The Hope That Broke Me

CHAPTER ONE: The Hope That Broke Me

Nora’s POV

I stared at the cracked mirror, brushing down the pale blue dress I borrowed from the kitchen maid. It was nothing fancy. My hair was pinned back. No makeup. My shoes didn’t even match.

But I still smiled.

Because I wasn’t just any girl tonight.

I was his.

Alpha Kade.

My mate.

We had kept it a secret. He said it wasn’t the right time to tell anyone. He said people wouldn’t understand. That an omega couldn’t be Luna—not yet. But soon. Very soon.

He’d hold me in his arms and whisper, “Soon, Nora. Just wait for me.”

So I waited.

And tonight, in front of the whole pack, he would finally say my name.

I clutched the pendant he gave me,a small silver moon, the only thing I had that was truly mine. My hands shook, but my heart was full.

He wouldn’t betray me. He couldn’t.

Not after everything we shared.

Not after all the nights I lay in his arms, thinking maybe… maybe I was finally enough.

The hall sparkled with lights. Music. Laughter. Warriors danced with their mates. She-wolves in silk dresses twirled around the room. No one noticed when I slipped in from the back.

But my eyes searched for him.

There.

Alpha Kade. Standing proud. Cold. Perfect. In a black suit with silver buttons that gleamed under the light.

He looked around the room—and then… his eyes met mine.

I waited for the smile.

For the nod.

For anything that said “I see you.”

But he looked away.

Just like that.

I frowned. Maybe he was nervous. Maybe he was pretending for the crowd.

I moved closer.

But I see my best friend.

Clara.

I moved closer, my heart pounding.

She was standing beside him… like she belonged there.

Her dress was deep red. Her hair curled to perfection. Her lips painted like blood.

She smiled at him.

And then,he smiled back.

My heart stopped.

Kade raised his hand.

“Tonight,” he said, “I will name the one chosen by the Moon Goddess to be my mate… and Luna of the Shadowfang Pack.”

I reached for my pendant again.

Please. Please let it be me.

He stepped aside.

Clara stepped forward.

And he held her hand.

I couldn’t breathe.

What?

No. No. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t real.

“This,” Kade said, “is the she-wolf I’ve chosen.”

The room erupted in cheers.

But all I heard was the sound of my world breaking.

Clara turned her head, and looked right at me.

She knew.

She knew everything. She was the one I told about the kisses, the late-night visits, the promise of tonight.

She knew.

And she still took him.

My legs moved before my mind caught up.

I stepped into the open.

“Kade,” I whispered, “what are you doing?”

His jaw clenched.

I took another step. “You said I was yours. You said…”

“I never said anything,” he snapped, voice like ice.

A few people turned to stare.

“You’re lying,” I choked out. “We—we were together. You…”

“That was a mistake,” he said. “A game.”

Tears filled my eyes. “But the bond. You felt it. You marked me—”

He laughed. “Mark you? An omega?” His eyes were cruel. “You really believed you were anything more than a warm body?”

I flinched.

“You were convenient,” he said sharply. “That’s all.”

The crowd gasped.

Clara didn’t even flinch.

“I, Alpha Kade of Shadowfang Pack, reject you as my mate.”

The room spun.

No. Please no.

“You’re not worthy. You’re not Luna. And from this moment on… you’re nothing.”

I shook my head, choking on sobs. “You loved me…”

“No,” he said coldly. “I used you. Now up to you guards, drag her out

I ran.

Out of the hall. Into the cold. Past the people who laughed. Past the guards who turned their faces.

No one stopped me.

No one cared.

Not even him.

Not even her.

I collapsed at the edge of the forest, knees sinking into the mud.

The moon above looked down like a silent witness.

I gripped my pendant and screamed.

Not for him.

But for the version of me who had believed.

Who had trusted.

Who had loved too much.

And as the wind howled through the trees, I whispered through broken lips—

“Why did you give me to him, Moon Goddess… why?”