Chapter One
1043 Words
Aria Moonclaw? Step forward, please.”
Elder Rowan’s voice cut right through the night, as a hush fell over the courtyard
All eyes immediately turned to me, the wolf shivering at the edge of the circle.
Spotlight!!! No no no I didn’t like any of this
“She’s trembling already, just look at her.” Someone sneered in the crowd
“Give it some time, she would not even last a second in front of him,” another voice muttered with a mocking laugh
I ignored them anyway because to me, straightening my shoulders, this was finally my moment, a chance to matter and this was about to be the beginning of my life, literally.
For the first time in my life, their taunts did absolutely nothing to me and after this? They would never be able to hurt me again
My legs wobbled uncontrollably as I moved a stepped…and then another
As I walked towards the elder anyway, I kept my eyes on him intentionally refusing it to meet the crowd
The full moon hung above us like a glowing ball, hung just for me, my own spotlight
Fire pits lined the stone path, flames cracking and throwing heat against my cold skin.
As I faced the crowd, my eyes scanned the crowd aimlessly until they caught him
Alpha Damon Blackthorn.
Standing tall by the corner with his broad shoulders squared with the extreme power he held. His sharp and steady eyes swept across the crowd before finally landing on me…lingering
My chest tightened as his gaze locked on me.
A string inside me instantly snapped to life, an invisible thread immediately pulled me towards me, binding us
My wolf surged within me, desperately
Mate.
My mate!
My lips began to tremble. The Moon Goddess had chosen him for me…Alpha Damon…freaking Blackthorn!!!! My fated mate!
This was it!! The moment my life turned
Indeed, my life was about to change for the better, a step towards the life I had always dreamed of
I walked towards him, slowly, my breath held
But then Damon’s nostrils flared, his expression instantly hardened as if he had just been forced to see something painful
“No way” he muttered. “this has to be a joke.” He laughed, his voice travelling through the circle
Gasps began to spread through the crowd
My body stiffened. I stopped. “ A..Alpha..”
“You?” he laughed a cold cutting one, turning fully towards me.
“The Goddess dared to insult me by binding me to you? A wolf who can't even hold her own head up?”
Wicked chuckles rippled through the pack like thunder
My eyes burned with the tears but I wouldn’t cry. Not here and definitely, not now
“ I mean, just look at her.” Damon’s voice filled with disgust
“ She’s the weakest of the Moonclaw,” he continued. “A pathetic excuse for a wolf.” He shook his head like he just couldn’t believe it
My cheeks burned with heat as shame washed over me flooding every part of me
Damon stepped closer, his eyes glistening with rage,
“How could I possibly settle with you, a weak, unworthy…worthless wolf?”
Laughter erupted from the crowd, loud and mocking, some whistled even
“No…I’m not…i’m…you’re…”
“I, Alpha Damon Blackthorn.” He declared cutting me, his voice as cold as ice. “ …Reject this mate bond, before the Moon, before Tamaris, and before the Goddess herself, I cast you aside.”
A loud, piercing scream broke from my throat as the bond snapped. Pain shot through my chest, my knee hit the floor before I could stop myself,
The pain, unbearable and way deeper than bone itself.
“Of course, she’s been rejected.” A loud ringing followed before I could pick myself up
Their gasps turned into jeers
“Ouuu there lies the worthless Luna.” A girl mocked
“Oh but wait… she can’t be called Luna, actually, she can…never be called Luna.”
The crowd’s jeering grew louder than I was used to, drowning me in their mockery
I gasped for air, tears threatening to fall from my eyes as I looked up at him for mercy…my Alpha, my mate, desperation burning through me.
“Please…Alpha… I’ll be better, I know I can be better.”
Damon’s gaze made my body stiffen, his gaze as cold as ice
“I don’t care...You are nothing to me…nothing!”
The crowd instantly roared with approval
My vision blurred as the laughter and whispers surrounded me
I staggered to my feet, with my legs barely holding me up. The firelight flickered against Damon’s face, casting it in golden brilliance as the shadows swallowed me.
The bond I hoped would save me eventually had only destroyed me instead.
My wolf curled into silence inside me, whimpering
As I walked, the words followed me like arrows fired at me. Each one hitting me as hard as the first
“Worthless.”
“Weak”
“Rejected.”
They stayed with me even as I pushed through and went into the dark halls of the keep
The pack’s laughter did not stop ringing in my ears, and the sting of Damon’s rejection still burned hot in my chest
I looked to the sky as the tears finally freed themselves from me, hot and streaming, I let my body fall to the ground
I watched as the moon stood, shining silver through the window, indifferent and brilliant even as I broke into many pieces
I sank deeper to the cold floor
For the first time since forever, I finally understood all that they had always tried to make me see
Indeed I was nothing,
In all honesty? I had always known but at least, I had something to look forward to before now
The hope of my new beginning with my fated mate
Hope of finally being chosen for once
Hope of finally being able to matter as a wolf among my peers
But he had taken that away from me … he had handed Tamaris a new reason to mock me.
Now, there was absolutely nothing to hope for, and there was nothing that could save me from this misery
- Writer
