Chapter 1

The night of the Moon Ceremony was supposed to be the beginning of my life.

Instead… it became the night everything ended.

The entire Ironclaw Pack gathered beneath the open sky, the full moon glowing bright and merciless above us. 

I stood at the edge of the crowd, just as I always did. Invisible and unwanted.

My fingers curled tightly into the thin fabric of my dress as my heart pounded in my chest. Tonight, every wolf who had come of age would discover their mate, the one chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.

I didn’t expect anything. I never did. Girls like me didn’t get fated mates. Girls like me got ignored.

“Stay out of the way, Lyra.”

The sharp whisper came from behind me, and I stiffened before lowering my gaze.

Selene Virex.

Of course.

She stood there like she owned the ground beneath her feet, beautiful, confident, powerful. Everything I wasn’t. Everything I could never be.

“You don’t belong here,” she added softly, though the cruel smile on her lips said she meant every word.

I swallowed, forcing a small nod. “I know.”

And I did.

I had always known.

Before she could say more, a sudden hush fell over the clearing. The air grew heavy with tension.

And then he stepped forward.

Alpha Kael Draven.

The moment he appeared, the entire pack straightened instinctively. Power rolled off him in waves, dark, commanding, impossible to ignore. His presence alone was enough to make even the strongest wolves lower their heads.

My breath caught.

Not because I wanted to look at him… But because I couldn’t stop.

He was everything Ironclaw stood for, strength, dominance, control. Cold grey eyes swept over the crowd, sharp and unreadable, and for a moment, I felt like they brushed past me.

Then moved on.

Good. That was how it had always been.

The ceremony began.

One by one, wolves stepped forward, finding their mates in soft gasps, quiet laughter, sometimes tears.

I watched from the sidelines, my chest tight but silent.

This wasn’t my story, it never would be.

Until, Something snapped. It wasn’t a sound. It wasn’t something I could see.

But I felt it, deep in my chest.

Like something ancient and powerful had just awakened inside me. My breath hitched. My heart stuttered, and suddenly… I couldn’t breathe.

No.

No, no, no

My gaze lifted on its own, drawn by a force I couldn’t resist.

Across the clearing, he was already looking at me.

Alpha Kael Draven.

The world around us faded into nothing. The bond hit me like a storm. Raw, overwhelming, and absolute.

Mine.

The word echoed in my mind, loud and undeniable.

My mate.

My Alpha.

My everything.

My lips parted, my entire body trembling as  warmth flooded through me, chasing away every moment of loneliness I had ever known.

I wasn’t invisible anymore. I wasn’t nothing.

I was ‘His’

Hope bloomed in my chest, fragile and bright, then I saw his face.

Cold,hard,disgusted .

The warmth shattered instantly. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, as every wolf in the clearing began to realize what had just happened.

Murmurs spread like wildfire.

“No…”

“It can’t be…”

“Her?”

My stomach dropped.

Kael didn’t move at first. He didn't speak. He just stared at me like I was something beneath him.

Something offensive.

Then, slowly, he stepped forward.

Each step felt like a countdown to something terrible.

My heart pounded louder, faster, painfully  but hopeful despite everything.

Maybe… maybe I was wrong.

Maybe he just needed a moment, he stopped in front of me.

Close enough that I could feel the pull between us, close  enough that I could almost reach him.

“Alpha…” My voice barely came out, soft and unsure.

His eyes darkened.

And then he spoke.

“Reject her.”

Three words.

That was all it took.

Everything inside me shattered.

Pain exploded through my body, ripping through my chest, my veins, my very soul.

I gasped, dropping to my knees as a scream clawed its way out of my throat.

It hurt, it hurt so much.

You are weak,” Kael continued, voicecode, emotionless, cutting through the silence.

“Unworthy of standing beside me.”

Each word struck like a blade. I refuse this bond.

The world spun, my vision blurred, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

All I could feel was the pain… and the weight of every eye on me.

Watching, judging and laughing.

A broken sound escaped my lips as I collapsed onto the ground, my body trembling uncontrollably.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Mates didn’t reject each other. Not like this. Not in front of everyone.

But Kael wasn’t done.

I felt him move, but I couldn’t lift my head.

Couldn’t stop him.

“Selene.”

Her name cut through the noise.

I forced my gaze up, just in time to see her step forward, graceful, confident, victorious.

Kael reached for her hand.

“I choose you,” he said.

The words echoed.

The crowd erupted, some shocked, some approving, some whispering like it was the most entertaining thing they had ever seen.

And me? I broke.

Completely.