4

Excited whispers rippled through the crowd as the Frost Fang alpha and her betas made their way forward. I couldn’t help but watch her, curiosity tugging me forward.

Elara was every inch an alpha. Tall, strong, and radiating authority, she moved with a confidence I envied. Her dark brown hair was braided like a warrior’s, and a jagged scar cut across her shoulder a mark of experience, of battles survived. She was everything I wished I could be.

Her dress was elegant, yet practical, ending well above her ankles ready for action at a moment’s notice. Alphas always were. Prepared. Dangerous. Untouchable.

In our pack, female alphas paired with male alphas, while some male alphas were forced to mate with female betas, thanks to the alpha imbalance. Wolves like me Ronan, Killian, Maris, and I had no shot at either. Maris’s haughty attitude couldn’t change that. We were all stuck at the bottom, scrambling for scraps of power we’d never taste.

As Elara reached the stage, the clouds split, revealing the full moon in all its glory. The crowd’s whispers turned into reverent murmurs.

“A blessing for the union…”

“The moon goddess watches over them.”

“Fated mates, surely.”

That was why the ceremony had to happen tonight, under the full moon. Only then could the moon goddess reveal if Darius and Elara were truly destined for each other a sign that could only appear in the moon’s silver glow.

Elara’s commanding voice boomed across the crowd, but I barely heard her. Something inside me stirred, a tug deep in my chest. A silver moonbeam landed on Darius, and the crowd gasped, whispers spreading like wildfire this had to be a blessing from the moon goddess.

Darius stared at Elara, his brow furrowing. The silver thread that should have connected him to his fated mate didn’t reach her. Instead, it angled sharply downward, stretching into the crowd. I rose onto my toes, straining to see where it led.

A ripple of shock ran through the pack. People stepped aside to follow the glowing thread. I moved too and the moment I did, the silver line shifted with me.

“Sele…” Ronan breathed, fear threading his voice. Maris shrieked in disbelief, while Killian’s jaw dropped, eyes locked on my chest. The thread ran straight into me.

This had to be a mistake. I stepped aside again, convinced it would reveal the true mate. But the thread moved with me, unwavering. I glanced behind me its end was me.

“No! That can’t be!” an older man shouted. “She can’t even shift!”

“She isn’t even a proper shifter!” another growled.

The crowd erupted in disbelief, and I felt it too my heart pounding, my mind spinning. It was impossible. Absolutely impossible. And yet, a second moonbeam descended, surrounding me in silver light. Even Ronan, Killian, and Maris stepped back, wary of the glow.

I reached toward the thread, pale as moonlight, but my fingers passed right through it.

Amid the chaos, one voice cut through everything, stopping the murmurs.

“This voids the treaty between the Frost Fang and Bloodfang packs.”

Elara’s chin lifted, her gaze sharp, her lips twisting like I was a pest she wanted crushed. Her eyes flashed gold her wolf’s anger burning as brightly as her human fury.

Kael stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Darius’s shoulder. “No! Our treaty stays intact.”

He leaned close, whispering into his son’s ear. Darius’s gaze met mine, and with a solemn nod, he accepted his father’s words.

Kael stepped back, his presence looming over the crowd. “My son will not claim that half-breed girl as his mate. She can’t even shift. He deserves someone better.”

Elara inhaled sharply, ready to argue, but Darius moved to the edge of the platform, chin raised, his gaze locking on me.

“I, Darius of the Bloodfang Pack, future alpha and son of Pack Alpha Kael, reject Selena of the Bloodfang Pack. You are an outsider, a girl without a true bond, orphan of unknown origin. You mean nothing to me. I sever our mate bond here and now, under the blessing of the full moon and the witness of the moon goddess.”

The silver thread connecting us snapped, and I felt it break inside me. Pain shot through my chest like lightning, leaving me gasping on my knees. I doubled over, silent tears streaming down my face, the agony sharper than a thousand beatings. My very soul felt ripped apart.

Just as suddenly, the pain ebbed, leaving only a hollow ache behind. I lifted my head, stunned and numb.

The moon disappeared behind clouds, taking the moonbeams with it. The silver bond was gone. I braced myself for some lingering pull, some trace of the fated mate bond but there was nothing. It was as if it had never existed.

A chill of shame and regret washed over me. I hadn’t even been allowed a moment to imagine what it would mean to have Darius as my mate, after all the years of pain and rejection.

All around me, the crowd’s eyes weighed heavy on me. For a fleeting instant, the moon had chosen me. I had almost been seen, almost elevated, almost destined to become the future alpha’s mate. And now… I had nothing.