Damien’s chest burned like fire. He dropped on his knees, clutching the mate mark that refused to let him go. The whole hall froze, watching their Alpha scream in pain.

He hated it. He hated that everyone saw him weak. The strongest wolf in the region, Alpha Damien of Silver Moon Pack, was kneeling like a broken man because of a human girl.

A human.

His wolf snarled inside him. *Reject her. She is not one of us.*

But the bond pulled hard, like chains wrapping around his heart.

He forced himself to stand, his body shaking. His eyes searched the hall but Elara was gone. She had run like a coward, leaving him with all the shame.

“Alpha,” Beta Roland said carefully, his face pale. “The Moon Goddess… she’s binding you. You can’t reject her without a fight.”

“I don’t want her!” Damien roared, his voice shaking the walls. The chandeliers above rattled. Everyone flinched at the power in his anger. “She is weak! She is human! How can I lead with a mate like that?”

Murmurs ran through the crowd. Some nodded, agreeing with him. Others looked uneasy.

Clara stepped forward, her hand on her chest, fake tears in her eyes. “Damien, don’t let the bond chain you. You’re stronger than this. I am the one who has always stood by your side. Choose me, not her.”

Damien’s fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked. His wolf growled, restless. He wanted Clara once, but now her voice irritated him. The bond tied him to Elara, no matter how he hated it. He could still feel Elara’s tears in his chest, as if they were his own.

It made him angrier.

“She doesn’t belong here,” Damien said. His voice was lower now, but sharper than a blade. “If she stays, she will destroy everything I built.”

Old Marcellus, the elder, stepped closer with his staff. His eyes were heavy with something Damien didn’t like. “Alpha, you know the rules. You can’t simply reject her. The Moon Goddess gave you this bond. Break it, and you may lose more than you think.”

“I don’t care,” Damien growled. “I won’t let her be my Luna.”

But even as he said the words, the mark burned again, harder this time. His knees almost gave way. His wolf howled inside, torn between rage and need.

“Damien,” Roland said carefully. “The people are watching. If you show weakness—”

“I am not weak!” Damien snapped, his voice like thunder. The crowd fell silent again. “I will show them I am still their Alpha. That human will learn her place. She will regret ever stepping into my world.”

---

Far away, Elara was still crying. She sat under a tree, hugging her knees, her whole body shaking from all the humiliation. Her eyes were swollen, her throat sore. Every word Clara said replayed in her mind.

“You don’t belong here.”

“You should never have been born.”

“You will destroy him.”

She wanted to believe it wasn’t true. But everything around her proved it was. She was just a human, no claws, no strength, no wolf. What chance did she have in a pack like this?

Her tears fell faster. “Why, Goddess? Why me?” she whispered.

She heard footsteps and stiffened. For a second, fear wrapped around her. What if it was Clara again? What if it was Damien? She didn’t want anyone to see her like this.

But when she looked up, it was Roland, the Beta. He stood there with a sad look in his eyes.

“Elara,” he said softly. “You should come back. The Alpha is angry.”

Her heart squeezed. Angry? Of course he was. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that. She already knew Damien hated her. The look in his eyes said it all.

“I don’t want to go back,” she whispered, shaking her head. “They all hate me. Clara is right. I don’t belong here.”

Roland sighed, running his hand through his hair. “It’s not that simple. You are the Alpha’s mate. Whether anyone likes it or not, the bond exists. The pack will have to accept you, or suffer the Goddess’s punishment.”

She laughed bitterly, though it sounded more like a sob. “Accept me? They laughed at me, Roland. They called me a mistake. Even Damien—” her voice cracked— “even he doesn’t want me.”

Roland didn’t reply. He couldn’t lie to her. He had seen Damien’s rage with his own eyes.

“Elara,” he said finally, “just… stay strong. The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. Maybe there’s a reason she chose you.”

Elara shook her head. “No. This is a curse.”

---

Back in the hall, Damien stood tall before his people. His chest still burned, but he hid it under a mask of steel.

He raised his hand and the hall went silent.

“Hear me now,” he said. His voice was cold, sharp, unshakable. “The Moon Goddess may have tied me to a human. But I will never allow her weakness to destroy this pack. She will never stand as my Luna unless she proves herself.”

The people gasped. Clara’s smile froze on her face.

Damien’s gray eyes turned dark, and his wolf pushed through his voice. “If she cannot survive the trials, I will find another way to break this bond. I would rather burn than bow to fate.”

The hall erupted into whispers again. Trials? Everyone knew what that meant. No human could survive the Alpha’s trials. They were built for warriors, not mortals.

Damien’s wolf growled with satisfaction. He would force the bond to bend or break.

“Elara,” he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with rage and something else he refused to name. “You will regret being chosen by me.”

The night felt colder than ever. Elara sat on the edge of her small bed, staring at nothing. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying all day. Every time she tried to sleep, the words of the people came back to her ears.

