CHAPTER 1 : " The Mark Of Rejection "

Chapter 1: The Mark of Rejection

The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting a pale silver sheen over the Midnight Howl Pack’s sacred grounds. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration. Selene's twenty-first birthday, the age when a wolf finally senses their fated mate. She stood at the heart of the moonlit glade, wrapped in a gown the color of raven feathers, embroidered with silver threads that shimmered like stardust. Her long obsidian hair flowed down her back in soft waves, catching the light of the full moon. Her striking violet eyes, unusual even among wolves, gleamed with excitement, hope, and the unspoken longing she had buried deep for years.

She wasn’t just beautiful! She was ethereal.

Around her, the pack gathered, their murmurs a quiet hum of reverence and anticipation. Alpha daughter. Warrior. Future Luna. Selene had earned every ounce of respect, not because of her title, but because of the blood she’d spilled for them; wolves and rogues alike. She’d trained harder, fought fiercer, and endured longer than any wolf of her age. And now, she would finally receive what the Moon Goddess had promised her: her mate.

Her fated one.

A tingling warmth flared through her chest. She felt the magnetic pull, the unmistakable thread of destiny tightening like a heartbeat, leading her gaze to the edge of the clearing.

And then he stepped out from the tree line.

Cassian Thorn. The Beta of the Midnight Howl Pack. Tall, lean-muscled, with storm-gray eyes and an aura that turned heads wherever he went. Selene’s heart fluttered and twisted in recognition. Her wolf stirred inside her with a cry of mine, pushing forward with yearning.

Cassian froze. His eyes locked with hers. Time hung suspended between them as the pack went silent.

They could feel it, too; the bond. It shimmered like invisible lightning between them.

He walked forward, slowly, each step echoing louder in Selene’s ears. Her breath caught, her body tightening in anticipation. This was it. The moment she’d dreamt of since she was a pup. Her wolf purred in satisfaction.

Then Cassian’s jaw clenched.

He stopped a few feet from her. His storm-gray eyes flickered, not with passion, but with cold calculation.

“No,” he said flatly. “I reject you, Selene Blackthorn.”

The words hit like a slap across her face.

Gasps broke out around them. Murmurs turned into stunned silence. Selene stood frozen, not fully comprehending what she’d heard.

“I...what?” she whispered, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to steady it.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “I reject you,” he repeated, voice louder now, deliberate. “You are not my Luna. You never will be.”

It felt like a silver blade had been driven straight into her chest.

Selene blinked, willing herself not to crumble in front of them. She stood tall, regal as ever, though her soul was splintering.

“But why?” she asked softly. “You know the bond. You feel it. I know you do.”

Cassian looked away, his voice hard. “Because you're dangerous. Too powerful. Too unpredictable. I’ve seen the way your wolf reacts. You’re not meant to lead. You’ll bring destruction, not salvation.”

Her heart twisted violently. Anger surged, crashing over her like a tidal wave.

“Is that really why?” she said, stepping forward. “Or are you just too much of a coward to accept a woman who’s stronger than you?”

Cassian’s lips thinned, but he didn’t respond.

Selene could feel the bond unraveling, tearing her apart. Her wolf whimpered inside her, aching for him. It should have been impossible for mates to reject each other without mutual agreement. But Cassian had done it. And in front of the whole pack.

She refused to let it end like this.

That night, after the crowd had dispersed and the whispers of scandal buzzed through every corridor of the packhouse, Selene went to him.

His quarters were dark when she entered, the scent of pine, leather, and rain still lingering. He stood at the window, shirtless, a glass of whiskey in hand.

She closed the door behind her, locking it. Her heartbeat was thunderous. Her resolve razor-sharp.

“Selene,” he said, voice low, tired. “You shouldn’t be here.”

She stepped toward him. “You can feel the bond, Cassian. You can lie to everyone else, but you can’t lie to me.”

He turned to face her..and froze.

She wore nothing but a silken robe, barely tied at the waist, her curves illuminated by moonlight streaming through the window. Her skin glowed like porcelain, her eyes burning with fire and pain and longing.

“This isn’t you,” he said, his voice strained.

Selene reached him in two strides. She pressed her hands to his bare chest. His muscles tensed under her touch, but he didn’t move.

“This is me,” she whispered. “This is us. Stop fighting it. Just… just feel it.”

She kissed him.

And for a moment, just a moment, he kissed her back.

It was wild. Devastating. Months of tension, of hunger and resistance, finally snapping. His hands gripped her waist, her thighs, her back. He lifted her easily, her legs wrapping around him as they stumbled toward the bed.

She gasped as he pressed her down, his mouth devouring hers. Their wolves surged inside them, tangled in the invisible threads of fate. Sparks exploded across her skin.

But then…he stopped.

Cassian pulled away, panting. His eyes, those beautiful stormy eyes—were filled with agony.

“No.”

Selene stared up at him, chest heaving, lips parted. “What?”

“I can’t,” he rasped. “I won’t do this.”

He rose from the bed, turning away. “This changes nothing. You’re still rejected.”

She felt like the ground had given out beneath her. The pain was worse than before. Because now… she’d offered him everything. Her heart. Her body. Her pride.

And still...it wasn’t enough.

Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Slowly, Selene stood, tying the robe tighter around herself.

She walked to the door, pausing with her hand on the knob.

“You’ll regret this, Cassian,” she said without turning. “Not because of what you did to me. But because the moment I rise, you’ll realize you threw away the only future this pack ever had.”

Then she left.

Two Days Later

The pack was buzzing with whispers. Some were sympathetic. Most were wary. A rejected fated mate bond was rare , and one that involved the alpha heir? Unheard of.

Selene remained silent through it all. She trained harder than ever. She spent long hours in the woods, her wolf restless, aching for something she couldn’t yet name.

And one night, as she stood beneath the moon, everything changed.

It started as a whisper. A hum deep in her bones. The wind shifted, brushing over her skin like a caress.

Her wolf stirred.

Then, power.

Raw. Untamed. Surging up from within her like fire and ice fused together. She cried out, falling to her knees as the full moon bathed her in light.

Visions flickered behind her eyes blood. Fire. A crown made of bone and moonstone. A throne beneath a celestial tree.

And a voice.

Daughter of the Moon. Marked. Born for more.

Selene collapsed, gasping.

When she opened her eyes, they glowed silver-white.