Chapter One

~Didi~

“Wait..! are you for real?”

That was my twin sister’s voice. I froze mid step in the hallway, my hand hovering near her doorknob. She sounded shocked. Or maybe fake shocked, she was good at that.

“Yes… she really is my mate. I felt the bond…”

Hold up. I know that voice. Jay. Jay, the future alpha. My sister’s boyfriend. My all time crush since forever.

I leaned closer to the door, my heart doing backflips.

“Oh wow,” I whispered to myself. “He found his mate. I bet Linda is his ma—”

And then came the words that almost made me faint.

“Your fatso sister is my mate… The Moon Goddess is insane.”

…Excuse me?

For a whole five seconds, my brain stopped functioning. Then, as the words replayed in my head, my lips slowly stretched into the biggest grin.

“Wait, what?” I whispered, clutching my chest. “Oh my gosh, oh my GOD! Thank you, Moon Goddess!” I did a little silent happy dance right there in the hallway, nearly knocking over a flower vase. “This is literally the best day of my life!”

I bit my lip to keep from squealing. My sister’s boyfriend well, ex-boyfriend now, I guess was my mate! The Moon Goddess clearly had taste.

But then came Linda’s voice, sharp and offended, like she just drank sour milk.

“How in hell is that even possible?” she hissed. “Imagine my big size… fat sister is mated to you while i the beautiful one and your girlfriend by the way is mated to the omega!”

I know am fat ok… so chill but Omega? Girl, calm down it’s not like being an omega is a disease. I rolled my eyes.

Jay and Linda had been dating since they were fifteen. Now we are eighteen, and the universe had finally decided to spice things up.

“But the weird part,” Jay continued, sounding totally confused, “is that when I found out earlier… she didn’t feel the bond.”

Oh he found out earlier… he wasn’t wrong. I can’t feel anything from here. No sparks. No magical pull. No sudden urge to throw myself into his arms. Just nerves, sweaty palms, and a brain screaming don’t mess this up, Didi! Even my wolf was quiet… normal wolf scream mate when they meet but when I met Jay earlier at school… all I felt was my usual girly crush.

Still, who cared?

So what if I couldn’t feel the bond yet? The Moon Goddess herself had paired me with Jay, the alpha to be, the hottest guy in the entire pack.

And honestly? That was all the confirmation I needed.

The Moon Goddess had just answered my biggest, most desperate, most dramatic prayer.

“I already rejected my omega mate, by the way,” Linda said suddenly, in that dramatic tone she always used when she wanted to sound like a queen dismissing peasants.

I blinked. Wait~~~ what?

She what?

I pressed my ear harder against the door, completely forgetting that if someone opened it right now, I’d tumble face-first into their conversation.

“Wait, how come you are not feeling any intense pain then?” Jay asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Good question, Jay. I was thinking the same thing! Because if my perfect twin really did reject her mate, she should be rolling on the floor, screaming like she stepped on Lego barefoot. Rejection pain was no joke. It could tear your wolf apart.

But Linda? My dear dramatic twin? She sounded perfectly fine like she just ordered a latte and not, you know, shattered a sacred bond.

She let out a little scoff, her tone dripping with pride. “He is just an omega… so he’s the one who felt the pain…”

Ohhh… not fair moon goddess… the poor omega is definitely in pain… this is what you call the goddess being biased.

“I don’t think I need to reject your sister,” Jay said next, his voice a mix of irritation and disbelief. “Considering she doesn’t feel the bond, rejecting her might just weaken my wolf. Especially since she’s a Gemma wolf like you.”

I froze.

Wait did he just say… Rejection?

My eyes widened so much I probably looked like a startled owl.

I’m getting rejected before I even feel the bond…?

I blinked again, still processing.

So, let me get this straight: Jay the future alpha, my long-time crush was my fated mate. My twin sister had just rejected her own mate like it was nothing. And apparently, I’m getting rejected.

My lips slowly curled into a grin.

“Oh, Moon Goddess,” I whispered, barely containing my excitement. “This story is about to have an unforeseen plot twist.”

I couldn’t stand there any longer. My heart was thumping like a drum, my palms sweaty, and my brain doing somersaults between I’m mated to Jay! and I’m about to be rejected before it even begins?!

Classic Didi luck.

I tiptoed away from the door before my knees gave out, holding my chest as if that would calm my racing heart. My wolf senses buzzed faintly, but… nothing else. No pull. No spark. Just confusion and a mild craving for cake which, honestly, wasn’t new.

As soon as I got to my room, I slammed the door shut and flopped face-first onto my bed. My pillow muffled my groan.

“Moon…” I called out softly, reaching for the quiet presence inside me. “Do you think he’s really our mate?”

My wolf stirred, her voice calm and distant. The bond feels faint… but yes, I think he is.

I sighed dramatically, rolling onto my back. “I mean, don’t get me wrong Jay is literally my dream guy. He’s hot, tall, future alpha, and has those stupidly perfect dimples. But if he’s really my mate, why can’t I feel the bond?”

Maybe the Moon Goddess is testing us, Moon said with a little huff. Or maybe something’s blocking it.

“Blocking it?” I repeated, squinting at the ceiling. “Like what, bad Wi-Fi connection between our souls?”

Moon didn’t laugh. She rarely did. I groaned again, covering my face. “Great. My sister’s calling me fat in one room, my crush is debating whether to reject me in the same room, and my wolf thinks our bond has network issues. Amazing.”

Moon’s soft chuckle finally echoed in my mind. You always did have a dramatic flair.

“I prefer the word ‘expressive,’ thank you very much,” I muttered, hugging my pillow tighter.

But deep down, beneath the jokes and sarcasm, I felt it the ache of not knowing. The strange emptiness where something powerful was supposed to be.

What if Jay wasn’t really my mate? What if the Moon Goddess had made a mistake?

Or worse… what if I was the broken one?