Chapter 1 The Shattered Moon

The full moon hung like a silver medallion in the velvet sky, casting an ethereal glow over the ancient clearing. Towering pines encircled the space, their branches whispering secrets to the wind. The Bloodfang Pack had gathered in force over a hundred wolves, some in human form, others already shifted, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. Tonight was sacred. Tonight, the Moon Goddess would bind two souls forever.

Aria stood at the center, her heart hammering against her ribs like a caged bird desperate to fly. At seventeen, she was still finding her place in the pack an orphan who’d been taken in after her parents fell in a brutal skirmish with rogues. Her long, wavy auburn hair was woven with wildflowers, and her white ceremonial gown clung to her slender frame, embroidered with silver threads that caught the moonlight. She could feel the pull, that invisible thread tugging her toward him. Kael. Her fated mate.

He approached from the shadows, all raw power and commanding presence. Twenty-two years old, with broad shoulders honed from years of leading raids and defending borders, Kael Blackwood was the Alpha every pack envied. His dark hair fell in tousled waves, and those piercing blue eyes gods, they could strip you bare with a glance. The pack murmured approvingly as he stepped into the circle, his black tunic unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a glimpse of the tattooed runes that marked his lineage.

“Aria,” he said softly, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine. He took her hands, his grip firm yet gentle, calluses brushing her skin. “You ready for this?”

She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I’ve been ready since the day the bond woke up in me. You?”

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. “More than you know. The pack needs this. We need this.” His eyes softened, and for a moment, the ruthless Alpha vanished, replaced by the man who’d stolen glances at her during pack runs, who’d left wildflowers by her door in secret.

Elder Mara, the pack’s shaman, stepped forward. Her wrinkled face was painted with lunar symbols, and she held a vine woven with glowing herbs. “By the Moon’s grace,” she intoned, her voice echoing like thunder, “we bind Aria Thorne and Alpha Kael Blackwood as fated mates. Let no force sever what the Goddess has woven.”

The pack howled in unison, a chorus that vibrated through Aria’s bones. Mara wrapped the vine around their joined wrists, chanting ancient words. Warmth flooded Aria’s veins, the bond igniting like wildfire. Visions flashed Kael laughing with her under starry skies, their wolves running side by side, a future of strength and love.

But then, something shifted. Kael’s brow furrowed, his grip tightening almost painfully. His eyes clouded, confusion warring with something darker. “Wait,” he muttered, so low only she could hear. “This… doesn’t feel right.”

Aria’s stomach dropped. “Kael? What’s wrong?”

He yanked his hands away, the vine snapping with a sharp crack that silenced the howls. The pack gasped. Kael staggered back, his face twisting in disgust. “You,” he snarled, pointing at her. “You mean nothing to me. I reject this bond. I reject you.”

The words hit like claws to her chest. Aria reeled, tears blurring her vision. “What? Kael, no this is us. The bond”

“Silence!” he roared, his voice booming across the clearing. The pack shifted uneasily, whispers rippling like waves. Thorne, Kael’s beta a tall, scarred man with a perpetual scowl stepped forward, placing a hand on the Alpha’s shoulder.

“Alpha, perhaps the Moon Goddess”.

Kael shrugged him off. “The Goddess made a mistake. This girl is no mate of mine.” He turned his back, striding away as if she were dirt under his boot.

Humiliation burned through Aria, hotter than any fire. The pack’s eyes bored into her pity from the elders, smirks from the jealous she-wolves who’d eyed Kael for years. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. With a sob, she bolted from the circle, plunging into the dark woods. Branches tore at her gown, roots snagged her feet, but she ran until her lungs screamed.

Deeper in the forest, away from the pack’s territory, exhaustion finally claimed her. She collapsed against a mossy log, gasping for air. “Why?” she whispered to the moon. “Why would he do that? It was real I felt it.”

A twig snapped nearby. Aria froze, her wolf senses sharpening. Yellow eyes gleamed from the shadows rogues, at least five, from the rival Shadowclaw Pack. Their scents hit her like rot: hunger, malice.

“Well, well,” one growled, shifting to human form a burly man with a jagged scar across his chest. “A little Bloodfang stray. And dressed like a bride. Rejected, huh? We smelled the tears from miles away.”

Aria shifted instinctively, her white wolf form emerging with a snarl. “Stay back. This isn’t your territory.”

The leader laughed, his pack circling. “Territory? We’re taking what we want tonight. Starting with you.”

They lunged. Aria fought like a demon, claws raking fur, teeth snapping at throats. She took down one, but the others were relentless. A slash to her side sent blood pouring, pain exploding. She staggered, vision dimming. “No,” she whimpered, shifting back to human, clutching her wound. “Not like this…”

A roar shattered the night. A massive wolf with fur like burnished gold barreled into the fray, golden eyes blazing. He moved like lightning, dispatching two rogues in seconds. The leader turned to flee, but the stranger’s jaws clamped down, ending the threat with a crunch.

Panting, the golden wolf shifted. He was tall, sun-kissed skin glistening with sweat, auburn hair tousled, those eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that stole her breath. “Hey, easy there,” he said, kneeling beside her. His voice was warm, like honey over gravel. “You’re hurt bad. Let me help.”

“Who… who are you?” Aria rasped, wincing as he pressed a cloth to her side.

“Name’s Ronan. Lone wolf, no pack to call home.” He glanced at her torn gown. “Guessing that ceremony didn’t go as planned?”

She laughed bitterly, tears mixing with blood. “Understatement of the year. He rejected me. My mate fated, they said. And now this.”

Ronan’s jaw tightened. “Fate’s a tricky bitch. Hold still; I’ve got herbs in my pack.” He worked quickly, his touch surprisingly gentle. “You’ll live, but we need to get you somewhere safe. Those Shadowclaws won’t be the last.”

As he helped her up, a distant howl echoed Bloodfang scouts? Or more enemies? Aria leaned on him, her world spinning. But in the back of her mind, a whisper nagged: Why did Kael forget? And what secrets did this golden-eyed stranger hide?

Little did she know, the real nightmare was just beginning.