Chapter 1

ELARA’S POV

The entire pack smelled like moonflowers and anticipation. Silvercrest always looked transformed during mating season.

Lanterns glowed from every corner of the territory, hanging from tall silverwood trees while wolves filled the sacred grounds dressed in soft silks and polished leather, laughing too loudly and smiling too brightly like tonight alone could determine the rest of their lives.

Maybe for some of them, it actually could. I stood near the edge of the clearing trying very hard not to exist.

“Stop hiding behind people,” Lyra said beside me with clear irritation. “You look suspicious when you do that.”

I lowered my eyes immediately. “Sorry.” The apology came automatically like I had rehearsed it.

Lyra sighed dramatically before adjusting the silver chains decorating her dark blue dress. Everything about her looked effortless, beautiful and untouchable.

She had our mother’s sharp cheekbones, golden skin, and confident smile. Wolves noticed when Lyra entered a room.

Most barely noticed when I left one. “You could at least try to look decent tonight,” she muttered while glancing at my plain cream dress.

Heat crawled quietly into my face. It was the nicest dress I owned. “I did try,” I whispered.

Her expression shifted slightly. Not guilt. Never guilt. Just mild annoyance, like I had made something inconvenient for her again.

“Well,” she said finally, “just don’t embarrass me.”

Something inside my chest twisted softly at the words, but I nodded anyway. That was easier.

The truth was, I never wanted to come tonight.

Lyra had invited me personally three days ago which alone should have warned me something was wrong. My sister never included me in anything unless humiliation eventually followed.

Still, refusing would have caused problems at home, and I had already learned surviving in Silvercrest meant making yourself as small and agreeable as possible.

So I came. Not because I believed in the mating ceremony anymore. Not because I hoped the Moon Goddess would suddenly remember I existed.

But because sometimes enduring things quietly was easier than resisting them loudly.

Around us, wolves gathered closer toward the sacred platform where the mating rites would begin soon.

Excitement buzzed through the clearing.

Young wolves whispered nervously. Families stood together proudly. She-wolves adjusted their dresses every few seconds while pretending not to stare toward the higher-ranking Alphas arriving near the front.

I recognized that look on their faces. Hope. I used to look like that once. Before years of whispers carved the feeling out of me completely.

Weak omega. Defective wolf. Useless bloodline. The words followed me everywhere in Silvercrest. No matter how softly people whispered them, eventually you still heard.

My omega designation alone already made me undesirable in the eyes of most wolves. Omegas existed low in the hierarchy, tolerated more than respected.

But my real failure was worse. My wolf had never awakened properly. At twenty years old, I still could not fully shift.

I could scent emotions faintly and sense pack pressure during gatherings, but that was all. No claws. No enhanced strength. No true wolf.

Just emptiness where something sacred should have been. And in a pack like Silvercrest, weakness was remembered forever.

“Look,” Lyra breathed suddenly beside me.

The crowd shifted instantly. A wave of attention rolled across the clearing so heavily even I felt it.

Then I saw him. Prince Kaelen. Future Alpha of Silvercrest.

He moved through the crowd surrounded by warriors and advisors, tall and effortless in black ceremonial clothing marked with silver embroidery across the shoulders.

Beautiful. There really was no other word for him.

Dark hair brushed his forehead carelessly while moonlight caught against the sharp angles of his face. Wolves naturally moved aside for him without being asked.

Power radiated from him quietly. Not loud dominance, not aggression, just certainty. Every she-wolf in the clearing stared at him openly.

Including me. I hated that I did. Because Kaelen belonged to the kind of world I learned very early never to reach toward.

He was among the strongest wolves. He was important and desired. He was not like me and he would never look at me at all.

I was just a broken omega standing quietly at the edge of ceremonies pretending not to be seen. “He’s gorgeous,” one girl whispered nearby.

“No wonder the Moon Goddess hasn’t marked him yet,” another replied dreamily. “She’s probably crafting the perfect mate.”

A bitter little smile almost touched my mouth. The perfect mate. Someone powerful, beautiful and worthy to be called his Luna. Someone like my sister, Lyra. Not me.

The ceremonial drums began suddenly, low and echoing through the clearing. Conversation faded immediately.

The Keeper of the Moon Rites stepped onto the sacred platform dressed in white ceremonial robes while silver fire blazed around the edges of the stone circle.

“The Moon Goddess sees all bonds,” the Keeper announced, voice carrying across the territory. “Tonight, under her sacred light, destined wolves shall find one another.”

A familiar ache settled quietly beneath my ribs. I looked away from the center immediately. I did not want to watch.

The ceremony began slowly.

Pairs formed across the clearing as glowing mate marks appeared beneath moonlight. Gasps and laughter erupted repeatedly around us while wolves embraced crying families and shocked partners.

I stayed still through all of it, unmoved, unchosen as I had expected. Beside me, Lyra subtly straightened every time another unmated Alpha appeared nearby.

Then suddenly, everything inside the clearing changed. The air thickened violently. A pulse of divine energy rolled through the sacred grounds so hard my knees nearly buckled beneath me.

Gasps erupted everywhere. Silver light burst across the clearing. And before I even understood what was happening, pain exploded across my wrist.

I sucked in a sharp breath. A glowing mark blazed against my skin, burning bright beneath the moonlight. The entire world went silent.

No.

My heartbeat stumbled violently as I stared down at the silver symbol forming slowly against my flesh.

That couldn’t be happening. Not to me. Whispers spread instantly around the clearing.

“Who…?”

“Wait…”

“The mark…”

My breathing turned shallow. Then I felt it. The bond. A sharp, terrifying pull inside my chest dragging me toward someone across the crowd.

Toward him. Kaelen. My eyes lifted slowly and found the prince already staring directly at me.