The silver moon hung full and bright above the Sacred Circle, watching without mercy.
Aira stood at the edge of the clearing, her fingers curled tightly into the thin fabric of her dress. The cold night air bit into her skin, but she did not move. She had waited her whole life for this night , the Moon Choosing. The night every wolf met their fate.
Around her, excitement buzzed like fire. Young men stood tall, confident, already sensing their mates. Young women whispered and smiled, hope shining in their eyes. Powerful Alphas watched from the high stone seats, their presence heavy and commanding.
Aira felt none of that excitement.
Her heart beat too fast. Her chest felt tight, like the air was running out.
She was wolfless.
She had always been.
Still, the Moon had called her here.
The drums stopped suddenly.
Silence fell over the clearing.
"The bond will reveal itself," the Elder announced. "Step forward when called."
One by one, names were spoken. Each time, a glow appeared between two people. Gasps followed. Cheers. Joy. Mates finding mates.
Aira stayed still.
Her palms were damp. Her legs trembled.
Then the air shifted.
A sharp, invisible pull slammed into her chest so hard she staggered back.
Pain exploded through her veins hot, burning, undeniable.
A bond.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"No…" she whispered.
Across the clearing, an Alpha stiffened.
Alpha Rylan.
The heir to the North Pack. Powerful. Handsome. Ruthless.
His eyes locked onto hers, glowing with fury not desire.
The bond snapped fully into place.
The crowd gasped.
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"A wolfless mate?"
"For the Alpha heir?"
"This must be a mistake."
Aira's knees weakened. She took an unsteady step forward, drawn by the bond she did not understand. Her heart pounded with fear and fragile hope.
Rylan stepped back.
The rejection hit before the words even came.
"I refuse," he said coldly, his voice slicing through the night. "I reject this bond."
The pain was immediate and brutal.
Aira screamed as her chest burned like it was being torn apart. She collapsed to her knees, gasping, her hands clawing at the ground.
The Elder stood abruptly. "Alpha Rylan this is sacred".
"She is nothing," Rylan interrupted, his voice loud and cruel. "Wolfless. Weak. Unfit to stand beside me. The Moon has made an error."
Each word cut deeper than the pain.
Laughter broke out from parts of the crowd. Others watched in silence, eyes filled with judgment.
Aira tried to speak. She tried to stand.
She failed.
"Take her away," Rylan ordered. "Before she stains this ceremony further."
Two guards moved immediately.
"No!" Aira cried as rough hands grabbed her arms. "Please, I didn't choose this!"
Her voice cracked, thin and desperate.
No one listened.
As she was dragged across the stone, she looked up one last time hoping, foolishly, for mercy.
Rylan had already turned his back.
The Sacred Circle vanished behind her as the guards pulled her toward the gates. Her tears blurred everything. Her chest still burned. Her ears rang with shame.
Outside the gates, they threw her to the ground.
"You are banished," one guard said flatly. "Cross the border before sunrise. If you're found within pack lands again, you will be executed."
The gates slammed shut.
Aira lay there, shaking.
The moonlight felt cold now.
She forced herself to stand.
Each step away from the capital felt heavier than the last. Her bond wound throbbed painfully, reminding her of what she had lost ,what she never truly had.
She did not know how long she walked.
She only knew that the forest grew darker. The air grew sharper. And her strength began to fade.
Then she heard it.
Footsteps.
Not animals.
Wolves.
Her heart dropped.
She turned, panic flooding her veins, and ran.
Branches tore at her skin. Roots caught her feet. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Behind her, growls echoed controlled, deliberate.
They were not chasing to scare.
They were chasing to kill.
Aira stumbled near the borderlands, pain crashing through her body. Her vision blurred. She fell hard onto the cold earth.
The footsteps stopped.
A shadow loomed.
"Make sure she doesn't survive," a voice said quietly.
Aira's eyes widened in terror.
She tried to crawl.
She failed.
Her world tilted.
The moon above flickered strangely almost dimming.
Then everything went black.
Unseen by those sent to kill her, something ancient stirred within her blood.
And fate quietly changed its mind.