Chapter 3
Luna's POV
I didn’t want to go, every bone in my body screamed to stay in my small, cold room, hide under my thin blanket, and pretend the world outside didn’t exist tonight. But Piper wouldn’t allow that.
"Get up," she snapped, throwing the black dress on my mat like it was something filthy.
"Alpha wants everyone there. And you well, someone has to be at the bottom of the chain."
I didn’t move fast enough, so she yanked the blanket off me.
"Piper, I-”
She cut me off, stepping closer, her perfume was suffocating. "You don’t get to talk, Luna, not tonight, you will be there, standing where I tell you, wearing what I tell you, and you will keep that ugly little mouth shut."
Her words stung more than the cold air that hit my skin. I slipped into the dress, it was too tight around my chest, the sleeves short enough to show the bruises on my arms. She smirked at them like they were decorations.
"Perfect, just enough for people to see you are weak," she said, her voice dripping with amusement.
The walk to the ceremonial grounds felt endless. The moon hung high, the silver light spilling over the open field where lanterns glowed. Wolves milled about in elegant clothes, their laughter were sharp and cruel in my ears.
Piper stayed close to me, it was not to protect me, but to make sure I didn’t run.
"There she is," a female voice whispered, loud enough for me to hear.
"Still here? I thought someone would have put her out of her misery by now," another laughed.
I kept my head down, but the whispers didn’t stop.
"Look at her dress, it doesn’t even fit."
"Bet no one would claim her even if the moon begged them to."
"She is probably hoping someone will feel sorry for her."
I bit my tongue until I tasted blood, We reached the crowd. Piper immediately drifted toward the other high ranking wolves, leaving me alone at the edge of the field. I wrapped my arms around myself, my eyes darting anywhere but their faces.
"Why is she even here?" one of the males asked his friend. "She’s got no chance."
"Maybe she is hoping to be the charity case of the night," his friend said, and they both laughed.
I stood still, invisible, just like always. The ceremony began, the Pack’s Elder stepping forward.
His voice rang out, deep and commanding. "Under the Moon Goddess’s gaze, let mates be found, bonds be formed, and futures be claimed!"
Wolves began pairing off, drawn to each other by that unshakable pull. A girl squealed nearby as her mate claimed her with a kiss. Cheers erupted. Another couple hugged tightly, their eyes glowing with the bond.
I kept scanning the crowd, not because I hoped, but because I couldn’t stop myself. Each time someone’s eyes lit up with recognition, a small piece of me cracked.
"Luna!" Piper’s voice came from somewhere in the crowd. She was holding hands with a tall warrior, giggling. "Don’t just stand there like a ghost! Try looking alive for once!"
That got a round of laughter from those around her.
"She is already dead inside," someone added, and more laughter followed.
I wanted to melt into the ground, my hands were trembling, so I clenched them at my sides.
One of the females walked past me, her voice dripping with venom. "Careful, Luna, your desperation is showing."
Another leaned in close to my ear as she passed. "No one wants a weak mate, maybe you should just leave before you embarrass yourself further."
Her words clung to me like poison, I shifted back a step, but my heel caught on the uneven grass, and I stumbled. That was all they needed.
"Oh, did you see that?"
"She can’t even stand properly!"
"Pathetic."
Their laughter rang in my ears like the crack of a whip. My chest tightened, the moon above blurred through my tears. I needed to get out of here, now.
I turned, taking a step toward the darkness at the edge of the field. No one would notice if I slipped away, no one would care.
But then I heard a deep, low growl that cut through the air like thunder. I froze in place, It was primal, commanding, a sound that silenced the laughter instantly.
And then I smelled it, the scent hit me like a wave. It was dark cedarwood, rain on hot stone, and something dangerously intoxicating that made my knees weaken.
The crowd seemed to part without being told, and there he was.
Alpha Cassius Grey.
His eyes, molten gold and sharp enough to pierce through me, were locked on mine.
The growl hadn’t been for the others. It had been for me.