BOUND BY REJECTION MARKED BY DESTINY

Serena is standing before her entire pack, waiting to discover her mate. The night she had been waiting for had finally arrived. The full moon hung high above the pack grounds, casting a pale light over the gathering. Hundreds of wolves had gathered around the ceremonial grounds. For some, the night was supposed to be the beginning of a new life. For Serena, it felt like a test. Serena is nervous because she's never felt particularly special within her pack. Unlike other wolves her age, she's never properly connected with her spirit wolf and some consider her defective and weak. She had gotten used to the whispers. She had heard them at training grounds, corridors and even when she walked passed a group of wolves. However, she wanted things to be different. She wanted to prove that there was nothing wrong with her. "I hope tonight things will be different", Serena said feeling optimistic. The elders stood at the center of the ceremonial ground preparing for the ceremony. Serena took a deep breath. Serena has imagined this night countless times. Maybe her wolf would finally speak to her. Maybe she wouldn't be the strange girl everyone spent years looking down on. She tries to calm herself as the elders began the ceremony. One by one, names were called. The crowd celebrated every new bond. This made Serena wonder what it would feel like to have everyone look at her with happiness instead of pity. The atmosphere suddenly changed. Silence fell over the once noisy crowd. Alpha Kael arrives. His powerful and intimidating look filled the air with so much tension. Everyone knew his reputation. He wasn't someone people approach casually, and even the strongest wolves in the pack treated him with respect. Serena had always seen him but kept her distance away from him. Tonight was different. As Kael walked towards the ceremonial grounds, Serena suddenly became more nervous than she had been before. Kael looked in her direction. Their eyes met. Something inside her shifted. The bond hits. Her heart began breathing faster. It was almost as if something had awakened. The realisation slowly hit in. He was her mate. The alpha? My mate? Serena couldn't believe her thoughts. Somehow, she was happy to think that the person whom she had always avoided was the person the moon goddess chose for her. Everyone expected celebration. Serena expected it too. Instead Kael stands in front of her and says coldly, "I reject you as my mate". The entire pack goes silent. "But it's meant...." An elder tried to tell Kael. "I don't care about what's meant to happen" Kael interrupted before the elder could finish his sentence. She stared at Kael hoping to get an explanation. Maybe she had heard him wrong. But Kael didn't repeat himself. He simply stood there. Different waves of emotions all flowing through her body at once as Serena struggles to hold herself together. The happiness she had felt earlier had disappeared. The whispers that had once stopped started again. Serena could hear it from all directions. Some felt pity for her. Others mocked and laughed at her. She wished the ground would just open and swallow her. Not long after, a mysterious silver mark appears on her skin. The mark seemoto shimmer beneath the moonlight. The strange sensation began spreading through her body. Her breathing became unsteady. The crowd began murmuring again. But this time, their voices sounded different. Their was no excitement or pity in them. There was fear. The elders immediately recognised the mark and became visibly frightened. Serena looked towards them expecting an explanation. "Why are they afraid?" Serena thought. The moon suddenly took an unnatural appearance... The light surrounding the ceremonial grounds seemed to change. Serena looked up. Something about the moon felt different. Her skin tingled. Her heart raced. And Serena's wolf, who has never spoken to her before finally speaks. "They lied to you". Serena freezes. Her eyes widened. She had heard a voice. Not someone standing beside her. Her wolf. For years, Serena had tried communicating with her. She waited to hear more. Nothing. The words made no sense. "They lied to you" Serena repeats silently. Who lied to her? About what? Before she could understand what was going on, one of the elders stepped forward and ordered that she be taken away. Serena stared at them. Her confusion only grew. What did they know? She took a step backward. She suddenly felt trapped. Kael unexpectedly stops them. Everyone, including Serena was confused. Why would the alpha who just publicly humiliated and rejected her care about what happens to her? She didn't understand him. She didn't understand the elders. She didn't understand the mark on her skin. And she definitely didn't understand why her wolf had suddenly spoken to her after years of silence. Serena heart pounded. She wanted answers. But nobody seemed willing to give them her. During the distraction and commotion from the other wolves, Serena used the opportunity to run away. She didn't look back. She didn't stop to think. She simply ran. The forest swallowed her almost immediately. Serena continued running until her legs began to ache. She ran for a while again before stopping after realising that she was far out of reach. She leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath. For a moment she simply stood there in the darkness. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She had been rejected. Her wolf had spoken. A strange mark had appeared on her skin. And the elders looked terrified at the mark. None of it made sense. She finally let out a huge sigh of relief and realised that her rejection wasn't the most surprising thing that happened tonight. She looked down at the silver mark again, it was still there. She tried communicating with her wolf again. "Are you there?" Serena asked but didn't get a reply. "What did you mean by that they lied to me?" Serena whispered. There was no answer. She closed her eyes and tried again. Nothing. Only silence. She had no choice than to sleep the night in the forest. She wrapped herself and looked towards the moon. For the first time that night, she wondered whether finding her mate had been a blessing. She wondered how life would have still been normal and she wouldn't have to be running away for her life if she hadn't attended the ceremony. Because she knew that whatever had happened at the ceremony had changed something. And she knew that when morning came, her life would never be the same again.