Chapter 1

Emma's pov.

“Emma calix, you are not fit to be my Luna,” Damien's voice echoed through the clearing, it was unyielding. His words cut me deeper than any claw ever could.

I stood frozen, my chest tight and my heart pounding as the pack members gathered whispering among themselves.

My mate, the man the moon Goddess had chosen for me, was rejecting me in front of everyone.

“Damien” My voice cracked as I tried to fight the tears welling up. “Why are you hurting me? What have I done to deserve this?”.

He didn't even look at me. His cold gaze remained fixed on the crowd. “It's not about what you've done but the truth is you're too weak, Emma. You can't lead a pack. And you know this would drag me down”.

His words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled back., feeling the weight of their judgemental stares. I wanted to scream to beg him to reconsider, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me heartbroken.

“I promise you, Damien, you'll regret this,” I whispered, my voice trembling but firm. “One day, you'll see what you've thrown away.”

He chuckled with a cruel sound. “Is that a threat? I doubt it”. 

With that, Damien turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the center of the clearing. 

The pack dispersed quickly, their whispers fading as they left me behind like I was nothing.

Indeed I was nothing to them now!

My chest burned with a mixture of rage and despair as the wind howled heavily through the forest, making me stumble blindly into the trees, tears streaming down my face. 

“How could he do this to me?” I muttered to myself kicking at a fallen branch. “After everything ... .I thought he was going to be mine but it ended up in a negative direction”.

The bond between us felt like a cruel joke now, it was like a chin that bound me to someone who didn't want me. 

My wolf whispered inside of me, her anguish echoing my own.

“We don't need him,” I said loudly, trying to convince myself. “This Is your fate, just have it in mind that we don't need anyone who doesn't need us”.

Everything seemed blurred, so I stared up at the crescent moon hanging low in the sky, its light casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. 

At that moment tears dripped down my eyes as I tried to understand the pain behind my rejection.

“Is this some kind of test moon Goddess? Or are you trying to check my patience?”. I said bitterly. “Do you even enjoy watching me suffer?”.

A rustling sound nearby made me tense. I sharply turned scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.

“Who's there?”. I called out my voice shaky but defiant.

Silence.

I exhaled. Shaking my head. “Get it together, Emma. This is the time to prove your strength,” I muttered. “You’re alone now. You've to be strong”.

The forest seems alive with unseen eyes watching and judging me. 

I became a little bit sceptical about vulnerability; I was just a rogue with no pack, no mate, and no purpose.

It was as if my world were crumbling, my stomach growled and my legs ached, but I didn't stop. Then after some hours, I wandered, seeking refuge.

The last thing I could ever think was to stop because stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant feeling; I couldn't bear the weight of my emotions right now.

“Emma calix, the rejected mate,” I bitterly said to myself. “And that's all I’ll always be”.

“No,” A voice whispered in my mind; it was faint and unfamiliar.

I froze with a racing heart. “Who said that?”.

The voice didn't answer, but a strange warmth spread through my chest, calming the storm of my thoughts. It was as if the moon itself was speaking to me urging me to keep going.

“Fine,” I muttered. “But don't expect me to thank you, Moon Goddess; you've done more than I could handle.”

When I approached a small clearing as the sun began to rise, I felt exhausted and collapsed onto the damp grass, staring up at the fading stars.

“I’ll never go back,” I vowed. “I don't need any of them, not even the so-called Damien”.

Even as I said these words I felt a pang of longing tugged at my heart. The bond between Damien and me might have been broken but it wasn't completely gone.

The pain of rejection lingered, causing a constant reminder of what I’d lost.

As I drifted into an uneasy sleep, I dreamt of the pack I’d left behind, I could see Damien's piercing eyes and the cruel smile on his face as he rejected me.

But there was something else in the dream, it was a shadowy figure watching from the edge of the clearing, its golden eyes glowing with a dangerous light.

My heart was pounding then I swiftly woke up looking terrified. 

When the sun was high in the sky, it sent a warmth of stark contrast to the chill in my bones. 

A voice suddenly called out my name softly. “Emma!”. 

I sat up with my eyes darting around the clearing. “Could this be a nightmare” I whispered. “Who's there?”.

The whole place was silent and the voice didn't respond, but I felt a strange pull; it was an invisible force guiding me deeper into the forest.

Against my better judgment, I followed it.

The trees seemed to close In around me as I walked, their gnarled branches casting twisted shadows on the ground.

My wolf uneasily stirred, sensing something I couldn't.

“This is a bad idea”. I muttered but I kept going.

I eventually came to a small, overgrown, hidden cave among the trees. The pull was stronger now, and almost unbearable.

“What's happening? And why are you leading me here?” I asked with a trembling voice.

Yet no answer.

My eyes caught a faint glow at the back of the cave. A faint scent of moss air filled my nose; I took a deep breath, and then I stepped inside.

I moved closer, my curiosity outweighed my fear.

I saw a crescent moon surrounded by a strange ancient symbol that was carved into a stone wall.

The glow seemed to pulse, matching the rhythm of my heartbeat.

“What is this?” I whispered, reaching out to touch it.

As my fingers brushed the surface, a surge of energy shot through me, and I stumbled back with a gasp. 

My wolf howled inside me, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and excitement.

The cave seemed to come alive, the symbols glowing brighter as the ground beneath me trembled.

“What’s happening?” I shouted, panic rising in my chest.