Cast Out Under the Full MoonFor one terrifying moment...
1000 Words
The world fell silent.
Aria couldn't hear the whispers.
She couldn't hear the wind.
She couldn't even hear her own heartbeat.
Only Kael's words echoed endlessly inside her mind.
"Aria Nightshade... I reject you as my fated mate."
The sacred mate bond snapped like a fragile thread.
A sharp pain exploded through her chest.
She cried out, collapsing onto her knees as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. It felt as though invisible claws were tearing her heart apart.
Around the Grand Arena, horrified gasps filled the air.
Several young wolves instinctively stepped back.
Even the visiting Alphas wore expressions of disbelief.
No one expected the Alpha King to reject his fated mate.
Not publicly.
Not before the Moon Goddess herself.
Above them, the full moon disappeared behind a dark cloud.
The warm silver light that had bathed the arena moments ago faded into a dull gray.
A cold wind swept across the valley.
"It... it can't be..."
One of the elders staggered backward.
"The moon has dimmed."
Elder Miriam's face turned pale.
"The Moon Goddess is displeased."
Nora Ashcroft, however, couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
She folded her arms proudly.
"I knew it," she muttered loudly enough for those around her to hear. "His Majesty would never accept a worthless servant as his Luna."
Her friends laughed quietly.
"She actually believed she had a chance."
"What a fool."
Aria heard every word.
Each one drove another knife into her already broken heart.
She struggled to breathe.
Why?
She had never asked for this.
She had never wanted to become anyone's Luna.
She had only wanted a place where she belonged.
She slowly lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Kael.
He stood motionless.
His face remained expressionless, but his clenched fists betrayed him.
Blood trickled from his palms where his nails dug into his skin.
Inside him, his wolf raged like a beast trapped inside an iron cage.
You betrayed her.
Kael ignored the voice.
She is our mate!
"I had no choice."
Liar!
The beast roared so violently that Kael nearly lost control before the entire arena.
His breathing became uneven.
Rejecting a mate didn't only hurt the rejected.
It wounded the one who rejected as well.
But an Alpha King couldn't allow emotions to destroy an entire kingdom.
He had responsibilities.
The Council expected strength.
The allied packs expected stability.
The throne demanded sacrifice.
Even if that sacrifice was the woman destiny had chosen for him.
Selene Frost slowly approached Kael.
She gently rested a hand on his arm.
"You made the right decision," she whispered softly.
Her voice sounded comforting.
Her eyes...
Were victorious.
No one noticed the satisfaction hidden beneath her sympathy.
No one except Elder Miriam.
The old healer narrowed her eyes.
Something about Selene's smile disturbed her.
It wasn't relief.
It was triumph.
As though this outcome had been planned long before tonight.
Aria forced herself onto trembling feet.
Every muscle in her body screamed in agony.
She wiped the tears from her cheeks with shaking fingers.
She refused to cry any longer.
Not before them.
Not before those who had spent years treating her like she was nothing.
The crowd slowly parted, creating a path before her.
No one offered comfort.
No one reached out a hand.
They simply watched.
Some with pity.
Some with relief.
Others with cruel amusement.
As Aria took her first step, the silver pendant around her neck suddenly pulsed with warmth.
She frowned.
Again?
The warmth spread across her body, strangely soothing the unbearable pain left by the broken mate bond.
A faint silver glow escaped from beneath her dress.
No one noticed.
Except...
An old man standing near the back of the arena.
Unlike the other elders, he wore a long black cloak instead of ceremonial robes.
His gray eyes widened the moment he saw the light.
"No..."
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"It cannot be..."
He pushed through the crowd, trying to get a closer look.
But before he reached her, the light vanished.
Aria continued walking.
The mysterious elder remained frozen where he stood.
His heart pounded.
That symbol...
That light...
He had only seen it once before.
More than twenty years ago.
On the night the last Moonborn Queen disappeared.
His hands trembled.
"Have you returned...?" he whispered.
Far above the arena...
Deep inside the Forbidden Mountains...
A colossal white wolf slowly opened its glowing silver eyes.
The ancient beast had slept for centuries beneath the mountain.
Tonight...
It awakened.
It lifted its massive head toward the moon.
Then released a howl so powerful that every wolf across the kingdom froze.
The sound echoed across forests...
Across rivers...
Across mountains...
Every wolf instinctively dropped to one knee.
Even Kael looked toward the distant mountains.
"What was that?" one warrior asked.
"No ordinary wolf," another whispered.
The mysterious elder closed his eyes.
His face turned deathly pale.
"The Guardian..."
"The Guardian has awakened."
Back in the arena, Aria reached the enormous gates of the Moonstone Pack.
She paused for one last look.
This had been her home.
The only home she had ever known.
She had scrubbed its floors.
Cooked in its kitchens.
Helped raise its children.
Yet tonight...
Not one person asked her to stay.
She smiled bitterly.
"So this is what destiny feels like," she whispered.
Then she stepped beyond the gates.
The heavy wooden doors slowly closed behind her.
The loud boom echoed through the silent night.
Aria didn't look back.
She walked alone into the dark forest.
She didn't know where she was going.
She only knew she could never return.
Hidden high above the trees...
A pair of glowing crimson eyes watched her every step.
A deep masculine voice echoed through the darkness.
"So..."
"The lost princess has finally been found."
A tall figure emerged from the shadows, his silver cloak fluttering in the wind.
He smiled.
"Prepare my army."
"This time..."
"No one will take the Moonborn Queen away from me again."
- Writer