“She is weak.”

“She will bring shame to the Alpha.”

“She is human, she doesn’t deserve him.”

She pressed her palms over her ears as if that could stop the whispers. But the voices were inside her head, repeating, louder and louder until she broke into another round of tears.

Her chest hurt. It was not just the insults. It was the way Damien had looked at her. Like she was a mistake. Like she was dirt.

“I didn’t ask for this,” she whispered to herself, her voice shaking. “I never asked to be anyone’s mate. Why, Goddess? Why me?”

The small room they gave her felt more like a prison. The walls were bare, the window tiny. She had no comfort, no one to run to. Her mother was gone. Her father too. She was all alone in a world that hated her.

Her stomach growled but she ignored it. She had no appetite. Pain was heavier than hunger.

---

By morning, gossip had spread through the entire pack house like wildfire.

“Elara? That’s the Alpha’s mate?”

“Impossible. The Goddess must be punishing him.”

“A human Luna? We’re finished.”

Everywhere she walked, eyes followed her. Some looked with pity, others with disgust. Some even laughed openly.

She held her head down, her hands clutched together, trying not to let them see her tears. But it was impossible. Every whisper was a knife.

Clara stood tall in the middle of it all. She wore a bright smile, enjoying every second. When she saw Elara walk past, she made sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Look at her,” Clara said to her friends, smirking. “Is this what the Moon Goddess gave our Alpha? A weak girl who can’t even look people in the eye. She can’t even stand straight.”

Laughter followed. Elara’s steps faltered. She wanted to run, but she forced herself to keep walking. Running would only make them laugh more.

Her hands shook. Her heart pounded. She felt like she was drowning in shame.

Clara didn’t stop. “She will never survive the trials. Mark my words, she will run back to where she came from. A human can never be Luna.”

The words spread like poison. People repeated them as if they were truth.

---

Inside the Alpha’s chamber, Damien stood by the window, staring at the forest. His wolf was restless, pacing inside him.

He told himself he didn’t care. He told himself she meant nothing. But the bond kept pulling at him, dragging Elara’s pain into his own chest. He felt her sadness as if it were his own. And it made him furious.

He slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the wood. “Damn her,” he growled. “Why should I feel her weakness?”

Roland entered quietly. “The pack is restless. They don’t understand, Alpha. A human Luna—”

“Don’t say it again,” Damien snapped. His eyes flashed. “I will not accept her. The trials will show everyone what she really is.”

Roland hesitated. “And if she survives them?”

Damien turned sharply, his jaw tight. “She won’t.”

But even as he said it, his wolf growled low, uncertain.

---

Elara didn’t leave her room the rest of the day. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, tears sliding down her cheeks. She thought of her parents, of the little life she used to live before all this.

She remembered how her mother used to sing to her when she was sad. She remembered her father’s gentle hands. They would have defended her. They would never have let anyone hurt her like this.

But now she had no one. No family. No friends. Just a bond she never asked for.

She hugged her knees and whispered, “Maybe they are right. Maybe I don’t belong here. Maybe I should have never been born.”

Her chest ached. Her whole body shook with sobs.

She wanted to disappear.

---

That night, the pack gathered in the dining hall. Elara had no choice but to join. Her presence was required. She sat at the far end of the long table, her eyes on her plate, but she couldn’t eat.

The room was full of whispers again.

“She looks like she’s about to cry.”

“Does she even know how to fight?”

“Our Alpha deserves better.”

She gripped her fork so tight her hand hurt. She tried not to listen, but the voices were louder than her heartbeat.

Clara leaned close to her and whispered with a smile, “Don’t worry, Elara. The trials will end your suffering. You won’t last a day.”

Elara’s breath caught. She wanted to shout, to fight back, but the words wouldn’t come. Her throat closed. Tears threatened to spill, but she forced them back.

She couldn’t give Clara the satisfaction.

---

At the head of the table, Damien rose to his feet. The hall went silent.

His eyes swept across the room, cold and hard. “Tomorrow,” he said, his voice carrying through the hall, “the trials will begin.”

Gasps filled the air. Everyone turned to look at Elara.

Damien’s gaze lingered on her, unreadable. His chest burned as he felt her fear, but he ignored it. He looked away quickly.

“If she survives,” he continued, “she will earn the right to stand beside me. If she fails…” His voice turned sharp. “She will leave this pack forever.”

The hall erupted with excitement and whispers.

Elara’s stomach dropped. Her whole body went cold. She could barely breathe.

She gripped the table, her hands trembling. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would be thrown into something she couldn’t survive.

She stared at Damien, her eyes full of silent questions, silent pleas. But he never looked back.

He had already decided her fate.

