One

Finally.

Finally, the day I had dreamed of my whole life.

I twirled in front of the mirror, watching the silver-white silk of my ceremonial dress swirl around my ankles. It shimmered like moonlight over water, soft and weightless. My hair was braided with tiny silver threads, and I could feel the excitement thrumming in my chest.

Today, I would be claimed by Aedric Veyr. my fated mate. The mate I had waited for, the one I had imagined in my dreams a thousand times.

I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt… whole.

Outside the Moon Hall, the air was alive with the scent of pine and earth. Lanterns glowed along the steps, and the soft hum of wolves talking and laughing reached me even here. I could hear the rhythm of the pack, the steady pulse of their anticipation. And so could my wolf, stirring faintly beneath my skin.

I stepped onto the marble floor, feeling my dress glide over it. The High Elder’s voice called out, steady and loud, “Let all present witness the joining of Alpha Aedric Veyr and Omega Sylvara Rynne under the blessing of the red moon.”

The hall was packed. Every pair of eyes turned toward me, every set of ears tuned in. I held my head high, chest lifted, my heart dancing in my chest. This was it. This was my moment.

And then I saw him… Aedric.

My mate. My destiny.

He stood tall at the dais, golden hair catching the lantern light, eyes fixed somewhere beyond me. I smiled, reaching for his hand. I could feel him take mine, warm and steady.

My wolf stirred more now, excited, eager, sensing the bond that I had dreamed of for years.

The Elder’s chant began, words older than any of us, words that tied hearts and souls together. I leaned closer, soaking it all in, letting my heartbeat match the rhythm of the pack. My future was here, right in front of me. I could feel it.

And then… he pulled his hand away.

I froze.

My heart skipped a beat. The Elder faltered in surprise, his chant dying mid-word. Murmurs started to ripple through the hall, quiet at first, then louder.

“I can’t do this,” Aedric said, his voice quiet but sharp. I opened my eyes, confused, thinking I’d misheard.

“What?” My voice came out higher than I expected. “I don’t understand. We… what do you mean you can't… the bond.. We are meant to be.”

“The bond was untrue…. I’ve pledged myself to another, duaghter of the frostmoon tribe” he said, turning to where a tall woman in frost-white waited with the northern delegation. “She will be my mate. Tomorrow evening, I will marry her. I’m sorry.”

The hall went still.

My mind raced.. angry, confused.

The Elder stammered, trying to maintain order. Whispers ran through the crowd like wildfire. I couldn’t breathe. My hands shook, and the ribbon meant to bind us slipped from my wrist.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

I stepped back, glaring at him. “You promised me! You can't do this Aedic!”

“I would be better… I promise.” Holding on to him I pleaded

He didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked toward her, ignoring the shock and hurt on my face.

My chest burned with pain… humiliation…. anger. Pure, blazing anger.

I tore the ribbon from the floor and flung it at him. “Take your cowardice with you!” I shouted, my voice ringing through the hall. “I am not your toy, and I will not be discarded like this!”

The Elder tried to intervene, but his voice faltered. Aedric ignored everything, moving past the whispers and the stares, leaving me standing alone.

My heart ached, but I lifted my chin, refusing to crumble. I wouldn’t. Not for him, not for anyone.

I pressed my hands to my stomach and whispered to myself, I am enough. I will survive this. I will not be broken.

I didn’t move.

The hall emptied slowly, but I just stood there, my fingers trembling as the sound of whispers filled the space around me.

I watched them…everyone who had come to witness our bond…walking after him, their faces bright with smiles and fake congratulations.

Congratulations.

The word hit me harder than his rejection. It sounded like a cruel joke.

I stared at their backs as they followed Aedric and the Frostmoon tribe out of the hall. My chest felt tight, my throat aching, but no tears came. I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

They were supposed to be my family. I was supposed to be his family. The one I had dreamed of since I was a child.

An orphan omega who was unshifted, no pack of her own… what else could I have wanted but a place to belong? When Aedric first smiled at me, I thought I had found that.

He was the first person who ever saw me. The first one who didn’t treat me like I was broken.

I still remember when we were babies… two children hiding behind the training grounds, the smell of summer rain, his voice whispering, “Don’t listen to them, Syl. You’re not weak. I'll always protect you.”

I had believed him.

And maybe that was my biggest mistake.

Now, as I stood in the middle of the empty Moon Hall, I could still smell his scent lingering in the air…warm cedar and pine… and it made my stomach twist.

The lanterns flickered, their glow reflecting off the silver ribbons scattered across the floor.

That was supposed to be our bond.

Our future.

I knelt slowly, gathering the pieces of ribbon with trembling hands, even though I didn’t know why. Maybe because it was the last thing of him I could hold.

When I looked up again, everyone was gone. The hall was silent except for the echo of my own breathing.

I sank down on the steps, staring at the place where he had stood only minutes ago. “Why?” I whispered to no one. “Why wasn’t I enough?”

The answer didn’t come, only the soft creak of the hall doors as the wind pushed them open. A cold breeze swept through, carrying with it the sounds of celebration from outside….music, laughter, the sound of wolves toasting to new alliances.

He was already being congratulated for my humiliation.

I pressed my hands against my knees, trying to hold myself together, but the truth sank deep into my bones…this was the end of everything I had ever known.

The pack that once smiled at me would turn away now. They had no reason to protect an omega without a bond.

And me? I was nothing again.

Just Sylvara Rynne…the orphan who never shifted, the girl who believed a prince could love her.

The candles burned lower, and shadows began to stretch across the marble floor. I sat there until the laughter outside faded into the night. Until my body went numb.

Then, slowly, I rose to my feet. My dress was wrinkled, my hands cold, my eyes burning…but I lifted my chin.

I had lost everything. But I would not beg.

Not tonight.

Not ever again.