Chapter 2: The Gathering Storm

ZARA'S POV

A dream.

That is what these past weeks have felt like.

A beautiful, wonderful dream

It feels like I have stepped into someone else’s life.

But it's mine

My life.

A life I never thought could ever be possible

For one, I am no longer invisible.

People see me now. Wolves who used to walk past me without a second glance now greet me with bows and murmured respect. My days of scrubbing floors and dodging sharp words from the pack are over.

I wear silks and soft fabrics now, clothes fit for a Luna, ao much so that my own reflection in the mirror startles me sometimes, as if the woman staring back isn’t me.

Ryland has been amazing

Wonderful, caring, and the sex… oh, boy… that is just beyond words.

We have been making love every since that first night and he has shown me just how much he cherishes me.

From his lips, to his hands to … well … let me just say it has been perfect.

It feels like a dream. A perfect, fleeting dream.

But beneath all the luxury, I can't help but feel that something is wrong.

My wolf is quiet.

Too quiet.

Ever since that night, it’s as if she’s holding her breath, bracing for something terrible. I try to ignore it, to focus on the happiness blooming in my chest, but she’s always there, her presence like a shadow.

“Why can’t you just be happy for me?” I ask her earlier that morning, frustrated by her silence.

She answers with a low, growling voice. “You need to be ready, Zara. This is not a happy ending It’s just the beginning.”

Her warning hangs over me like a storm cloud.

And then there are the elders. They don’t bother to hide their disapproval. Their stares follow me everywhere, cold and calculating.

Even when Ryland is at my side, they look at me as though I’m an intruder, a mistake. But no one dares challenge Ryland when he makes up his mind.

Eventually, rhe day of the mating ritual arrives faster than I expect. Tonight, I will officially become Luna, the mate of the most powerful Alpha in the land and my stomach churns with a mix of excitement and nerves.

I stand in my room, adjusting the silver clasp on my dress.

The deep blue fabric shimmers like moonlight, hugging my body in a way that feels both foreign and beautiful.

My hair is braided with silver threads, and the marks of my pack- Ryland’s pack- are painted on my skin in intricate designs.

I catch my reflection in the mirror and almost don’t recognize myself again. This woman, this Luna, isn’t the broken Omega who was cleaning floors a week ago.

But as I stare at myself, I can’t shake the feeling that this is all too good to be true.

I shake off the mood and tune doe the door

I need Ryland

I find him in his office, going over some last-minute preparations for the ritual. He looks up when I enter, and his face softens in a way that makes my heart flutter.

“You look stunning,” he says, standing and walking over to me.

I can’t help but smile. “You’re biased.”

“Maybe,” he admits, pulling me into his arms. His scent- xedar and rain& wraps around me, grounding me in his presence. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in my stomach.

He kisses me then, soft and lingering, as if trying to reassure me without words.

But the moment is interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Alpha,” one of his guards says, stepping inside. “The elders are asking for you.”

Ryland sighs, his jaw tightening. We both know why they want him.

They have been trying to convince him to change his mind since the moment he claimed me.

“Don’t worry,” he says, turning back to me. “They can try all they want. It won’t change anything. You are my mate, Zara. No one can take that from us.”

I want to believe him. I want to trust that nothing can go wrong.

“Get ready,” he says, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I’ll see you at the altar.”

The ceremony is supposed to start at sunset, but the sky is already dark when I arrive at the altar. The clearing is lit with lanterns, their soft glow casting long shadows across the trees. Wolves from every corner of the pack are gathered, their whispers a low hum that makes my nerves worse.

I stand there, my hands clasped tightly in front of me, trying not to let my anxiety show.

“He’s late,” someone whispers behind me.

“Do you think he changed his mind?” another voice says.

“Maybe he realized what a mistake this is,” someone else murmurs.

I clench my teeth, refusing to let their words get to me.

Ryland wouldn’t abandon me. He promised.

He claimed me.

In front of them.

But the minutes stretch on, and still, he doesn’t come.

My wolf is silent. She won’t answer my calls, won’t offer me any comfort and it feels like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for something to push me over.

And then, finally, I see him.

Ryland steps into the clearing, his broad shoulders framed by the glow of the lanterns. His black hair is slightly disheveled, his steps slow and deliberate.

But something is wrong.

For one, he is not dressed for the ritual.

And secondly…

His face is blank.

His eyes… They don’t look like his. The warmth, the fire I always see in them, is gone.

The world seems to slow as he walks toward me, and my heart hammers so hard I think it might break through my chest.

No, I think.

This isn’t happening.

This can’t be happening.

He stops in front of me, his gray eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, he doesn’t speak. He just stares at me, his expression unreadable.

“Zara.” His voice is cold.

Unfamiliar.

“Ryland,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

He takes a deep breath, and the next words shatter me.

“I, Ryland Cross, reject you, Zara Hale, as my mate.”