Chapter 1
The moon shone brightly that night, casting a warm glow over its people as they danced to the music.
Tonight was the Mating Ceremony. A night when the Mateless wolves hope to find their mates under the moonlight.
When they give their tributes to the goddess in the hope of finding a mate.
A large smile split my lips as I ran past people, dodging the bodies that twisted around me.
No one shot glares at me, no one screamed to call me useless, that was because they were too far gone to notice that I had gone by
And I didn't mind that
My feet were bare but I ignored the sharp stones digging into my skin as I ran into the forest.
For the first time since I could remember, I was happy.
Why? You ask.
Because today is the day I would get the mate. The one meant for just me and me alone.
I wouldn't have to share with my sister, Camille. I didn't have to worry about her stealing him from me.
Because he was going to be mine, and just mine.
I was even more excited because my mate was going to be my boyfriend Aiden.
Aiden is the Alpha's son and my childhood love. And finally, we were going to make it official under the guidance of the Moon goddess.
I paused when I got to the clearing, searching around for Aiden.
He had said he would meet me here when the ceremony kicked off, but right now, I couldn't see him.
Did I come here before he did?
Maybe I did. I should just wait a few minutes for him.
I thought to myself as I leaned against a tree.
A few minutes turned into an hour and an hour turned into two.
‘I don't think he would be coming,’ My Wolf, Neela, said to me, and my lips pulled into a frown.
I wanted to assure her, to tell her that certainly, Aiden would be here, but I didn't believe that myself.
After waiting for a few minutes more and still no shoes from him, I turned back into the village.
I could barely contain the sadness I felt as I walked towards the Pack center.
‘Why didn't he come?’ Neela asked but I remained silent
I didn't know the answer to that.
Maybe something came up; maybe he couldn't make it.
Maybe… Maybe… maybe…
Different excuses came up in my head to defend Aiden, but I still wanted to give the benefit of the doubt.
He loves me, we were fated mates.
That was what I believed, but nothing prepared me for the scene I saw when I walked into the ceremony ground.
I felt it before I saw him
The mate pull between us was strong and felt eccentric.
My heart pounded as I followed it, feeling it grow stronger with every step I took.
It was leading me straight to Aiden, just like I had imagined.
A smile crept back onto my lips, anticipation bubbling inside me as I neared the Pack center.
But then... I saw him.
Aiden stood in the distance, his broad shoulders unmistakable even from afar.
My pulse quickened, my feet speeding up to close the gap between us.
Was he as happy as I was? Was he waiting for me to come to him?
But as I moved closer, my smile faltered.
Something was wrong.
There was someone with him.
I slowed down, squinting through the crowd as my heart began to sink into my stomach.
Aiden's arms were wrapped tightly around a woman.
Her body was pressed close to his, his head lowered near her ear as though he were whispering something.
My breath caught in my throat as I realized... the woman looked just like me.
No. Not just like me.
It was Camille, my twin sister.
A wave of nausea rolled through me, my legs frozen in place as I watched them together.
The mate pull was unmistakable, this was the moment I had been waiting for, the connection I had dreamed of—and yet, he was holding her.
Why was he with her and not me?
Why were his arms wrapped around her like she was the one he was mated to?
My vision blurred with tears, but I refused to let them fall.
Anger bubbled inside me, hotter and fiercer than I had ever felt before.
Camille was fond of doing this, taking what was mine just to see me cry.
If it was something else I would have let her go, but she didn't have to steal this one thing away from me.
How could he? How could they?
Without thinking, I stormed forward, the world narrowing down to just the three of us.
People were watching, whispering, but I didn’t care.
My feet slammed into the ground as I crossed the remaining distance between us.
I wanted to hear what their explanation was for this.
“Aiden,” I spat, my voice breaking as I stared at him, demanding an answer.
“What the hell is this?” I hissed. My voice was laced with venom, my arms folded across my chest.
Aiden turned to look at me, his eyes widening for a brief second before they hardened.
“Lila,” he said, his voice calm, detached even.
Like he wasn’t caught with his arms around my sister in the middle of the mating ceremony.
To everyone, it would seem as if Camillie was his mate, and not me.
With each passing second, my heart broke into tinier pieces.
“Explain. Now.” My voice trembled with barely contained fury.
“What are you doing with her?”
We had promised forever, he'd mark me as his mate and make me his Luna.
He treated me better than everyone else did, and this was me thinking…
My eyes snapped to Camille, my so-called twin sister.
She had come just a few minutes earlier than I did, and because my parents only wanted one child, they never accepted me.
Camille got everything she wanted, including things that belonged to me as well
She didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed.
She simply smirked, tilting her head as if to challenge me.
Aiden’s grip tightened around her waist and my stomach twisted into a knot.
So he chose her.
“Lila,” he began, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I was going to tell you this earlier, but... I’ve made my decision.”
His decision?
The mate pull between us burned, begging to be acknowledged, but Aiden’s next words shattered everything.
“I, Aiden, son of Alpha Marcus, reject you, Lila, as my mate.”
The air left my lungs in a sharp gasp and I clutched my chest.
The entire world seemed to stop. My heart, which had been beating so wildly just moments ago, now felt like it had been ripped out of my chest.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief.
This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t—reject me.
We were meant to be together. The Moon Goddess had chosen us!
That was what I beckoned
“You... You can’t do this,” I stammered, my voice small and broken. “We’re fated mates.”
Aiden’s face remained stoic, cold even. “I’m sorry, Lila,” he said, though his tone lacked any real remorse. “But I’ve chosen Camillie. She’s the one I want.”
The crowd had gathered closer now, watching in stunned silence as my entire world fell apart.
I glanced at Camille, her smug smile burning into my memory like a brand.
“Camillie?” My voice shook, disbelief flooding every word. “You knew... you knew he was mine.”
She shrugged like it didn’t matter. To her she had once again won against me, taking something I loved away from me.
“Maybe the goddess made a mistake,” she said flippantly.
“Aiden and I are perfect for each other.”
My hands clenched into fists, rage surging through my veins.
The betrayal, the humiliation—it was too much to bear.
But even as I stood there, heartbroken and furious, the mate pull still throbbed painfully inside me.
“I reject you too, Aiden!” I screamed, my voice cutting through the air, but the pain in my chest only intensified.
I could feel the bond trying to cling to him, to us.
This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Today was meant to be the happiest day of my life.
Aiden’s expression didn’t change, and Camillie only seemed more pleased by my outburst.
With one last look at them, at the love I thought I had, I turned on my heel and ran.
Ran as fast as my legs could carry me, away from the Pack center, away from the laughter and whispers, away from the mate that had broken me.
I didn’t stop, not even when my lungs burned, not even when the tears finally started to fall.
I ran until I couldn’t feel the bond pulling me anymore until the only thing I felt was the emptiness left behind.