Chapter 3 THE LUNA CEREMONY
The Great Hall of SilverMist Pack shimmered under moonlight like something out of a dream.
Silver lanterns hung from the rafters, their flames dancing with quiet devotion to the goddess above. The scent of pine and moon lilies filled the air—Kael’s favorite.
The whole pack had gathered, all eyes on the raised dais where I stood beside him.
This was supposed to be my night. The night the Moon Goddess sealed my destiny.
The silk gown my father gifted me brushed the floor like spilled light. My hair, braided with pearls, glowed faintly under the full moon filtering through the skylight.
My palms were damp, but I smiled anyway, trying to ignore the restless hum beneath my skin. The mark at the base of my throat pulsed again, a faint sting like lightning caught under skin.
Just nerves. That’s what I kept telling myself.
Kael stood beside me—tall, sharp, commanding. Every inch the Alpha I’d dreamed of belonging to since the bond first snapped into place. His hand rested lightly at my back, but even through the fabric, it felt cold.
The Elders began their chants, voices blending in a low harmony that made the air hum. Candles flared. The pack bowed their heads in reverence. And then, the Moonlight descended—silver and sacred—pooling between us.
The moment of the Marking.
Kael turned to me. For a heartbeat, I saw the boy I once loved. The one who held me by the river and whispered promises of forever. But then… his eyes changed.
They weren’t warm anymore. They were shards of winter.
“Selene Thorne,” he said, his voice steady but stripped of affection. “Daughter of Alpha Thorne of the Crescent Line.”
My heart fluttered. “Yes, my Alpha.”
“You stand before me and the pack, ready to take your place as Luna.”
“Yes.” My voice trembled, but I lifted my chin. “I am honored.”
The crowd leaned forward, expectant. The music softened to silence.
Kael’s wolf aura rolled off him—dominant, powerful. I should’ve felt safe. Instead, my stomach twisted.
Then he said it.
The words that broke the world.
“I, Alpha Kael Draven of SilverMist,” he announced, his voice echoing through the hall, “reject you, Selene Thorne, as my mate and Luna.”
The words didn’t make sense at first. They hung in the air like smoke, twisting around me, unreal.
My smile froze.
The murmurs began.
Then came the pain.
It struck like a blade to the chest—the mate bond ripping apart, threads of light snapping one by one. My knees buckled. I gasped as fire tore through my veins, searing my heart from the inside out.
“No—Kael—please—” I couldn’t breathe.
He didn’t look away. Didn’t flinch.
His expression was carved from stone as he delivered the final blow. “You are too weak to stand beside me. The Moon Goddess must’ve made a mistake.”
Laughter—soft at first, then louder. Someone gasped. Another whispered, “Pathetic.”
I looked toward my father, standing in the front row. His eyes which were filled with pride just moments ago shattered with confusion and rage.
I didn’t think heartbreak could have a sound until I heard my father fall to his knees.
The thud echoed across the Great Hall, silencing the last of the laughter.
“Alpha Kael,” he said, his voice trembling, “please—she’s your fated mate. There must be some mistake.”
I turned, choking on my tears. “Father—”
But Kael didn’t even look at me. His eyes—those grey eyes I once dreamed of—were fixed coldly on my father. “There is no mistake,” he said, every word slicing through the air. “The Moon Goddess may have tied our souls, but I refuse to bind myself to weakness.”
The power that had once tethered me to Kael was gone, leaving a hollow ache so deep I thought it might swallow me whole.
I wanted to scream. To run. To make him take it back.
But all I could do was stare at the man who had promised me forever, and realize he was never truly mine.
Weakness.
The word hit harder than the rejection itself.
My knees trembled. I tried to stand tall, to salvage even a shred of dignity, but the bond’s severed edges still burned through me. My wolf whimpered inside my mind—a low, broken sound. She wanted to rise, to defend us, but Kael’s Alpha aura crushed her flat. I could barely breathe under the weight of it.
“Kael,” my father’s voice broke. “She’s your mate. You cannot—”
“I can.” Kael’s tone was final. “Your daughter is too weak to rule beside me. The pack needs a Luna of strength, not one who hides behind hope and pity.”
Something inside me cracked. Not just my heart—something deeper, something that used to believe in destiny.
I heard laughter again—low and cruel.
The pack I’d grown up among, the people who had once smiled at me, now looked away.
Warriors I’d sparred with refused to meet my eyes. Some averted their gazes out of shame. Others didn’t bother.
One she-wolf near the front—Lyra, Kael’s Beta’s sister, let her lips curl into a smirk. “The goddess chose wrong,” she whispered.
The words burned worse than fire.
