CHAPTER 1
~ NOVA ~
I stare at the girl in front of me... She's built differently, eyes that are supposed to be sparkling and rosy? Yeah, they're dim. Lifeless. Human-like. I blink. She blinks back.
Cheer up, Nova. Cheer up.
Today is actually different from every other godforsaken day. Today is going to be the most exciting day of my life. I'm no longer going to be that girl everyone whispers about. The "wolfless wonder." The disappointment. After tonight, all that ridiculous gossip is finally going to die down, and I'll reclaim my spot in this pack.
"Are you planning on staring at yourself forever? We're going to miss the entire event if you don't move your ass," Candace calls from behind me.
I glance back. She's already dressed in this gorgeous long blue gown, hair twisted into a perfect bun, and, by the moon goddess, she looks exactly like the Disney princess we've been dreaming about becoming since we were kids. She's got her target locked in. She's hoping to get mated with Beta Kane… and me?
I've got my sights set on our Alpha. My best friend of eight years. Damien.
I feel my cheeks heat up just thinking about his words, his promises. "I can't wait for you to turn nineteen, Nova… Mate or not… I'm going to choose you as my chosen mate… I feel it… Nova."
He'd said that three months ago, his hand cupping my face, thumb brushing across my cheekbone like I was something precious. Something worth waiting for.
And now? Now I'm nineteen. Finally.
"Earth to Nova?" Candace fingers snap in front of my face. "Girl, you're doing that dreamy thing again. The one where you zone out thinking about Damien and get all soft and gooey."
"I do not get soft and gooey," I protest, turning away from the mirror to face her fully.
She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You literally just sighed. Like a heroine in a romance novel."
"Did not."
"Did too."
I roll my eyes and grab my dress from the bed, a deep emerald green that Damien once said made my eyes look "like actual magic." His words, not mine. Though I'll admit, when I slip it on and check myself in the mirror one last time, I don't look half bad. The color brings out the amber flecks in my otherwise dull eyes, and the fitted bodice actually gives me some semblance of curves.
"You look hot," Candace says, grinning.
"Damien's going to lose his mind."
"You think?" I hate how hopeful I sound. How desperate.
"Nova." She walks over and places both hands on my shoulders, looking me dead in the eye. "That man has been obsessed with you since we were eleven. He's not going to suddenly change his mind just because you don't have a wolf yet."
Yet.
That word carries so much weight. So much hope. Because there's still a chance, right? Some wolves are late bloomers. Maybe mine is just taking her sweet time, waiting for the perfect moment to emerge.
Maybe tonight.
"Come on," Candace says, linking her arm through mine. "Let's go make some men fall to their knees."
**
The pack gathering is being held in the clearing behind the main house, a massive open space surrounded by ancient trees that have witnessed decades of ceremonies just like this one. Lanterns hang from the branches, casting everything in warm, golden light. There's a bonfire already roaring in the center, and pack members are scattered everywhere, dressed in their finest, talking and laughing like this is just another party.
But it's not.
Tonight is the Harvest Moon Gathering, one of the most important ceremonies of the year. It's when newly-of-age wolves are officially recognized, when fated mates find each other, when pack bonds are strengthened.
"Oh my God, there's Kane," Candace whispers, her grip on my arm tightening. "Do I look okay? Is my hair weird? Should I have worn the red dress instead?"
"You look perfect," I assure her, even though I'm barely paying attention. My eyes are scanning the crowd, searching for one person.
There.
Damien stands near the bonfire, tall and commanding in all black. His dark hair is pushed back, and even from here I can see the strong line of his jaw, the broad set of his shoulders. He's talking to his father, Alpha Marcus, but his posture is tense. Distracted.
Like he's waiting for something. Or someone. My heart does this stupid fluttery thing in my chest.
"Go," Candace says, giving me a gentle push. "I'll catch up with you later. I've got a Beta to seduce."
I watch her sashay off toward Kane, who immediately notices her and grins. Lucky bitch. She makes this stuff look so easy.
I take a deep breath and start making my way toward Damien, walking through clusters of pack members. A few people glance at me, some curious, some pitying, some openly judgmental. I keep my head high. After tonight, they'll have nothing to whisper about.
I'm about ten feet away when Damien turns, like he can sense me approaching. Our eyes meet, and for a second, everything else fades away. He smiles, that slow, private smile he reserves just for me, and I swear my knees almost give out.
But then his expression changes. The smile falters. His eyes move past me, focusing on something behind me, and I watch in real-time as his entire face transforms into something I've never seen before.
Awe. Wonder. Longing. Ice floods my veins.
I turn slowly, following his gaze, and that's when I see her.
