Nun to call mine

Lisa opened her eyes to the pale light of morning and felt something she had not felt in a very long time — hope. Today was her twenty-second birthday. And for the first time in her entire life, her father had chosen to celebrate it. She lay still on her thin mattress, staring at the cracks in the ceiling above her. The room was small — the smallest in the Alpha house. It had no paintings on the walls, no soft carpets on the floor, no flowers on the windowsill like Freya's room had. Just a bed, a wooden chair, and a mirror that Lisa had turned to face the wall three years ago because she could no longer stand to look at herself. But today was different. Today, everything was going to change. She sat up slowly and pulled her long, curly brown hair away from her face. Her fingers caught in the tangles. Aurora usually came to help her with it, brushing it smooth and braiding it into something beautiful. Aurora always said her hair was lovely — thick and wild and full of life. Lisa never believed her, but she liked hearing it anyway. A knock came at the door. Soft. Careful. That was Aurora's knock. "Come in," Lisa said. The door opened and Aurora slipped inside. She was small and pale, with silver-blonde hair that caught the light like spider silk and green eyes so bright they looked like jewels. She carried a tray with bread, fruit, and a small cup of honey tea. But more importantly, she carried a smile. "Happy birthday, Lisa," Aurora whispered, setting the tray on the chair. "Twenty-two. You made it." Lisa smiled back, but it was a fragile thing. "I made it." Aurora sat on the edge of the bed and took Lisa's hands. "Today is going to be wonderful. Your father arranged the ceremony himself. Thrain agreed to come. The whole pack will be there." She squeezed Lisa's fingers. "This is your chance. Your fated mate is coming to claim you." Lisa's heart beat faster. She wanted to believe it. She wanted to believe it so badly that it hurt. Thrain. Her fated mate. She had felt the bond snap into place when she turned eighteen — a warm, golden thread connecting her heart to his. She had felt it even though he had never once spoken to her. Even though he looked through her like she was made of glass whenever their paths crossed. The bond was there. She knew it. And today, she would stand before him, and the bond would do what it was meant to do. It would pull him to her. It would make him see past what everyone else saw. Because what everyone else saw was something ugly. Lisa did not understand it. When she looked at her own hands, they seemed normal. When she touched her own face, it felt smooth and whole. But the reactions of others told a different story. Children ran from her. Women turned their heads. Men laughed or sneered. Her own mother could not look at her without a curl of disgust on her lips. "The cursed one," they called her. Born under a dark moon. Born with a shadow that clung to her like a second skin. Born with a face that repelled instead of attracted. Her mother, Elara, had told her once — in a rare moment of cruelty so sharp it cut to the bone — that the night Lisa was born, three cattle died and the river turned brown for a week. "You brought death into this house," Elara had said, her green eyes cold as winter. "Everything was perfect before you came." Lisa pushed the memory away. Not today. Today she would not let the past poison her. "Help me get ready?" she asked Aurora. Aurora's smile widened. "I thought you would never ask." For the next hour, Aurora worked magic. She brushed Lisa's curls until they shone, weaving small white flowers into the strands. She helped Lisa into a white gown — simple but clean, with silver thread along the sleeves. Lisa had no jewelry, no paint for her lips, no perfume. But Aurora made do with what they had. "There," Aurora said, stepping back. "You look beautiful." Lisa almost turned toward the mirror. Almost. But fear stopped her. She was afraid of what she would see. She was afraid it would steal her courage. "I will trust your eyes," Lisa said quietly. "I cannot trust my own." Aurora touched her cheek gently. "Then trust mine. You are lovely, Lisa. And Thrain will see it. The bond will not lie." Lisa nodded. She breathed in deep. She could do this. A horn sounded outside — deep and long, echoing through the Alpha house. It was the call to gather. The ceremony was beginning. Lisa's stomach dropped. "It is time," Aurora said. Lisa stood. Her legs trembled. She walked to the door, then stopped. She turned back and looked at Aurora with wide green eyes full of fear. "What if he rejects me?" Lisa whispered. "What if he looks at me and feels nothing?" Aurora shook her head firmly. "He is your fated mate. The Moon Goddess chose him for you. He cannot feel nothing." Lisa wanted to believe that. She held the words close to her chest like a shield. She stepped into the hallway. The house was alive with movement. Servants rushed past carrying trays of food and garlands of moonflowers. The air smelled like roasted meat and sweet wine. Somewhere, music played — drums and flutes, the sounds of celebration. No one looked at Lisa as she walked through the halls. No one wished her happy birthday. No one smiled at her. They moved around her like water flowing around a stone — acknowledging her existence only to avoid touching her. She was used to it. But today, it still hurt. At the end of the hallway, she saw her mother, Elara, standing with Freya. They were dressed in matching red gowns, their hair pinned up with gold. Elara was tall and striking with her long red curls and sharp green eyes. Freya was shorter, younger, with spiky blonde hair and a face that everyone agreed was the prettiest in the pack. They were laughing about something. When they saw Lisa, the laughter stopped. Elara's eyes swept over Lisa's white gown, the flowers in her hair. Something flickered in her expression — something quick and dark that Lisa could not name. "So you are really going through with this," Elara said. Not a question. "Father arranged it," Lisa replied, keeping her voice steady. "Thrain agreed." Freya stepped forward, her blue eyes bright with something that looked almost like pity. Or maybe it was amusement. With Freya, it was hard to tell. "Good luck, sister," Freya said sweetly. "I truly hope he accepts you. It would be so embarrassing if he did not. In front of everyone, I mean." The words were like small knives, sliding between Lisa's ribs. She said nothing. She turned and walked toward the great hall where the ceremony would take place. Behind her, she heard Freya whisper something to Elara. Elara laughed — a low, quiet sound. Lisa did not look back. The great hall was full. Three hundred wolves, maybe more, packed into the space. Torches burned along the walls. The Alpha's throne sat at the front, and beside it stood her father — Alpha Lykon. He was a tall man with brown hair going gray at the temples and warm brown eyes that had never once looked at Lisa with warmth. Today, though, he nodded at her. One short, stiff nod. It was the closest thing to approval she had ever received from him. A veiling cloth was brought — a tradition for the mate ceremony. The bride's face would be covered until the groom chose to reveal it. A symbol of faith. A symbol of the bond overcoming all doubt. Lisa stood still as the veil was placed over her face. The world became gauzy and white. She could barely see. But she could hear. She could hear the crowd murmuring. She could hear the doors of the great hall opening. She could hear heavy footsteps approaching. Thrain was here. Her heart beat so hard she was sure everyone could hear it. The footsteps stopped. He was close. She could feel the bond — that warm, golden thread — pulling tight in her chest. He was right there. Right in front of her. A deep voice spoke: "I, Thrain of the Northern Border, have come to claim my mate." Lisa's eyes burned with tears behind the veil. He came. He actually came. Alpha Lykon's voice filled the hall: "Then reveal your bride, and let the bond be witnessed." Lisa held her breath. She felt hands reach for the veil. This was it. The moment everything changed. The veil lifted. And the look on Thrain's face shattered every fragile piece of hope Lisa had left.