The Bloodmoon Pack Mansion, Full Moon Night
Ariana Thorn stood before the wide antique mirror, the silk gown hugging her curves like a promise. Ivory lace traced her collarbone, and her long dark hair fell in soft waves down her back, brushed a hundred times by Evelyn's patient hands.
Tonight, she would finally stand beside Kael Blackthorn — her fated mate, her first love, the Alpha heir every she-wolf envied. Her wolf, Lyra, hummed with excitement beneath her skin, purring at the bond they'd felt since they were children.
"He will mark us. Tonight, we become his Luna."
"Yes," Ariana whispered back to her wolf. "Tonight, everything changes."
A knock rattled the door. Evelyn, her best friend — and the pack's moon witch — peeked in, her pale eyes sparkling with concern.
"Are you ready?" Evelyn asked softly.
Ariana's lips curved into a hopeful smile. Ready? She'd waited her whole life for Kael to see her as more than the Beta's daughter. To see her as the Luna she was born to be.
"I'm ready."
The Moonfire Clearing
Torches burned around the sacred glade, illuminating dozens of pack members gathered in a wide circle. They murmured as Ariana stepped barefoot into the grass, the hem of her gown trailing behind her like moonlight.
Kael Blackthorn stood at the center — tall, broad-shouldered, impossibly beautiful. His sharp jaw was set in stone; his midnight hair swept back to reveal the cold glint in his grey eyes.
Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. Kael — her mate. He looked every bit the Alpha she'd dreamed of.
But something in his eyes made her wolf whimper. A warning she was too desperate to heed.
Elder Rowan, the pack's seer, raised a ceremonial blade. "Tonight, under the Moon Goddess's gaze, these two wolves shall bind their souls forever."
Ariana stepped forward. Kael didn't move. She reached for his hand, but he jerked away, his voice echoing like thunder across the glade.
"I reject this bond."
Gasps rippled through the clearing. Ariana's ears rang as her vision blurred.
"…What?" she croaked, her wolf howling in confusion.
Kael's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You heard me. I, Kael Blackthorn, Alpha heir of the Bloodmoon Pack, reject Ariana Thorn as my mate and future Luna. You're weak — unworthy of standing by my side."
Ariana's knees buckled. Pain slashed through her chest, her bond tearing apart like a wound that wouldn't close. Lyra whimpered, clawing at Ariana's mind.
Evelyn rushed to her side. "Ari — breathe — focus on me, not him—"
But Ariana's eyes locked on Kael, her mate — her betrayer. She forced herself to her feet, rage and humiliation burning away her heartbreak.
"You didn't just reject me, Kael," she rasped. "You rejected your own goddess-given blessing. One day, you'll regret this."
He laughed — cold, cruel. "Run, little wolf. You're nothing now."
The pack watched as Ariana ripped off her ceremonial necklace, her fingers trembling. For a moment, her gaze met Lucian's — a shadow lurking at the edge of the clearing. The rogue brother. His eyes — deep gold, hungry, protective — watched her with something that looked like promise.
And then Ariana ran. Into the forest. Into the wilds. Into her own legend.
Deep in the Forbidden Woods
Branches whipped against her skin as she stumbled into the darkness. Her tears dried on the wind. The mate bond was gone — broken — but a new fire flickered in her chest.
Never again would she beg to be chosen. She would become a wolf no one could reject.
Somewhere in the shadows, the rogue's eyes followed her — Lucian's scent, wild and unfamiliar, drifting closer. A spark of danger and something darker tingled along her spine.
Maybe losing Kael was the Moon Goddess's blessing in disguise. Maybe the wild was where she was always meant to belong.
Cliffhanger
Behind her, the rogue Alpha emerged from the shadows, eyes glowing gold. "Ariana Thorn," Lucian's voice rumbled through the dark. "The weak do not survive out here. But if you're ready, I'll make you stronger than the Bloodmoon Pack ever could."
Ariana's lips parted, her pulse pounding with fear — and a strange, reckless thrill.
"Show me."