Chapter 2

Kael

The moon hangs too bright above the clearing. Full and glowing. Watching. Judging.

I hate these ceremonies.

They smell of desperation—of perfume, ambition, and forced submission. Every breath I take tastes like stale sugar and rotting rose petals. The air is thick with expectation and the subtle buzz of energy that comes with so many unmated wolves in one place. It grates on me. Makes my skin itch. My wolf has been restless since the moment we crossed into Crescent Border Pack territory. The kind of restlessness that makes the air taste metallic and the ground feel unsteady. I’ve ignored it, shoving him deeper with every mile, but he’s pushing back harder tonight.

There’s a weight in the clearing. Like the trees themselves are waiting.

“She’s here.”

His voice isn’t loud. It doesn’t need to be. It rumbles through my chest, low and insistent, vibrating through muscle and bone.

“Shut up,” I growl under my breath. Out loud, it sounds like a grunt.

Beside me, Dax—my Beta and oldest friend—leans slightly in. “You good?”

“No,” I mutter. “But it doesn’t matter.”

Dax knows better than to question me in front of the Elders, but he doesn’t miss much. His eyes track the gathered wolves around the clearing, especially the girls positioning themselves like courtiers. I’ve seen the same look on every Luna hopeful in every summit. Painted lips. Neck exposed. Submission wrapped in silk.

My senses sharpen. I can smell everything: layers of perfume, nervous sweat, and overcompensating pheromones. Beneath it, the undercurrent of hunger and ambition, the sound of carefully measured laughter, and murmured prayers to the Moon Goddess.

And none of them interest me.

They never have.

But tonight... my wolf won’t settle.

He paces within me, tail low, ears pinned forward. Not anxious. Alert.

“She’s near. You feel her.”

I clench my jaw. No. This isn’t happening. I’ve waited years—years—to remain unmated. To rule alone. Without weakness. Without the distraction of the bond clouding my judgment. Mates are unpredictable. Vulnerabilities wrapped in pretty skin. I’ve seen what they do to even the strongest Alphas—make them reckless. Emotional. Exposed.

That won’t be me.

I turn to Dax, masking the churn beneath my skin. “Let’s get this over with.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You sure? If the Goddess chose someone—”

“She won’t.” I bite the words. “And if she did, I wouldn’t accept her.”

His gaze flicks to me. “Even if she’s your true mate?”

“Especially then.”

He doesn’t reply, but his posture shifts—tense and uneasy. I hear the words he doesn’t say.

You’re playing with fate.

The first few pairings pass without incident. The Elders drone on. The betas and daughters and hopefuls are paraded forward, but my wolf barely flinches. My eyes scan the edges of the ceremony circle, half-watching, half-waiting.

Then, the energy shifts.

Like the world is holding its breath.

Until her.

She’s not announced with flair. No last name. Just: “Aria. Omega.”

Then she steps into the circle.

And everything else disappears.

My breath stops. My wolf howls.

The scent hits me first—clean rain on stone, wildflowers crushed underfoot, something rich and untamed. It crashes into me like a wave, snapping something inside me taut. My vision sharpens. My pulse quickens. The world goes quiet except for her footsteps.

She walks slowly, head bowed like she expects to be overlooked—but even in that ragged dress and anxious silence, she glows. Long black hair, pale skin, wide eyes, the colour of storm clouds. There’s a quiet strength in her, like something not yet awakened.

And my wolf knows.

Mate. Ours. Claim her.

“No,” I whisper, too low for anyone to hear.

But the bond snaps tight anyway, a whipcord through my chest. Fire. Pain. Need. Everything in me roars to go to her. Touch her. Speak to her.

Even my breath tastes like her.

She looks up—and for a split second, our eyes meet.

My heart lurches. My pulse spikes. My wolf surges so hard that I almost fall forward. This girl… this omega...

She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

And I can’t afford her.

“You know what she is,” my wolf snarls inside me. “You’ve seen this before.”

I have. Eyes like hers. Power that sleeps under soft skin. I saw a girl like that once on a battlefield… right before she died.

And it’s etched into my brain, the symbol… her crest, the blood, the betrayal, what I took and what I need to keep.

I risked everything to be King. I lost so much, and I will never let it go. I can’t risk it. Not again.

If I even speak to her, I’ll feel more. I’ll want more. I might lose everything I’ve built.

My wolf snarls, furious now. He doesn’t understand logic. He understands need. Claim. Mate.

She takes one tentative step toward me.

And I do the only thing I can do.

I kill it.

I draw myself up, stare into her wide, hopeful eyes—and speak the words that shatter her.

“I reject you.”

Gasps break the silence. Whispers ripple like poison through the crowd. It’s a physical thing—the collective recoil. Even the wind seems to pull back.

She freezes. Eyes wide. I see the moment it hits her—the pain of it. Her wolf howls behind her gaze, barely held back. She stumbles, then turns and runs. Into the forest. Out of sight.

Gone.

Just like that.

“What the hell was that?” Dax’s voice slams into my head through the mind-link. “You rejected your mate?”

I don't answer. I can't.

“Kael—what are you thinking? She’s your fated mate. I could feel it from here.”

“She’s weak,” I snap. “An omega.”

“She’s yours. And she didn’t feel weak. Her wolf felt powerful. You don’t get to—”

“I do.” I cut him off, steel hard. “Because I’d rather be alone than die protecting someone who can’t stand beside me. I can’t afford to be weak.”

There’s silence on the other end. I feel him pull back, hurt, maybe. Or resigned.

The Elders begin the next pairing. The ceremony moves on like I didn’t just rip a soul apart.

But I feel it.

In my bones. In my wolf’s scream. In the hollow ache behind my ribs.

I can still feel her.

The bond didn’t break.

And I’m starting to think… maybe it never will.