Chapter 2: The Moon Rite

Selene

I stood at the edge of the Moonspire, my hands clenched so tight my nails drew blood.

The massive stone circle was packed with wolves from all four territories. The blood moon hung overhead, casting everything in shades of red that made the whole scene look like something out of a nightmare. At least for me

It was three days after I had made a fool of myself in the pack’s hall. It was such a disappointment that Alpha Dorian didn’t call me back to ensure I got my ‘punishment’.

He simply asked me to wait so I could pour him some wine before leaving. And then he added condescendingly that I shouldn’t spill it on him, because he wouldn’t be as soft as Alpha Caelum.

Well, shall I thank him for his mercy? Because it’s due to their grace that I’m here—the only unwanted and despised person in this grand gathering. (Note my sarcasm.)

Tonight was the night unmated wolves would discover their fates. Some would find their other half. Others would feel frustrated when they don’t find theirs because they’d have to wait another year.

And me? I was just hoping to survive without further humiliation.

'You don't deserve a mate anyway,' whispered the cruel voice in my head that sounded a lot like Beta Collins. 'Cursed wolves don't get happy endings.'

I tugged at the simple white dress all unmated females were required to wear. Around me, other girls preened and giggled, their excitement filling the air with a sickeningly sweet scent. They had hope. They had futures.

“Alpha Caelum would be such a sexy mate, don’t you think? He has all the luxury and everything a girl can dream of.” One of them snickered. I really didn’t want to listen to their gossip. It was disgusting, but this time, I decided to entertain myself.

“I don’t think you’d be mated to someone from another pack.” Another one chipped in. “Besides, I don’t think you’d be able to handle being Alpha Caelum’s mate. I’ve heard that he has an enormous dick.”

I rolled my eyes at her comment. ‘Oh, please! How big could it really be?’

My eyes subconsciously searched for him in the crowd, and when they landed on him, he was already watching me. My heart skipped a beat. Okay, no, maybe three or five, and then I felt this dull ache pool in my stomach and between my legs.

‘What the heck?’

But, as I did a double take, I noticed his gaze was that of anger, and definitely not lust. I sighed and mentally shook my head.

‘Why is he glaring at me? I’m not the one talking about his schlong!’

I moved my gaze to my shoes and the grass around me, which seemed more interesting than this function at this moment. I had nothing but the burning desire to get through this ceremony without becoming the night's entertainment.

"Selene Duskbane."

My name rang out across the clearing, and my stomach dropped. The ceremony leader, Elder Morrison, stood at the centre of the circle, his ancient eyes boring into me.

"Step forward."

My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to walk into the circle. Hundreds of eyes tracked my movement, and I heard the whispers start immediately.

"The cursed one..."

"Why is she even here?"

"Her family were traitors..."

I kept my chin up and my eyes straight ahead, even as my wolf whimpered inside me. She'd been acting strange all week—restless, anxious, like she was waiting for something.

Elder Morrison raised his staff, and the moonlight seemed to concentrate around it like liquid silver. "By the light of the blood moon, let fate reveal what has been written."

The words had barely left his mouth when fire erupted across my left wrist.

I gasped, stumbling as white-hot pain raced up my arm. An intricate mark burned into my skin—not the simple mate mark most wolves received, but something complex and beautiful that looked like intertwining vines.

The crowd murmured in surprise. Mate marks usually took a few seconds to appear, not burst into existence like they were carved by lightning.

But before I could even process what was happening, another mark was being burned into my right wrist. I grunted because that shit actually hurt like hell.

Two marks. Two perfect, matching marks burning like brands on both my wrists.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"Impossible," someone whispered.

I stared at my wrists in shock, watching the marks pulse with silver light. Two mates. I had two mates.

"Who?" Elder Morrison's voice cut through my stunned haze. "Who has been chosen?"

That's when the real nightmare began.

From the crowd of visiting dignitaries, Caelum Veylor stepped forward. His face was a mask of cold fury, but I caught the way his hand moved to his wrist, and I saw the silver light glowing beneath his sleeve.

"No," he said, his voice booming across the stone circle. "I reject this bond."

The words hit me like physical blows, but before I could fully process the rejection, another voice cut through the night.

"As do I."

Darius Thornveil emerged from the opposite side of the crowd, and the silver light bleeding through his jacket sleeve made my heart stop completely.

Both of them. My two mates were the two most powerful, dangerous Alphas in the territory. And they both wanted nothing to do with me.

"I, Caelum Veylor, reject Selene Duskbane as my mate," Caelum declared formally.

"I, Darius Thornveil, reject Selene Duskbane as my mate," Darius echoed.

The proper response was to accept their rejections. To sever the bond cleanly and walk away with whatever dignity I had left. "I accept your rejections."

Pain exploded through my entire body.

I hit the ground hard, my vision going white as agony ripped through every nerve. Dimly, I was aware of both Alphas dropping to their knees as well, their faces contorted in the same torture that was tearing me apart.

But the bond wouldn't break.

The marks on my wrists blazed brighter, and I could feel the connection to both of them like chains wrapped around my soul. The more we fought it, the more it hurt.

"What's happening?" Elder Morrison's voice sounded far away.

"The bond isn't severing," someone else said. "It's fighting the rejection."

Through the haze of pain, I saw Caelum struggling to his feet, his perfect composure completely shattered. Blood was running from his nose, and his grey eyes were wild.

"This is wrong," he snarled. "She's nothing. She's cursed."

Darius was in slightly better shape, but barely. He wiped blood from his mouth and glared at me like I'd personally offended him.

"Her father was a traitor," he spat. "Her bloodline is poison."

The crowd was getting restless now. I could hear the angry murmurs, see the disgust on their faces. Some of the younger wolves were actually backing away from me like I might contaminate them.

"Two mates," someone whispered. "Isn’t that like a curse?"

"It's a sign," another voice agreed. "A dark one."

I tried to push myself up, but my arms were shaking too badly. The rejection should have worked. The bond should be broken. Instead, I could still feel both Alphas like phantom limbs, their presence burning in my mind.

“We have to get rid of this disgusting thing,” the words came from Lady Morwen Veylor, Caelum's aunt. She stood at the edge of the circle, her elegant features twisted with disgust.

"Look at them!" Lady Morwen pointed at Caelum and Darius, who were both still fighting the residual pain. "The rejection failed. She's done something to them. Probably Cursed them."

"I haven't done anything," I whispered, but my voice was too weak to carry.

"Two mates isn't natural," Elder Morrison said slowly. "In all my years, I've never seen such a thing."

"Because it's not supposed to happen," Lady Morwen snapped. "She's an abomination. Her father betrayed our packs, cost us lives, and now she's corrupting the sacred bond itself."

"Kill her."

"Kill her before whatever curse she carries spreads further."

It’s annoying how I’ve had two near-death experiences in a row, and this time, they might actually do it.