Chapter 1

Finally.

Finally, the day I had dreamed about since I was little.

I stood in front of the mirror and turned slowly. The silver-white dress flowed softly around my legs like water. The silk shimmered when I moved, catching the light with every step. My hair was braided with thin silver threads that glittered like stars. Everything felt light, almost unreal.

Today… today I would be claimed by Aedric Veyr.

My fated mate.

My promised future.

My best friend.

The person I had waited for all my life.

My chest felt full…. so full I thought my heart might burst. A smile wouldn't leave my face.

I placed my hand on my stomach and breathed.

This is it, I told myself.

This is your moment.

Outside the Moon Hall, I could hear the soft hum of the pack… voices, laughter, footsteps, the rustle of clothes. The air smelled of pine and earth, clean and sweet. Lanterns glowed along the path, warm and golden, like stars guiding me forward.

When I stepped into the hall, the marble floor felt cold beneath my feet, grounding me. The hall was full…. wolves from every corner stood watching, their eyes turning toward me as I entered.

The High Elder lifted his staff.

"Let all present witness the joining of Alpha Aedric Veyr and Omega Sylvara Rynne," he called out. "Under the blessing of the red moon."

My breath hitched.

My pulse quickened.

My dream was finally real.

And then… I saw him.

Aedric.

Tall. Bright. Golden hair glowing under the lantern light. His face was calm, serious, but beautiful in the way I had memorized long ago. He was my future. My mate. The one destiny had given me.

When I reached him, he took my hand. His palm was warm against mine. My wolf stirred harder, excited, eager, whispering, yes… yes… this is ours.

The Elder began the ancient chant.

Each word wrapped around us like a warm thread.

I felt my breath match the rhythm.

I leaned in, closing my eyes, letting the moment sink into my bones.

But then..

He let go.

His hand slipped from mine.

Cold rushed over my skin.

My eyes shot open. I turned to him, confused. His expression was tight. Closed. Not the warmth I remembered. Not the man who had smiled at me yesterday.

The Elder stuttered to a stop, unsure.

A soft murmur started moving through the hall.

My smile faded slowly, like someone was wiping it off my face one inch at a time.

"Aedric?" I whispered. "What… what is it?"

He didn't look at me at first. When he finally did, his eyes were distant, like he was somewhere else entirely.

"I can't do this," he said quietly.

The words hit me like a punch.

My heart skipped.

My breath stumbled.

Everything inside me shrank into itself.

"What?" My voice trembled. "What do you mean?" I blinked at him, confused and scared.

"I can't do this," he said. "I just can't marry you."

"But the…." she stammered, her hands flying to her head as she rubbed at her temples. Her fingers tangled in her hair, tense and shaking. Her chest tightened, and her breath hitched. "The bond… Aedric, we're meant to be. We belong together!"

He exhaled slowly, a long, heavy sigh that seemed to push her words aside like dust. His eyes didn't soften. They were distant, unreadable, as if her pain wasn't real….only an inconvenience he had to endure.

"The bond was untrue, Sylvara," he said. "I've pledged myself to another. The daughter of the Frostmoon tribe."

My vision blurred for a moment.

He stepped aside… and that was when I saw her.

Tall. Pale. Dressed in frost-white. Watching us with calm, icy eyes.

Aedric continued, "She will be my mate. Tomorrow evening, I will marry her. I'm sorry."

The hall fell silent.

Everything inside me went still.

I blinked. Slowly.. Trying to steady myself.

As if moving too fast would make everything collapse.

My hands trembled.

The ribbon meant to bind us slipped from my wrist and fell to the floor.

"No," I said softly, stepping forward. "You promised me. You….don't do this. Please."

I reached for him without thinking, grabbing his arm with shaking fingers.

"I would be better," I whispered, ashamed of how desperate my voice sounded. "I promise, Aedric, I would be better. Just… don't leave me."

But he didn't even look at me.

He simply turned and walked toward her.

Walked away from me.

Walked away from everything we had ever shared.

The sound of whispers rose like flames behind me.

Faces stared. Some shocked, some pitying, some already turning away.

My throat burned.

My chest felt crushed.

But no tears came.

Not yet.

I picked up the ribbon with trembling hands and flung it at his back.

"Take your cowardice with you!" My voice cracked through the hall. "I am not your toy, Aedric Veyr. I will not be thrown aside."

He didn't even flinch.

He kept walking.

And wolves followed him…my pack, my supposed family…offering him smiles and congratulations.

Congratulations.

The word stabbed deeper than anything he said. They were celebrating his betrayal. Celebrating my humiliation.

The hall emptied slowly. Every footstep felt like another small tear inside me. I stood frozen, listening to their voices fade into laughter and music outside.

I felt small.

Invisible.

Alone again.

Just like before.

I walked to the middle of the hall and knelt, slowly gathering the scattered silver ribbons even though they meant nothing now. Maybe I picked them up because they were the last pieces left of the life I thought I would have.

I sat down on the cold steps and stared at the place where he had stood.

My voice came out in a broken whisper.

"Why wasn't I enough?"

No answer.

Only silence.

Only the wind… pushing open the heavy doors.

A cold breeze swept through, lifting the ends of my hair. From outside, faint sounds drifted in…music, laughter, toasts for new alliances.

My humiliation turned into their celebration.

I curled my fingers into my dress, trying to hold myself together. My chest ached like something was clawing from the inside, but still… no tears. My body held them back like it refused to give anyone that satisfaction.

I sat there until the hall was almost dark, until the lanterns burned low, until every bit of warmth faded.

Then, slowly, I stood.

My dress wrinkled.

My hands are cold.

My eyes are burning.

But my spine was straight.

I had lost my mate.

I had lost my place in the pack.

I had lost everything I had ever hoped for.

But I would not beg.

Not tonight.

Not ever.

I whispered to myself… soft, steady.

"I will survive this."

I will not be broken."

If he doesn't want me. His loss not mine."