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Selene’s POV

The soft evening breeze swept through the clearing, carrying whispers of the trees, and a chill that seeped into my bones. Despite the warmth of the fading sun, I couldn’t shake the foreboding that had taken root in my chest. Tonight was supposed to be the most important night of my life. The night I’d dreamed of since I was old enough to understand the stories of fated mates and destined bonds.

Tonight, I would finally meet my mate—the one chosen by the moon goddess to complete me, to bring my life the meaning and purpose I had been denied all these years.

I was standing in the center of the pack’s ceremonial grounds, surrounded by dozens of wolves from both our Blackwood pack and the visiting Silverfangs. Their curious, eager eyes bore into me, their whispers like a knife against my skin. They all knew what this meeting meant—knew that I, Selene Blackwood, was about to be mated to the powerful Alpha Leo of the Silverfang pack.

It was supposed to be my redemption. A way to finally escape the shadows cast by my father’s exile and the shame that had plagued my family name for years. If Leo accepted me as his mate, I would no longer be the disgraced daughter of a fallen Alpha. I’d become the mate of one of the most powerful Alphas in the werewolf territories, restoring honor to my family. Or so I had hoped.

I held my breath, feeling Leo’s presence even before I saw him. He strode into the clearing with an effortless authority that made everyone fall silent. His dark eyes were piercing, his expression unreadable. He moved toward me, each step sending a thrill of fear and excitement through my veins. This was it. I would finally know the touch of my mate, the bond that I’d longed for my entire life.

Leo stopped just a few paces in front of me, his gaze cold and detached. I took a step toward him, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. "Alpha Leo," I said, my voice trembling, betraying the vulnerability I hated to show.

“Selene,” he replied, his tone neutral, giving nothing away. He looked at me, as if studying some foreign creature, and the longer he stared, the more a pit of dread opened in my stomach. I wanted to reach out, to touch his hand and reassure myself that this was real—that he was my mate.

But then he spoke.

"I, Alpha Leo of the Silverfang Pack, reject you, Selene Blackwood, as my mate."

The words crashed over me like a tidal wave, each syllable tearing into me with brutal finality. My mind struggled to process what he had just said, but my body knew. I staggered back, the pain of the rejection hitting me like a physical blow, ripping a hole through my chest.

The gasps from the crowd were like a chorus of condemnation. My vision blurred, the faces around me blending into one mass of pity and disdain. Leo's face remained cold, unyielding as if rejecting me was as simple as discarding an unwanted object.

"Why?" The word slipped out of my mouth, a broken plea, barely more than a whisper. But Leo’s expression didn’t change.

"You’re weak, Selene," he said, his voice cold and cutting. "Your father was a failure, and you are no better. I have no use for a mate who cannot bring strength or honor to my pack." He looked me up and down, his gaze filled with something that almost looked like disgust. "I’d rather remain alone than be tied to someone like you."

I didn’t know which hurt more—his words or the contempt in his eyes. Shame flooded through me, and I could feel the familiar burn of tears welling up. But I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.

I straightened my spine, fighting against the crushing weight of his rejection. If he thought I was weak, then I would show him just how wrong he was. "You don’t know me, Leo," I said, my voice trembling with a mix of hurt and defiance. "One day, you will regret this."

He chuckled a dark, humorless sound. "I doubt it. Goodbye, Selene."

With that, he turned his back on me, leaving me standing alone in the center of the circle, the weight of his rejection pressing down on me. The crowd slowly dispersed, their voices hushed and filled with whispers. I heard fragments—pity, scorn, curiosity—all of them watching the once-proud daughter of Alpha Blackwood, now humiliated and abandoned.

My heart felt shattered as if a piece of my soul had been ripped away. The bond I had longed for was nothing more than a cruel illusion, and the reality was a cold, empty chasm that threatened to swallow me whole.

As I stumbled away from the crowd, a voice called out from behind me. "Selene, wait!"

I turned to see my mother, her face lined with worry and sadness. She reached for me, but I shook my head, stepping back. I didn’t want comfort. I didn’t want pity.

"Selene, please, let me help you," she said softly.

"No, Mom," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "There’s nothing you can do." The words hung between us, heavy and final. She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, but I couldn’t bear to see her pain—not when mine was so raw, so overwhelming.

