The Alpha's Forgotten Bloodline

Ariyah 's POV The white dress feels like a cage. I can't breathe. I can't think. All I can do is stand here, surrounded by hundreds of wolves, waiting for a man who already owns my heart. My hands tremble at my sides. I press them against the silk, trying to stop the shaking, but it doesn't work. Nothing works. Not the deep breaths I keep taking. Not the way I keep telling myself this is real, that Kael Nightfang actually wants me. An orphan. A nobody. A girl with no bloodline, no family name, no power. And yet here I am. "Ariyah, stop fidgeting." Elara's voice cuts through the crowd's murmur. She stands behind me, close enough that I can feel her warmth, her presence steadying me. "I'm not fidgeting," I whisper. "You're shaking like a leaf in a storm." "I'm fine." "You're terrified." I swallow hard. "Can you blame me?" She steps closer, her hand finding mine. "No. But you need to breathe. Kael chose you. Not some high-born princess. Not some political alliance. You." Her words should comfort me. They don't. Because I still don't understand why. The Moon hangs overhead, full and heavy, casting silver light through the hall's open roof. It bathes everything in an otherworldly glow, making the moment feel sacred. Holy. But something is wrong. I feel it in my bones. A pressure building beneath my skin, hot and restless. The Moon's light should feel like a blessing. Instead, it burns. "Elara," I whisper. "Something's happening to me." "What do you mean?" "I don't know. My skin feels strange. Like I'm standing too close to a fire." She grips my hand tighter. "You're just nervous. It's okay." No. This isn't nerves. This is something else. The crowd parts, and my heart stops. Kael walks toward me, his broad shoulders back, his jaw tight. He's dressed in ceremonial black, the Nightfang crest gleaming on his chest. Every step echoes through the silent hall. He looks like a king. But his eyes... his eyes are wrong. I know those eyes. I've stared into them a hundred times, seen them soften when he laughs, darken when he's angry, glow when he looks at me like I'm the only person in the world. Tonight, they're cold. Distant. Terrified. "Kael?" I whisper. He doesn't answer. His jaw clenches harder, and I see it. A muscle twitching in his cheek. The way his hands curl into fists at his sides. He's afraid. Why is he afraid? "Kael, what's wrong?" He reaches me, and the moment his scent hits me, something inside me snaps. The bond. It's like a golden thread weaving itself into my soul, connecting me to him in a way I've never felt before. I gasp, my hand flying to my chest as warmth floods through me. I hear Elara gasp behind me. The crowd murmurs. They feel it too. The Moon has chosen. "Kael," I breathe, reaching for him. "I feel it. I feel us." His wolf recoils. I don't understand how I know this, but I do. I feel it through the bond, that golden thread twisting and darkening, and suddenly the warmth turns to ice. He's pulling away. "Kael?" He steps back. One step. Two. The crowd goes silent. "What are you doing?" My voice cracks, and I hate how weak I sound. He opens his mouth, then closes it. I see his chest heaving, his fists clenching and unclenching. "Kael, please." I reach for him again, and this time he flinches. He flinches. Like my touch is poison. "Don't," he says. One word. Sharp. Cold. The golden thread inside me starts to fray. "Don't what?" I whisper. "Kael, you're scaring me." His eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I see it. The man I love, buried beneath layers of something dark and broken. He's fighting something. "Kael, whatever this is, we can face it together. Just tell me what's wrong." "I can't." "You can. Whatever it is, I'll understand. I'll help you." "You can't help me." His voice breaks. "You're the danger." The words hit me like a physical blow. I stumble back, Elara catching me before I fall. "Danger?" I repeat. "Kael, what are you talking about? I would never hurt you." "You already have." "Kael—" "Stop." He holds up his hand. "Just stop." The Moon's light burns brighter, and I feel it. The silver glow beneath my skin, crawling through my veins like liquid fire. I look down at my hands, expecting to see flames, but there's nothing. Just my own pale skin, trembling. "I, Kael Nightfang..." His voice starts, then falters. I know those words. I know what comes next. "No," I breathe. "Kael, no. Please." He won't look at me. His eyes are fixed on something over my shoulder, something I can't see. "I, Kael Nightfang, reject you, Ariyah Vale, as my mate." The hall erupts. Gasps. Shouts. Wolves crying out in shock and confusion. I don't hear any of it. I only hear the tearing. The golden thread inside me rips apart, and I feel it. Physical pain, searing through my chest like a blade. I double over, a scream tearing from my throat. I'm dying. I must be dying. Because nothing else could hurt this much. "Ariyah!" Elara catches me, holding me up as my legs give out. Kael stands there, watching, his face pale and horrified. He looks like a man watching something he can't stop. He made his choice. And it's destroying us both. I collapse to the cold stone floor, my body shaking, tears streaming down my face. The silver light beneath my skin grows brighter, hotter, and I wonder if this is it. If this is how I die. But then I hear it. A whisper in my mind. Soft. Feminine. Familiar. "Finally, you are awakening." And somewhere far away, a man I don't know smiles.