Ivory's POV

The scent of burning pine hung heavy over the sacred clearing, but it did nothing to soothe the violent restlessness churning in my stomach.

Tonight was the Matching Ceremony, the one night of the year when unmated, coming-of-age werewolves finally found their soul mates.

I stood at the periphery of the crowd, arms crossed tightly over my chest, watching the expectant pack gather in a wide circle. The pale blue moon hung high above us, glowing.

"It won't happen," I muttered under my breath, casting my gaze down to my leather boots. "Maybe I'd never get a fated mate."

I was Ivory, the Beta of the Obsidian Pack. I had built my reputation on absolute self control. I didn't need a fairy tale to solidify my status. But still, it hurt to watch others get something you longed for.

Suddenly, the moonlight's pale glow turned into a blinding silver radiance. A high-pitched, agonizing sound sliced straight into my skull.

I gasped, dropping heavily to my knees as my hands flew to my ears.

"What the hell is going on?!"

The sound escalated into a deafening pitch. A wave of invisible heat poured into my veins from nowhere, burning and freezing me all at once. My senses exploded. I could smell the damp earth beneath me; I could hear the synchronized heartbeat of every living thing in the valley.

My wolf surged forward with terrifying momentum.

Crack.

I screamed as my bones snapped and forced themselves into a new alignment. My spine arched, muscles tearing and rebuilding in a flash of agonizing heat. Claws tore through my fingertips, and a raw, hooting howl broke from my jaw, echoing into the dark canopy.

And then it hit me.

An intoxicating, utterly irresistible scent drifted from the tree line-a rich blend of jasmine and vanilla honey.

My body moved entirely on instinct as I sprinted into the blackness of the forest, tearing through the underbrush. Branches whipped against my fur, but I felt no pain. I only needed him, the owner of the scent-my soul's missing half.

I skidded to a halt so violently that my claws tore a line on the ground.

The wolf stood waiting in the shadows.

The moment my eyes locked onto his striking grey ones, the entire world shifted from black and white into living colours. A consuming ache to touch him, to possess him, flooded my being.

The grey wolf was my fated mate. At long last! He gave me a growl of recognition.

My heart pounded wildly as I stepped closer, my soul screaming with joy. We leaned toward each other, inches from touching, when suddenly he went rigid.

His expression twisted with conflict.

My paws faltered.

What...?

For a split second, the invisible thread of the bond yanked him toward me again, forcing him to give in. Then, with a brutal jolt, he jerked back. A sharp, agonized howl tore from his throat.

He turned and bolted into the dark.

"Wait!"

I lunged after him, my paws slamming against the earth. I pushed harder, faster, ignoring the tearing sensation in my chest.

"Stop! Please!"

But he didn't stop. He ran from me as though I were a plague, as though I wasn't his.

Every stride he took away from me felt like a red-hot blade driving deeper into my heart. My wolf let out a broken, desperate howl.

"Come back."

But he only ran faster into the shadows until he vanished completely.

Still, I ran - I ran until my lungs burned dry and my wolverine form collapsed, leaving me a running naked, and shivering woman. I crashed hard against the root of an old tree and blood welled in my mouth from my split lip.

Why did he run? Why doesn't he want me? And most importantly, who was he?

I lost conciousness before the answers came.

Ivory's POV.

Muffled, panicked voices dragged me back to consciousness.

"Who is she?"

"Turn her over-Goddess, it's the Beta!"

"Oh my goodness, our Beta? What is she doing out here naked?"

Of course they knew the answer to my situation. No one ended up broken and discarded in the woods the morning after a Matching Ceremony unless they had suffered the ultimate humiliation: a mate's rejection.

A rough cloak was thrown over my shivering body as two pairs of arms lifted me. I kept my eyes tightly shut, faking unconsciousness. I couldn't face their pity.

By the time they laid me down on a cot, the scent of crushed herbs told me exactly where I was.

"I'm wondering how long you intend to pretend to be asleep," a weary, gentle voice murmured.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my eyes open.

"Selene..."

Selene, the pack's head healer and the closest person I had to a mother, sat beside me. Her worn hands brushed the tangled hair from my forehead.

"Easy, child. What happened last night?"

I turned my face away, my jaw tightening.

"I can't."

"You were rejected... weren't you?" she asked softly.

The blunt truth hurt deeper than the physical injuries. I swallowed the lump in my throat, staring at the ceiling.

"...Yes."

Her hand stilled on my forehead.

"Who is he, Ivory?"

"I don't know," I admitted, a tear escaping down my cheek. "His wolf was a massive grey. And... he wore a heavy gold chain around his neck."

Selene froze.

The sudden, absolute silence in the tent made my chest constrict. She knew exactly who he was.

"A gold chain?" she whispered, her voice laced with dread.

"Yes," I replied, sitting up despite the pain wracking my ribs. "Selene, who is my mate?"

