A full moon hung over the Silverclaw pack grounds, its light making the clearing look colder than it felt. The Alpha stood tall on the ceremonial platform, his voice powerful and strong while the assembled wolves were silent.
Alpha Dorian declared, "Our young wolves shall meet their fated mates tonight under the witness of the Moon Goddess. And now, let the bonds be revealed."
Aurora stood in the back row, trying to slow her breathing. Her heart drummed wildly in her chest. Not exactly from fear, but anticipation. Eighteen today. Her first shift complete. This was it. This was the night her soul would find its match.
She didn't wear anything flashy — just a soft white dress that clung to her curves and fell to her knees. Her pale hair hung loose down her back, catching the moonlight. Her best friend, Lila, gave her hand a squeeze.
"You ready?" Lila whispered with a nervous smile.
Aurora nodded, though the tension in her shoulders said otherwise. "I think so."
All around her, young wolves waited in a mix of hope, dread, and wild excitement. Eyes darted across the clearing. Some wolves had already begun to glow with the golden light that signified a completed bond.
Aurora glanced around trying to be discreet when her eyes settled inevitably on Kade Rowan.
The man stood near the front in his simple clothing. He was tall and looked strong. He was the newly appointed Alpha of his generation. His dark hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck. His jaw was set in that same emotionless mask he always wore.
But something about him always made her heart pull. She'd had a quiet crush on him since she was fifteen. He barely spoke to her — always cool, always distant — but still, some part of her hoped.
What if? She tried to push the thought aside, but it stuck.
Then the energy shifted.
Gasps rang out as golden light surged around two wolves standing across the circle from each other.
Another match.
More came after, filling the air with the smell of new magic and ties, until suddenly Aurora staggered.
Her breath caught. Her chest constricted. Her vision blurred for a second, then focused.
Her entire body flushed with heat and lightning.
And her gaze snapped to him.
Kade.
He turned slowly, his expression unreadable.
Their eyes met.
The bond solidified – and she knew right away.
Something hit her hard — not physically, but deep in her chest, as if her whole being reached for him at once.
"Kade. He's mine. He's my mate."
A soft gasp escaped her lips.
But Kade's expression didn't change.
He didn't smile and didn't move.
He just stared at her.
And then he said the words that shattered her world.
"No."
The silence that followed Kade's rejection wasn't soft.
It was deafening.
Aurora stood frozen, her mouth parted slightly, her body still humming with the aftershock of the bond. She blinked, hoping and praying that she'd misheard him. That the rejection hadn't just left his mouth.
But then he stepped forward.
Just one step.
And said it again, louder this time.
"I reject the bond."
The rejection hit harder than a slap. Loud. Final. Aurora's knees almost gave way.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers spread everywhere like wildfire.
"Did he just…?"
"To Aurora?"
"She's his fated mate?"
Lila's hand involuntarily flew to her mouth. She was too stunned to speak. But Aurora couldn't look away from Kade.
He didn't seem angry. Or conflicted. Just cold. Controlled.
"I do not accept her as my mate," he continued. His voice rang loud. "The Moon Goddess made a mistake."
The entire crowd sucked in a collective breath.
Aurora's face burned. Just moments ago her inner wolf was howling with joy. But she was now whimpered low and wounded deep inside her. The bond pulsed between them, trying to connect, to wrap itself around him, but he was already pushing it away.
Rejecting her.
Publicly.
With a final glance, Kade turned his back on her.
Just like that.
Aurora stood trembling. Her throat was dry. Her eyes burned. The heat that had filled her body turned into something cold and sharp. It turned into shame.
Her chest clenched so tight it hurt to breathe.
"Why? Why would he reject me?"
"Was it because she wasn't strong enough?"
"Not born of a ranked wolf?"
"Not beautiful enough?"
The voices in the crowd grew louder.
Sympathy. Laughter. Disbelief.
"Poor girl."
"She must've done something."
"I bet the Luna's furious."
And then a louder, shriller voice cut through the whispers.
