Chapter 1
For years, I lived under the belief that the Moon Goddess had committed a grave error. It was not that she had made me an Alpha, nor that she had bestowed upon me a power no female had ever possessed.
The true grievance was the absolute solitude to which she had condemned me. The stories whispered around the pack fires spoke of sacred bonds and soulmates destined to recognize each other under the moonlight; the elders painted it as the ultimate blessing, and pups grew up dreaming of that fated encounter. I, however, was denied that privilege. While others fantasized about love, I learned how to survive; while others found companionship, I learned how to lead. I surpassed every Alpha who challenged my authority, rising to a pinnacle that turned out to be a silence so profound it threatened to consume me.
The higher I climbed, the more evident a single truth became: there was no one capable of walking by my side, no one who understood the burden of a crown forged from teeth and blood. In time, I accepted it. Perhaps fate had carved distinct paths: some wolves were born to love, others to rule. I belonged to the second kin. Or so I believed.
The night everything changed began like any other. The Council of Alphas had gathered within the Gray Fortress, the ancient stronghold serving as the epicenter of my power. Once more, a territorial dispute arose over the familiar trifles of hunting grounds, resources, borders, and pride. I listened from my seat at the head of the table, shrouded in silence. I did not need to raise my voice; my presence alone was enough. Once I delivered my verdict, the conflict dissolved within minutes. As the Alphas departed, I remained seated, feeling an unaccustomed exhaustion. I rested a hand against the polished wood and closed my eyes for a fleeting moment. Then, something struck me. It was not a physical impact, but something far deeper. My heart skipped a beat. My eyes flew open as a strange pressure blossomed in my chest, as if an invisible thread had materialized from the void and someone had pulled it taut. I rose to my feet, yet the sensation persisted, insistent, warm, a second heartbeat weaving into my own. My breathing grew ragged. It was impossible. More than thirty years had passed; mating bonds revealed themselves far earlier.
The Moon Goddess could not simply dictate such a thing now, after I had built my entire life upon the foundation of solitude. Yet, the pressure intensified, and suddenly, I caught a scent. It was merely an echo, a shadow, but I sensed it: something sweet, warm, alive. My wolf awakened with a ferocity I had not felt in years.
Mine. The word exploded through my mind like a roar. I recoiled, shaking my head, but my wolf ignored me.
Mine. My heart hammered against my ribs with an irrational urge to run, to search, to find. It was absurd, dangerous. I was Selene, the Alpha Queen, the sovereign of every pack; I could not afford to lose control to an emotion. Even so, my defenses began to crack.
I did not sleep that night, nor the ones that followed. The bond, far from fading, grew stronger. Although I remained ignorant of her name, her face, or her pack, I could feel her, a distant presence, a flame burning beyond the horizon. It terrified me, for I lacked any frame of reference. The legends painted destined mates as idyllic, omitting how invasive it felt to sense a stranger within the sanctity of your own existence, or how unsettling it was to realize your life no longer belonged entirely to you. A fracture had opened, a space where once only I had existed, and now someone was encroaching upon it.
On the fourth night, I shifted. I needed to clear my head. I ran through the forests for hours, feeling the earth tremble beneath my paws and the wind rushing through my silver fur, but even there, she was present. Suddenly, an emotion struck me with such force I nearly stumbled: anger. No, annoyance. Indignation. I came to a dead stop, and the feeling vanished as quickly as it had emerged, yet it had been undeniably real. It had emanated from within me.
“What are you?” I whispered into the darkness. My wolf lifted her head, listening, waiting, yearning. Then, another sensation reached me: pride, stubbornness, a fierce refusal to yield. That unknown wolf was arguing with someone. I could not explain how, I simply knew. For some reason, a genuine smile touched my lips, my first in weeks. She was neither submissive nor obedient; she was not the type of wolf who lowered her head with ease. That realization surprised me. And, strangely enough, I liked it.
When I returned to the fortress before dawn, my guards were waiting, bowing their heads as I approached. It was a customary, unalterable sign of respect. Yet, this time, I found myself wondering how she would react my mate. Would she also bow her head? A sudden certainty answered before the question was fully formed: no, absolutely not. The thought made me laugh softly, leaving my guards in confusion; I never laughed, let alone while alone. I did not care. I understood that my life was shifting, regardless of how or when I would find her, or if I was even ready.
The Moon Goddess had moved a piece on the board, and whenever she intervened, the entire world eventually tilted. I gazed toward the sky, where the full moon shone above the mountains, silent, mysterious, and cruel.
“Why now?” I asked the wind. There was no answer, as always, but the warmth in my chest persisted. That distant, real, and living presence granted me something other than power, responsibility, or duty: uncertainty. The woman who ruled every Alpha in the realm had just discovered an impossible truth: she was not destined to walk alone. And that terrified me far more than any war ever could.
