Chapter 007

Ember's POV

The night air was thick with tension. I could feel it creeping into my bones, making my inner wolf, Lily, stir uneasily.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over the Pack's grounds as I followed Mrs. Evelyn toward the Pack house.

My grip on the strap of my bag tightened, my fingers growing clammy as the reality of what was about to happen set in.

The Mating Ritual.

My heart pounded against my ribs, a frantic, uneven beat. Lily’s anxiety was seeping into me, her restlessness evident.

I could feel her pacing in the back of my mind, growling softly, urging me to be on guard. The whole situation felt wrong, like I was walking into something I wasn’t prepared for.

"You'll be fine," Mrs. Evelyn’s voice was calm as she spoke to me, but it did little to ease the storm brewing inside me.

I forced a tight smile. “Yeah, I hope so.” But inside, my thoughts raced. Why did I even agree to come to this?

When we reached the Pack house, the crowd was already seated, the air buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

I glanced around, seeing familiar faces of my packmates. As always, they looked at me with disgust. I still wasn’t welcomed in the pack.

I swallowed hard, pushing the thought out of my head as we made our way to the seating area.

Every step I took felt like walking deeper into a pit. Lily whined inside me, her instincts sharp, sensing something I couldn’t quite place yet.

As I sat down, the Seer stood at the front, her old, wise eyes scanning through the crowd. “Let the ritual begin!” she declared, and a wave of cheers echoed through the Pack house.

I forced myself to relax, but I was on edge. Every muscle in my body was tense, and Lily’s anxiety had only worsened. I knew she could feel something, something I wasn’t ready to face yet.

The new Alpha stepped onto the high cliff overlooking the Pack. He wore a mask, hiding his identity as tradition dictated, but there was something about him that made my skin prickle.

I squinted, narrowing my eyes as I tried to make out more details, but from this distance, I couldn’t see much.

Except...

Why does he look like Rowan, even in a mask?

The thought struck me out of nowhere, and I blinked, my breath hitching. Rowan. The name sent a jolt through me, stirring memories I had long buried. My heart raced faster, and I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

No, I told myself. It’s not him. It can’t be.

The Seer continued to speak, but her words were drowned out by the storm raging in my mind. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the new Alpha.

There was something so familiar about the way he moved, the way he stood on that cliff, exuding power and authority.

But it couldn’t be Rowan. He was gone. He had been gone for years, according to the rumors I heard back then. He left Scar Moon Pack after he healed up. After we were over.

“Let the Moon Goddess reveal the Alpha’s mate,” the Seer announced, and I felt the Pack shift, their excitement clear.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but suddenly, a strange sensation washed over me. A pull.

It was faint at first, like a soft tug in my chest, but it grew stronger with every passing second, until it felt like an invisible rope was tying me to the Alpha.

My breath caught. No. No, no, no!

Lily howled in my mind, her voice booming. “MATE!” she roared, her excitement and fury shaking me to the core.

I froze, my blood turning to ice. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head incessantly. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not after everything I had been through. I couldn’t be the new Alpha’s mate. I wouldn’t be.

My life was complicated enough.

“MATE!! MINE!!” Lily growled, desperate to get closer, but I pushed her down, my resolve stronger than her need. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.

I gasped, my body trembling. My chest tightened, and a cold sweat broke out on my skin. I had just gotten out of a devastating marriage with Alpha Thane.

I was still picking up the pieces of my shattered heart. How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel as to pair me with another Alpha?

“No, no, no,” I muttered under my breath, fighting back the overwhelming emotions crashing through me.

And that pull… that magnetic force drawing me toward the masked Alpha. I couldn’t fight it, even though every part of me wanted to.

I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to let anyone in again. Especially not an Alpha. Not twice.

Suddenly, the Alpha began to descend the cliff, moving with purpose. His eyes locked on me, even through the mask. My breath caught again. He was coming straight toward me.

I panicked. I had to get out of here. I couldn’t face him. I couldn’t face this.

I turned on my heels, my legs moving before my brain could catch up. I didn’t care about the stares I was drawing, or the whispers rising around me. All I knew was that I had to leave. I had to escape before this went any further.

But then, just as I was about to make my way through the crowd, a voice cut through the noise. Deep, familiar, and laced with certainty.

“Found you again, Mate.”

I stopped in my tracks, my heart slamming into my chest. The world seemed to freeze around me, the sound of the crowd fading into the background. I turned slowly, my hands shaking, my breath shallow.

‘Again?’ I thought inwardly with a creased brow.

The Alpha stood there, his presence commanding, his eyes locked onto mine. And then, with a deliberate motion, he reached up and removed his mask.

I felt the air leave my lungs at the sight of him. At the realization of who the new Alpha of Scar Moon Pack was.

“Rowan?”

It was Rowan.

My mate was Rowan. My ex-boyfriend. The one I had thought I’d never see again. The one I abandoned before I had even met Alpha Thane.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. My mind was spinning, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, what I was feeling.

“Rowan?” I whispered again, barely able to get the words out.

His lips curled into a small, almost sad smile as he gazed at me.