Moonless Mate: The Eye of Fate

Kade Throne

KADE

“The Alpha doesn’t follow his heart, Kade. He follows what is best for the pack.”

My father’s voice still echoed in my head, deep and unsettling, the way it always did when he spoke of duty.

I had been ten years old, sitting in his study, my legs barely reaching the floor. He had towered over me, his hands clasped behind his back, his presence alone enough to demand obedience.

“Our family has ruled for generations,” he continued. “Your grandfather was Alpha before me, just as I will pass it down to you. But it is not given, Kade. It is earned. Every decision you make, every move, every word—people will be watching. The strong lead. The weak follow. And those who allow emotions to cloud their judgment?” His sharp eyes locked onto mine. “They fail.”

I had swallowed hard, nodding, though I barely understood his words. I thought I did. I thought I had been ready.

I wasn’t.

Not when I woke up to the scent of wild honey and pine wrapped around me, her skin against mine, her breathing slow and even in the light of dawn. Ivy. My mate.

I had known, the moment our eyes met, that everything had changed. The pull was instant, intoxicating, and undeniable. Every lesson, every rule, every carefully structured part of my life had shattered in that moment.

And now, I had to put those pieces back together. Even if it meant breaking both of us in the process.

“It was a mistake.” The words tasted like ash, because it wasn’t, it was the best moment of my life.

Her breath hitched, barely audible, but I felt the pain in it like a knife to my gut. She shook her head, disbelief flickering across her face. “A mistake?”

I had to be cruel. If I wasn’t, she would never let me go, I would never let her go and I would never let myself walk away.

She shoved my chest, and though I barely moved, the force of her touch sent a current through my skin. “Then look me in the eye and tell me you felt nothing.”

She waited, breathless, desperate. I forced my expression into a cold and ruthless one even when everything within me was tearing apart.

“I reject you, Ivy.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt the bond twist, tighten, then begin to tear. It was worse than the pain. Worse than anything I had ever felt. My wolf howled in protest, a wild, mournful sound inside my mind, but I forced myself to stay still. I had to.

Ivy gasped, her knees buckling, her hand clutching her chest. The rejection was ripping through her, just as it was ripping through me, but I couldn’t let it show. I had to let her hate me. It was the only way to protect her.

Her lips trembled. “Why?”

I said nothing.

Because if The Eye found out, we would both be condemned and made outcast. Because my father had spent my entire life molding me into something I couldn’t afford to break apart for a mate. Because loving her would mean losing everything I had ever worked for.

But I couldn’t say any of that.

Instead, I delivered the final blow. “Because it doesn’t matter. This was never meant to be,”

She inhaled sharply, and I saw the exact moment her heart splintered apart. The moment the bond, though not fully severed, began to rot from the inside. I wanted to take it back. I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her the truth—that she was the only thing that had ever felt real. She stormed off and I wanted to go after her.

Instead, I turned and walked away.

I didn’t look back.

Because if I did, I wouldn’t have had the strength to leave her at all.

I knew rejecting her would hurt, but I didn’t think it would feel like my soul was being ripped in half.

The phantom pain started the moment Ivy walked away. It clawed through my chest, an invisible fire burning under my skin. Every step she took away from me felt like a blade diving deeper into my ribs. But I fought it, this was what had to be done.

Science, logic, order. That was what ruled our world now. Not fate. Not instinct. Certainly not some wild , uncontrollable bond. I had spent my entire life preparing for one thing—to become Alpha.

My father, his father before him, they had all worn the title with strength and dignity. I would not be the one to break that legacy over a girl. No matter how much my wolf howled in agony over losing her.

But in class, avoiding her was impossible.

She sat just a few seats away, her presence a pull I couldn’t ignore. My wolf paced inside me, snarling, begging to claim what was his. My nails dug into my palms as I forced myself to focus on the instructor’s words, but every time she shifted, every time she exhaled, my head snapped in her direction like a starved man drawn to the scent of food.

Blaise the one they had told me to watch out for, leaned closer to her, whispering something in her ear. She laughed, and the sound crawled down my spine, settling in my gut like a curse. My grip on my desk tightened until my knuckles turned white. I had no right to feel this way, no right to be angry. I had made my choice. I was the one who rejected her.

Yet every fiber of my being screamed that she was still mine.

“Thorn,” the instructor barked.

My head snapped forward, pulse hammering. “What?”

A few students chuckled, but the instructor was unimpressed. “Where is your head at?.”

I forced my expression to remain neutral. “I heard you.”

“Oh? Then answer the question.”

I had no idea what the hell he had asked. From the corner of my eye, I caught Ivy staring at me. Her gaze was unreadable and her expression deadpan but for a split second, it shifted, like amusement. She knew I was unraveling.

Grinding my teeth, I muttered, “Pass.”

The class erupted into laughter, and the instructor rolled his eyes before moving on. I exhaled slowly, my head pounding. The pain in my chest sharpened, I pressed a hand to my heart, willing it to stop, but it was no use. The rejection was taking its toll.

I had read about this before. Wolves who rejected their true mates suffered in silence. Some went mad. Some grew cold, detached. Some simply lived with the ache for the rest of their lives. I had convinced myself it was just a myth, that It would hurt that bad.

I did, it f*****g hurt like hell.

By the time class ended, my head was spinning. I needed air. Needed to get away from her scent, from the way her body heat lingered in the room, from the goddamn pull that refused to die no matter how much I tried to sever it.

I pushed past students, heading toward the exit when suddenly, a familiar scent wrapped around me. Vanilla and honey. My steps faltered. My wolf lunged inside me, desperate to get closer.

Ivy.

She wasn’t looking at me, but she was close. Too close. My pulse roared in my ears as I felt her brush past, her arm barely grazing mine. Fire shot through me. My fingers twitched at my sides, aching to grab her, to pull her against me, to undo every stupid choice I made.

But I couldn’t.

She walked away without a second glance.

I exhaled sharply, shoving a hand through my hair. This was going to destroy me. Every second, every moment spent near her was torture. She wasn’t even trying, and still, she was breaking me piece by piece.

I needed to stay away from her.

I needed to get my head straight.

But a sinking realization settled in my gut. I wasn’t sure I could.