CHAPTER 3

ACCEPTING FATE

The days turned into ghosts of themselves fleeting, half remembered, and heavy with silence.

Octavia sat near the arched window of the east wing chamber, a threadbare blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The wind whistled through the stone corridors beyond her door, carrying distant howls from wolves that roamed under moonlight she no longer trusted.

She had not stepped outside since she awoke in this foreign world.

And she had not seen him.

Her mate.

The Alpha.

Her fingers curled against the wool of the blanket.

Xavier.

The name struck like thunder every time someone whispered it.

It was always the same

"The Alpha is at war."

"The Alpha cannot be disturbed."

"The Alpha doesn’t take visitors."

But what stung most was the truth Astra had not dared speak aloud

He didn’t want to see her.

Steam curled around the chamber, softening the hard edges of stone and time.

A tub of warm, herb scented water waited near the hearth. Astra moved gracefully between the shelves, collecting cloths and tinctures with the ease of routine.

Octavia sat stiffly at the edge of the bathing bench, bare shoulders visible beneath her robe. Scars still clung to her skin some new, others old and yet her expression remained blank, locked somewhere between numbness and disbelief.

"You don’t have to do this,” Octavia said quietly.

b Astra shook her head, kneeling to unlace the girl’s slippers. “It is tradition. Before the ceremony, the future Luna is to be cleansed. The body remembers. The soul prepares.”

Octavia scoffed. “I don’t feel like anyone’s future Luna.”

Astra didn’t argue. Instead, she dipped a cloth into warm water and gently began wiping Octavia’s back. “You were chosen. That makes you everything, even if you do not believe it yet.”

Octavia closed her eyes. “Why would the Moon Goddess choose me? A human. A nobody.”

Astra paused, her voice soft but sure. “The Moon never chooses wrong. Only those too blind with fear fail to see why.”

Octavia let the silence stretch between them before whispering, “He doesn’t want me, does he?”

Astra stilled. “Alpha Xavier is complicated.”

“That’s not an answer.”

The older woman resumed her task, her hands tender. “He lost someone. Someone precious. She was pregnant and humans Betrayed him. Tried to kill him.”

Octavia’s breath hitched.

Astra continued, “Since then, he has become hardened. Fearless. Feared. Ruthless, even among Alphas.”

“So I’m just a reminder,” Octavia murmured. “A shadow of a ghost he hates.”

“No,” Astra said sharply. “You are a second chance. He just hasn’t accepted it yet.”

Octavia turned slightly, her eyes glassy. “Do you really believe I’m meant for this?”

Astra met her gaze with fierce warmth. “I believe you are stronger than you know. And you won’t face it alone.”

She learnt the Alpha was her mate but wondered why he haven't come to see her, if according to Astra "a mate is the most important to an alpha".

Every time his name was mentioned, Octavia felt a strange pull in her chest.

She didn’t understand it. Didn’t want to.

“I can’t do this,” she murmured as Astra helped her into a fresh robe. “I don’t belong here.”

“You didn’t choose it,” Astra said kindly. “But fate chose you.”

Octavia sat on the bed, looking small and frightened. Her voice was barely a whisper. “so I'm supposed to magically mate someone I haven't seen just because of an attraction I don't even feel for him.”

" Mate bond not just an attraction"Astra corrected.

“I don’t know how to do anything. They’re talking about a mating ceremony or ball or something. What am I even supposed to do?”

Astra moved to sit beside her, eyes soft with understanding.

“Then we’ll prepare together,” she said. “You’ll learn everything you need to know.”

Octavia looked at her desperately. “But what if I can’t do it? What if I mess everything up? Why can't I meet him and talk this out?”

She's tired of hearing all these things for the past few days,an entire hidden and unimaginable part of life is unfolding right in front of her.

Astra’s expression turned grave. “Alpha is not easy to meet with, he's not a regular beings, he's the most powerful one amongst the Alpha's and has a lot of responsibility to carry out”

Octavia buried her face in her hands. “How will I get through this Astra? I might not meet him till the ceremony right?”

Astra reached out and held her hand.

“He might come meet you before then,I wouldn't know,” she said gently. “Sometimes it’s just getting through the next day. And I’ll help you do that.”

Rain lashed the windows in sheets. The storm had arrived.

Xavier stood at the center of the war room, his presence alone enough to silence a battalion. The firelight cast sharp lines across his face cheekbones cut from stone, eyes like molten silver, unblinking.

Kemer approached, scrolls in hand again. “The council is growing impatient.”

“I am not,” Xavier replied coldly.

“You can’t delay forever,” Kemmer said. “The mating ceremony”

“She is not ready,” Xavier growled, voice cutting through the air. “She is fragile. Barely walks without trembling.”

“She is yours,” Kemmer shot back. “Her strength is not your concern. The bond will awaken it in her.”

Xavier turned, eyes blazing. “You think the bond is magic? That claiming her will suddenly make her a Luna? She’s human. Mortals die under the weight of power like mine.”

“She’s been kept in the servant wing. No fire. No escort. No title,” Kemmer said quietly. “And yet, she survives.”

Xavier’s hands clenched at his sides.

“I didn’t order her to be mistreated,” he said, the words hard and hollow.

“No,” Kemmer agreed. “You simply ignored her.”

Xavier crossed the room in two strides, his aura swelling. Kemmer didn’t flinch.

“Do not lecture me about mates,” the Alpha snarled. “I buried the last one with my own hands. Her blood is still under my nails.”

Silence.

A beat of breath.

“And yet the Moon gave you another.” kemmer said his voice barely a whisper .