Chapter Three: The Night of Fate

The Bloodmoon Pack’s grand hall was alive with energy, the air thick with the mingling scents of wolves, wine, and flickering torch smoke. The ceremonial drums echoed through the massive stone structure, their deep, rhythmic pounding reverberating through Selene’s chest as she stood at the edge of the crowd. The entire pack had gathered for this night, the night Kieran Blackwood would officially ascend as Alpha.

He was ready. Born to lead. Trained to command. Destined for greatness.

Selene watched as he stood at the center of the hall, his towering form draped in ceremonial black and gold. The torches cast an ethereal glow against the dark waves of his hair, the golden hue of his eyes burning with intensity. He looked every bit the ruler he was meant to be. Every bit the Alpha that would carry the Bloodmoon legacy forward.

And yet, all Selene could think was that after tonight, everything between them would change forever.

She wasn’t sure why that thought terrified her so much.

Alpha Aldric Blackwood, Kieran’s father and the current Alpha, stood at the front of the room, his presence commanding even in age. His silver-streaked hair and battle-worn face bore the weight of years spent leading one of the strongest packs in the region. The crowd silenced as he raised a hand, his deep voice carrying through the hall.

“Tonight, we welcome a new era for the Bloodmoon Pack. The Moon Goddess has blessed our people, and now, my son, Kieran Blackwood, will take his rightful place as Alpha.”

A roar erupted through the hall—cheers, howls, the pounding of fists against the long wooden tables.

Selene should have cheered too. But she couldn’t.

Instead, she watched as Kieran stepped forward, his every movement deliberate, filled with the weight of the moment. His gaze flickered across the room, scanning the faces of his packmates, his warriors, his people. And then, for the briefest second, his eyes landed on her.

The air between them crackled.

Selene’s breath caught, her fingers curling against the edge of the wooden column she leaned against.

This isn’t for me. This is his moment.

She forced herself to look away.

Don’t be selfish.

Alpha Aldric placed a heavy hand on Kieran’s shoulder. “Kneel.”

Kieran sank onto one knee, his posture rigid, his head bowed.

“The Alpha bloodline has run through our family for generations,” Aldric continued. “It is your duty to protect our people, to uphold the laws of the pack, and to follow the path the Moon Goddess has laid before you.”

The elders approached, forming a circle around Kieran, their aged voices rising in the sacred chant of the Rite of Ascension. The torches dimmed, their flames flickering as if the Goddess herself were watching.

Then, the final words of the blessing rang through the hall:

“The Moon will mark the Alpha’s fate.”

A sharp gust of wind tore through the chamber, extinguishing several torches. A hushed murmur spread through the crowd, and Selene felt a shiver race down her spine.

Something felt wrong.

Then—pain.

White-hot agony burned through her veins, so sudden and impossible that she gasped, her knees nearly buckling beneath her. A wave of nausea rolled through her as her pulse surged, erratic and wild.

Selene clutched her chest, struggling to breathe. What’s happening to me?

And then—she felt him.

Kieran.

Her head snapped up, her gaze locking onto his. He was still kneeling before his father, but something was wrong. His broad shoulders tensed, his breathing ragged, his fists clenched at his sides. His entire body was trembling, his muscles straining like he was holding back some terrifying, primal force.

And then his head snapped in her direction.

His golden eyes turned black.

A collective gasp echoed through the room.

The crowd felt it, too. The power shifting, the sacred bond of the Moon Goddess weaving its invisible threads.

Selene couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

Because in that moment, she knew.

She felt it in her soul, in her blood, in the way her wolf howled inside her, desperate, wild, pleading.

Mate.

The word crashed into her like a tidal wave.

No. No. No.

It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible.

Kieran Blackwood was her mate.

Her brother in name, the boy who had been raised beside her, the man she had spent years trying not to love—he was hers.

And she was his.

Silence fell over the grand hall, heavy, suffocating, disbelieving.

Kieran slowly rose to his feet, his expression unreadable, his body still trembling with the force of the bond.

Selene could see the war in his eyes. The shock. The denial. The raw, uncontrollable need.

He took a step forward. Toward her.

“No.”

The single word shattered the silence.

Alpha Aldric.

He moved quickly, stepping between Kieran and Selene, his expression dark with fury. “This is a mistake.”

Kieran didn’t respond. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breath ragged, his eyes still locked onto Selene as if he were physically incapable of looking away.

A whisper spread through the pack.

“She’s his mate.”

“No, that can’t be—”

“This is forbidden.”

Selene wanted to scream, to rip herself out of this nightmare.

Because she knew the laws.

Pack law forbade Alpha heirs from mating anyone outside of noble bloodlines—especially an adopted sibling.

But the bond didn’t care about laws. The bond didn’t care about what was right and what was wrong.

The bond simply was.

A growl ripped from Kieran’s throat. He was losing control, his instincts demanding he claim what was his, to complete the bond that the Goddess had forged between them.

Selene’s wolf ached for him. Her entire being burned with the need to run to him, to surrender to the call of destiny.

But she couldn’t.

And neither could he.

Alpha Aldric turned to the elders. “Break the bond. Now.”

Selene’s heart stopped.

Break the bond?

The elders stepped forward, their expressions grim, their voices rising in the ancient chant of rejection.

Selene opened her mouth to protest, but Kieran snapped.

A savage growl tore through the hall, his Alpha command exploding outward. “NO!”

The room shook with the force of it.

His body pulsed with power, his wolf fighting to the surface, his blackened eyes wild and feral.

For the first time, Alpha Aldric looked uncertain.

“Son, listen to me,” he said, voice low. “You know what must be done.”

Kieran’s breathing was ragged, his entire body trembling.

Then, his eyes met hers.

Selene felt her chest tighten.

His jaw clenched. His fists curled at his sides.

And then, voice thick with anguish, Kieran spoke the words that shattered her world.

“I, Kieran Blackwood, future Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack…” He exhaled sharply, his expression twisting with pain. “Reject you, Selene Nightshade, as my mate.”

Selene’s entire body seized.

Agony. Pure, blistering, soul-tearing agony.

Her vision blurred, her knees finally giving out beneath her.

Kieran stumbled back, his face twisted in pain as he felt it too—the raw, brutal pain of a rejected mate.

But it was done.

The bond was severed.

And just like that, Selene’s world ended.