The Day of the Mating Ball

Elara’s POV

A few days later, I stood in front of the small mirror in my bedroom. I slowly pulled my nightshirt away from my neck, exposing the place where my shoulder met my skin.

The bite mark was gone.

It was completely healed.

I stared at my reflection for a long moment, then reached up and touched the smooth skin with trembling fingers. There was no scar. No bruise. No sign at all.

It healed too fast.

Anyone who looked at me now would never guess what had happened beneath the Mating Moon. They would never know I had been marked by a powerful wolf.

But I knew.

The mark was still there, hidden beneath my skin, sealed inside my body. Invisible to others, but very real to me.

My chest tightened.

If only I could find him.

The man who saved me.

The man who marked me.

But my wolf was still silent. Dormant. Because of that, I couldn’t feel him through the bond. I couldn’t sense his location or reach out to him in any way.

I didn’t know his name.

I didn’t know his face.

All I had were memories of his scent, his strength, and the way he held me as if I mattered.

Today was the Mating Ball.

Today, the Alpha of Nightwolf Pack would choose a bride.

And today, my fate would be decided.

If I didn’t find a man willing to accept me before the night ended, my father would kill me to protect his honour as the Gamma of Silvermoon Pack.

The thought made my stomach twist painfully.

No one wanted a marked girl.

Especially not one that everyone believed was wolfless and weak.

A sudden noise rose from downstairs. Sharp voices. Rushed footsteps. Orders are being shouted.

I lifted my head from where I sat on my bed and listened.

“Alpha Kael Nightbane is about to arrive!” my stepmother Helena snapped.

“Finish everything. Make sure nothing goes wrong,” Seraphina said. Her voice sounded tight, almost nervous.

Even she was afraid.

Everyone feared Alpha Kael.

Nightwolf Pack was powerful and ruthless. Their Alpha was known for destroying enemy packs without mercy. Stories said he showed no emotion and spared no one.

I pressed my hand over my chest. My heart was pounding hard and fast. The room felt too quiet. Too small.

It was time to leave.

I stood, smoothed my dress, and walked toward the door. I reached for the handle and turned it.

Click.

The sound echoed loudly in the room.

I frowned and tried again.

Locked.

Before I could react, laughter came from the other side of the door.

Seraphina’s laughter.

“No one wants you anyway,” she said sweetly. “You might as well stay in there and wait for death, dear sister.”

My breath caught in my throat.

She locked me in.

Panic surged through me. I knocked on the door once, then pressed my forehead against it, but deep down I already knew.

They never planned to let me attend the Mating Ball.

They never planned to let me live.

Kael’s POV

Being the Alpha of Nightwolf Pack meant carrying endless responsibility.

It also meant being trapped by old traditions.

I hated them.

The mate-selection ceremony was one of the worst.

Reports and files were spread across the seat beside me as the car drove through the forest toward Silvermoon territory. Patrol schedules. Rogue attacks. Defence plans.

Normally, work kept my mind busy.

Not today.

My thoughts kept returning to the forest.

To her.

Her scent still haunted me. Soft. Wild. Mine.

“Any news?” I asked sharply.

My Beta, Ronan, stiffened before answering. “No, Alpha. No newly marked women have been reported in any nearby pack.”

My jaw tightened.

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said.

I marked her. The bond should have been strong. Easy to track.

Inside me, my wolf paced restlessly, angry and unsettled.

Find her. “Keep searching,” I ordered coldly. “No matter what it takes.”

Ronan nodded, though I could sense his unease.

The car slowed as we reached the Silvermoon ceremony hall. Vehicles from my pack lined the driveway behind us.

I stepped out and straightened my jacket.

Several women stood near the entrance. Their scents filled the air with fear, curiosity, and desire. Some stared openly. Others quickly looked away.

Fools.

Fear doesn’t hide prey. It exposes it.

I walked past them without a glance.

Inside, the old Alpha of Silvermoon greeted me.

“Alpha Aldric,” he said. “We are honored”

“Alpha Aldric,” I interrupted. “I ran into rogues near your border days ago. Have you found where they came from?”

He hesitated and looked away.

“We’ve had other matters to handle.”

Anger flared inside me.

“Handle your borders better,” I said quietly. “Your failure nearly got my mate killed.”

Silence spread through the hall.

Ronan barely hid his reaction.

Formal greetings continued, but my attention was gone. I scanned the room again and again.

She wasn’t here.

I felt it deep in my chest.

Then a man stepped forward.

“I am Garrick, the Gamma,” he said nervously. “Which woman interests you, Alpha Kael?”

I looked around the room.

None of them.

“I don’t care,” I said. “Anyone will do. But I won’t mark anyone today.”

Gasps rippled through the hall.

“I already have a marked mate.”

Fear spread fast.

Good.

“So,” I continued, “who is willing?”

No one stepped forward.

Then a woman moved ahead.

“Father,” she said sweetly. “You forgot Elara.”

Seraphina smiled at me, her eyes sharp and calculating.

“She admires you greatly,” she said. “She isn’t feeling well tonight, but perhaps you’d like to meet her?”

Something about her tone made my wolf snarl.

But it didn’t matter.

“Fine,” I said. “Bring her to me.”