Chapter 1 (part 2): The Rejection
1293 Words
The wind grew sharper as Ivy stumbled deeper into the forest.
She didn’t know how long she’d been walking.
Minutes.
Maybe an hour.
The pain from the rejection still throbbed inside her chest like an open wound. Every breath reminded her that the bond had been torn away before it had even been given a chance to exist.
“I wasn’t enough…” she whispered.
The words disappeared into the falling snow.
Her wolf whimpered inside her, unusually quiet.
Normally, wolves comforted one another after emotional pain.
Tonight, hers remained silent.
Almost…
Almost as if it were listening.
A sudden crunch echoed behind her.
Ivy spun around.
Nothing.
Only towering pines and drifting snow.
She exhaled shakily.
“I’m imagining things.”
She turned to continue walking when another sound came.
Closer.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Someone—or something—was following her.
“Who’s there?” she called, trying to sound braver than she felt.
Silence.
Then…
A low growl.
It wasn’t threatening.
It was… curious.
Two brilliant golden eyes appeared between the trees.
Ivy froze.
A massive wolf stepped into the moonlight.
Its coat wasn’t gray or black like the wolves of Blackwood Pack.
It shimmered like silver touched with gold, every strand glowing faintly beneath the moon. It stood nearly as tall as Ivy’s shoulder, its amber eyes fixed on her with an intelligence that was almost human.
She had never seen a wolf like it.
The creature tilted its head.
Then, to her complete astonishment…
It bowed.
“What…”
Before Ivy could move, another wolf emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, six enormous wolves stood in a semicircle around her.
None of them looked hostile.
Every single one lowered its head.
As though paying respect.
Her pulse quickened.
“This can’t be real.”
The golden wolf let out a soft howl.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Far away, another howl answered.
Then another.
The entire mountain seemed to awaken.
Something ancient stirred beneath the earth.
A strange warmth spread through Ivy’s chest.
Not painful.
Comforting.
Her wolf, silent until now, lifted her head.
Go with them.
The words weren’t spoken aloud.
They echoed inside Ivy’s mind.
“You… you can talk?”
Not often. Only when it matters.
Before Ivy could ask another question, the golden wolf turned and began walking deeper into the forest.
After a moment’s hesitation…
She followed.
⸻
Back inside Blackwood Pack, the celebration had resumed.
Or at least everyone was pretending it had.
Music filled the Great Hall once more, but Alpha Damon heard none of it.
He stood alone on the balcony where he’d rejected Ivy.
Snow collected on his shoulders.
His Beta, Lucas, stepped outside.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Damon didn’t answer.
Lucas leaned against the railing.
“You made your decision.”
“I did.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
Silence.
Finally Damon spoke.
“Have you ever wondered why the Moon Goddess chooses mates?”
Lucas frowned.
“That’s a strange question.”
“Answer it.”
“They’re supposed to make each other stronger.”
Damon let out a bitter laugh.
“I’ve just destroyed mine.”
Lucas studied him carefully.
“You rejected her because of the council.”
“I rejected her because I thought it was the only way to protect this pack.”
“Did you?”
Damon didn’t respond.
Instead, his wolf growled violently inside him.
Find her.
“No.”
She is ours.
“I rejected her.”
You rejected her. I didn’t.
Damon closed his eyes.
His wolf had never fought him before.
Not once.
Tonight it refused to submit.
Images flashed through his mind.
Ivy smiling when their eyes met.
The hope on her face.
The moment it disappeared.
He swallowed hard.
“What have I done?”
⸻
Elsewhere in the hall, members of the council watched Damon through the window.
Elder Marcus folded his hands behind his back.
“It had to be done.”
A woman beside him nodded.
“The Ashbourne girl was never suitable.”
Marcus’s expression darkened.
“Suitable?”
He glanced toward the forest.
“If only you knew.”
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer.
Because twenty-two years ago…
He had buried a secret that was never meant to survive.
And if that secret had just returned…
Every Alpha on the continent was in danger.
⸻
The wolves led Ivy to a frozen lake hidden deep within the mountains.
The snowfall stopped the instant she entered the clearing.
The silence was almost sacred.
Moonlight reflected off the glass-like surface of the lake.
At its center stood a circle of ancient stone pillars covered in glowing silver symbols.
She had never seen this place before.
The golden wolf walked to the edge of the lake.
The frozen surface began to crack.
Not from breaking—
From glowing.
Silver light spread beneath the ice in intricate patterns, as though something alive slept beneath it.
A voice echoed across the clearing.
Soft.
Ancient.
“At last…”
Ivy spun around.
“Who’s there?”
No one.
Only the wolves.
Then the lake itself shimmered.
A woman dressed in flowing white appeared above the ice like a reflection brought to life.
Her long silver hair danced in a wind Ivy couldn’t feel.
Her eyes glowed with the same golden light as the wolves.
Ivy instinctively stepped back.
“You… you’re a spirit.”
The woman smiled sadly.
“No.”
“Then… who are you?”
“I am the last Keeper.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
The Keeper raised one elegant hand.
“You have spent your entire life believing you were ordinary.”
“I am ordinary.”
“No.”
Her voice carried quiet certainty.
“You were hidden.”
Ivy’s breath caught.
“What do you mean?”
The Keeper looked toward the full moon.
“Your mother made an impossible choice.”
“You knew my mother?”
“I loved her as my own.”
Tears stung Ivy’s eyes.
“My mother never told me anything about my father.”
“Because she couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“To keep you alive.”
The world seemed to stop.
Alive?
The Keeper’s expression grew solemn.
“The night you were born, blood was spilled for a crown.”
Ivy stared at her.
“You are not the daughter of an ordinary wolf.”
The symbols around the lake flared brighter.
The wolves lowered themselves until their bellies touched the snow.
Even the golden wolf bowed deeply.
The Keeper met Ivy’s gaze.
“You are the last living heir of the Northern Lycan Kingdom.”
The words hung in the air.
Impossible.
“No…” Ivy whispered, shaking her head. “You’ve made a mistake.”
“I never make mistakes.”
“I’m nobody.”
The Keeper smiled with unmistakable affection.
“You are Princess Ivy Elowen Ashbourne.”
The name struck something deep inside her.
A memory.
A lullaby.
Her mother humming beside a fireplace.
A silver pendant hidden beneath her dress.
Words she’d never understood.
“No matter where we hide, the moon will always know its daughter.”
Her knees weakened.
“My mother…”
“Was a queen.”
The golden wolf let out a long, haunting howl.
One by one, the other wolves joined in.
Their voices rolled across the mountains like a proclamation.
Far away, in his chamber, Damon shot upright from his chair.
His wolf had heard it too.
Not just a howl.
A royal summons.
And for the first time in centuries…
The bloodline of the Northern Lycans had awakened.
To be continued…
- Writer
