Chosen By Fate, Rejected By Hate

Chapter 1

Mavi

The ancient forest lay wrapped in silver light as dozens of wolf packs gathered beneath the full moon. Tonight was the sacred Moonlight Ceremony, the night the Moon Goddess would reveal which souls were bound together by fate. When two chosen ones glowed under her light, it was an unbreakable sign that they were destined mates. Every unmarried man and woman present waited with trembling hope, wondering who the Goddess would choose for them.

I stood among them, my heart beating fast. But unlike the others, I already knew who I wanted. It was Edward, the man I had chosen with all my heart. Tonight I prayed the Goddess would mark him as my destined mate. If she did, my father would finally have to accept him.

My father was Alpha Meynard of the White Moon Pack. To him, Edward was just an ordinary pack member, he didn't deserve an Alpha’s daughter. But if Edward became my destined mate, Father could not refuse him anymore.

“The ceremony is about to begin. The Moon Goddess will appear any moment, but Edward is still not here. Are you sure he will come?” my friend Lotlot asked, tapping my shoulder gently.

“I told him to be here early. I don't know why he is not here yet,” I answered, worry tightening my chest.

Lotlot frowned. “Your boyfriend is always unreliable, Mavi. I don't know what you see in him. I have told you many times he cannot be trusted.”

I looked at her sadly and sighed deeply. It was not just my father who disliked Edward as my destined mate. My friend did too. That was why this night was very important to me. I needed everyone to see that he was the one our Moon Goddess had chosen for me so they would finally accept him. I hoped the Moon Goddess would grant my wish.

“He might already be here, just keeping his distance from me. He does not want to come near because he knows Father dislikes him,” I defended Edward.

“There you go defending him again,” Lotlot said, shaking her head. “How can you be so sure he will be your destined mate? What if the Moon Goddess chooses someone else?”

I fell silent for a moment. Honestly, I did not know what I would do if another man were chosen. That thought had never crossed my mind. In my heart, I truly believed Edward was the one for me and no one else. But what if he was not? What would I do then?

“Then I will speak honestly to whoever is chosen. I will tell him I love another man, and that man is Edward,” I replied. It was the only way I knew.

“I only hope your father lets you do that,” Lotlot said seriously. “You know very well that refusing a destined mate is a terrible insult to the pack. If your mate rejects you too, Alpha Meynard will be furious.”

I fell into deep thought. What if Edward was not the one? How could I reject a stranger without making Father angry? Before I could find an answer, the moon suddenly swelled larger and shone so bright it looked like day.

“The Moon Goddess! She has come!” the crowd cried out together.

We are all down on our knees, then shift into our wolf forms. We lifted our heads to the glowing sky and howled as one, greeting the arrival of our Moon Goddess.

Slowly the moonlight returned to its usual soft glow. But then my whole body lit up. It meant I was one of the two chosen to be revealed tonight as to who my destined mate was.

We shifted back to human form as the Goddess faded away. She always did this, showed her sign, then returned to the moon quickly.

I scanned the crowd eagerly, searching for Edward. I was certain he would be shining too. But my heart sank. It was not Edward who glowed just like me. Instead, a tall man wearing a white mask stood bathed in light. I could not see his face, but his radiance told me the truth, we were the ones destined for each other.

“That is Alpha Magnus of the Iron Pack! He is Mavi’s destined mate!” an elder called out loudly.

My pack members cheered for me. They were happy I had finally found my mate. Only my father stared at me gravely, his face unreadable. I could not tell if he was pleased to see Alpha Magnus as my mate.

The Iron Pack Alpha? No! This cannot be right! I had never even met him, yet everyone knew him as a fearsome and ruthless leader. Why would the Goddess choose him for me? Was she mocking me?

The crowd fell silent as Alpha Magnus walked toward me. His eyes burned with a cold, fierce anger that made my skin prickle. He looked at me not as a mate, but as an enemy.

A foolish part of me hoped he would refuse this bond. If he did, I could ask him to reject me nicely, so my father would not lose face before all the other packs.

Magnus stopped right in front of me and stared at me for a long moment. I did not understand why my heart suddenly raced. There was something about him that made my breath catch. I shook my head quickly. It was not the time to be confused. I opened my mouth to greet him, but he spoke first.

“I, Magnus, Alpha of the Iron Pack, reject Mavi of the White Moon Pack as my destined mate!” he declared clearly

A cold chill ran down my spine, not from heartbreak, but from fear for my father. Whispers rippled through the crowd. This was not what I wanted. I needed him to refuse me in a way that would not humiliate my father in front of everyone here.

“W-Why, Alpha Magnus? Why are you rejecting me?” I stammered. I had to know the reason.

He stepped closer, stopping just inches away. He lifted his hand, tilted my chin up, and looked straight into my eyes. I trembled under his icy gaze, as if he could see deep into my soul.

“Because I despise you, Mavi. I hate your whole family,” he said in a low, steady voice that carried to every ear.

Sharp gasps swept through the crowd, followed by hushed whispers. After speaking those cruel words, Alpha Magnus turned to face my father. Their eyes locked, as if they were fighting a silent battle only they could see. Then he turned and walked away without another word, leaving us all stunned. He had rejected me simply because he hated me and my family.

I stood frozen, my mind reeling. Why? What terrible sin has my family ever done to him to earn his hatred? Especially toward me, when this was the very first time we had ever met?