The Rejected Lunar Bond

“Aria, your coming-of-age ceremony is approaching. Until then, you should start acting properly.” I had barely stepped into the marble-floored mansion when my stepfather, Marcus Vale, barked from the living room. His voice echoed through the high ceiling, sharp and unforgiving. “Aria Ashcroft, you disappoint this family more with each passing day. This is the seventh time you’ve failed in your academics and in finding your mate this month.” My mother, Clara Vale, stood beside him, her arms folded tightly. She didn’t defend me. Instead, she sighed, her expression filled with quiet disappointment. In this elite werewolf world, turning eighteen wasn’t just a birthday it was a judgment day. Before choosing a mate, every werewolf student was required to prepare a bond gift, a symbolic offering meant to prove strength, talent, and worth. At Apex Dominion Academy, the most prestigious werewolf high school in the country, heirs of powerful packs and billionaire dynasties competed fiercely to prove themselves. Failure wasn’t tolerated. Unfortunately, I seemed to be an exception. My biological father, Alpha Orion Ashcroft, had once been one of the most powerful wolf leaders in the city. He controlled the Dusk Crest Consortium, a pack known for both wealth and honor. Three years ago, he died during a violent power struggle between elite wolf corporations. The winner of that battle was Marcus Vale. After my father’s death, my mother submitted to Marcus’s authority and married him—not out of love, but to protect me from being erased by the council. Since then, I had become invisible in my own home. Marcus never liked me. He kept me around only because I was useful because he could not kill the sole heir to the Ashcroft pack. If I failed to find a mate before my eighteenth birthday, I would be expelled from elite society, stripped of my pack status, and forced to live as a rogue. My mother believed that if I could bond with a powerful heir, I might survive. “I’ll succeed before the end,” I said quietly. Marcus scoffed, already turning away. I walked upstairs, closed my bedroom door, and leaned against it. Their muffled voices drifted through the walls, but I ignored them. I lay on my bed, staring out the tall glass window at the city skyline glowing under the setting sun. My thoughts drifted to my father. He had been strong, feared by many, yet gentle with me. What I remembered most were his words. “Little Aria, stay behind me. I’ll protect you.” He could have escaped that night. But when Marcus’s wolves chased me to the edge of a cliff overlooking the city lights, my father made a choice. He offered himself in exchange for my life. They pushed him over. I survived. But he didn't. After taking control, Marcus treated my father’s former pack members cruelly. He demoted them, forced them into exhausting labor, punished them publicly for the smallest mistakes. Some were beaten. Others disappeared. That guilt stayed with me every day. That night, sleep wouldn’t come. I slipped into the hallway, hoping the silence would calm me. “Aria.” My mother stood there, holding a sleek silver envelope. “You should read this.” It was sealed with the emblem of the Harrington family, the founders of Apex Dominion Academy and one of the wealthiest wolf dynasties in the country. Inside was an invitation. The Harringtons were hosting an exclusive Billionaire Heir Gala, a formal event for elite werewolf students nearing adulthood. It also served as an unofficial mate-selection night. “I don’t want to go,” I said, handing it back. “We already confirmed your attendance,” my mother replied firmly. “You agreed without asking me?” I demanded. “If you don’t attend,” she said sharply, “the council will see it as refusal. You’ll be exiled.” I clenched my fists. “…Fine.” Only then did she turn and walk away. --- Early the next morning, I arrived at Apex Dominion Academy. The campus looked more like a royal estate than a school towering gates, polished stone pathways, guards in tailored suits, and a castle-like main hall glowing under crystal lights. As I approached the entrance, a middle-aged man in a black suit stopped me. “Invitation, please.” I handed him the envelope. He examined it, then laughed. “A Tier-One invitation, huh?” The guard beside him smirked as he handed it back. “Go ahead.” I didn’t understand why they laughed. Inside, the hall was already crowded with elite heirs dressed in designer suits and gowns. The scent of expensive perfume filled the air, making my head spin. I found a quiet corner and sat down, hoping the night would pass quickly. Then I heard raised voices. “I’m part of this family too,” a young man said angrily. “You don’t get to exclude me.” “You know why,” a middle-aged man replied coldly. “I won’t let you ruin this gala.” I glanced over. It was Julian Harrington, head of the Harrington dynasty. The young man facing him was his son Leo Harrington, future Alpha and CEO-in-training of the most powerful werewolf empire. Leo’s eyes glowed red with suppressed rage, his fists clenched. Tall and broad-shouldered, with blond wolf-cut hair falling messily over his piercing blue eyes, he was dangerously handsome. A faint Harrington crest glowed along his neck, marking him as an heir even before his official coming-of-age. “They killed my mother,” Leo snapped. “You expect me to pretend it never happened?” Julian sighed, then placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’ll let you attend. But not tonight. We’ll deal with it later.” Leo’s fists slowly relaxed. Realizing I was close, I tried to move away but accidentally knocked into a table. Instinctively, I crouched beneath it. “You.” His voice froze me in place. “What are you doing under there?” I slowly looked up. “I dropped something,” I lied as I crawled out. “Who brought you here?” Leo asked coldly. “I was invited. I’m not staff.” He studied me closely. “Which family?” “The Ashcroft family,” I answered softly. “My father was Orion Ashcroft.” His eyes widened slightly. “You’re Alpha Ashcroft’s daughter?” “Yes.” Before he could say anything else, a staff member came from the entrance. “Aria Ashcroft? Someone asked me to give you this," she said as she walked away. “Who is that?” I asked, shocked. ““I don’t know who sent it, but your name is on it. There’s no mistake.” Heat rushed to my face. Without another word, the attendant turned away. Then— “Aria Ashcroft?” a woman’s voice called out behind me.