Chapter 1

The Unwanted Bond

Aria’s pov

I stood at the edge of the clearing, my heart racing with anticipation. The sounds of the pack surrounded me - excited whispers, restless wolves, and the crackling bonfire that illuminated the darkening sky. It was the night of the Mating Ceremony, and the air was electric with expectation. Wolves of all ranks had gathered to see who would find their fated mate tonight. I was torn between fleeing and standing frozen in place, unsure of what the night held.

I clenched my fists, trying to hide my nerves. I told myself it was ridiculous; I'd been to Mating Ceremonies before and nothing had ever happened. My wolf hadn't felt the strong pull that signaled finding a mate. Yet, a small, fragile part of me hoped that tonight would be different.

My gaze drifted to the center of the clearing where Kael Blackwood, the Alpha of the Silverclaw Pack, stood tall and fierce. He radiated authority, his wide shoulders and proud stance making it clear that he turned into every bit of a leader. His piercing gray eyes swept over the crowd, never lingering on one wolf for too long. An air of detachment surrounded him, a chill that sent a shiver down my spine. Yet, as I gazed at him, it wasn't fear that I felt.

It turned into longing.

I had always admired the Alpha from a distance, though he barely acknowledged my existence. He embodied everything a she wolf could want in a mate- powerful, relentless, and feared. He led the Silverclaw Pack with unwavering strength, yet remained emotionally closed off, as if no one could ever get close enough to see the man behind the title. Despite this, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be chosen by him, to stand by his side as his mate.

But it became a silly delusion, one I attempted to bury. The Alpha's mate was expected to be someone who could match his power, someone who could navigate the complex world of pack politics. I was none of those things. I was just a quiet, unremarkable wolf in the pack, known more for my loyalty than for any particular talent or ambition. I wasn't even close to being someone worthy of an Alpha's attention, making me an unlikely candidate to be Kael's mate.

As the ritual began and the wolves gathered in the center of the clearing, my chest tightened with anticipation. The Mating Bond was a mysterious and powerful force, an ancient energy that united certain wolves as mates. Legend had it that when a wolf found their mate, the bond snapped into place, unmistakable and unbreakable, forging an unshakeable connection between them.

I couldn’t help but marvel—what would it be like to experience it?

The moment the rite started out, wolves started out to shift and pass, mingling in the hopes of feeling that magnetic pull of destiny. I however hesitated, staying on the outskirts, no longer trying to make a fool of herself by hoping for something that had by no means happened before in the formal mating rite. But then, something shifted.

A sudden warm temperature spread around my chest, a pull so sturdy that I gasped in marvel. My wolf stirred inside me, alert and restless, as although sensing something just beyond her reach.

My gaze locked onto Kael, and the moment our eyes met, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. It was as if time stood still, and everything else faded into the background. I felt an inexplicable jolt, a spark that ran through my entire being. It was him. The one. My mate.

The Mate Bond struck with incredible force, nearly knocking me off my feet. My breath caught, and my wolf rose to the surface, acknowledging the connection. The bond enveloped me, encircling my heart like an unyielding chain. The intensity was overwhelming - a torrent of emotions, a primal link that blazed through my veins like wildfire. Every fiber of my being was now tied to Kael's, an unbreakable union that left me breathless and bewildered.

Kael's eyes flashed with surprise, but only for an instant. His expression quickly turned cold and dark, his gaze filling with disdain. My heart sank as I saw the rejection in his eyes. He didn't look at me with the joy or wonder I had hoped for. Instead, his face hardened, his voice dripping with ice.

"No."

That single word cut through me like a knife. My heart lurched, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Kael..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say next, my mind reeling from the rejection.

He didn’t let me finish. His eyes swept over me, cold and appraising, as though I were nothing more than a stranger.

“I reject you.”

The words were a knife to my chest, sharp and merciless. The bond that had just formed between us twisted painfully, as if it were being ripped apart before it even had a chance to solidify. My knees threatened to fail, but I forced myself to stand tall, to fight against the wave of rejection that crashed over me. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of despair, the connection they shared now taunting me with its absence. Every breath hurt, every beat of my heart a reminder of Kael's refusal. I struggled to maintain my composure, to hide the anguish that threatened to consume me.

The crowd around them had fallen right into a shocked silence. All eyes were on Kael and I, watching the Alpha’s cold rejection unfold in actual-time. Kael took every other leap forward, his voice low and full of disdain.

Kael's words cut deeper, his voice dripping with disdain. "You are not worthy to be my mate, Aria. You are weak. Unremarkable. I want a Luna who can stand by my side, someone who can strengthen this pack, not someone who will drag it down."

Each phrase turned into a slap to the face. my throat tightened, however I swallowed the ache, refusing to let the tears fall. The humiliation of being rejected so publicly turned into suffocation, and yet there was not anything I could do. The Alpha’s word was law, and Kael had made his selection.

Kael walked away from me, dismissing me as although I had been not anything, as although the bond that had snapped into place between them didn’t matter at all. I stood frozen, the weight of his rejection pressing down on me like a crushing pressure.

A spark of defiance ignited within me, a flame of determination that flickered to life. The pain still burned, but beneath it, a sense of resilience began to rise.

It wasn’t disappointing. It wasn’t melancholy.

I became angry.

My wolf growled, low and perilous, and My hands curled into fists. How dare he? How dare Kael reject me in front of the pack as though I had been nothing? The bond is probably broken, I stood tall, my eyes flashing with a newfound strength, my heart still heavy but my spirit unbroken. I refused to let Kael's rejection define me, to let him have the power to destroy me.

As the pack resumed the rite as though nothing had happened , I slowly faded away, my chest burning with a fire that hadn’t been there earlier than. I didn’t care about the Mate Bond anymore. I didn’t care about Kael or his cold rejection.

I would upward push above this. And Kael would remorse the day he ever regarded down on me.

As I turned away from the clearing, the weight of Kael's rejection still heavy on my chest, I felt a strange shift in the air. The bond between us, though fractured and painful, still pulsed faintly, a reminder of what could have been. But as I walked deeper into the shadows of the forest, something else stirred within me—a presence I hadn’t noticed before.

My wolf, still restless and agitated, perked up, her ears twitching as if sensing something in the distance. I paused, my breath catching in my throat. The pull wasn’t the same as the Mate Bond with Kael, but it was undeniable—a low, thrumming energy that seemed to call to me from the darkness. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, to return to the safety of the pack, but curiosity—or perhaps defiance—kept me moving forward.

The trees grew thicker, the moonlight barely piercing through the canopy above. My heart pounded as I stepped into a small, secluded glade, the air thick with an ancient, almost primal energy. And then I saw it—a figure standing in the shadows, their silhouette tall and imposing, its presence both unsettling and magnetic.

The person stepped forward, just enough for the moonlight to catch their features, and my breath hitched, I couldn't see the person’s face but It wasn’t anyone I recognized. But the way he looked at me—with a mixture of curiosity and something darker, something dangerous—sent a shiver down my spine.

“You shouldn’t be here,” they said, their voice low and smooth, like velvet over steel. “But now that you are… perhaps it’s fate.”

I took a step back, my wolf growling softly in warning, but the figure only smiled—a slow, predatory smile that made my stomach twist.

“Who are you?” I demanded, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound strong.

He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with an intensity that made my skin prickle. “Someone who’s been waiting for you, Aria. Someone who knows what you’re truly capable of.”