I walked past her, into the dense forest that surrounded our territory. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I had to get away. The trees blurred as I stumbled forward, my vision clouded by the tears I had fought so hard to hold back.

I was nothing to them—a rejected, humiliated outcast. My father’s daughter was cursed with his disgrace. I fell to my knees, the sharp sting of broken branches cutting into my skin, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

"Why?" I whispered to the silent forest, my voice breaking. "Why was I not enough?"

A rustle of leaves caught my attention, and for a moment, I thought it was Leo coming back to mock me further. But it was only the wind, swirling through the trees, whispering secrets I would never understand.

Despair flooded through me, dragging me down until I was choking on it, lost in the darkness of my pain. I closed my eyes, wanting to disappear, to escape this unbearable emptiness. I wished for the earth to swallow me, for the shadows to hide me from the shame that felt like it would consume me.

Laughter erupted from the shadows as the crowd gathered behind, their whispers and sneers hitting me like daggers. Each word they spat was a reminder of my humiliation.

"Did you see her face? She thought she was worthy of Alpha Leo!" one voice jeered, followed by cruel laughter.

"She's just like her father—useless and weak. No wonder she was rejected," another added, her words laced with venom.

My legs wobbled as I stood there, forcing myself to remain still and not let their taunts break me. My chest burned, the sting of rejection and their ridicule twisting into a potent mix of rage and sorrow.

"She thought she could restore her family name," someone else snickered, loud enough for the others to join in. "What a joke! She should’ve known her place."

Their laughter roared louder, the sound echoing in the clearing like a cruel symphony of disdain. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms until they drew blood.

"Even the Moon Goddess must pity her." A young man’s mocking tone cut through the crowd. "I mean, who wants a mate tied to a disgraced bloodline?"

That did it. The pain, the shame, and the fury bubbled up inside me like an unstoppable force. My vision blurred—not from tears, but from the raw, searing rage that consumed me. I wanted to scream at them, to tell them they were wrong, to make them see that I wasn’t the weakling they thought I was. But the words caught in my throat, choked by the lump of despair I couldn’t swallow.

And then, the earth trembled beneath our feet.

A piercing light struck the ceremonial grounds, silencing the crowd. The laughter faded into startled gasps as a soft, luminous glow bathed the clearing. I turned slowly, squinting against the brightness, and saw it—a column of silvery light descending from the heavens, its center pulsating with power.

"What is that?" someone whispered, their voice tinged with fear.

The crowd shifted uneasily as the ground beneath us trembled once more. The light seemed alive, pulsating with an energy that sent chills racing down my spine. It wasn’t just light—it was power, ancient and unyielding, and it was calling to me.

"Selene Blackwood," the voice spoke again, clear and commanding this time.

My heart stopped. The moonlight seemed to weave itself around me, lifting my chin as if it refused to let me cower. The mocking voices faded into the background, the weight of their judgment replaced by something far greater—a divine presence that filled me with awe and fear in equal measure.

"You are not weak, my child," the voice of the Moon Goddess echoed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You are the chosen of my light, a wolf whose destiny surpasses the comprehension of these small minds."

Gasps rippled through the crowd; the same people who had laughed were now wide-eyed and trembling.

I could feel the power surging through me, wrapping itself around my broken heart and mending it with an unshakable resolve.

"You will rise, Selene," the Moon Goddess continued, her voice unwavering. "This rejection will not define you—it will free you. You shall forge your path, one that will make the world bow before your strength."

The crowd dropped to their knees, their jeers replaced by whispers of fear and reverence. I stood taller, my pain slowly replaced by an intense determination.

The light dimmed, leaving the clearing in stunned silence. For the first time in my life, I felt seen—truly seen—not as the rejected, weak daughter of a fallen Alpha but as someone destined for something greater.

As I turned my gaze back to the crowd, I met their eyes one by one, watching their mockery morph into regret and uncertainty. They would see. They would all see.

Leo’s words had been meant to break me, but they had only sparked the fire within.

“Let them laugh now,” I whispered to myself as I stepped away from the clearing, my heart heavier but my resolve stronger.

They had no idea what was coming.