"Get some rest, Ivory," she said evasively, standing up and refusing to meet my eyes. "We will speak later."

Her deflection sent a spike of adrenaline through my heart. For fuck's sake, I didn't need rest; I needed answers.

The moment Selene cleared the tent, I threw off the blanket, found a heavy tunic and leather coat, and stepped out into the crisp morning air.

Outside, pups shrieked in innocent play, and women bowed respectfully as I walked past. I was their formidable Beta. But if they saw the fractured, desperate woman beneath the coat, would they still bow?

I marched directly toward the Alpha's lodge to account for my absence during the ceremony.

At the entrance, the Gamma intercepted me, his face drawn.

"The Alpha has been in strict seclusion since last night, Ivory," Zane said cautiously. "He ordered that he not be disturbed."

My brows furrowed.

"Why?"

Zane hesitated, gesturing toward the private, heavily guarded wing of the lodge.

"He didn't say. But... if it's urgent, you know where he is."

I didn't wait for permission.

I strode down the quiet corridor, my boots clicking against the floor. But as I neared the heavy oak door of the Alpha's private quarters, the familiar scent of jasmine and vanilla honey sent my wolf stirring.

My breath hitched.

My mate was in the lodge?

Before I could even process the thought, the door swung open. The air in the hallway instantly thickened with his suffocating presence.

There he stood. Bare-chested, muscular, and exuding pure dominance.

And resting against his collarbone was the heavy golden chain.

My knees nearly buckled.

"Draven... it's you?"

The Alpha of our pack. My childhood friend and my leader.

Fuck, how could this happen?

My eyes took in the sharp lines of his face and the hard contours of his chest. The mate bond flared, demanding I throw myself into his arms.

I stepped forward, completely undone.

"Draven-"

"Stay back, Ivory," he warned, his voice dangerously strained.

His jaw was clenched so tightly a vein throbbed in his temple. His knuckles turned white on the doorframe.

He was fighting it, fighting us.

My wolf snarled in offense.

Mates do not refuse each other.

"No, I'm coming right in."

I stepped past his broad shoulder, slipping into his room before he could shut me out.

"You've lost your mind," Draven groaned, dragging a hand through his dark hair as he slammed the door shut behind us.

He turned to face me, his dark eyes burning.

"You know this is forbidden."

His words hit me like cold water.

He was right.

In the Obsidian Pack, the lineage was absolute. An Alpha and a female Beta mating was considered a taboo-a disruption of the hierarchy due to a historical tragedy that had occurred about a century ago.

But as he stepped closer, the bond pulled us together until I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. His dark, ravenous gaze dropped to my lips.

"Draven, I know this is wrong, but we can't help it, can we?" I whispered, my body betraying my mind as I leaned into his space.

With a groan, Draven lost his grip on his control.

He closed the distance, his hands gripping my waist as his lips crashed into mine.

The kiss was hot, desperate, and punishingly needy. I moaned against his mouth, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling him against me as his teeth nipped my bottom lip.

A rational voice in the back of my mind screamed:

If anyone opens that door, we are ruined.

I crushed the voice.

Nothing mattered but the fire in his touch.

His mouth trailed down my jaw, leaving a path of sensual heat before burying itself in the crook of my neck. I gasped, tilting my head back to give him better access.

The mating spot ached for his teeth.

"Mark me, Draven," I pleaded, my fingers tangling in his hair. "Please... complete it."

He froze.

His breath hit my sensitive skin, hot and ragged.

Then he forcefully shoved me away.

"No," he breathed out, staggering back. "I can't do this."

My heart plummeted into an icy abyss.

"Draven?"

"Get out, Ivory."

The sheer coldness in his tone sent a shudder through my body. His eyes had flared a dangerous, unnatural red, green veins bulging across his forehead as he fought the internal beast.

The incomplete bond threw a blinding headache straight into my temples.

"Draven, separating will only make this hell!" I shouted, tears finally spilling over.

"You don't understand the cost!" he roared back, his face flushing deep red. "A century ago, when an Alpha and a female Beta fell in love, the pack became nearly extinct," he said.

"But we can choose not to act like them! We can show everyone that this can be a good thing," I countered.

"Ivory, I will not be the one to destroy my family's legacy."

A bitter ache formed in my chest.

"You only care about yourself," I whispered, the tears hot on my face. "We are bleeding out from the same bond, and all you care about is your fucking title?"

"I need time to think!" he groaned, gripping his head. "I have to think!"

"Change the rules, Draven! You're the Alpha!" I screamed, turning on my heel.

I slammed his heavy oak door behind me so hard the sound echoed through the entire corridor.

I hurried out of the lodge, aggressively wiping my face.

On the steps, I collided with a young pack messenger.

"Beta? Are you alright? You're crying," he said, his eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine," I snapped, keeping my head down. "I just... hit my face against a doorpost. What is it?"

"I have urgent news regarding the Alpha," the messenger whispered.

