[Day 0 — The Luna Ceremony | Time until Rebirth: 0 Hours]
The BloodMoon Pack's sacred courtyard was bathed in silver moonlight, every stone glowing faintly under the pale glow. The air thrummed with ancient power and the silent whispers of past Lunas, their spirits watching the ceremony unfold.
My bare feet pressed against the cold stone, sending shivers up my spine. My heart was a wild drum in my chest—an unbearable mix of hope, fear, and desperate longing.
Tonight was meant to be the night my entire life changed.
The night I would finally be claimed.
The night I would become Luna.
I lifted my eyes to the towering figure standing at the center of the gathering, clad in black armor that gleamed like obsidian beneath the moon. Alpha Lucien Blackthorn—my fated mate, the strongest Alpha the pack had seen in a century, the man I had dreamed of since I was a child.
His eyes, crimson as fresh blood, scanned the crowd, finally settling on me. For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something—recognition, maybe even kindness. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
"Aria Silverclaw," his voice echoed cold and clear, cutting through the silence like a sharpened blade, "I, Alpha Lucien Blackthorn, reject you as my mate and future Luna."
The words shattered the night.
My breath caught. The world tilted. For a heartbeat, I was sure I had misheard.
Rejected? Me?
The murmurs around the courtyard erupted into a wave of gasps and whispers. Some faces twisted in shock, others with cruel satisfaction. I could almost hear their thoughts: Weak, pathetic, unworthy.
My knees trembled, but I forced myself to stay upright. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall.
"I…" My voice was barely a whisper, cracked and fragile. "Why?"
Lucien's eyes didn't soften. Instead, his gaze hardened, like steel forged in ice.
"You're weak," he said bluntly. "A weak Luna is a liability to this pack. I will not allow you to endanger my people."
The rejection was more than a refusal of a bond—it was a death sentence to my hopes, my future.
My breath hitched. Tears burned my eyes, but I swallowed them down. Not here. Not now.
Before I could respond, Lucien turned, revealing the arm of a woman stepping forward—tall, elegant, with an icy smile that didn't reach her calculating eyes.
Evelyn Blackthorn, Lucien's arranged Luna. The one they wanted instead of me.
The pack began to cheer for her, their voices drowning out the last shreds of my courage.
The mate bond snapped—a cold, searing pain exploded through my chest, as if my heart was being torn from my body. I tasted blood.
My vision blurred, darkness creeping at the edges.
I tried to stand tall, but my legs betrayed me. The world spun wildly, and then—
Everything went black.
---
When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the courtyard.
I floated in an endless void of stars and shadows. A soft silver light bathed the space, and before me stood a magnificent silver wolf. Its eyes gleamed with ancient wisdom.
"You were never meant to be broken, Aria Silverclaw," a soft voice echoed inside my mind.
The Moon Goddess.
Her presence wrapped around me like a warm embrace, yet her words were heavy with truth.
"You were meant to rise."
"I'm… dead," I whispered, voice trembling.
"Not yet. But you will be," she said gently. "And then you will have a choice."
"Why me?" I asked. "Why give me this chance?"
"Because your fate is not yet sealed," she answered. "Because even in the darkest nights, the moon still shines."
Before I could ask more, brilliant light enveloped me, and I felt myself falling through time—backwards, faster and faster—until the world dissolved beneath me.
---
I gasped awake, drenched in cold sweat. My room was dark except for the faint glow of the moon filtering through the curtains.
My hands trembled as I reached for the calendar pinned to my wall.
Three weeks.
Three weeks until the Luna Ceremony.
Three weeks until Lucien rejects me.
But this time, things would be different.
This time, I wouldn't be the girl who begged for love.
This time… I would rewrite my destiny.