CHAPTER 2: REJECTED UNDER THE MOON
1739 Words
ARIA’S POV
The grip on my wrist tightened suddenly, halting my steps.
“Kaius.”
I didn’t need to look up to know it was him. His scent hit me first—sharp cedar, familiar in a way that once felt like home. Now it twisted painfully in my chest, a cruel reminder of something I had already begun losing.
“Where are you running to?” His voice carried a chill I hadn’t expected, stripped of the warmth it once held.
“I just needed air.” I wrenched my arm free and stepped back, my pulse racing. The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
His amber eyes flicked over me, reading me like he could see every thought I tried to hide. Something flickered in his gaze—hesitation, maybe regret. Then his expression hardened, as if he had caught himself caring.
“You shouldn’t wander near the boundary,” he said, his tone turning formal. “Especially tonight.”
His warning settled heavily in my stomach.
Behind him, the pack grounds glowed with torchlight. Wolves moved between the buildings, laughter and excitement echoing through the air. The Moon Festival had begun—the sacred ceremony where unmated wolves found their fated partners.
The night every wolf dreamed of.
I walked past him without another word, keeping my gaze lowered, pretending that the growing weight in my chest wasn’t slowly crushing me.
The pack house buzzed with celebration. Omegas hurried past, arms filled with ribbons and flowers, their voices filled with excitement. Groups of young wolves gathered in corners, whispering eagerly about possible future mates.
I slipped through them unnoticed.
When I reached my small room, I closed the door quietly behind me, leaning against it for a moment as the muffled sounds of celebration seeped through the walls.
My knees weakened, but I forced myself forward, kneeling beside my bed. My fingers slid inside the wooden frame, pulling out a chest that had been hidden beneath it.
Dust clung to the carved edges as I pulled it free.
The lid creaked softly as I opened it. Inside lay the only thing my mother had left behind.
Her gown.
The silver fabric shimmered faintly in the candlelight, though time had worn it thin.
My fingers trembled as I brushed over the delicate embroidery stitched along the hem. She had told me once that she wore this gown during her own mating ceremony—said it carried blessings from the Moon Goddess herself.
I swallowed hard, blinking away the sting behind my eyes.
Carefully, I lifted the gown and slipped it over my shoulders. The fabric settled perfectly against my skin, cool and strangely familiar, as if it had been waiting for me all these years.
I turned toward the cracked mirror hanging beside my bed.
The reflection staring back felt like a stranger.
A girl stood there, fragile and uncertain… yet something defiant flickered in her eyes. For a brief moment, I imagined my mother standing behind me, smoothing my hair, whispering words of encouragement as she used to when I had nightmares.
The illusion faded quickly.
After my coming-of-age ceremony, I avoided the Moon Festival every year. I had been too afraid to face the truth that everyone else already knew.
I had no wolf.
And wolves without wolves were rarely chosen by fate.
But tonight…
Tonight, I refused to hide.
Even if hope felt like standing at the edge of a cliff with no guarantee that the ground wouldn’t swallow me up.
The ceremonial grounds were already filled when I arrived. Torches lined the clearing, their flames dancing wildly under the full moon. The air smelled of pine smoke and crushed wildflowers.
The elders stood in a wide circle carved into the earth, chanting softly in an ancient language. Their voices blended into a deep, rhythmic hum that vibrated through my bones.
At the centre, Alpha Darius sat on a carved stone throne, his presence heavy enough to command silence without effort. Beside him stood the Luna, her silver crown gleaming under the moonlight. Kaius stood slightly behind them, tall and perfect—every inch the future Alpha the pack admired.
One by one, unmated wolves stepped into the sacred circle. Each time two destined mates found one another, the moonlight intensified, glowing brighter around them as if the Goddess herself smiled upon their union. Gasps and cheers erupted as mates embraced. Some laughed in disbelief, while others cried openly as a lifetime of loneliness ended in a single moment.
My stomach twisted tighter with every successful pairing.
Then…
The head elder spoke my name.
“Aria Lysandra… step forward.”
The clearing seemed to shrink as I walked toward the circle. Each step felt heavier than the last, and my legs trembled despite my determination to remain steady.
The moment I crossed into the sacred ring, the air grew colder.
I lifted my face to the moon.
“I waited…”
Nothing happened.
Whispers spread through the crowd. Liora’s smirk cut like a blade. Every eye pierced me. My heart beat louder, drowning out the chant.
