Chapter 1
The Rejection
The night I turned eighteen, the moon turned red. In our world, that meant only one thing. "The Goddess was watching".
Every wolf in the Silver Moon Pack gathered beneath the ancient oak tree for the sacred Mate Ceremony. One by one, young wolves stepped forward, waiting for the moment when the bond would reveal the person destined to stand beside them. I had dreamed about this night since I was a child. My parents had too. They stood proudly among the crowd, smiling at me.
“My daughter will have a powerful mate,” my mother whispered. My father laughed softly. “Whoever he is, he had better know how lucky he is.” I smiled. I believed them. Then I saw him.
Alpha Kael.
He stood at the front of the gathering, tall and intimidating, his black hair falling over his forehead and his silver eyes glowing beneath the red moon. The moment our eyes met, something inside me shattered. A burning sensation spread across my skin, My wolf screamed inside my head.
"Mate"
My heart stopped.
Kael's eyes widened.
For one beautiful second, I thought he felt it too. Then his expression hardened. He walked toward me, Every step he took made my heart beat faster. When he stopped in front of me, the entire pack fell silent. His gaze moved over my face.
Then he spoke.
“I reject you.” The words struck harder than any physical blow.
Silence.
I couldn't breathe, My wolf whimpered.
“No…”
Kael's jaw tightened.
“I, Kael Draven, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you as my mate.”
Pain exploded through my body, I collapsed to my knees, Someone gasped.
My mother screamed my name, My father rushed toward me,
But Kael didn't move, He simply turned away.
As if I meant nothing, As if the bond between us had never existed, Tears filled my eyes.
“Why?” I whispered.
Kael stopped. For a moment, I thought he would answer, Instead, he said quietly,
“Because loving you would destroy everything I've built.”
Then he walked away, And that was the night my heart died.
