SIERRA'S POV

The morning after the Luna Ceremony was cold.

The pack grounds, usually alive with the chatter of warriors and the scent of breakfast drifting from the kitchens, felt… wrong. Quiet in a way that wasn’t peaceful but mocking.

I could still feel the echo of it, the pain that had torn through me last night when Alpha Isaak rejected the bond. It hadn’t faded, not really. It pulsed beneath my ribs like a bruise that would never heal. My wolf hadn’t stirred since. She was curled somewhere deep inside me, silent, trembling.

I wanted to hide.

But omegas didn’t get to hide.

My duty was to clean the courtyard after the ceremony, just like every morning after a festival. So I walked there barefoot, the hem of my ruined gown dragging through the mud. The same gown I’d worn when the Moon Goddess had dared to mark me as his.

The memory hit like a blade. The sound of his voice, the cold look in his eyes. The gasps, the whispers, the silence that followed when the bond snapped.

It hadn’t been a nightmare.

The entire pack had seen it happen.

By sunrise, every wolf from the eastern border to the mountain outpost would know that their Alpha had rejected the Goddess’s choice, and that the rejected one was me.

The low-born omega.

The shame of it burned hotter than the pain in my chest.

As I bent to gather the discarded garlands, I heard laughter behind me.

Bethelina. The Alpha's rumoured lover.

I didn’t have to turn around to recognize her. Her sweet and sharp scent was everywhere. She’d been at Isaak’s side since before his father’s death. Everyone knew what she was to him. She was his equal in every way that mattered to the pack.

I straightened slowly.

She stood at the far end of the courtyard, surrounded by a cluster of she-wolves and warriors, her golden hair gleaming in the weak sunlight. She wore a gown of pale blue silk that hugged her perfect curves, her smile sharp as her claws.

When her gaze found me, that smile widened.

“Well, if it isn’t our blessed Luna,” she purred, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Cleaning up after her own ceremony.”

The laughter that followed was cruel, bright.

My stomach turned. I kept my eyes on the ground, clutching the wilted garlands tighter. “Bethelina ,” I murmured, hoping she’d lose interest.

“Oh, don’t look so frightened,” she said, taking a graceful step forward. “I only wanted to thank you for the entertainment. Last night was… unforgettable.”

A ripple of amusement moved through her little crowd.

“She actually thought the Goddess chose her,” one of the warriors snickered.

“I heard she fainted,” another added. “Pitiful thing.”

My face burned. I forced myself to keep breathing, to stay silent. Omegas knew better than to talk back to their betters.

But Bethelina wasn’t satisfied. She circled me like a cat toying with prey. “Tell me, Sierra,” she said softly, “what did it feel like? Thinking, even for a heartbeat, that you could be Luna?”

I clenched my jaw.

“What did it feel like,” she pressed, “when he looked at you, and chose me instead?”

The words struck like claws.

Laughter exploded again, sharper this time. My heart pounded in my chest, and I tasted salt on my tongue. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. But the rules of the pack chained me to stillness.

“I,” I began, but the sound stopped in my throat.

“Speak up, kennel girl,” one of the warriors jeered.

“Maybe she’s still waiting for the Alpha to change his mind,” another said.

Bethelina laughed. “Oh, he won’t. Isaak knows what he wants. He always has.” She tilted her head, feigning pity. “You poor thing. Did you really think the Moon’s mistake could make you his equal?”

Something inside me twisted.

I could take cruelty. I’d lived with it all my life. But hearing his name on her lips, said with such possessive pride, it broke something.

I met her gaze, my voice trembling but clear. “You speak boldly for someone who fears the Goddess’s will.”

The courtyard went silent.

For a heartbeat, I thought maybe I’d imagined her furious expression.

Then she smiled again, all teeth. “You think you can use the Goddess to shield you?”

She turned to the others. “She doesn’t even realize what she’s done to him. Do you?” She looked back at me, eyes glittering. “You cursed him. The moment you were revealed, you humiliated him before the entire pack. You made him look weak. And now he has to live with that shame. Because of you.”

Gasps. Whispers. Someone murmured, “The Goddess wouldn’t curse the Alpha.”

But I could see in their faces that they believed her.

Bethelina stepped closer until her perfume made me nauseous. Her voice dropped. “You should leave, omega. Before he decides to make your punishment public.”

I swallowed hard. “I have nowhere else to go.”

She tilted her head. “Then maybe you should crawl back to whatever hole you came from and pray the Goddess doesn’t strike you down for your arrogance.”

Her words were met with laughter again.

And that was when my wolf finally stirred, whimpering inside me. The rejection had torn her apart, but hearing them mock us broke what was left.

