Chapter 1: The Rejected Moonborn
509 Words
Rain never graced *Eternal Moonpack*, but tonight the sky bled.
I, *Ravena*, stood in the ritual field, hands shaking. Every eighteen-year-old werewolf had found their wolf—gray, brown, black. Strong. Fierce.
Yet here I was, the only one who didn’t shift. No wolf. No claws. No fangs.
For the thousandth time, I whispered inside, praying for my wolf to appear. But silence met me. No sign.
*"You don’t have a wolf!"* Laughter erupted from the warriors. *"No wonder you only clean up crap!"*
I dropped my gaze, my black hair veiling my face. Embarrassed. Scared. Ahead, *Alpha King Ryker* loomed on his obsidian throne, his eyes dark red, like dried blood. His wolf, *Orion*, was rumored to be massive, capable of swallowing rogues whole.
Then the wind shifted. A scent filled the air—*smoke, lightning, burning wood*. The scent of the Alpha. Everyone caved, bowing.
Except me. I was frozen, my body drawn to him.
*TAP. TAP. TAP.*
Ryker’s leather boots stopped before me. He gripped my jaw, forcing me to meet his gaze. Heat radiated from him; his fingers felt like steel.
*"You smell... strange."* His voice was deep, raspy, holding an *Alpha Command* even in a whisper. *"Like... a dead moon."*
He leaned closer, his nose grazing my neck. Inhaled.
*The world shattered.*
*"MATE!!!"* His roar shattered the air. It was *Orion*, no longer human. Every werewolf howled in agony, bowing until their foreheads touched the ground. That was the power of an Alpha’s command.
But Ryker's gaze... was not filled with love. *It burned with hatred.*
*"The Moon Goddess is toying with me?!"* He slammed me to the ground. My ribs felt like they cracked. *"I, Ryker, Alpha of Eternal Moonpack, get a DISABLED mate? A servant without a wolf?!"*
He raised his hand, claws gleaming obsidian black. His *Berserk Form* threatened to erupt. His murderous aura suffocated me.
*"Listen up, Eternal Moonpack!"* His command forced everyone to look. *"I, Ryker, reject Ravena as my Luna! She’s unworthy! Banish her before sunrise!"*
*REJECT.*
The pain didn’t just throb in my chest; it scorched my *soul*. Like an Eclipse Flame seared the bond between us. I coughed up blood. The blood... *was white, shining like liquid silver.*
Ryker noticed. His red eyes widened, momentarily shocked. But his Alpha ego reigned.
*"Guards! Get rid of this trash!"* He turned, his black cloak *Shadow Shifting* out of sight, leaving me writhing on the ground, silver blood trickling from my mouth.
That night, I crawled into the Forbidden Forest, where rogues perished. Where the *Eclipse Flame* never died.
I wanted to vanish. But as I fainted, a woman’s voice echoed in my mind. An ancient voice, like the moon itself.
*"Rise, Silver Child. Nyx has waited long... The Celestial Awakening has begun."*
Far away in the Alpha Hall, Ryker clutched his head. The *Eclipse Flame* licked at his hands, pain surging, as if something was being ripped from his chest.
*An Alpha’s weakness: Power runs wild without a Luna.* And he had just cast away his only antidote.
- Writer
