Chapter One
The fire crackled around us while the entire pack howled beneath the silver light of the moon.
I could still feel the heat of my wolf beneath my skin, wild and alive, my chest heaving as I stood in the sacred circle beside Chayton. The cool night air kissed my bare skin, but his hands on my waist burned hotter than the flames surrounding us.
My mate.
The word alone made my heart tremble.
Around us, dozens of newly bonded mates laughed and embraced each other. Some cried from happiness. Others tilted their heads toward the moon goddess and howled with joy. The sound echoed across the mountains, and I let myself breathe it in like something sacred.
Tonight was the Moon Bonding Ceremony, the night destiny chose us.
The priestess stood near the altar, her white robes flowing violently in the wind as she lifted her hands to the glowing moon above.
"Bless the chosen wolves," she chanted. "Bless the sacred bond. Bless the future Alpha and his Luna."
My Luna.
The title wrapped around me like warmth.
I looked up at Chayton, unable to stop smiling. His dark brown eyes locked onto mine, soft in a way he showed no one else. The future Alpha of the Red Moon Pack. Yet when he looked at me, he looked like a man hopelessly in love.
My chest tightened — painfully, beautifully.
There was an urge inside me I could not explain. My wolf pressed against my skin desperately, craving him closer even though he was already standing right before me.
His fingers brushed against my cheek gently.
"You're shaking, Nayeli," he murmured.
A breathless laugh escaped me. "I waited my whole life for this."
"And I'd wait a thousand more."
The world seemed to disappear around us. None of it mattered when he looked at me like I was the center of his universe.
I reached for him slowly, my fingers touching his chest, feeling the powerful heartbeat beneath his skin.
The Moon Goddess chose him for me. I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the night sky, breathing everything in as if I could hold this moment inside me forever.
The wind changed.
What had once been warm and gentle became violent in an instant, tearing through the ceremony with enough force to make the flames dance wildly around us. The fire hissed and bent unnaturally, shadows twisting across the faces of the wolves gathered around the sacred circle.
My smile slowly faded.
Something felt wrong.
The priestess stopped chanting mid-prayer and one by one, the howls died. Silence spread across the clearing. Then the ground beneath my feet trembled.
I grabbed Chayton's arm tightly, my pulse quickening. "Did you feel that?"
Before he could answer, darkness swallowed the sky.
The silver moon disappeared behind rolling black clouds so quickly it felt unnatural. A cold chill swept through the clearing, extinguishing every flame at once.
Everything went black.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The warmth of Chayton's body vanished. The scent of smoke and pine disappeared. And suddenly… I was somewhere else.
Cold wrapped around me like chains.
Water dripped slowly in the distance, each sound echoing through the darkness. The air smelled of ash, blood, and something rotten enough to turn my stomach.
I looked around, my breathing uneven.
Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction — except for the faint crimson glow beneath my feet.
Slowly, I looked down.
My blood ran cold.
A massive pit opened before me, bottomless and endless, as though the earth itself had split apart.
Fear crept into my chest.
"Chayton?" My voice came out small and fragile.
Nothing answered me.
Then I heard a laugh. It came soft and familiar, drifting through the dark like something I should have felt safe hearing.
"Tala?"
Relief hit me as I turned toward the sound. "Tala, something happened. I don't know where Chayton is and—"
"You looked happy beside him."
Her voice landed differently than I expected.
There was something wrong with the way she said it.
"I am happy," I answered carefully, forcing out a nervous smile. "He's my mate."
Tala went silent.
"Where are you, Tala? I can't see you in all of this darkness."
No response. Just breathing.
"Tal…"
Before I could finish, her voice came again, stripped of all warmth.
"He was never meant to be yours."
"What?"
A chill crawled down my spine as realization slowly settled inside me.
My body stiffened.
"Tala…?"
But before I could fully face her —
A pair of hands shoved hard against my back.
I screamed as the ground disappeared beneath me.
I fell. And as I fell, the disbelief was almost worse than the darkness — Tala. Tala did this. The thought shattered apart before it could fully form.
Into shadows that screamed as they swallowed me whole.
"TALAAA—!"
