The Last White Luna Queen

The night Aria Snow turned eighteen was supposed to be the happiest night of her life. Instead, it became the night her entire world shattered. The Silver Moon Pack's celebration hall glittered beneath hundreds of silver lanterns. Music filled the enormous room, while wolves from every corner of the territory gathered to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony of the pack's young wolves. Aria stood alone near the back wall. She wore a simple white dress that had been handed down from one of the pack's older Omegas. The fabric was slightly torn near the sleeve, but she had carefully repaired it herself. She kept her head lowered. She knew better than to attract attention. "Look at her." A group of young wolves laughed nearby. "The useless Omega finally turned eighteen." "Do you think she'll find her mate tonight?" "Who would want her?" Aria heard every word. She pretended she didn't. For eighteen years, she had learned how to survive humiliation. She had learned to eat after everyone else. She had learned to sleep in a tiny room beneath the servants' quarters. She had learned that the word family meant very little when everyone around you considered you worthless. But tonight was different. Tonight, she would finally meet her mate. Her wolf stirred inside her. Moonlight. Aria closed her eyes. "Please," she whispered. "Let him be someone kind." Her wolf gave a soft whine. Then the entire hall suddenly became silent. The pack doors opened. A powerful presence entered. Aria immediately felt it. Her heart stopped. Her wolf rose inside her chest. Mate. Aria slowly lifted her head. Alpha Kael Draven walked into the hall. He was the ruler of the Northern Territory and the most feared Alpha in the region. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair. Sharp golden eyes. Even the strongest warriors lowered their heads when he passed. Aria's heartbeat became uncontrollable. Him? She could barely breathe. Kael walked toward the center of the hall. Their eyes met. For one brief moment, everything disappeared. The music. The crowd. The whispers. There was only him. And then Kael's eyes widened. His wolf had recognized her too. Aria felt warmth spread through her body. Her wolf practically screamed. Our mate! A smile slowly appeared on Aria's face. Maybe everything was finally going to change. Maybe she wasn't destined to be alone. Maybe the Moon Goddess had finally given her something beautiful. She took one nervous step forward. "Alpha Kael..." Kael stared at her. His expression was impossible to read. Then he walked toward her. The crowd began whispering. "Is that his mate?" "An Omega?" "No way." Kael stopped directly in front of Aria. She looked up at him. Her voice trembled. "You're my mate." Kael's jaw tightened. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he spoke. "I know." Aria's heart fluttered. "So..." Kael's eyes became cold. "I reject you." The hall exploded with shocked whispers. Aria froze. Her smile disappeared. "What?" Kael's voice remained emotionless. "I, Kael Draven, Alpha of the Northern Territory, reject you, Aria Snow, as my mate." Pain exploded inside her chest. Her wolf screamed. No! Aria stumbled backward. She grabbed her chest. She couldn't breathe. The bond that had just formed between them felt like a blade being driven through her heart. Tears filled her eyes. "Why?" Kael looked at her. "You are an Omega." The words struck harder than the rejection itself. "You have no strength. No status. No royal blood. Nothing that would make you suitable to stand beside me." Someone laughed. Then another. Soon, whispers filled the hall. Aria looked around. Everyone was staring at her. Some looked amused. Others looked disgusted. She felt completely exposed. Kael turned away. "Find yourself another mate." Aria stared at his back. Something inside her broke. She wanted to scream. She wanted to beg him to reconsider. But she refused to give him that satisfaction. She wiped the tears from her face. "Fine." Kael stopped. Aria's voice was shaking, but she forced herself to continue. "I accept your rejection." The pain became unbearable. She turned and ran. She didn't stop until she reached the forest. Rain had begun falling. Aria collapsed beneath an enormous tree. She pressed her hands against her chest. "Why does it hurt so much?" Her wolf was crying. He rejected us. "I know." We aren't weak. Aria closed her eyes. "I wish I could believe that." Suddenly, a strange burning sensation spread through her veins. Aria gasped. Her body became extremely hot. She looked down at her hands. Thin silver markings began appearing across her skin. "What is happening?" Her wolf suddenly went silent. Then a voice echoed inside her mind. Not her wolf's voice. Something older. Something powerful. The blood of the White Luna has awakened. Aria's eyes widened. "What?" The markings spread up her arms. The rain around her began turning into tiny drops of silver light. Then the forest went completely silent. Aria slowly stood. Her eyes changed. The ordinary blue disappeared. They became brilliant silver. A howl echoed through the mountains. Then another answered. And another. Soon, hundreds of wolves were howling from distant territories. Aria didn't understand what was happening. Far away, inside the Alpha's castle, Kael suddenly stopped walking. His wolf slammed against his consciousness. Something is wrong. Kael turned toward the forest. His golden eyes narrowed. "What?" His wolf growled. The bond. Kael's expression changed. He had rejected Aria. The bond should have weakened. Instead, it had become stronger. A strange pressure filled the entire territory. Then a silver wolf appeared in Kael's mind. It was enormous. Its fur shone like moonlight. Its eyes were brighter than stars. Kael's heart stopped. That's impossible. His wolf trembled. The White Wolf. Kael's face turned pale. Legends said the White Wolf belonged to the first Luna Queen. A woman whose blood could command every werewolf alive. A bloodline believed to have disappeared centuries ago. Kael looked toward the forest. "Aria..." For the first time that night, fear entered his heart. Meanwhile, Aria stood beneath the rain. She didn't know who she was yet. She didn't know what power had awakened inside her. She only knew one thing. She would never return to that hall as the same girl. A silver crown-shaped mark appeared on her forehead. And deep within the forest, something ancient opened its eyes. The White Luna has returned. The war for the wolf throne had begun.