Breathless Ties

The great hall of Blackthorn Pack was carved from stone and shadow, its vaulted ceiling lost in the darkness above. Torches blazed along the walls, casting flickers of firelight across the wolves who had gathered from every corner of the territory. The air thrummed with expectation. Tonight, the pack would witness how their Alpha will claim his Luna.

Alpha Kael stood at the head of the chamber, broad shoulders straight, golden eyes hard. He had been Alpha for only three years, but already his legend stretched beyond the pack lands. Ruthless in battle, disciplined in rule, untouchable in his solitude — that was the man who now surveyed the sea of faces before him.

The elders had convened at the Moonstone shrine days earlier. The prophecy was clear, or so they claimed. The goddess had chosen Selene as the Luna of Blackthorn, the woman destined to rule beside Kael.

Selene entered now, gliding into the chamber with a practiced elegance that made the crowd murmur. Her gown shimmered silver, her long dark hair cascading like silk down her back. She smiled softly, bowing her head just enough to feign humility while letting her icy blue eyes sparkle with triumph.

“She is perfect,” someone whispered.

Kael did not flinch. He had expected this moment, rehearsed it in his mind a dozen times. And yet, as Selene’s eyes sought his, he felt… nothing. No heat, no spark, no tether pulling at his soul. The room roared with approval, but in his chest, only a hollow silence echoed, he thought .

Elder Ryn stepped forward, his voice carrying through the hall. “By decree of the goddess, by the will of the Moonstone, Selene shall stand as Luna to Alpha Kael, and together they will lead Blackthorn into an age of strength.”

Applause thundered, feet stomping against stone. Wolves howled in celebration. Selene lifted her chin, basking in their adoration.

But Kael’s gaze slid past her, over the heads of his people, toward the massive doors of the hall. He felt a strange tightness in his chest, as though something vital lingered out there in the cold night, just beyond his reach , and he thought.

The bond.

He had been told it would feel like fire in the blood, like the first breath after drowning. He had been told he would *know*. But standing before Selene, there was only emptiness, in his heart .

Selene stepped closer, her hand outstretched, delicate fingers trembling as though with affection. Kael took it, because the pack expected him to. He raised her hand high, sealing the moment with a nod. Cheers erupted.

Yet in that instant, when his skin touched hers, the hollow ache in his chest deepened. A whisper of wrongness curled through his veins. he didn't want this, he thought but

Selene’s smile widened, sharp as a blade.

And Kael, though every wolf in the chamber saw him as the triumphant Alpha, felt more trapped than he ever had in the heat of war.