The Alpha’s Regret

They said the Moon Goddess never made mistakes. But tonight, I was about to become the first. The full moon loomed high above the trees, casting a silver glow over the clearing where the pack had gathered. Bonfires crackled at the edges of the field, their flames reaching toward the stars. The air was warm, thick with smoke, perfume, and the natural electricity of fate waiting to unfold. It was the night of the Mating Ceremony. Pack members of age were already pairing off. Some whispered eagerly about feeling the bond snap into place. Others stood frozen in anticipation, waiting to be chosen. Tonight was when the Moon Goddess revealed soulmates—fated partners meant to complete each other. Everyone was excited. Everyone except me. I stayed in the shadows. Aria Hale, the forgotten one. The girl no one expected to be chosen. I clutched the hem of my borrowed dress, trying to smooth the wrinkles. It didn’t help. The fabric hung loosely on me, barely clinging to my slender frame. The color was dull, the sleeves uneven. It had belonged to my stepsister once, and I had found it balled up in a drawer like trash. Still, it was all I had. My heart thudded painfully beneath my ribs. I stood beneath the protective cover of a tall ash tree, just beyond the firelight, trying to stay invisible. But deep down, I hoped. I had turned eighteen. My wolf had awakened, even if I couldn’t fully shift. That had to mean something. I had been invited tonight, hadn’t I? Some part of me still believed. Still wanted to believe the Moon Goddess hadn’t forgotten me too. Even if everyone else had. My stepmother, Celeste, had made it clear I wasn’t worth anyone’s time. My parents were gone—taken by a rogue attack when I was a child. Since then, I had been treated like an obligation. A charity case. My wolf blood was weak, they said. My presence, weaker. So I had learned to stay quiet. To stay small. To not draw attention. Until now. My wolf stirred suddenly. Her presence sharpened inside me like a blade. He’s here. My breath caught. I didn’t know what it meant—only that it was real. My skin tingled. My senses narrowed. And then I saw him. Alpha Kade Blackthorn. Six foot four. Muscles that filled out his black shirt like he’d been carved from stone. His dark hair was pushed back, slightly tousled, like he didn’t care how perfect he looked. His steel-gray eyes scanned the clearing, calculating, dangerous. Every step he took made others part before him like shadows fleeing the light. He was the youngest Alpha in the region—and the most feared. Ruthless in battle. Cold in leadership. Untouchable. And he was walking straight toward me. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My wolf surged forward, and something inside me snapped into place. A bond. Hot. Golden. Alive. My pulse raced. My entire body seemed to hum. My chest tightened with heat, with awe, with something I had no words for. He stopped in front of me, and the clearing went quiet. The pack turned. People whispered. I felt their eyes on me, felt every breath, every heartbeat, like the world had narrowed to this one impossible moment. I stared at him. And he looked at me. The bond was real. I knew it. I could feel it. Kade is my mate. My lips parted. I was ready to speak—to say something, anything— “No.” His voice was sharp. Cold. Dismissive. Like a blade pressed to my throat. I blinked. “What?” Kade turned away from me, his expression unreadable. “She’s not my mate,” he said, loud enough for the entire pack to hear. “The Moon Goddess made a mistake.” The words hit like a punch to the chest. Laughter. Murmurs. A few gasps. “She thought she was his?” “She’s just a lowborn.” “She can’t even shift.” My cheeks burned. My eyes stung. “I—I felt it,” I said quietly, trying to breathe. “I know you did too.” Kade looked back at me, and his jaw tightened. “You think someone like you could be tied to someone like me?” he said, voice laced with disgust. “You’re not strong. You’re not worthy. You’re not Luna material.” The golden thread between us—so vibrant just seconds before—wavered. Then snapped. Pain erupted in my chest. I staggered. “I reject you, Aria Hale.” It was final. My knees gave out. I hit the ground hard, but I barely noticed the impact. The bond was gone. The connection severed. And my wolf howled in agony. The crowd didn’t help me. They just watched. Some with pity. Others with amusement. I wanted to disappear. Wanted the ground to open and swallow me whole. But then— Lightning split the sky. The bonfires hissed. The drums stopped. The wind roared suddenly through the clearing. Gasps turned to screams as the air thickened. And from somewhere deep inside me… something stirred. The Moonstones the Elders wore began to glow. Soft at first, then brighter. Pulsing. Responding. My vision blurred. My skin tingled. I looked down—and saw it. A glowing mark over my heart. A crescent moon wrapped around a flame. It pulsed with silver light. The whispers stopped. Even the wind paused. And then my voice spoke again. But it wasn’t my voice. “You shouldn’t have rejected me.”