorrow, we will celebrate my engagement to Luna Celeste."

Through the haze of pain, I heard him walk away. Heard Celeste's delighted laughter. Heard the pack dispersing, their voices filled with excitement about the upcoming celebration.

But I couldn't move. I knelt there on the cold stone floor, broken and bleeding, as the blood moon began to set and the worst night of my life finally came to an end.

Nyra was gone. The bond was severed. And I was utterly, completely alone.