MOONBORN: THE REJECTED MATE'S RISE

Aria’s POVI had always known my place in the Bluemoon pack. I was the bottom rag, the one who is barely seen, the one who is easily forgotten, except for my unique features– my silver hair and eyes.Omegas, like me, we weren't supposed to talk when others were talking. We shouldn't stand out for any reason. We worked in the kitchens, cleaned the training grounds and we stayed out of the way of the stronger wolves.That was the unspoken rule. The one I followed for the past twenty-two years of my life, breathing quietly and my head bowed down at all times.Even if I had dreams of what I wanted but I just had to follow how my life had been designed by the goddess. That's what my late mum told me before she passed away.But to dream now was more dangerous since the rumors of the prophecy were being spread all over the country."She who burns will rise. The heart that’s shattered shall bind the unbound. One moon, many mates, one empire scorched to rebuild."The words from the seer had be

Aria’s POVI didn’t realize how loud silence could be until I was forced to live in it. The quiet of the west wing had a way of amplifying everything I didn’t want to feel—doubt, confusion, fear, and now, anger.Kael’s words from the night before still haunted me. “You have all three.” Power, danger, him.I didn’t want any of it.Especially not when every corner I turned reminded me that this place, this role, this mate bond—I wasn’t welcome here, not really.I tried to make myself useful, but even the staff wouldn’t look me in the eye. The Omegas whispered behind their hands, and the higher ranks just ignored me altogether. It was like I was some cursed creature they were afraid to acknowledge, in case whatever darkness I carried might cling to them.I made my way to the dining hall because I was tired of hiding. Tired of being afraid. I didn’t want to eat. I just wanted to be seen.The room was already bustling with pack members gathered for breakfast, laughter echoing off the marbl

Aria’s POVThree days. That’s all the time I had to pretend I was fine. To pretend I wasn’t drowning under the weight of a bond that had changed everything—and a pack that wanted nothing to do with me.Kael had barely spoken to me since the moment Jake delivered the news of the Alpha King’s arrival. I understood, in theory. An unexpected royal visit wasn’t something a pack could take lightly but part of me… a small, aching part, felt left behind again.I’d spent the last two days confined to my room, just as Kael ordered. The stone walls felt like they were closing in on me, and the silence grew heavier with every hour that passed. I was a caged thing, simmering with restlessness.The door creaked open just after dawn on the third day, and Nessa, one of the few pack members who didn’t treat me like a disease, stepped inside carrying a folded set of clothes.“You’re to wear this,” she said, setting them gently on the edge of the bed. “Formal ceremony attire.”“Ceremony?” I asked, blink

Aria's POV Inside the forest, there was quietness as everyone seemed to be hiding. And the forest was colder than it should’ve been.Every branch felt like it reached for me, every shadow like it was watching. I kept moving slowly, I restarted one of my hands on my stomach, and the other gripping the small knife I’d stolen from an abandoned cabin two nights ago. I hadn’t eaten anything in a day. My vision blurred. My legs barely moved. Left with me, still no other alternative.Still, I ran.I didn’t hear the wolf until it was later.It exploded from the trees, teeth bared, snarling. Not the shadow wolf—this one with had eyes, and hatred in every inch of its body. A rogue. Starved, desperate, deadly.I spun, and raised the knife, but in a slow mood.It slammed into me, knocking the wind from my lungs. Pain shot through my side. We rolled across the forest floor, snarls and screams tangled together. I kicked, sliced blindly, and felt something tear.Then a second blur streaked past.A

Aria's POV The Blood Moon rose, red and heavy in the sky. I watched it from the edge of Crimson Pack territory, the cold wind brushing against my skin. Everything was too quiet. I didn't hear a single bird call, and I didn't hear a whisper from the trees. It was like the world was holding its breath.One of the elders said the Blood Moon brought change. Magic. Madness. Death.I didn’t believe in his old stories. Not really. But something about tonight felt wrong. The air had a pulse. My blood felt hotter. As my skin tingles.Suddenly Elias appeared beside me without a sound, as usual. “You feel it,” he said. Not a question.“Yes.” I didn’t look at him. My eyes were locked on the moon.“The pack gathers on the high ridge during the Blood Moon. Tradition,” he said. “Come with me.”I nodded, though my body screamed to run the other way.We climbed the narrow path in silence. Below, the forest was a sea of shadow and silver mist. Above, the Blood Moon seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.Th