THEA POV
"Drink it, Thea. All of it."
My twin sister Sable shoved a silver cup into my hands, her smile too sweet, too sharp. Around us, wolves from every pack in the Northern territories celebrated the Lunar Gathering—the biggest party of the year. Tonight, the full moon would bless wolves who turned eighteen with the chance to find their fated mates.
Tonight was supposed to be my night. Our night, since Sable and I shared the same birthday.
"What is it?" I sniffed the dark red liquid. It smelled like cherries and something bitter underneath.
"Just berry wine, silly." Sable rolled her eyes, already dressed in a stunning gold dress that made her look like a princess. Meanwhile, I wore a simple blue dress that Mom picked out—the kind that helped me blend into corners. "Everyone drinks it for luck during mate ceremonies. Don't you want the Moon Goddess to notice you?"
I did want that. More than anything.
All my life, I'd been invisible. Sable was the pretty twin, the confident twin, the one everyone noticed. I was just... Thea. The quiet one. The boring one. The one who spent more time reading in the library than learning how to flirt like Sable did.
But finding your fated mate wasn't about being pretty or popular. The Moon Goddess chose matches based on souls, not looks. That meant even someone like me had a chance at the one thing that would make me special.
I drank the whole cup.
"Good girl." Sable patted my head like I was a puppy. "Now come on, the Alpha just arrived."
My stomach flipped. Alpha Dane Thornbrook had become our pack's leader six months ago when his father died in a territory war. At twenty-three, he was the youngest Alpha in five generations. Every unmated girl in Thornbrook territory wanted him.
Including Sable.
"He's going to be mine tonight," Sable whispered as we walked toward the massive bonfire in the center of the gathering grounds. "I can feel it. The Goddess will choose me."
Something cold twisted in my belly. "But Sable, you can't control who the Moon Goddess picks. The mate bond just... happens."
"Not if you want it badly enough." Her green eyes glittered strangely in the firelight. "I've wanted Dane Thornbrook since we were kids. The Goddess knows that. She'll give him to me."
Before I could respond, a hush fell over the crowd.
He was here.
Alpha Dane walked through the parted crowd like a king. He was tall—so tall I had to tilt my head back to see his face. His dark bronze hair caught the firelight, and his amber eyes seemed to glow as he surveyed his pack. Power rolled off him in waves that made my wolf Tempest stir inside my mind for the first time all night.
Look at him, Tempest whispered. Strong. Powerful. Alpha.
My heart started beating faster.
Dane walked closer to the bonfire, greeting pack members, accepting their congratulations on another successful year of leadership. He moved with the confidence of someone who'd never doubted himself, never felt invisible, never wondered if he mattered.
He was everything I wasn't.
And then he walked past me.
The world exploded.
Lightning struck through my body—hot, bright, burning. Every nerve ending caught fire. My vision went white. Inside my mind, Tempest threw her head back and howled one word that changed everything:
"MATE!"
No. No, this couldn't be happening. Not with him. Not with the Alpha that every girl wanted, especially not—
My eyes found Dane across the bonfire. He'd stopped walking. His hand was pressed against his chest like something hurt. Slowly, so slowly, he turned.
Our eyes met.
His amber eyes widened. His mouth opened slightly. The bond between us pulled tight like a rope, and I felt it—the recognition, the connection, the absolute certainty that the Moon Goddess had chosen us for each other.
He took a step toward me.
My heart nearly burst from my chest. This was real. This was happening. Alpha Dane Thornbrook was my fated mate, and he felt it too, and—
"I feel it!" Sable's voice cut through the air like a knife. "The mate bond! I feel it!"
She lunged forward and grabbed Dane's hand.
Time stopped.
Sable pressed herself against Dane's side, her face flushed with excitement. "You're my fated mate! Alpha Dane, the Moon Goddess chose us!"
No. No, no, no.
The crowd burst into excited whispers. I saw my father Corwin push through the people, his face lit with pride. My mother followed, already crying happy tears. Everyone was looking at Sable and Dane like they were the perfect couple.
No one was looking at me.
No one saw my hands shaking. No one noticed me at all.
Dane blinked, his eyes leaving mine to look down at Sable. The confusion on his face cleared slowly, replaced by something else. Acceptance? Pleasure?
"I..." He paused, his hand still pressed against his chest. For one moment—one tiny moment—his eyes found mine again across the fire. I saw the question there.
Then Sable stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
The crowd cheered.
And Dane smiled.
"I feel it too," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. His voice was deep and warm. "Sable Calloway, the Moon Goddess has blessed us."
The bond inside my chest didn't disappear. It burned hotter, stronger, more painful with every second. This wasn't supposed to happen. Mate bonds didn't work like this. They were absolute, undeniable. Both wolves felt them instantly.
So why was Dane claiming Sable?
Why couldn't he feel me?
My father reached them first, shaking Dane's hand enthusiastically. "Alpha, we're honored! My daughter will make you an excellent Luna."
Dane wrapped his arm around Sable's waist. She fit against his side perfectly, her gold dress shimmering in the firelight. They looked like they belonged together—the beautiful couple everyone expected.
I stood frozen at the edge of the crowd, the mate bond screaming in my chest, watching my sister claim my fated mate.
Sable looked over Dane's shoulder directly at me.
And she smiled.
Not a happy smile. Not a surprised smile.
A knowing smile.
Ice flooded my veins.
That drink. The bitter taste underneath the cherries. Sable had given me something—but what? And why was Dane claiming to feel a mate bond with her when the Goddess had chosen me?
Unless... unless he really couldn't feel our bond at all.
But that was impossible. Wasn't it?
"Thea!" My mother's sharp voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "Come congratulate your sister!"
Everyone turned to look at me. Hundreds of eyes. All expecting me to smile, to celebrate, to pretend I was happy that my twin sister had just stolen my fated mate.
The mate bond burned hotter in my chest.
Dane's eyes met mine across the crowd.
And I saw absolutely no recognition there at all.