The Moon Festival was supposed to be magical. A night when the air shimmered with the promise of fate, when the Moon Goddess wove her will into the threads of destiny, binding mates together beneath the silver glow of the full moon.
For most, it was a night of celebration. For Aria Everhart, it was the beginning of her nightmare.
She stood at the edge of the clearing, half-hidden in the shadows, her heart pounding so violently she could feel it in her throat. The festival had begun hours ago, and the Silvercrest Pack’s courtyard was filled with laughter, music, and the intoxicating scent of roasted meats and spiced wine. Bonfires crackled, sending embers into the night sky, and lanterns hung from every tree, bathing the entire packhouse in a golden glow.
But Aria wasn’t here to celebrate.
She had no place among the pack’s elite. Born to a disgraced omega who had died when she was a child, Aria had spent her life serving those who considered themselves her betters. She was an orphan, a nobody—an invisible girl among wolves who never saw her as one of their own.
Yet, she had come. Because on this night, fate could change everything.
The moment the moon reached its highest peak, those of age would discover their mates. The sacred bond would awaken, unmistakable and undeniable.
Aria’s hands clenched into fists, her breath unsteady as she dared to dream. Could the Moon Goddess have mercy on her? Could she be given a mate—someone to love her, to cherish her, to finally make her feel like she belonged?
Her heart ached with longing, but deep down, she feared the truth. No one would ever want a nobody like her.
And then she saw him.
Alpha Killian Thorne.
The most powerful Alpha in the region. The man who commanded both fear and respect.
He stood at the center of the festival, his presence magnetic, his dark eyes scanning the crowd as if he could already sense the mate bond forming. He was breathtaking—towering over the others, his broad shoulders framed by a finely tailored black shirt that only emphasized the raw power beneath. His chiseled features were set in stone, his sharp jawline accentuated by the flickering firelight.
Aria had spent her entire life watching him from afar, never daring to dream that their paths would truly intertwine. But as she met his gaze across the courtyard, a sudden, searing heat erupted in her chest.
It was as if lightning had struck her.
A force unlike anything she had ever known surged through her veins, sending her senses into chaos. Her knees went weak, her breath hitched—and she knew.
Mate.
The word echoed in her soul, her wolf howling with a joy so intense it was almost painful.
Her entire body trembled as Killian stiffened, his own eyes widening in shock. His nostrils flared, his fists clenching at his sides.
He felt it too.
Aria took a shaky step forward, her heart hammering as hope bloomed inside her. This was real. This was fate. The Moon Goddess had given her something she had never dared to wish for.
But then, Killian’s expression hardened.
The warmth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by something cold. Something cruel.
Aria froze as he turned away—away from her, away from the bond—his movements stiff, almost violent.
“No.” His voice was a growl, low and dangerous.
The word shattered through her like a blade.
No?
Confusion flooded her as she took another step, reaching for him, for the connection they shared, but he recoiled as if her touch would burn him.
“You’re mistaken.” His voice was like ice, each syllable cutting her deeper than any wound.
The crowd around them had gone silent. Whispers rippled through the festival as wolves turned to watch. They had felt the shift in the air, the unmistakable force of the mate bond. But Killian—he was denying it.
Her lips parted, her voice barely a whisper. “Killian… please.”
His gaze locked onto hers, dark and unforgiving. “You are not my mate.”
The words were a death sentence.
Aria felt as if the earth had been ripped from beneath her feet. The pain that followed was unbearable, her wolf howling in agony inside her mind.
She wanted to protest, to tell him that the Moon Goddess didn’t make mistakes, that he couldn’t deny what was meant to be. But then, a new voice sliced through the night.
A feminine, sultry voice.
“She’s lying, Killian.”
Aria turned, her blood running cold as a woman stepped into the firelight.
Celeste Ravenshadow.
The Beta’s daughter. The woman who had always been by Killian’s side.
Celeste’s lips curled into a smirk as she sauntered toward Killian, placing a possessive hand on his chest. “You already have a mate,” she purred, her eyes flickering toward Aria with a glint of cruelty. “Me.”
The world spun around Aria.
No. That wasn’t possible. The mate bond was sacred. It couldn’t be denied. It couldn’t be ignored.
But as Killian pulled Celeste closer, his jaw tightening, his gaze still locked onto Aria’s with something that looked almost like regret, she knew.
He was choosing Celeste.
He was rejecting her.
Aria barely felt her body collapse to the ground, barely heard the gasps of those around her. The pain in her chest was suffocating, as if her very soul was being torn apart.
Killian’s voice was the last thing she heard before darkness consumed her.
“I, Alpha Killian Thorne, reject you as my mate.”
---
The pain didn’t fade when she woke.
If anything, it had only gotten worse.
She was in the servant’s quarters now, the tiny, windowless room she had called home for years. The scent of dried herbs and damp wood filled the space, a stark contrast to the rich incense and warm furs of the packhouse above.
Her head throbbed, her body weak, but it was nothing compared to the gaping wound inside her soul.
The mate bond had been severed.
Killian had rejected her.
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
If he didn’t want her—if he had thrown her away as if she was nothing—then she would survive without him.
But deep down, a terrible truth whispered through her mind.
The bond may have been broken, but her heart still belonged to him.
And she didn’t know if she would ever be free of him.
