Cold darkness wrapped around Luna like chains.
Her body felt heavy, unmoving, as if she were sinking deep beneath frozen water. Distant voices echoed around her—angry, fearful, confused—but none of them felt real.
Pain dragged her back.
A sharp burning sensation spread through her chest, fierce and undeniable. Luna gasped, sucking in air as her eyes flew open.
Stone greeted her back.
She lay on a narrow bed inside the Silverclaw infirmary. The ceiling above her was low and rough, carved from ancient rock. The air smelled of crushed herbs, blood, and fear.
Fear—because it wasn't just hers.
Wolves stood everywhere.
Warriors lined the walls, hands resting on their weapons. Elders whispered among themselves. Healers hovered near the door, their eyes wary as if Luna might explode at any moment.
She tried to sit up.
"Don't move."
The voice was cold. Final.
Her heart slammed painfully.
Alpha Darius stood at the foot of the bed.
He looked even more dangerous up close. His dark clothes were torn at the chest, revealing the faintly glowing crimson mark burned over his heart. The bond mark.
Her mark.
The reality of it crashed over her, stealing her breath.
"M-My Alpha," Luna whispered.
A low growl rippled through the room—not from him, but from the wolves behind him.
"She dares speak to him."
"After what she did?"
"A cursed omega marking our Alpha…"
Luna clenched her fists under the blanket, nails digging into her palms.
"What… what happened?" she asked softly.
"You collapsed," the pack healer replied stiffly. "After releasing a surge of power strong enough to throw trained warriors across the clearing."
Luna's eyes widened in horror. "I didn't mean to. I swear, I—"
"You don't get to explain."
Alpha Darius's words sliced through the room like a blade.
Silence fell instantly.
He stepped closer. With each step, the pressure in the room intensified, forcing Luna's chest to tighten. Her wolf—if she even had one—trembled deep inside her.
"You are dangerous," he said flatly. "And whatever bond the Moon forced upon us… it is unnatural."
Her heart cracked.
"I didn't choose this," Luna said, forcing her voice to stay steady. "I didn't ask to be your mate."
His jaw clenched. "And you think I would ever choose an omega?"
The words stung worse than any blow.
Murmurs erupted around them.
"She trapped him."
"Used dark magic."
"Omegas shouldn't have this kind of power."
Luna shook her head desperately. "I don't even understand what's happening to me."
"That is exactly the problem," Alpha Darius replied. "You don't understand the power you carry—and yet it responded to you."
He turned sharply to the elders. "Summon the pack council."
Her stomach dropped.
Within minutes, Luna was forced to stand in the center of the great hall, barefoot on cold stone. The entire pack gathered around her in a wide circle.
She felt small.
Exposed.
Broken.
Alpha Darius stood before the council, tall and unyielding.
"This bond will not be acknowledged," he announced.
The words echoed through the hall.
Gasps filled the air.
Luna's breath hitched. "W-What?"
"I reject you," Alpha Darius said coldly. "As my mate. As my Luna."
The bond burned.
A searing pain ripped through Luna's chest, forcing a scream from her throat. She collapsed to her knees, clutching herself as agony tore through her veins.
Rejected.
Publicly.
The strongest Alpha rejecting her in front of the entire pack.
Tears streamed down her face as whispers turned cruel.
"She deserved it."
"A cursed omega dreaming too high."
"She should be banished."
Alpha Darius watched her without emotion.
"The bond may exist," he continued, "but it will not control me. She will not claim authority. She will not claim me."
Luna struggled to breathe.
"Alpha," one elder said cautiously, "the Moon Goddess—"
"The Moon Goddess made a mistake," he snapped.
The hall fell silent.
A deep, ancient hum filled the air.
The torches flickered violently.
Luna gasped as the markings on her skin flared to life again, glowing brighter than before. Pain mixed with something else now—anger.
Not hers.
Something inside her stirred.
Alpha Darius stiffened.
"You feel that," she whispered, staring up at him in shock.
His eyes darkened. "Enough."
He turned to the guards. "Lock her in the lower cells. Until we understand what she is."
Chains snapped shut around Luna's wrists.
Cold iron burned her skin.
"No!" she cried. "Please—I won't hurt anyone!"
She was dragged across the stone floor as the pack watched.
Some with fear.
Some with satisfaction.
None with mercy.
The cell door slammed shut behind her.
Darkness closed in.
Luna sank against the wall, shaking violently. Tears streamed down her face as the bond throbbed painfully in her chest.
Why me? she wondered silently.
A soft laugh echoed in her mind.
The same ancient voice.
"Because they are wrong."
Her breath caught.
Wrong about what? she thought.
"About who the monster is."
The ground trembled.
Far above, Luna felt it—the Alpha's power reacting violently to something he could not control.
The bond tightened.
And for the first time, Alpha Darius screamed.
Luna's eyes widened.
Whatever she was becoming…
It terrified even him.