1: The Rejection

Aria

The full moon is the only light shining down onto the altar.  I can feel its light burning into my skin like a brand, and I wish I could shake the feeling of unease away.  The pack is gathered in the clearing.  Hundreds of eyes are fixated on me.  Not the man standing beside me, but just me.  My hands clench the hem of my ceremonial cloak, and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth as I worry my bottom lip with my teeth. 

Tonight is the night I become whole.  It is the night I have been trained for my whole life.  The night that I will become Luna of the Jasper Pack. 

Riven stands across from me, his shoulders squared, his jaw set like he is annoyed by the ceremony.  He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t hesitate. And yet my chest tightens with hope anyway.  I hope that he will glance in my direction for just a moment to reassure me.  Still, he keeps his eyes straight ahead, narrowed on a singular face in the crowd. 

My step-sister, Morgan. 

I turn my attention away from Riven and back to Alpha James.  He raises his hands, silencing the murmurs of the crowd. “The moment has come,” he says, voice booming over the clearing. “Tonight, the bonds of the pack are honored. The fated mate of my son is revealed, and Aria Vale will become your new Luna.”

I step forward with my head held high. The air is thick with expectation, and every whisper feels amplified against the night air. I glance at Riven, and for one brief, foolish second, I think I see the man I fell in love with, the boy who promised me everything in secret, who told me my wolf, Violet, was the only one he ever wanted. That boy is gone.

“Aria Vale,” Alpha James interrupts my thoughts, “step before your fated mate.”

I do. My legs feel heavier than they should, weighed down by a mixture of fear and anticipation. Every eye follows me, every breath from the crowd another weight pressing into my chest. I force my spine straight and my chin up. I will not crumble here. Not yet.

Riven doesn’t move toward me. He doesn’t even glance at me. Instead, his gaze never leaves Morgan’s face.  She’s standing there, smiling, perfectly poised, and undeserving of the devastation she’s about to cause.  Gods, I hate her.

My stomach twists into a knot. My claws itch to extend beneath the fabric of my gloves. This shouldn’t be happening. Violet rises, growling low in my throat, the instinct to claim, to fight, to take what’s mine burning hot. But I fight the feeling down. I’m surrounded. Every move is public. Every reaction witnessed. I cannot lash out. Not now. 

The silence stretches. Long. Agonizing. And then, finally, Riven speaks.

“I cannot choose Aria Vale as my mate.”

The words hit me like a hammer to my chest. My knees tremble, but I force myself to remain standing. The crowd gasps, a collective intake of air that only amplifies the ache in my chest.

Alpha James clears his throat awkwardly.  “You choose to go against the bond set forth by the Moon Goddess?” 

Riven smiles in Morgan’s direction.  “I do.  I choose Morgan Vale to be my mate.” 

Morgan curtsies, her grin soft, almost innocent, but I don’t see her. I only see him. My mate. My supposed mate. My betrayer.

He moves away from me with calculated steps.  The pack separates so he can reach her.  My stomach turns, and my hand reaches out for him. 

“Riven…” I start, voice trembling, trying to make him meet my eyes. But he doesn’t. He never does. “You.”

“You are not my mate.”

There is no hesitation in his words.  No remorse, no acknowledgment of my heart breaking in two.  Only my humiliation.

“Riven, please,” I beg. 

“Don’t.” His voice is smooth and final. The pain in his tone is not for me; it is for the decorum of the ceremony. He steps to her side, offering her his hand.  I watch with my mouth agape as he leads her to the altar.   She stands by his side, beaming at the crowd.  She stands in the place I had dreamed of taking, and my heart twists into something unrecognizable.

The pack watches. Whispers curl like smoke around me, eyes darting between the three of us. Some are sympathetic, others hungry for gossip, some amused by my disgrace. I swallow the bile that rises in my throat. Violet rumbles in my chest, a growl that I swallow because I cannot give them the satisfaction of seeing me broken.

I want to scream. I want to claw at him, to make him feel the raw, ripping pain he’s etched into me. But I do nothing. I bite my lip until the taste of blood mixes with the acid of my stomach, and I force myself to step back.

Alpha James gestures to the moon, and the crowd begins to shift, breaking the moment like shattered glass. Murmurs fill the night. I feel their eyes on me, some curious, some pitying, some silently judging my restraint. But I do not move to them. My gaze remains on him. Riven doesn’t meet my eyes. He doesn’t even glance my way again. His attention is solely on Morgan.

My step-sister who has taken everything from me.

And in that moment, standing under the silver wash of moonlight, I understand something devastating: the world I knew is gone. The pack I thought was mine to share will never recognize me as I hoped. The future I imagined is gone. All that remains is a jagged scar through the center of my chest, a hollow ache that refuses to be soothed.

I step backward again, feeling every eye follow me, but I do not falter. Violet is trembling beneath my skin, but under the fear and the humiliation burns a stubborn spark. A piece of me that I had buried a long time ago when I started my Luna training.  It rises to the surface, reminding me that I am not dead yet. I may be broken, but I am not gone. And though every muscle in me screams to run, to collapse, to cry, I will not give them the satisfaction.

I turn, letting the ceremonial robes slip from my shoulders and pool on the ground.  I walk toward the edge of the clearing. Every step is agony, every breath a betrayal of the life I thought I had. The pack parts, whispers trailing behind me. I hear snippets, “poor girl,” “she’ll recover,” “she always knew she’d lose him,” “she can’t match her sister’s beauty,” but none of it gets under my skin. It is as if I do not exist here anymore.

I reach my cabin at the edge of the forest, chest heaving, hands trembling. The door swings open before I can knock. The familiar scent of home hits me and does nothing to soothe the raw emptiness. I wander through the cabin, and it feels different, like someone has been here.

And then, on my bed, I see it. A small black envelope, sealed with a wax emblem I do not recognize. It is almost insignificant against the chaos of my emotions, yet somehow it commands attention. I pick it up, feeling the weight of it in my hands.  And for the first time tonight, my heartbeat stirs with something other than despair.

I break the seal.

“Survive the Game. Win what your heart desires most.  Will you accept the challenge?”

I drop the letter back onto the bed, staring at it as if it were alive. My chest tightens again, not with humiliation, not with heartbreak, but with a spark I haven’t felt in since I first found Riven with my step-sister. A spark that whispers I still have something left to fight for.

Violet growls softly in my chest, low and warning, but I feel it stir to life. I have nothing left to lose.

And maybe, just maybe… that will be enough.