📖 CHAPTER 5 – NIGHT BEFORE THE TRIAL

The night was heavy. The moon was hiding behind dark clouds like even the goddess was ashamed of me. I sat in the corner of my small room, hugging my knees, shaking. Tomorrow would be the first trial. Tomorrow the whole pack would gather just to watch me fail.

I could hear their voices in my head even though the room was quiet. “She’s weak. She’s nothing. She doesn’t belong here.” Those words had followed me since I was little, and now they were louder than ever.

I pressed my face against my knees and tried to stop crying, but the tears kept rolling. I had cried so much these past days that my eyes burned. It felt like my body carried shame inside my skin. My heart kept asking one question I could not answer: why was I born human?

I thought about the mark on my neck, the one that tied me to Damien. It still stung every night, as if it wanted me to remember what I could never escape. I did not ask for this bond. I did not ask to be his mate. But tomorrow the trials would decide if I had the right to stand by his side, or if I would be thrown out like dirt.

A knock came at my door. Sharp. Annoying.

“Are you crying again, weakling?” Clara’s voice. She had followed me all day like a shadow. She laughed before I could even open my mouth. “I hope you sleep well, Elara. Tomorrow will be the day the pack laughs at you the most. Don’t forget to wear something nice. Even failure should be dressed properly.”

Her laugh was cruel, loud, and it cut through the walls. I buried my head deeper into my knees, wishing I could disappear.

Sometimes I hated myself more than they hated me. Sometimes I wished the Moon Goddess had never chosen me at all.

---

When the pack house went silent later that night, I still could not sleep. My body shook from inside, and my chest felt too heavy. I walked out to the window and stared at the sky.

The clouds moved, and for a moment the moon showed itself. Bright. Cold. Watching me.

“Why me?” I whispered. My voice cracked. “Why did you choose me? You could have given Damien a strong wolf. Someone the pack would love. Someone who deserves it. But you gave him me.”

I waited for an answer that never came. The moon only shined brighter, as if mocking me.

---

I finally lay on the bed and closed my eyes, but sleep came like a punishment. The dream hit me fast, dark and heavy.

I was standing in the middle of the woods. The air smelled of blood. I looked down and my hands were red, dripping. My heart raced. Around me wolves circled, their eyes glowing. They were not my pack. They were strangers, their teeth sharp, their growls loud.

“You don’t belong here,” one voice hissed.

“You will die tomorrow,” another growled.

“You are weak. You are nothing.”

I wanted to scream but my throat felt locked. I tried to run but the trees closed around me, trapping me inside. Then the ground broke under my feet, and I fell into darkness.

At the bottom, a woman’s voice whispered close to my ear. Soft but cold.

“You are not only human, Elara. You are more. But to be more, you must bleed first.”

I woke up screaming. My whole body was wet with sweat, my chest rising and falling so fast I thought I would faint. I grabbed my blanket and hugged it tight, my teeth shaking.

Was it only a nightmare? Or was it the Goddess speaking?

---

Morning came too quickly. My eyes were swollen, my body weak. I dragged myself out of bed, but every step felt heavy.

As soon as I stepped outside, I could hear them. The whispers. The laughter.

“She looks like a ghost.”

“She won’t last five minutes tomorrow.”

“Maybe Damien will finally throw her out after this.”

Their words stabbed harder than knives. I kept my eyes on the ground, pretending I didn’t hear, but every word stuck inside me. I wanted to scream at them, tell them to stop, but my voice stayed locked inside.

Clara walked past with her friends, her lips painted with a cruel smile.

“Careful, Elara,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear. “Don’t trip tomorrow. It would be such a shame if our Luna fell before the trial even began.”

The pack laughed. My cheeks burned. I bit my lip so hard it bled.

---

By the time I reached the edge of the training grounds, Damien was already there with the elders. His eyes were cold as always when they found mine. No warmth. No care. Just the weight of judgment.

“The trial begins tomorrow at sunrise,” Elder Rowan said, his voice strong. “The girl will face it. If she fails, the bond is broken. The pack will decide her fate.”

My knees almost gave way. My hands shook. I felt the world spinning.

Damien said nothing. He just turned his face away like I didn’t matter.

---

That night, I sat in my room again, staring at the moon through the window. My body was empty, my heart too heavy.

The nightmare kept repeating in my mind. The wolves. The blood. The woman’s voice. *You must bleed first.*

Was it a warning? A curse? Or a chance?

I did not know.

All I knew was this: tomorrow, my life would end or change forever.

I closed my eyes and whispered through the tears, “If I must fall, then let me fall fast. But if I must rise, then give me strength.”

The mark on my neck burned, sharper than ever, as if answering me.

I gasped, clutching it. My body trembled. Was the Goddess truly listening?

I fell back on the bed, still shaking, and the last thing I saw before sleep dragged me under again was the moon shining bright through the clouds, watching, waiting, as if it had secrets I could not yet understand.

And in the distance, I thought I heard Clara’s laugh again.

But this time, it sounded like a warning.