I bit my lip hard, trying to anchor myself, but the connection was slipping. My vision blurred, the edges of the world going weg. The pain surged through me again.

Someone laughed louder. “Look, she’s crying!”

My knees buckled, the garlands spilling from my hands as I hit the ground. The pain tore through my chest again, sharper than before. My wolf howled and then went silent.

It was like something inside me had died all over again.

Bethelina ’s laughter faltered. “Oh.”

Someone muttered, “She’s collapsing,”

I couldn’t hear them anymore. Just the sound of my heartbeat slowing, the cold creeping through my limbs.

Through the blur, I saw movement at the far edge of the courtyard.

Isaak.

He stood there in his dark cloak, expression unreadable, surrounded by two of his guards.

Our eyes met for the briefest moment.

For a heartbeat, something flickered behind his cold mask. I felt his wolf stir. I felt it, even through the pain, an echo of a growl deep within him that called to what was left of mine.

He wanted to come to me. I knew it. Every instinct in him screamed too.

But then his jaw tightened.

He turned his face away.

“Isaak,” Bethelina started, her voice suddenly uncertain.

“Enough,” he said, his tone flat. “All of you.”

The courtyard fell silent. Even the laughter died.

He looked at me once more, just a glance and then said, without emotion, “Get her out of my sight.”

Two guards stepped forward, but I shook my head weakly, pushing myself upright before they could touch me.

“I can walk,” I whispered. My voice sounded like someone else’s.

Isaak’s gaze lingered for a moment. There was no mercy there, no warmth. Only the same calm authority he gave to anyone beneath him.

But his scent betrayed him.

Beneath the steel and smoke, I caught it, a faint fractured note of turmoil. His wolf was restless, howling against his control.

He turned and walked away, cloak sweeping behind him.

Bethelina followed, though her steps were slower now, her face jeered at me.

The crowd began to disperse. No one offered help. No one met my eyes.

When the courtyard was empty, I knelt again and gathered the wilted garlands, my hands trembling. My wolf had gone silent . I felt her emptiness like a wound.

I pressed a shaking hand to my chest where the bond had once glowed. There was nothing there now. Just cold.

The wind shifted, carrying his scent away.

And then, for the first time since the ceremony, I allowed myself to cry. Not quiet, hidden tears, but deep, broken sobs that echoed through the empty courtyard.

He had seen me fall.

He had heard them laugh.

And he had walked away.

SIERRA'S POV

I couldn't beat it anymore, the humiliation, the disdain, the mockery, the rejection, so i packed what I could and by the time the first pale light crept over the ridge, I was already walking.

The pack lands stretched behind me, gray roofs, the faint glint of the training grounds, smoke rising from early morning fires. From here, they looked almost peaceful. But I knew better. Beneath that quiet was a hunger, a cruelty that thrived on weakness. And after last night, after him, I was the weakest thing alive.

The grass was still damp beneath my bare feet. I didn’t care. Each step away from the packhouse felt like breathing again, like maybe I could scrape off the shame clinging to my skin.

But shame doesn’t wash off. It burns.

It burns hotter than tears.

Every whisper, every laugh from the night before echoed in my head. Bethelina ’s voice, sweet and venomous,still slithered through my thoughts. Did you really think the Moon’s mistake could make you his equal?

I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms.

The Moon’s mistake.

That was what they were calling me now.

The cursed omega. The rejected mate. The one who dared to stand beneath the Goddess’s light and make their Alpha look weak.

They didn’t know the truth,that I hadn’t wanted any of this. I hadn’t wanted to be chosen. I hadn’t wanted him.

Or maybe I had. Maybe a small, foolish part of me had wanted it so badly that the Moon herself had heard me.

Now I wished She hadn’t.

A cold wind swept through the trees, lifting my hair, and I stopped at the edge of the forest. Beyond this point was the border, the invisible line that marked the end of Moonbane territory. Past it was wilderness and danger, rogues and loners. Crossing it without permission was exile.

But the thought didn’t scare me.

What scared me was staying.

I took another step, my breath coming out in clouds. My wolf was still silent inside me, no comfort, no warmth. Just emptiness. The rejection had torn her apart, and the silence she left behind was louder than any scream.

Still, sometimes in that silence, I thought I heard her whimper.

Sierra… don’t…

I stopped.

The tug hit me then.

Faint at first, like a thread pulling at the edge of my soul. Then stronger,sharp, insistent.

The bond.

Even shattered, it was still there. A ghost connection, something the rejection couldn’t completely kill. It thrummed low in my chest, pulling me back toward the heart of the pack. Toward him.

I gritted my teeth. “No.”

But the pull didn’t care.

It came again,a pulse that wasn’t mine. Anger. Restlessness. The pacing of a caged animal.

