CHAPTER 1

Aria’s POV

 

I 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 been making waves for over a month now. Her voice was carried across the states of Astrid to every pack. 

The Alpha king had promised to get to the bottom of the prophecy as he tried to control the chaos. 

He called it a myth and hearsay, and a threat to disrupt the balance in the world.

But the fire in the seer’s voice had me in a chokehold for weeks, and for some reason it felt like she was talking to me.

I laughed it off—-That would be ridiculous.

I tightened my apron as I stirred the pot of stew on fire. The amazing scent filled the pack house but I was in no mood to eat. 

Outside the preparation for the year’s mating ceremony was ongoing, and it buzzed through the air like static electricity. It was something to help keep the people of my pack distracted.

The order was that everyone had to attend, even the Omegas, even me.

“Aria,” Lilith’s voice snapped through my thoughts like a whip, “You aren't still on stew duty, are you?”

I turned to her, her long bling curls were as flawless as they could get. Her bright black gown shimmers in the sunlight like a dark crystal. She looked every bit of the beta’s daughter.

I always wondered why she became friends with me. She chose me to be her personal maid and I did without question, then she transitioned into my friend.

Which still never made any sense to me but I was grateful.

“Ya, I am. The matron told me to finish up before heading up.” I said in a low tone 

 

Lilith rolled her eyes, “Matron Jones, don't worry though I would make sure the Alpha doesn't notice you are late, but I doubt he might even notice your absence.” she gave me a smirk and walked out.

I was taken aback by her tone but I decided not to read the meaning into it.

 

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The ceremony grounds were glowing with different lights, as lanterns of different colors filled the air, like stars at night. 

Wolves of different ranks were mixed together, socializing and I could feel the excitement around. 

Tonight, most of these fates would be sealed by the goddess Astrid herself.

The one person who everyone wanted to see mated was the Alpha himself.

Alpha Kael Stone.

He stood at the top of the podium, surrounded by the best warriors. His cold eyes were almost like a winter night—empty, cold, and dark.  His dark black eyes swept through the crowd and it made my heartbeat seize 

 

Alpha Kael was handsome, terrifying, and out of my reach. 

He was every woman's dream man. 

I kept myself at the edge of the gathering as my hands clenched my pale blue dress. It wasn't as fancy as other gowns and it had even been borrowed from me but It was all I had.

Soon enough it was time for the mating ceremony and one by one, the wolves were paired. The bond snapping into place between two people. 

Then—my turn.

 

It hit me like a lightning bolt.

 

My knees buckled, as my lungs seized. My wolf—silent for so long—howled inside me with desperate joy.

 

And my eyes met his. 

Kael.

 

His expression froze. His body locked up, and for a moment, I thought I saw something behind the shock. Awe, maybe. Confusion. Even—longing?

 

Then his face twisted.

 

In disgust.

 

“No,” he growled, loud enough to silence the crowd. “This is a mistake.”

 

The world tilted. I couldn’t breathe.

 

“I reject you, You’re not worthy to be my mate.”

 

Gasps rippled through the pack. My heart shattered where I stood. My knees gave out, and I crumpled to the earth, the bond slicing through me like a dull blade—jagged, cruel, unfinished.

 

Someone laughed, and Someone else whispered. “An omega? The goddess made a mistake.”

 

And Lilith... Lilith was smiling.

 

 ****************************

 

I didn’t remember leaving the ceremony.

 

I just knew I woke up the next morning on the floor of the omega quarters, clutching my stomach like the pain might consume me.

 

The rejection didn’t sever the bond. Not completely, not when it was still fresh. I still felt the pull, the ache, the yearning and it made me hate myself.

 

But I wasn’t allowed to wallow for long.

 

The next day, the council and Kael’s family were in an uproar. They demanded an explanation. 

The mate bond was sacred, chosen by Astrid herself. Refusing it wasn’t just an insult—it was blasphemy and they wouldn't take it. 

Eventually, Kael caved. I was summoned to the packhouse.

 

I stood at the massive door, heart pounding, dress clean but hands shaking. When it opened, Kael stood there—still as ice, eyes unreadable.

 

“I don’t have time for your tears,” he said coldly. “You’ll stay in the west wing. We will talk tonight.”

 

I wanted to scream at him. Tell him he didn’t get to humiliate me twice but I nodded, like the obedient omega I’d always been.

 

Because part of me still hoped.

 

That night, when he came to my room, the air was thick with tension. He stared at me like he was seeing something new. I felt the bond tug between us, hard and hot, drawing us together despite everything.

 

And then, like a match to dry grass, we burned.

 

He kissed me.

 

He touched me.

 

He held me in his arms.

 

No words were exchanged—just fire, fury, and a desperation that felt like drowning. And for one brief moment, I believed we could find something real inside this wreckage.

 

But the morning after, he was gone. And I knew better than to ask where he went. 

I was nothing but a bed warmer and I knew it deep down