Sera's POV
Something is wrong.
I know it the second I see Dominic's face. He's standing at the altar, but his eyes are cold. Empty. Like I'm a stranger instead of his mate instead of the woman he's known for five years.
My heart pounds as I walk down the aisle, each step heavier than the last. Every wolf in the Silverpine pack is watching. Cameras flash like lightning, momentarily blinding me. This ceremony is being broadcast to every pack in the region. Tonight, after five years of waiting, five years of proving myself worthy, Dominic finally claims me as his Luna.
Except he's not smiling.
The closer I get, the colder his expression becomes. My wolf whimpers inside me, sensing danger where there should only be joy.
I reach the altar. Dominic takes my hands, but his grip is loose, reluctant. The mate bond hums between us, but it feels like ice instead of warmth. Wrong. Everything about this feels wrong.
Do you, Alpha Dominic Silverpine, accept Sera Silverpine as your mate and Luna? the elder asks, his voice echoing in the sudden silence.
This is it. The moment I've waited for since I turned eighteen. Since the bond first snapped into place and I knew we were meant to be together.
Dominic looks at me. What I see in his eyes makes my blood turn cold.
Disgust.
I, Dominic Silverpine, reject you, Sera Silverpine, as my mate and Luna.
The crowd gasps. My mother screams. But all I can do is stare as my world shatters into a thousand irreparable pieces.
The mate bond doesn't just break. It explodes. Pain rips through my chest like claws tearing pieces of my soul away. I can't breathe. Can't think. Can't understand what's happening. I fall to my knees as agony floods every part of me, white hot and merciless.
Through the haze of pain, I see Dominic turn to a beautiful woman standing at the side. Lydia Kane. She's smiling. Actually smiling.
I, Dominic Silverpine, accept you, Lydia Kane, as my mate and Luna, he says clearly, loud enough for everyone to hear.
No. This can't be happening. This isn't real.
But the blood dripping from my nose is real. The whispers around me are real.
Poor thing. Too weak to be a Luna. I knew she wasn't good enough for him.
Cameras flash in my face, capturing my destruction for the world to see. Someone actually laughs and the sound cuts deeper than any blade.
I force myself to stand. My legs shake violently, but I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me broken. Won't give them that victory.
Dominic, I say, voice cracking. Why?
You're not strong enough, Sera. You never were. I need a real Luna. Someone worthy of standing beside me.
Each word is a knife. I look at my parents they won't meet my eyes, won't even look at me. I look at my brother Jason. He's being held back by two warriors, but not fighting hard enough. Not nearly hard enough.
No one is coming to save me.
Something inside me snaps. Not the bond this time. My pride. My hope. Everything I was dies in this moment, and something new something harder takes its place.
I turn and run.
Behind me, laughter. Whispers. Cameras clicking like the sound of my humiliation being recorded for eternity. I run past the decorations I spent weeks setting up, past the future I thought was mine, into the forest.
Tears blind me. Blood drips from my nose, leaving a trail. My chest feels ripped apart, hollow. Every breath hurts. But I keep running.
Away from the pack that watched me destroyed. Away from the mate who threw me away like garbage. Away from everyone who let this happen, who did nothing, who chose him over me.
My wolf whimpers inside me, hurt and confused. She doesn't understand why our mate rejected us. Doesn't understand how the bond we trusted could turn to poison.
I run until my legs give out. I collapse against a tree, gasping, sobbing. The pain is so bad I want to scream. Want to tear my own heart out just to make it stop.
That's when I notice the silence.
The trees here are darker. Different. Ancient. The air tastes wrong.
Claw marks on the bark. Three deep slashes. Fresh.
Shadowfang territory.
Oh God, no. I've crossed into enemy land. The Shadowfang pack kills trespassers on sight. They're brutal, merciless. And I just stumbled onto their land like prey walking into a predator's den.
I try to stand, but my body won't move. The bond break drained everything. I have nothing left.
A twig snap behind me.
Five massive wolves' step from the shadows. Black as night. Eyes glowing amber in the darkness. Fixed on me with deadly focus.
The largest moves forward, and even in my haze of pain, I recognize him. When he shifts to human form, my breath catches despite everything.
Kael Nightshade. The Shadowfang Alpha.
The wolf who killed his own father to take power. The wolf who's been hunting Silverpine for three years, picking off our warriors one by one. The monster mothers use to scare children into obedience.
He walks toward me slowly, each step deliberates. Predatory. I can't move. Can barely breathe.
This is how I die. Rejected and murdered on the same night. Destroyed by my mate and killed by my enemy.
Kael crouches down, bringing his face level with mine. His silver eyes study my torn dress, bloody nose, shaking hands. Taking in every detail of my destruction.
Then he does something impossible.
He reaches out and gently touches my face, wiping away blood with his thumb.
Finally, he says, voice deep and rough, sending shivers down my spine. I've been looking for you for three years, little wolf.
My heart stops. What?
Kael's smile is terrifying and beautiful at once. You're the Moon Blessed. And you're coming with me.
Before I can scream or fight or even process his words, his hand moves to my neck. His touch is gentle, but his grip is firm. Inescapable.
Sleep, he commands. Power rolls through his voice, ancient and irresistible.
My eyes grow heavy against my will. The world tilts. The last thing I see is Kael's silver eyes staring into mine with something that looks almost like recognition. Like he's been waiting for this moment.
And the last thing I hear is his whisper, soft and possessive:
You're mine now, Sera Silverpine. And I'm never letting you go.
Darkness swallows me whole.