My stomach dropped with a terrible premonition.

"Speak."

"His formal Mating Ceremony has just been scheduled. It takes place tomorrow evening."

I froze.

"What?!"

Ivory's POV

The bond had tormented me for twenty-four hours straight. Had I slept? Not a wink. Every second, there was a dull, painful throb in my heart that made it impossible to focus.

And today was his ceremony.

Earlier that morning, I had cornered him near the armory, desperate for a real conversation.

"Ivory, I will send for you later," he had said coldly, turning his back to me before I could even open my mouth.

"Who is she, Draven?" I had demanded, ensuring our voices didn't carry to the guards.

He remained silent.

"Have you told the elders about us? What did they say?"

"Your presence at the ceremony is very important," was his only response.

I had left him in bitter silence.

He hadn't broken the bond, I told myself, clinging to a fragile, desperate shred of hope as I went to my quarters to change. Maybe he spoke to the elders. Maybe he's going to shock the pack and claim me anyway.

With that hope driving me, I dressed in my full Beta regalia.

When I stepped into the main square, I saw Draven briefing Zane and a contingent of warriors. He didn't even glance my way. I began walking toward him, ready to tell him I was willing to face the elders by his side.

But the moment he saw me approaching, he grimaced, turned on his heel, and walked away.

He's just avoiding me to keep his control, I rationalized. If we get too close before the ceremony, our wolves will take over.

Passing Selene's medical tent, I idly lifted the canvas flap to check on her.

Instead, my breath caught.

A strikingly beautiful woman from a powerful neighboring pack sat on a stool, casually spinning a heavy silver necklace between her fingers.

My brows knit together.

It was the ceremonial mating collar-the traditional piece given only to a newly bonded Alpha pair.

Why is a stranger holding that?

The woman suddenly caught me staring. She set the piece down with a polite, vacant smile and picked up a jar of ointment instead.

I forced my features to smooth out, offering a tight nod before letting the flap fall shut.

You're overthinking it, I scolded myself, my heart hammering against my ribs as I walked toward the sacred clearing. It's going to be fine.

By dusk, the sacred clearing was suffocatingly full.

Colossal iron torches burned in a massive circle. Warriors stood in a flawless formation, while the elders occupied the inner ring in their ceremonial robes.

I didn't hear a single word of the High Elder's opening speech.

My eyes were locked entirely on Draven.

He stood beside the ancient ceremonial stone, every inch the majestic Alpha-poised and utterly unreadable. Every time his dark, obsidian eyes drifted over the crowd and met mine, my heart did a hopeful flip. His gaze lingered just long enough to make me believe tonight was ours.

The elder's booming voice cut through my thoughts.

"Werewolves of the Obsidian Pack, it is time for the formal proclamation! Let the Alpha and his chosen fated mate step forward to seal their bond before us!"

My heart skipped a beat. This was it.

"The Alpha's mate will now be presented."

My boots automatically took a step forward, drawn by the pull of our bond.

However, the heavy ceremonial velvet curtains parted and a woman of striking elegance stepped onto the stone platform. Her movements were smooth, like silk gliding over ice. Her dark hair flowed in immaculate waves down her back, her face radiating a charming smile.

I froze in my tracks, and my stomach completely bottomed out.

It was the woman from Selene's tent.

No, no, no.

Draven didn't spare me any more glances.

Instead, he stepped forward, reaching out his large hand to take hers.

"I, Alpha Draven of the Obsidian Pack," his voice boomed across the pin-drop silent clearing, "accept you, Dolores of the Shadowmoon Pack, as my mate and Luna."

Each word felt like a physical blow, utterly shattering the pathetic delusions I had built.

He lifted the heavy silver mating collar and fastened it gently around her neck.

She offered a flawless bow.

"I, Dolores, accept you, Alpha Draven, as my mate and Alpha."

My eyes burned with a sudden, vicious heat.

This isn't real, it can't be.

But before the entire pack-before my very eyes-Draven drew her close.

Just before his head dipped, his eyes found mine across the clearing and a look of regret passed through his dark irises.

It shattered something inside my chest, like glass breaking across a stone floor.

Then he sank his fangs deep into the crook of Dolores's neck.

I stood paralyzed, my lips parted, the air completely trapped in my lungs as our bond twisted painfully, while he marked another woman.

I clutched my chest, my knees trembling as the reality crashed into me like waves.

My mate marked a stranger and the Pack erupted into thundering cheers and applause.

They were celebrating a future built on my broken soul.

Tears finally spilled over my lashes, blurring the celebratory torches into a bloody haze.

I couldn't stay.

Giving one final, hateful glance toward the platform, I turned around and aggressively shoved my way through the dense crowd, ignoring the startled protests of the pack members I slammed past.

"She took what belonged to me," my wolf whispered, the heartbreak instantly souring into an ugly rage.

And I was going to make her pay.