I was going to leave right after the Mating Ceremony.

But now, I'd changed my mind.

So, my destiny is to mate with an Alpha from his pack?

Fine.

What's the difference if he's an exile? An Alpha is an Alpha.

The next day, the full moon rose, and the ceremony began on schedule.

Ethan came to my room, his face grim. "Elara, no matter what happens tonight, don't fight it. Trust me. Everything will be okay."

I sat quietly at my vanity, dressed in a holy white ceremonial robe. "I know," I replied calmly.

The ceremony unfolded exactly as I’d overheard.

When the shadow rune activated, I felt the raw fury of the Moon Goddess.

Ethan seized the moment, announcing to everyone that I had angered the deity.

He had to temporarily reject me, to postpone our union.

The Elder's voice boomed: "By the law of our ancestors, the future Alpha has postponed his fated mating! The Exile's Blood Pact is now in effect! Elara Silvermoon, you will be sent to Alpha Damon's territory to mate with him."

I met Ethan's calculating, falsely apologetic gaze. And I simply nodded.

Moments later, I was escorted from the sacred altar and taken to a skyscraper in the heart of the city.

The door to the penthouse apartment opened before me.

A tall figure stood with his back to me.

He turned around slowly.

His eyes were as deep as a night sky, holding a calm that controlled everything.

This was Damon. The ruthless, exiled Alpha.

The air grew thick with a suffocating Alpha aura. It was a physical weight, pressing in on me from all sides.

This wasn't like Ethan’s arrogant dominance.

This was the raw power of a true predator.

My wolf didn't cower. She rose to meet it, a strange, thrilling hum vibrating through my bones.

"They sent you," his voice was a low, magnetic rumble that felt strangely familiar. "Just as I expected."

I straightened my back, looking at him coldly. "You knew?"

"Ethan's little tricks don't fool anyone," Damon said, his voice a low rumble as he stalked toward me. "The question is, what are you going to do? Cry and beg me to send you back, or..."

He stopped right in front of me, his tall frame completely shadowing mine.

He leaned in, his nose brushing mine. His dark eyes stripped my soul bare.

"...Or will you seize your new fate?"

My heart pounded. A wave of heat shot up my spine.

I had never felt anything like this before.

It was dangerous, exhilarating, and lethally attractive.

Ethan’s betrayal had ripped my heart to shreds.

I had only wanted revenge, to make him feel the pain of losing everything.

But now, looking at this man, a new, crazier idea began to form.

"If I accept," I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze, "what do I get?"

A playful smirk touched Damon's lips.

"You get a loyal mate. My power. And revenge so sweet, it will bring that pathetic Alpha to his knees."

"Deal," I said without hesitation.

"Then," his voice dropped, laced with raw temptation, "will you, Elara? Mate with me. Be my Luna. And leave your past to burn."

He wasn't forcing me. He was giving me a choice.

I closed my eyes. The image of Ethan and Selena embracing flashed in my mind.

His words echoed: It's only for the power in her bloodline.

To hell with fated mates. To hell with ten years of waiting.

"I will," I said, opening my eyes, my gaze firm.

The moment the words left my lips, Damon's aura exploded.

He stopped holding back. His powerful Alpha scent crashed over me like a tsunami.

My knees went weak, and he caught me, pulling me into his arms.

His kiss was possessive and scorching hot, igniting every fire within me.

He lifted me, carried me into the bedroom, and tossed me onto the soft, massive bed.

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating his defined muscles and eyes that burned with desire.

He leaned over me. The second his canines sank into my neck, fire and pleasure shot through my veins. Pain and power. A brand on my soul.

I could feel his immense power flooding into me, merging with my bloodline.

A new, unbreakable bond formed deep in my soul.

The mark was complete.

I gasped, his scent now a permanent part of me, branded on my very soul.

In that moment, I knew. This wasn't just a good decision. It was the only decision.

The next morning.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The frantic pounding on the door echoed through the entire floor, accompanied by Ethan’s furious roars.

"Damon! You despicable half-breed! Get out here!"

Inside, Damon strolled out of the bathroom. A towel was slung dangerously low on his hips, his chest and abs still glistening with water.

He casually dried his wet hair, a lazy, satisfied look on his face.

Ethan screamed from the other side of the door, "You used dark magic to fool the Goddess! It was an accident! Elara is mine! Give her back to me now!"

Damon walked to the door, a mocking smile on his lips.

I sat up in bed and walked over to him.

"Let him in," I said softly. "It's time for the show to begin."

The moment the door flew open, Ethan stormed in, flanked by the Elders.

His eyes landed on me—my messy hair, the way I stood beside Damon—and they turned bloodshot with rage.

"Elara! Get away from him! That bastard—"

His words choked in his throat. His gaze locked on my neck.

On the raw, crimson mark marring my skin.

The mark of another Alpha.

Ethan stumbled back a step, his face a canvas of disbelief.

"You... you mated?!"