The full moon was cruel tonight.
Its silvery glow spilled over the forest, painting the trees in soft light that didn't match the tension tightening Aria's chest. The wind whispered through the pines, carrying with it the scent of pine sap, ash… and fear.
She stood at the edge of the clearing, eyes wide, breath shallow, heart pounding so loudly it drowned out every sound except her own thoughts.
What am I doing here?
Her fingers curled into the worn fabric of her dress. It was nothing special just a simple pale-blue cotton thing that hung loose on her frame. Most of the other girls wore soft velvet or silk, their hair curled, eyes lined, lips painted with color. But Aria hadn't bothered. No one expected anything from the mute orphan girl.
Especially not to find her mate.
"Do you think she even knows how this works?" someone whispered, not even bothering to lower their voice.
Aria turned her head slightly, catching the tail end of a sneer on Lila's face,the Beta's daughter. Lila stood with two other girls, all wearing matching sneers. "Maybe she thinks the Moon Goddess has a soft spot for lost causes."
Laughter rippled around them. Aria didn't flinch. She had long since learned how to wear her silence like armor.
But inside, her wolf stirred restlessly. It was there, the connection, the anticipation in the air that all unmated wolves felt tonight. The Ceremony of the Moon was sacred, held on the first full moon after a wolf turned eighteen. It was the night the Moon Goddess revealed soulmates ,fated bonds that pulled two hearts into one.
And Aria… Aria didn't know if she hoped for it or feared it.
Her voice had never come. Not as a child. Not after trauma. Not during her first shift. And because of it, the pack had always seen her as incomplete. Weak. A burden.
Still, some foolish part of her heart had clung to the stories. Of wolves who found their mates and were loved not in spite of their flaws, but because of them. Mates who healed what others had broken.
But that was fantasy.
She took a deep breath and looked toward the center of the clearing. The ceremonial stones glowed with faint runes carved by ancient claws. One by one, unmated wolves were stepping forward, guided by instinct, some locking eyes and collapsing in each other's arms with joy.
Others left disappointed.
Her hands trembled.
And then, the air shifted.
A ripple, like a sudden gust of wind or a tremor in the ground. Aria's wolf snapped to attention.
Someone powerful had entered the clearing.
Her eyes found him instantly.
Ronan Blackthorn.
He didn't walk, he commanded. The crowd parted around him as if pulled by gravity. His broad shoulders were wrapped in a black ceremonial cloak, his black shirt open at the collar, revealing the defined lines of his chest. His jaw was sharp, expression unreadable. Cold.
Alpha.
And lethal.
Everyone knew of him. Leader of the Shadowclaw Pack, trained for dominance since birth. He'd taken the Alpha title at just twenty-one, after defeating his own father in a sanctioned duel. He ruled with strength, silence, and brutal efficiency.
And he was now standing still.
Looking directly at her.
Aria froze.
The bond hit her like lightning.
One second, she was watching him from the shadows and the next, her world flipped.
A strange warmth spread through her chest, and her knees nearly buckled. Her wolf cried out in recognition, joy, need. Their souls touched in a way words could never explain.
Mate.
Her lips parted slightly, though no sound came. Her body trembled, reacting to the power of the bond. Her wolf surged forward, trying to reach him.
Ronan's eyes narrowed.
He stepped closer.
Every heartbeat felt like a lifetime.
Then he stopped in front of her.
And Aria knew something was wrong.
He wasn't reaching out to touch her. He wasn't falling into her arms like the others.
His expression didn't soften. If anything, it hardened.
He looked her up and down once, slowly. Coldly.
"This is a mistake," he said flatly, voice low enough only she could hear. "You're my mate?"
She couldn't speak. Not even if she wanted to.
He looked into her eyes—deep, piercing.
Then, with a sharp breath, he straightened.
"I, Ronan Blackthorn, Alpha of the Shadowclaw Pack, reject you, Aria Nightshade, as my mate."
The words rang out like thunder.
Gasps echoed across the clearing.
Aria's heart shattered in her chest. The bond, still new and raw, snapped violently. Pain like fire ripped through her, and she staggered back a step.
No one reached for her.
No one caught her.
She was alone.
Ronan's eyes didn't flicker, didn't show even a shred of doubt. He turned away without another word, cloak billowing behind him as he walked back toward the stones.
Lila's laugh echoed in the silence.
Aria didn't cry.
She couldn't.
But inside, something cracked. Something shifted.
Her wolf whimpered… then growled.
Deep inside her chest, in the place where she had only ever known silence, she felt something stir. Not words. Not a voice.
But power.
Ancient. Untamed.
A low, aching howl echoed through her mind. Her wolf no longer weak, no longer sleeping was awake.
And the night wasn't over.