MARKED BY THE MOON'S BETRAYAL

Lilian’s POV Tonight was supposed to be perfect… My heart pounded with excitement as I stepped into the grand hall of the Blood Fang pack house. The aroma of roasted meat and pastries mixed with the diverse scents of my packmates filled the atmosphere of the Grand Hall which was already buzzing with laughter and celebration. It was the night of the Moon ceremony where fated mates would get the chance to be accepted or unfortunately, rejected. The ambience was perfect and the music great, but none of that mattered. I could barely hear anything over the rush of blood in my ears because tonight, I would be claimed by my mate. My stomach fluttered at the thought of Alpha Kieran. Strong, powerful, and everything I had ever wanted. Since I was eighteen, I had secretly loved him, dreamt of him, and imagined what it would feel like to be bound to him. He was the kind of leader people followed without question, the kind of mate I had always believed was meant for me. And now, it was happening. The Moon Goddess had chosen me for him. There he stood before me. Tall, commanding, with the coldest silver eyes that looked as hot as they were terrifying. Anxiously, I arranged my dress, making sure to smoothen every ruffle that may have gathered. I was so excited that my hands trembled! My whole life had led to this moment to him looking at me with love in his eyes. Then the moment came, our eyes met! It felt like I stopped breathing for a bit. There was no warmth. A flicker of doubt crept into my chest, but I pushed it away. Maybe he hadn’t expected it to be me. Maybe he was just surprised. With my new found confidence, I took a deep breath and stepped forward as though pulled by our bond. "Alpha Kieran…" I barely whispered his name before he spoke. "I can't do this." The world around me froze. I blinked, my lips parting. What? He exhaled and smoothed his dark hair with his hand. His expression was unreadable and his body was stiff. "I, Alpha Kieran of the Blood Fang Pack, reject you, Lilian Hayes, as my mate." Those words hit me so hard that it felt like a physical blow. My vision blurred and it felt like the ground beneath me tilted and my mind was in struggle, battling to process what I just witnessed and heard. The Grand Hall was briefly dead silent before the tiny whispers started pouring in, some pack mates even went as far as pointing fingers at me and making faces. It was bad enough that I suspected they were ridiculing me but confirming it was a pain I could never explain. I didn’t know what to do, this wasn’t how I anticipated my day so I made plans but not for this! I tried to speak but my mouth only opened and stayed ajar, producing no words. I looked at my hands, they were trembling. How could he do this to me? The bond between us so so real, a strong force! How could he deny that? Yet, here he was. Denying it. The man I had loved for as long as I could remember had just cast me aside like I was nothing. I deserved closure so with a trembling voice, I managed to ask "Why?" Kieran’s silver eyes darkened. "You're too weak." Those cut my already broken heart worst than a blade I knew I wasn’t like the other she-wolves. I had never shifted, never felt the power of my wolf rise within me. But I tried. I worked hard training and fighting but nothing seemed to change, not yet. A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat, but I swallowed it down. “So you also think I am not good enough for you?” "You're too weak," he repeated. "You have never shifted. You can’t protect this pack with me. You're not fit to be my mate. The Moon Goddess made a mistake." A sharp pain bloomed in my chest. The bond between us tightened even more, resisting his rejection. At this point tears were already flowing freely but I had to hold them back. He wasn’t worth it, not anymore. I wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him. Not in front of them. He had already taken my heart. I wouldn't give him my pride either. Lifting my chin, I met his gaze. He wore a victorious look, like he just succeeded in humiliating me before the entire pack. "I, Lilian Hayes, accept your rejection." As soon as I said those words, a sharp pain hit me. A sudden jolt of torment soon became a spring of agony, twisting my chest like it was caught in a vice. This only meant the bond was breaking and gosh, I hated how this felt. It was over. I forced myself to look at Kieran one last time. His look was the same as the beginning, cold. I wondered If he felt even a fraction of the pain I did because he didn’t show it or even look like it. And that hurt more than anything. Forcing my shoulders back, I gave him a hollow smile. "I hope you get what you want, Kieran." Then, before I could fall apart in front of him, I turned and walked away. The hall was silent as I moved, as if the entire pack was holding their breath. I could feel their eyes staring, it felt like the gaze of flames, burning. But I didn’t stop. Out of the ballroom. Out of the pack house. Out into the cold night air. And when I was finally alone, I ran. Ran from the only home I had ever known. Ran from the man who had broken me without a second thought. I felt the cold breeze beneath my nostrils as I raced through the bush, branches of trees taking their turns at humiliating me as well. I was tired! Now far from my pack mates, I allowed the hot tears to flow freely down my face. No one was watching, no one could hear me now so they wouldn’t hear these loud sobs that were tired of being suppressed for as long as I did. A twinning caught my left big toe causing me to tumble. I collapsed to my knees, my body wracked with shuddering cries. I clawed at the damp earth beneath me, trying to find something to hold onto, but there was nothing. The rejection had severed the bond that once tethered me, leaving behind an emptiness so raw it felt like I was dying. I curled in on myself, pressing my forehead to the ground as my cries turned into wails. Pain radiated from my chest, an unbearable ache that nothing could soothe. I had dreamed of love, of a future with Kieran. I had built my entire world around the idea of us, and in one brutal moment, he had shattered it all. Hours passed. Maybe more. By the time I finally moved, my body was stiff, my dress torn and stained with dirt. The realization hit me like a second rejection. I had nothing left here. I wiped my face with trembling fingers and rose to my feet, my legs unsteady beneath me. There it was, the human territory. They said it was dangerous for a wolf to live among humans, but I had no choice. I had no home. No family. No pack. I took a first step, another and several followed towards a world that may never understand who I was but determined, I made myself a promise I would never come back.