Blessed by the Moon, Cursed by the Alpha

Chapter one: The Girl Without a Wolf Every wolf in Bloodfang Pack celebrated their eighteenth birthday. Mine felt like a funeral. The first rays of dawn slipped through the narrow windows of the servants' quarters, painting pale streaks across the cold stone floor. Outside, the pack was already awake. Excited voices drifted through the crisp morning air as families prepared for the Moon Ceremony—the most sacred night of every young wolf's life. Children ran through the village with flower crowns in their hands. Mothers stitched the final silver threads into ceremonial cloaks. Fathers sharpened ceremonial blades, gifts that symbolized a child's first step into adulthood. By sunset, every eighteen-year-old would stand beneath the Full Moon. They would awaken their wolves. They would hear the whisper of the Moon Goddess. And if fate was kind... They would meet the one person destined to belong to them forever. Everyone looked forward to that night. Everyone except me. I dipped the rag into a bucket of icy water and continued scrubbing the marble floor of the Alpha Manor. The polished stone reflected my tired face—long raven-black hair tied into a loose braid, silver-gray eyes that never seemed to belong anywhere, and hands roughened by years of work no eighteen-year-old should have to endure. "Selene!" I flinched. A sharp voice echoed down the corridor. Mrs. Elira, the head housekeeper, marched toward me with the elegance of someone who had never done a day's labor herself. She stopped beside the half-cleaned floor. "You've missed a spot." "I'll clean it." "You should have cleaned it already." Without another word, she struck the back of my shoulder with the handle of her feather duster. The sting wasn't enough to make me cry. Nothing was anymore. "I'm sorry." "You should be." She folded her arms. "Do you know how fortunate you are? Alpha Magnus showed mercy by allowing you to remain in this pack after your parents died." I lowered my gaze. "I know." "No," she scoffed. "You don't." Her voice rose just enough for the nearby servants to hear. "You have no wolf." "You have no family." "You contribute nothing." "The least you can do is clean properly." The other servants pretended not to listen. No one defended me. No one ever did. Once Mrs. Elira disappeared into another hallway, an older maid quietly approached. Her name was Mara. She was the only person who had ever shown me kindness. She gently placed a piece of warm bread beside my bucket. "You haven't eaten." "I'll be fine." "You always say that." She smiled sadly before lowering her voice. "Tonight..." I looked up. "...don't lose hope." A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "Hope?" Mara hesitated. "The Moon Goddess sees everything." "If she truly saw everything..." I glanced toward the open window where the pale moon still lingered above the mountains despite the rising sun. "...why has she never answered me?" Mara had no answer. Neither did I. By midday, Bloodfang Pack had transformed. Colorful banners hung between wooden homes. Lanterns decorated every path leading toward the Sacred Clearing. Music echoed through the village square. The scent of roasted meat filled the air. For one night each year... The pack forgot its rivalries. Its grief. Its fears. Tonight belonged to destiny. I carried baskets of fresh bread from the manor kitchens to the banquet tables. As I walked through the square, conversations stopped. Eyes followed me. A little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Mommy..." The woman immediately hushed her. But the child whispered anyway. "Is that the Moon-Cursed girl?" Her mother nodded. "Don't stare." "Why doesn't she have a wolf?" "I said don't stare." I kept walking. If I acknowledged every whisper... I'd never reach my destination. Still... Some words found ways to slip beneath my skin. Moon-Cursed. It was the first name I had ever been given. Not Selene. Not Ashbourne. Just... Moon-Cursed. No one knew why. When I was five, every child in the pack had begun sensing the faint presence of their inner wolves. I hadn't. At ten... Nothing. At fifteen... Still nothing. By eighteen... Silence. Even healers couldn't explain it. Some believed I had been abandoned by the Moon Goddess. Others claimed I had been cursed before birth. Either way... I didn't belong. As I set the baskets onto the banquet table, laughter erupted nearby. Three young wolves around my age stood together wearing elegant ceremonial clothing. One of them was Rowan, the Beta's son. He noticed me immediately. "Careful," he called loudly. "If she touches the food, maybe your wolf won't show up tonight." The others burst into laughter. I lowered my head. One step. Then another. Don't react. That's what I'd taught myself. Never react. "Hey." Someone grabbed my wrist. I froze. Rowan smirked. "I heard the Moon Ceremony only calls real wolves." He leaned closer. "What are you planning to do when your name isn't called?" "I'll accept whatever the Moon Goddess decides." He laughed. "Still pretending she cares about you?" His friends laughed with him. Before anyone could say another word, a deep voice cut across the square. "Enough." Everything fell silent. The crowd instinctively stepped aside. Future Alpha Kael Draven strode through the marketplace, dressed in black ceremonial armor embroidered with silver runes. Tall and broad-shouldered, he carried himself with the quiet authority of someone born to lead. His icy blue eyes swept over Rowan. "You disgrace yourself." Rowan immediately lowered his head. "My apologies, Future Alpha." Kael didn't answer. Instead... His gaze shifted. For one brief moment... Our eyes met. Something strange flickered across his expression. Confusion. Recognition. Almost... Pain. Before I could understand it, he looked away. "Return to your duties," he ordered. Rowan hurried off without another word. The crowd dispersed. As quickly as it had happened... The moment ended. Kael continued walking without looking back. Yet for reasons I couldn't explain... My heart refused to slow. That evening, the full moon rose. Larger than I had ever seen. Its silver light spilled across the Sacred Clearing where hundreds of wolves gathered in respectful silence. At the center stood the Moon Stone—an ancient white monolith said to have been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. Alpha Magnus stood beside it. The Elders formed a circle around the stone. Families gathered together. Laughter mixed with nervous excitement. Every eighteen-year-old stepped forward wearing ceremonial white. Everyone... Except me. I stood at the very edge of the crowd in my simple servant's dress. I wasn't supposed to be there. Not really. But every wolf born into Bloodfang Pack had the right to stand before the moon once. Even the Moon-Cursed. The oldest Elder raised his staff. "The Full Moon bears witness." "The Moon Goddess watches." "Tonight, destiny shall reveal itself." The clearing fell completely silent. One by one, names were called. Young wolves approached the Moon Stone. Silver light enveloped them. Cheers erupted as wolves awakened for the first time. Some laughed. Some cried. Some collapsed into the arms of the mates they had just found. Each joyful cry tightened the knot in my chest. Please... Just once. Let me hear something. Anything. The line grew shorter. Then shorter still. Until only one name remained unread. The Elder slowly unrolled the final scroll. His brows furrowed. A strange silence settled over the clearing. He looked at the parchment once. Then again. As though questioning what he was seeing. Finally... His eyes lifted. Straight to me. "Selene Ashbourne." Every head turned. The entire clearing seemed to hold its breath. "Step forward." My legs refused to move. Because for the first time in eighteen years... The Moon Goddess had finally spoken my name.