Chapter Two

SELENE. 

The Moon Festival arrived in what felt like the snap of a finger. The pack had prepared for weeks, and now the celebrations had begun. The entire village was bathed in silver and gold, with silk banners stretched between the houses, the glowing lanterns illuminating the streets, and garlands of white flowers hanging across made archways. The smell of roasting meats and wine and spices filled the air, and there was laughter everywhere.

I finished my work early, making sure that I would not get in anyone's way. In the late evening, the pack square was beginning to fill with wolves streaming towards the festival grounds.

Now alone in the little room I’d been allocated, I brought out a dress I’d had kept for years, something I’d had never found the courage to wear. It had belonged to my mom. 

It was simple but beautiful, pale blue soft fabric that glistened faintly in the light. I held it over my body in the cracked mirror of the hallway, looking at myself. What if I actually met my fated mate? Despite obsessing over it, I wasn’t sure how I'd act. 

While still submerged in my thoughts , I heard some high pitched feminine laughter. 

I turned as a group of omegas passed by, their dresses vibrant and lovely, their hair perfectly done. One of them, a red-haired girl named Isla, glanced at me and snorted.

"Are you actually thinking of going to the festival?" she asked, voice laced with sarcasm.

Another omega, Mila, sneered. "She probably thinks she has a mate out there," she said. "News flash, girl, no one wants a traitor's daughter."

The group laughed. My hold on the dress tightened.

"Oh, come on," Isla continued. "Can you imagine it? The poor bloke who'd be cursed to be mated to her?"

Mila's head shook melodramatically. "He'd turn her down the minute he laid eyes on her."

Their laughter intensified and every word cut like a knife.

As the girls vanished around the corner, their laughter fading into the night, I turned and hurried to my room, closing the door behind me. I let the dress drop to the my. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was being silly to think I even stood a chance.

Mustering all the courage I could with a hurt heart, I shut the tiny trunk and sat beside the window, watching how all others left the omega quarters.

The pack seemed to be alive. The bonfire roared vigorously in the distance, its orange glow could be seen from even here in my room and far beyond I was sure. The faint noise of songs were being sung, and I could practically taste the enthusiasm that was in the air.

I wanted to be among them. To dance and laugh and drink with them. For one night, to be able to believe I was like the others. To hope.

But the words spoken by Isla and her group stayed with me.

Some hours passed. I tried to sleep but could not. No matter how much I tossed and turned, my heart would not calm.

No. I would not* let them into my head, I decided. 

I rose from my bed with renewed determination. I brought out the dress from the trunk, put it on, and smoothed it out as well as I could, running my fingers through my knotted hair. I braided a small section, tucking it behind my ear, and put on plain slippers.

I took a deep breath and left the quarters.

When I reached the pack square, the festival was already well underway. People roamed, laughing, drinking, dancing. The air was charged with joy and nervous excitement. The Moon Festival was a sacred event, and for some, tonight would be the night that they would meet the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for them.

As I pushed through the group, I could feel eyes on me. Whispers followed me.

"Why is she here?"

"She actually dressed up? The fool…"

"She's crazy if she thinks anyone is going to want her."

I didn't listen to them. The moon climbed higher, and with each passing minute, the air grew charged. The atmosphere shifted,  becoming chsrged. Then the moon rose overhead.

A collective gasp swept through the square as people began to find their mates. Howls, squeals, laughter and sobs flooded the place. There was a sudden pull in my chest.

My breath caught. A mate bond.

My heart racing,my body acted of its own accord as my feet followed the unseen thread connecting me to my fated mate. Yes! I had a mate. I’d been right after all. 

Thrill pulsed through my veins. I raised my head and stiffened.

Because my eyes collided with the last person I expected.

Alpha Kieran.

My smile dropped. The mate bond thundered between us, an irresistible force. My body shook, waiting for him to do something, to say something, to acknowledge what we were to each other.

Kieran's expression was a mix of horror and shock. The square fell into shocked silence as they realized what was happening. 

My throat dried as Kieran's lips curled into a snarl.

"You." His voice was cold, tainted with disgust.

Before I could say anything, Kieran's eyes darkened, and then, "I, Alpha Kieran Blackthorne, reject you, Selene Nightbloom, as my mate."

Agony erupted in my chest. I gasped, doubling over,clutching at my heart as if I could literally put the pieces back together. The agony was gut-wrenching. I barely registered the laughter that erupted around me.

Lyra stepped in closer, pressing against Kieran's side, her lips curling into a smug grin.

"Poor thing,"she hummed mockingly. "Guess the Moon Goddess really does have a sense of humor."

Kieran didn't so much as look at me as he shifted to Lyra, his interest already elsewhere.

My vision faded. I’d been so foolish.

To believe that I might have been happy. To believe that fate would give her a chance.

My legs moved before I could think. I turned, shoving past the crowd, ignoring the jeers, the whispers, the mocking voices.

I ran.

—

The next morning came the way it always did. I glared at the ceiling of my small room, my body numb.

Last night was seared into my mind. The rejection. The pain. The humiliation.

I did not want to go outside. I did not want to face them.

For one brief moment, a sick thought crept into my mind. What if I ended it all?

I could. It would be easy. One step off my window. A knife to the wrist. A rope around the neck.

But the thought came and vanished.

I’d come this far. I would not give them the satisfaction of breaking me.

I got up and left my room with a shaky but determined breath. 

But as soon as I went out, it was even worse.

My work was sabotaged. My laundry thrown in the mud. My food, kept for me was stolen. I couldn't go anywhere without whispers following me.

And then I overheard. Alpha Kieran had mated with Lyra.

I’d turned away, holding the tears back. I would not cry. 

A week passed. A week of endless cruelty, of Lyra making it her personal mission to ensure my life was miserable.

My mind spiraled with depression, anxiety and hopelessness.

And then, out of nowhere, the pack guards came for me.