Chapter 1

Nova

The night I turned twenty was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.

Every young wolf dreams of the moment the moon Goddess reveals their fated mate. For years I had pictured it, walking into the hall, eyes locking with the one meant for me, feeling that spark of destiny, the rush of excitement, that bond that would never be broken. My heart had carried that dream through every lonely night, every whispered prayers to the Moon Goddess.

But the Moon Goddess had other plans.

The great hall of Black Moon pack was alive with celebration. Torches blazed against stone walls, casting golden lights across the crowd. Wolves of all ranks gathered, warriors, omegas, pack elders dressed in their finest. Laughter, chatter and cheers filled the air, but beneath it all was anticipation. Tonight, someone’s life would change forever.

I smoothed the fabric of my simple pale blue dress, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach. My hands trembled slightly, but I told myself it was the excitement. My parents stood nearby, beaming with pride. My mother reached over and squeezed my hand.

“You’re ready,” she whispered.

I smiled back, though my chest tightened with uncertainty. Am I?

The elders began their ritual prayers, blessing the young wolves who had come of age. My heart pounded as their voices rose, calling upon the Moon Goddess. Then as the final words echoed, I felt it

The bond.

It hit me like a lightning, A sudden rush of energy surged through my veins, making my knees weak. My senses sharpened, my wolf Lyra howled with joy inside me. The air itself seemed to tremble.

And then, I smelled him.

The scent hit me like lightning, Cederwood, smoke and danger. My wolf Lyra, howled with joy, clawing at my chest. My gaze snapped across the crowd, and that was when I saw him.

Alpha Benjamin Black.

The most feared, Dangerous Alpha in the entire region. Dark haired, Tall, broad shouldered and a chest carved from stone. Every inch of him radiated power and precision, as if he had been sculpted for battle. His face was all sharp angles and impossible beauty, high cheek bones, a square jaw dusted with stubble, and a mouth set in a dangerous, unreadable line. But it was his eyes that pinned me in place black like an abyss, glinting with fury and something far more lethal, dressed in black that only made his aura darker. His presence was commanding, suffocating. Conversations faltered as wolves instinctively lowered their heads. His reputation preceded him, merciless in battle, cold in rule and untouchable.

And yet, when our eyes met, I knew.

Mate.

The word echoed in my soul, in Lyra’s howl of triumph. My heart raced.Tears stung my eyes. This was the moment I had dreamed of, prayed for. The Moon Goddess had chosen him.

But instead of joy, I saw fury flash in his eyes.

He stepped forward, his aura pressing down on the room like a storm. Wolves shrank back, clearing a path between us. My breath caught as he approached. Every step he took made my pulse quicken. Part of me wanted to run, part of me wanted to fall into his arms.

When he stopped before me, silence filled the hall. Hundreds of eyes watched. My wolf trembled with yearning, but his expression was carved from stone.

His voice, when it came, was deep, commanding, and laced with disdain.

“I don’t want a mate.”

The words struck me like a blade. Gasps erupted through the hall, but he wasn’t finished. His gaze bored into mine, cold and unyielding.

“But it seems the Moon Goddess has cursed me with you.”

The crowd stirred in disbelief. Whispers rippled, shock spreading like wildfire. My heart pounded, my mind struggling to grasp his words. Cursed? Me?

And then he sealed it.

“I, Alpha Benjamin Black, reject you, Nova Stark, as my mate.”

The rejection ripped through me like fire. A searing pain unlike anything I have ever experience before tore into my chest, stealing my breath. My knees buckled, my body trembling under the unbearable weight. Tears welled in my eyes and blurred my vision as gasps echoed around me. Some wolves looked on with pity, others with scorn.

But worse than the pain was the humiliation, Rejected, Cast aside. By my mate. By my Alpha.

I could feel the bond struggling, burning, refusing to dissolve. The Moon Goddess’s threads bound us still, writhing between us like chains of fire. He had spoken the words, but I felt them hang in the air, unfinished.

Because I hadn’t accepted.

With every ounce of strength left in me, I forced myself to stand tall. My vision swam, but I met his eyes through the blur of tears.

“No.”

My voice trembled, but it carried through the silent hall. Gasps echoed again, sharper this time. My hands clenched into fists, my chest heaving with pain, but my spirit burned brighter.

“I refuse.”

The fire in my veins blazed. The bond flared, snapping tight, unyielding. Benjamin stiffened, his jaw tightening as his own body shuddered under the rejection’s backlash. He had expected me to crumble. Instead, I stood.

Whispers turned into uproar.

“She refused him!”

“That’s impossible!”

“She defied the Alpha!”

Benjamin’s Beta pushed forward, panic flashing in his eyes. “Alpha, the bond it hasn’t broken!”

Benjamin snarled, his aura exploding like a tidal wave of darkness. Wolves collapsed to their knees under the weight of it. My heart slammed in my chest as his power crashed against me, suffocating, brutal. But I held my ground.

Pain coursed through me, fire and lightning in my veins. I knew what this meant I had bound myself to him, refusing his rejection. I had defied him, I had defied fate itself.

His eyes glowed, black as midnight, wolf clawing at the surface. Fury twisted his features. For a moment, I thought he might strike me down where I stood.

But then, for the briefest second, something flickered in his eyes, Something raw. A flash of confusion. A crack in his armor.

And I knew, deep in my soul.

This was only the beginning.

I wasn’t just his mate. I was his curse.