Chapter 1 The Rejection

The night of the Mating Ceremony arrived.

The courtyard was full. Wolves laughed, ate, and whispered. The Moonstone glowed in the center. Its silver light pulsed against the dark.

Aria stood at the edge. Her hands shook. She pulled them into fists. She had turned eighteen that morning. She had waited her whole life for this night.

She tried to breathe. Her chest felt tight.

She searched the crowd. She saw him. Kael.

The Alpha.

He was tall. His shoulders filled the space. His eyes were sharp, dark, and heavy with authority. Every step he took made others part for him.

Her stomach turned. She had admired him for years. She never let herself hope. She was the daughter of omegas. She was not meant for him.

But her wolf stirred. Restless. Awake.

The elder lifted his staff. His voice carried across the courtyard. "Tonight, the Moon Goddess blesses us. Tonight, bonds will be revealed."

The pack hushed.

Aria stepped forward with the others. The Moonstone's light spread across her skin. A pull moved through her chest. Her breath hitched.

The bond had come alive.

Her body moved without thought. She turned. Her eyes locked on him. Kael.

Her chest seized.

His eyes found hers at the same moment. His body stilled. His jaw tightened. His breath caught. Recognition.

Whispers broke through the silence. "The Alpha's mate. It's Aria."

Heat flooded her face. Her knees trembled. The Goddess had chosen him.

For one heartbeat, his eyes softened. He looked at her with something she had never seen before. Longing.

Her wolf howled inside her. Joy surged through her chest. She wanted to run into his arms. She wanted to claim him.

But his gaze hardened. His shoulders stiffened. His fists clenched.

The shift cut her in two.

He stepped forward. His voice rang clear. "No."

The crowd gasped.

Aria's lips parted. "What?"

His eyes locked on her. Cold. "I reject you, Aria. I reject this bond. I reject you as my mate."

The words crushed her chest. Pain spread fast, sharp, and deep. Her legs shook. She stumbled back.

Whispers tore through the crowd.

Aria's breath caught. She forced out words. "Kael... why?"

His jaw flexed. His tone was flat. "You are weak. You are an omega's daughter. My mate must be strong. You are not."

Her throat closed. Her wolf whimpered in pain.

The elder frowned. "Alpha, the Moon Goddess...

Kael cut him off. "I will not accept her. My choice is final."

The elder fell silent.

Aria's tears spilled. She turned and ran.

The courtyard spun behind her. She pushed through the crowd. She heard the whispers. Pity. Mockery.

She ran until the forest swallowed her.

Her body collapsed against a tree. She gasped for air. The rejection seared her.

Her chest felt ripped open. Her wolf cried.

She pressed her hand over her heart. The bond throbbed. It was still alive. Even rejected, it lived.

Her tears blurred the world.

She remembered his face when their eyes first met. The softness in his gaze. The spark of need.

For one moment, he had wanted her. She had felt it.

That hurt most of all.

Kael stayed in the courtyard. His fists were tight. His chest burned with the bond.

He had felt it too. The pull. The certainty.

For one moment, he wanted to accept her. His wolf had pushed against him, wild with desire.

But he stopped himself. An Alpha's mate had to be more. She had to carry the pack. An omega's daughter would never command respect.

He told himself it was duty. He told himself it was strength.

But her tears cut him.

His wolf snarled at him. Furious. It wanted her.

Kael turned away from the Moonstone. His steps carried him back to his chambers. His body was heavy.

When the door shut, silence filled the room.

He paced. His chest ached. His hands shook.

Her face would not leave him. Her wide eyes. Her tears.

He slammed his fist against the wall. Wood cracked.

"You are weak," he muttered, as if to her. But his voice shook.

His wolf clawed at him. "She is ours," it growled inside him.

Kael forced it down. "She cannot be."

But his chest throbbed. His breath came rough.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her.

And the bond pulsed on.

Aria stumbled home. Her parents rushed to her side.

Her mother's voice shook. "Aria, what happened?"

Her father's eyes narrowed. "Tell us."

Aria forced words past the lump in her throat. "He rejected me."

Her mother gasped. Her father's jaw tightened.

Aria moved past them. She went to her room. She shut the door.

She sank onto her bed. She pressed her face into her pillow. Her chest tore open with pain.

Her wolf whimpered, broken.

Her body shook. She cried until no tears were left.

But beneath the pain, something hardened.

She would not let this end her.

Kael had called her weak. She would prove him wrong.

Her wolf stirred. It agreed.

She sat up. Her face was wet. Her eyes burned.

She whispered into the empty room. "You will regret this, Kael."

Her voice was weak, but her heart was set.

The bond still lived. Her strength would grow with it.

Kael lay awake that night. His chest twisted.

The bond pulled at him, heavy and alive. He could feel her pain echo in his blood.

His wolf howled, restless.

Kael stared at the ceiling. He told himself again and again. He had done the right thing. He had protected the pack.

But he had broken something he could never fix.

And the thought would not leave him.