Him.

I could feel him. Alpha Isaak.

The moment I realized it, my knees almost buckled. The sensation was faint but unmistakable, his emotions brushing against mine like sparks off stone. Rage, tightly leashed. Frustration. Guilt buried under fury.

I pressed a trembling hand to my chest. “Stop it,” I whispered. “You rejected me. You don’t get to feel me anymore.”

But my body didn’t listen. The mark over my heart,once glowing silver,flared dully, throbbing with every beat.

Through that connection, I saw flashes. Shadows. His pacing steps across the Alpha’s quarters. The tension in his shoulders. The scent of smoke and steel.

He was angry. Not just at me,at himself.

And still, despite everything, my heart ached for him.

That was the cruelest part.

Even in rejection, my soul still sought his.

The bond that should have died still reached for him, like a root refusing to stop growing through stone. Every time I tried to push him away, my chest burned in protest.

I pressed my forehead to a tree and squeezed my eyes shut. “Please… let me go.”

For a moment, it felt like the forest was listening. The morning breeze whispered through the leaves, soft and distant, carrying the faint scent of pine and moonflower.

Then the pull came again,sharper, angrier.

My breath hitched as his emotions hit harder. His wolf was restless, prowling beneath his skin. I could feel the growl building in his chest, could almost hear it.

He was fighting it. Fighting us.

And gods help me, some part of me wanted to reach for him, to soothe him, to tell him I understood, that I didn’t want this bond any more than he did.

But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

I stumbled backward, my back hitting the tree trunk. “You rejected me,” I whispered through clenched teeth. “You don’t get to feel me. You don’t get to own me.”

The tug only tightened.

Pain spiked through my ribs, sharp and bright, as if the bond itself was punishing me for resisting. I gasped, sliding down to my knees.

A growl, his growl, echoed faintly in my mind, low and furious. My body trembled in response, instinctive submission rising before I crushed it down.

“No,” I breathed, voice shaking. “I won’t bow to you. Not anymore.”

The connection flared hot, then went silent.

I sagged against the tree, heart pounding. The pain lingered, but the pull faded, retreating like a tide.

The sudden emptiness made me dizzy. I realized I was crying only when the tears hit the dirt.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there, minutes, maybe hours,just breathing, just trying to remember how to exist without him inside my head.

When I finally stood again, the sun had begun to rise over the mountains, painting the sky in pale gold.

The world looked beautiful. And it hurt.

Because beauty shouldn’t exist in a world that could break you so completely.

I started walking again, this time slower. The edge of the territory was near,a shallow stream marking the border, its surface glinting like liquid glass.

Crossing it meant no pack, no protection, no future. But staying meant humiliation, pity, the constant reminder of his rejection.

My choice should have been easy.

But the bond wouldn’t let me move. Every step closer to the border made the mark on my chest burn hotter, sharper, as if it were warning me: You can leave the pack, but you can’t leave him.

I laughed then, a bitter, broken sound. “So that’s my curse, isn’t it?”

The wind answered with silence.

I sank down beside the stream, drawing my knees to my chest. My reflection stared back, pale skin, hollow eyes, the faint shimmer of the bond’s remnants like silver dust across my collarbone.

I looked like a ghost.

No, worse. I looked like a wolf who’d lost her soul.

I dipped my fingers into the water, watching ripples distort my face. “The Goddess chose me,” I whispered. “And He called it a mistake.”

The words tasted like ashes.

I wanted to scream at the sky, to demand why She had done this. Why me? Why him? Why gift me a bond that only brought pain?

But the Moon was silent. She always was.

Behind me, I heard the sound of distant footsteps, racing towards me.

SIERRA'S POV

The footsteps grew louder and then his scent hit me. My heart stumbled in my chest.

No. Not now.

I turned, but it was too late. He was already there.

Alpha Isaak.

Even in the darkness, he looked carved from something untouchable, broad shoulders tense, jaw hard, silver eyes gleaming like a blade in the stormlight. His presence burned through the night like fire through frost.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The distance between us felt alive, thrumming with power and something darker.

Then he broke it.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice cut through with fury barely held in check.

My throat went dry. “Leaving.”

He took a step forward. “You think you can just walk out of my territory?”

“I’m not yours to command,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “You made that very clear last night.”

The words hung there, sharp as claws. His jaw tightened.

Lightning cracked overhead, followed by a small drizzle. For an instant, his eyes looked almost feral, his wolf pushing just beneath the surface.

“You don’t get to play the victim here, omega,” he said, his tone hard but his gaze flickering. “You think running away will fix this? That it’ll make me accept you?”

I laughed, a sound more brittle than amused. “I don't expect you to.”

