Blood of The Shadow Moon

Chapter One The Girl Nobody Wanted Elara's POV "Move, omega." The shoulder slammed into mine hard enough to nearly knock the basket from my hands. I stumbled but managed to keep my balance. Barely. Laughter erupted behind me. "Careful." "She might cry." "Maybe she'll find someone who cares." More laughter. I lowered my eyes and kept walking. There was no point responding. There never was. For as long as I could remember, Silvercrest Pack had treated me like I didn't belong. Not because I had done anything wrong. Because I was different. No parents. No family. No known bloodline. Just a baby found outside pack territory eighteen years ago. A burden. A responsibility. A charity case. At least that's what most of the pack believed. The morning air was cold as I carried supplies toward the packhouse kitchen. Around me, wolves hurried through the village preparing for tonight's celebration. Banners hung from buildings. Flowers decorated the main square. The pack was excited. And why wouldn't they be? Tonight was Future Alpha Kaiden Silvercrest's Ascension Ceremony. Tomorrow he would officially begin training to take over the pack. The entire region would attend. Alphas. Lunas. Betas. Gammas. Important guests from neighboring territories. Everyone would be there. Including me. Unfortunately. I pushed open the kitchen door. The smell of bread and roasting meat filled the room. Several women bustled around preparing food. The moment Luna Elena saw me, her face softened. "There you are." I smiled despite myself. Luna Elena was one of the few people in this pack who had always treated me kindly. She approached and gently brushed hair from my face. "You haven't eaten." I looked away. "I'll eat later." Her eyes narrowed. "Elara." Caught. Again. With a sigh, I accepted the plate she handed me. "Thank you." A warm smile touched her lips. "You're too thin." I laughed softly. "And you're always worried." "Someone has to be." The affection in her voice made my chest ache. Because sometimes I wondered what it would have been like if she had been my mother. The thought immediately brought guilt. I barely remembered my real parents. Didn't know their names. Didn't know what happened to them. Only that they were gone. Gone before I could remember their faces. The kitchen door suddenly opened. The room instantly became quieter. Kaiden entered. Future Alpha. Golden boy of Silvercrest. Tall. Handsome. Strong. Everything a future Alpha should be. My heart betrayed me immediately. Just like it always did. For years, I'd secretly loved him. Pathetic. I knew. Especially since he barely noticed I existed. Kaiden's gaze swept across the room. For one brief second, his eyes landed on mine. Then moved on. Like I wasn't even there. The familiar ache settled inside my chest. Luna Elena noticed. She always noticed. Her expression saddened. But she said nothing. What could she say? The truth was obvious. Kaiden walked straight toward Selena. Beautiful. Popular. Confident. Everything I wasn't. She smiled when she saw him. He smiled back. My stomach twisted. The two looked perfect together. Everyone knew it. Everyone expected Selena to become Luna one day. Everyone except me. Because despite everything... A tiny part of me still hoped. Tonight was my eighteenth birthday. The night wolves discovered their fated mates. The night the Moon Goddess revealed destinies. The night everything changed. Maybe... Just maybe... The bond I felt every time Kaiden smiled wasn't one-sided. Maybe the reason my heart raced whenever he was near wasn't because I was foolish. Maybe it meant something. Maybe— A loud laugh interrupted my thoughts. Selena wrapped her arm around Kaiden's. The future Alpha didn't pull away. Instead he leaned closer. Close enough for me to hear. "Tomorrow everyone will finally know." Selena grinned. "Know what?" Kaiden smiled. The kind of smile that shattered hearts. "That you're the woman I chose." My world stopped. The tray slipped from my fingers. And crashed onto the floor. The entire kitchen went silent. Kaiden turned. For the first time all day... He was looking directly at me. And suddenly I had a terrible feeling. The Moon Goddess had plans for tonight. But they weren't the plans I'd been dreaming about.