She's walking into the clearing like she's walking into her own personal spotlight. Long, flowing auburn hair that catches the firelight. Flawless golden skin. A white dress that hugs every curve and makes her look like some kind of ethereal goddess. And her eyes, bright, vivid green, practically glowing with inner wolf.
She's beautiful. She's everything I'm not.
And Damien is staring at her like she's the only person in the entire world.
"No," I whisper. "No, no, no…"
But the universe doesn't care about my panic. The girl, the woman, makes her way through the crowd, and people part for her automatically, drawn in by whatever supernatural magnetism she's radiating. She walks straight toward Damien, and he moves toward her like he's being pulled by an invisible string.
They meet in the middle. I can't hear what they're saying. I'm too far away, and there's too much noise around me. But I don't need to hear.
I can see it in the way he looks at her. The way she tilts her head and smiles. The way his hand reaches out, almost involuntarily, to touch her arm.
The way they both freeze at the contact, eyes widening. Mate bond.
Oh Goddess. Oh Goddess, oh Goddess, oh Goddess .
"Attention, everyone!" Alpha Marcus's voice booms across the clearing, and the crowd falls silent. He's standing on the raised platform near the bonfire, looking pleased about something.
"I have a very special announcement to make tonight."
No. Please, no.
Damien and the mystery woman walk toward the platform together. He helps her up the steps, his hand on the small of her back, and I feel something crack inside my chest.
"As many of you know," Marcus continues, "my son Damien has been searching for his fated mate for some time now. And tonight, the Moon Goddess has blessed us." He gestures to the woman beside Damien. "This is Seraphina Ashwood, daughter of Alpha Ashwood from the Northern Territory. And she is Damien's true mate."
The crowd erupts in cheers and applause.
I can't breathe.
Damien takes Seraphina's hand, raising it for everyone to see, and the smile on his face is so radiant, so genuinely happy, that I want to scream.
"There's one more thing," Damien says, his voice carrying across the clearing. He's still holding Seraphina's hand, still looking at her like she hung the moon. But then his eyes find me in the crowd, and something flickers there. Guilt? Regret?
It doesn't matter.
"Nova," he says, and suddenly every single person is turning to look at me. "Nova Sinclair, please come forward."
My legs move on autopilot. I don't remember walking to the platform, don't remember climbing the steps, but suddenly I'm standing there in front of everyone, and Damien is looking down at me with those eyes I've loved for eight years.
"Nova and I have been friends for a long time," he says, addressing the pack but keeping his gaze on me. "And I made her certain... promises. Promises I fully intended to keep."
Intended. Past tense.
"But the Moon Goddess has other plans," he continues. "And I have to honor the bond She's given me. I have to honor my true mate."
The world tilts sideways.
"So I, Damien Cross, future Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack, hereby reject you, Nova Sinclair, as my chosen mate. I'm sorry."
The words hit me like physical blows. Each one landing with precision, cracking something fundamental inside me.
I'm sorry.
Two words. That's all he offers after eight years of friendship. After all those promises. After making me believe I was worth choosing.
The crowd is silent now, watching. Waiting for my reaction. I can feel their eyes on me, pitying, curious, some even satisfied. This is what they've been waiting for, isn't it? Confirmation that the wolfless girl never stood a chance.
I should say something. Accept the rejection gracefully. Walk away with whatever dignity I have left.
But when I open my mouth, nothing comes out. My throat is too tight, my chest too constricted. I just stand there, staring at Damien, at the boy I've loved since I was eleven years old, and watch as he turns back to his beautiful, perfect, wolf-blessed mate.
Seraphina leans into him, whispers something that makes him smile, and that's it.
That's the moment I shatter completely.
I don't remember leaving the platform. Don't remember pushing through the crowd or stumbling into the forest beyond the clearing. I just run, my stupid emerald dress catching on branches, tears streaming down my face, until my legs give out and I collapse against a tree.
The sobs come then, ugly, desperate, broken sounds that tear from my throat.
He rejected me. In front of everyone. After everything, he just... let me go.
"Cheer up, Nova," I whisper bitterly to myself, echoing my earlier pep talk. "Today's going to be the most exciting day of your life."
Yeah. Exciting. That's one word for having your heart ripped out and stomped on in front of your entire pack.
I don't know how long I sit there, crying in the dark. Long enough for the sounds of the gathering to fade to distant music and laughter. Long enough for the cold to seep into my bones.
Long enough to realize that everything I thought I knew, everything I hoped for, was built on lies and broken promises.
I can't even blame him. Not really. Because in our world, fated mates are everything. They're sacred. Undeniable.
I'm just the wolfless girl who was stupid enough to believe she could compete with destiny.