I lifted my chin. I would not beg the Moon Goddess. If I remained mate-less, so be it.
Then Kaius stepped forward.
My eyes widened, and relief surged through me.
His eyes met mine. His gaze was cold and unreadable. Every instinct screamed that something had gone wrong.
He walked toward me and stopped a few steps away.
“I reject you, Aria jareth, as my fated mate and Luna,” he said. Each word was a knife.
“I will not accept a bond that weakens my future. You are unworthy of standing beside me.”
Gasps erupted around us. Somewhere behind me, someone laughed softly.
Pain tore through me. I clutched my chest as if I could physically hold my heart together. Tears blurred my vision. My legs trembled, barely holding me upright as the pack watched my destruction in silence.
“I…” My lips parted, but no words would come.
Kaius stepped closer, his Alpha aura forcing me into total submission.
The pack watched in silence.
“I, Aria jareth,” I whispered, my voice cracking, “accept the rejection from Kaius Thorne, Alpha heir of the Mooncrest Pack, as my mate.”
The moment the words left my mouth, something inside me shattered completely.
Kaius turned away from me as if I no longer existed. He reached for Liora, pulling her into the circle, his fingers intertwining with hers.
“Before the Moon Goddess and this pack,” he declared, “I claim Liora Torren as my chosen mate and Luna.”
Cheers erupted instantly. Some wolves howled in celebration. Others turned their faces away, unable to watch. A few stared openly, their expressions filled with mockery and relief that the humiliation wasn’t theirs.
The sound crushed what little strength I had left.
I turned and ran.
The forest swallowed me whole, branches clawing at my arms as I sprinted blindly through the darkness. Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t slow down. The pain from the broken bond sent fresh waves of agony through me.
The moment I crossed the boundary stone, my strength vanished entirely. My legs buckled beneath me, and I crashed onto the cold forest floor. My vision swam as pain consumed every nerve in my body.
The last thing I remembered was lying half-conscious, pain throbbing through me, outside the pack’s border.
Dark shapes circled when I opened my eyes.
“Rogues.”
Their smiles were sharp and hungry. “Looks like the pack threw something away,” one sneered.
Panic gripped my chest as I scrambled backwards, dirt digging into my palms.
Another rogue lunged suddenly, claws slicing the air inches from my face. I rolled aside quickly, gasping as sharp stones tore into my shoulder. I pressed my lips together as pain spread through my body, but fear forced me upright again.
“Fight back,” another taunted, blocking my escape path.
I staggered to my feet, grabbing a broken branch from the ground and swinging wildly. The branch struck one rogue across the muzzle, buying me only seconds before he snarled and advanced again.
There were too many.
They closed in slowly, savouring my fear.
I backed away until my shoulders slammed against the boundary stone. My body trembled violently, exhaustion and pain dragging me toward collapse. My grip on the branch weakened.
One rogue lunged.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for claws, for teeth, for death.
Then a scream tore through the forest.
My eyes snapped open.
A massive wolf burst from the shadows, moving with terrifying speed. Its black fur gleamed under the moonlight, and its eyes glowed like bottomless pits of darkness. The ground seemed to tremble beneath its weight as it slammed into the rogues, scattering them like leaves in a storm.
I tried to stand, but my legs trembled violently. The copper scent of blood thickened the air, making my stomach churn. My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear anything else.
Another rogue darted toward me.
Before it could reach me, the wolf slammed into it, jaws snapping inches from my face. The force of the collision sent a gust of wind across my skin, carrying the wolf’s scent toward me.
The rogue whimpered and retreated, disappearing into the darkness alongside the remaining attackers as the mysterious wolf stood over me, glowing eyes scanning the forest for further threats.
Silence slowly crept back into the clearing.
Only the sound of my ragged breathing and the distant rustling of fleeing rogues remained.
I tried to focus on the wolf, tried to understand why it had come… why it had protected me.
But my vision began to blur. My ears rang loudly, drowning out the world around me.
The wolf turned toward me suddenly, its eyes locking onto mine for a brief moment.
It stepped closer.
My body swayed dangerously as my fingers curled weakly into the dirt. The ground spun around me.
“I…” My voice barely came out as a whisper. “Who are you…?”
The wolf released a low rumble, deep and almost soothing, though I couldn’t understand its meaning.
The last thing I saw was the wolf stepping forward as if to catch me.
Then everything dissolved into darkness.
And I never learned what fate waited for me when I hit the ground.
- Writer