His eyes darkened. “Watch your tongue.”

“No.” My voice rose, raw and unrestrained. “You don’t get to silence me anymore. You rejected me in front of the entire pack, called me unworthy. And now you follow me here to what? Remind me of my place?”

He flinched. Enough for me to see the crack behind the mask.

But then his face hardened again. “You are a curse,” he said coldly. “A trick from the Goddess meant to humiliate me. She put you in my path to test me, and I won’t fall for Her cruelty.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

The rain seemed to stop around us, the world narrowing to his voice.

A curse.

That was what he saw when he looked at me.

Not a woman. Not a mate. Just a punishment.

My chest burned, that invisible thread between us flaring with pain. I took a step toward him, my voice shaking. “You think so little of Her? Of fate?”

He bared his teeth, his control splintering. “Don’t speak of fate. Don’t speak of things you don’t understand.”

“I understand more than you ever will,” I shot back. “You think the Moon would bind us for nothing? You think She made a mistake just because your pride can’t bear the thought of an omega being your equal?”

His nostrils flared. “You think you’re my equal?”

“I think I was meant to be!” I shouted, the words ripping out of me before I could stop them. “But you’re too blind to see it! Too proud, too scared of what it means that the Goddess didn’t choose some perfect Luna with Alpha blood, but me.”

He growled, the sound vibrating through the air. His wolf was close now, I could feel it.

“You don’t know what it means to bear my mark,” he said, stepping closer. The rain beaded on his skin, his breath hot against the cold night air. “You don’t know what it means to carry the weight of a pack, the burden of blood. You wouldn’t survive a day in my place.”

“You would've made sure if that, wouldn't you?” I whispered, meeting his gaze.

The words landed like a strike.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. The only sound was the storm, wind tearing through the trees, thunder rolling like the heartbeat of something ancient.

And beneath it all, the bond hummed. It pulsed between us. Every emotion he tried to bury, anger, guilt, desire, bled through.

It hurt. Gods, it hurt.

Because even now, I could feel the part of him that still wanted me.

And worse, the part of me that wanted him back.

Lightning split the sky again, throwing our faces into sharp relief. His eyes locked on mine, pupils blown wide. For an instant, the fury cracked, replaced by something hungrier, deeper.

He took another step forward. I should have moved back. I didn’t.

The air between us vibrated. My wolf stirred weakly inside me for the first time in days, her voice trembling but alive.

I swallowed hard. “Why did you come after me, Isaak?”

He didn’t answer right away. The muscles in his jaw worked, his hands flexing at his sides.

Finally, he said, “Because I can’t,” He broke off, eyes flashing as he turned his head away. “Because I can’t let you leave. Not like this.”

My chest tightened. “You mean, not with everyone knowing your Luna ran away.”

His gaze snapped back to me, sharp as a blade. “Don’t twist my words.”

“Then say what you mean,” I demanded. “If I’m a curse, if you don’t want me, then let me go.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

The silence stretched until I thought I might break from it.

Then he whispered, almost too low to hear, “I tried.”

His emotions crashed through the connection, rage, confusion, desire so fierce it burned. His wolf was howling inside him, and through that echo, I could feel my own stir in answer.

The world tilted. The rain blurred around us.

He took a step closer. Then another. Until the heat of him reached me through the storm, until I could see the rain sliding down his throat, could hear the rough hitch of his breathing.

“Stop,” I whispered. “Don’t do this.”

But he didn’t stop.

His hand came up and brushed my cheek. The touch burned. My breath caught and I leaned into it.

For one wild heartbeat, the bond roared to life, silver fire racing through my veins, every nerve alight. I felt his heart hammering through the connection, the same frantic rhythm as mine.

He leaned closer, voice rough and low. “Tell me to stop.”

I wanted to. Goddess, I wanted to. But the truth was there between us, shimmering in the rain.

“I hate you,” I whispered instead.

The distance between us vanished.

His mouth crashed against mine and for a moment, there was no rain, no border, no pack. Just him. Just us.

And then I broke away, gasping.

The connection snapped like a whip, flooding both of us with pain. He staggered back, his hand still half-raised as if he didn’t understand what he’d done.

I pressed a hand to my chest, the mark beneath my skin pulsing weakly. “I can't do this,” I choked out.

He didn’t answer. He just stood there, drenched, chest heaving, eyes wild with something I couldn’t name.

Finally, I said, “You call me a curse? Maybe you’re right. But if I am, then what are you doing here? Why are you here?”

And before he could speak, before the bond could drag me back toward him again, I turned and continued walking.

Behind me, I thought I heard his voice, maybe even my name, but I didn’t look back, because if I did, I wasn’t sure I’d have the strength to keep walking.