"Typical. The Moon Goddess handed her gold, and she showed up in cheap silver."
It was Kade's current girlfriend, Serena.
Tall, raven-haired, stunning. The perfect future Luna. She stood smirking with her arms folded, as if this was all a performance meant to elevate her. And in a way it was.
Aurora's hands clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms.
She needed to leave immediately, but her feet wouldn't move.
Everyone was staring.
She locked eyes with Alpha Dorian, hoping and begging for someone, anyone, to intervene. To speak. To restore order. But the Alpha only looked down, then turned away.
It was done.
The bond was fated, yes — but not sacred. A mate could reject it. It was rare and cruel, but legal. And tonight, it had been done publicly… deliberately.
Tears blurred her vision. Not from heartbreak — not yet. That would come later.
This was something deeper than that. Humiliation.
"I said no, Aurora," Kade said again, voice lower now. Closer.
She hadn't realized he'd returned to stand near her, close enough that only she could hear.
"You don't need to make this harder than it needs to be."
She looked up at him properly and saw nothing.
Not anger. Not pain.
Just emptiness.
A void where her mate should be.
Her lips trembled.
Then she turned, slowly, and walked away.
Her steps were heavy.
But her silence was heavier.
She didn't run — not yet. Not until she was out of the light. Out of sight.
Only then did her body break.
She fell to her knees beneath the dark trees. The first sob came hard — sharp, broken, like something tore loose inside her. She clutched her stomach as if something had been ripped out of her.
Her mate.
Her future.
Her pride.
All gone.
The wind shifted.
Aurora's sobbing subsided, replaced by an excruciating numbness. The type that sank deep into her chest. She could no longer feel her legs, only rejection.
But she had to get away.
From the pack. From Kade. From everyone who had witnessed her unraveling.
She stood up shakily and stumbled deeper into the woods, wanting to get away from the ceremony lights, the howls, and the whispers.
The trees thickened quickly, swallowing the moonlight. Roots clawed at her bare feet. Thorns scratched her arms. Still, she didn't stop.
The farther she went, the quieter everything became. The silence was so dense that it seemed like the forest was holding its breath.
Aurora paused to lean against a tree, her fingers trembling. Her breath steamed in the air, though the night wasn't cold.
"Where am I?"
She'd never gone this far before.
Suddenly, something in the air shifted.
Her wolf moved uncomfortably within her. It was not necessarily out of fear. It was out of confusion and curiosity.
Then another pulse. Stronger.
A soft warm wind curled around her ankle.
She turned sharply.
Nothing.
Then a whisper—no, a voice—so soft it barely touched her ears.
"You're mine."
Aurora's heart froze.
She spun in every direction, eyes wide, searching.
"Who's there?" Her voice cracked.
No answer. Just the hum again but it was a bit louder this time. She felt it as if it were beneath her skin. Something was watching. Not exactly near — but aware of her.
She took a step backward.
And then the ground shifted beneath her.
The soil cracked. The tree roots seemed to slither ever so slightly, just out of focus.
She blinked and stumbled, grabbing a trunk to steady herself. The bark was warmer than it should've been.
A subtle vibration buzzed through her bones. It was not threatening or unpleasant, but it was electrifying.
Then she saw it.
A faint crimson glow up ahead, nestled between two curved, ancient trees.
Aurora stepped closer, her heartbeat thundering now. Her breath came fast, ragged. Every instinct told her to run.
But something deeper and darker called her forward.
The glow pulsed once.
"Come to me."
She gasped.
That voice again — smooth, commanding, male — but this time it sank straight into her chest.
She shivered — not from fear. From something she couldn't name. Her wolf stirred — cautious, but not retreating.
It was as if part of her recognized that voice. Like something inside her had been waiting for it.
No, she told herself. This isn't safe.
And yet…
She reached out.
Her fingers hovered just an inch from the crimson light.
And then — a growl. Deep. Possessive.
Not from behind her — from within the light.
The glow surged forward, and everything went dark.