The grand ceremonial hall is alive with celebration.
Laughter and excited murmurs fill the space, the scent of burning sage and fresh roses weaving through the air.
The Moonlight Pack is finally getting their Luna, and the energy in the hall is electric.
Elders sit in their sacred robes, their eyes shining with approval, while alphas from neighboring packs stand as honored witnesses.
At the center of it all, Anna radiates pure joy.
Her golden ceremonial robe glows under the silver light of the full moon, her smile bright as she approaches her destined mate.
This is her moment, the dream she's carried since she first learned of fate and the bond it weaves.
Tonight, she will become Alpha Lucian's mate.
But as she steps closer, heart full, Lucian stands rigid.
His hands clench at his sides, his jaw locked. The voices around him blur, drowned by the pounding of his own heart.
He should be happy. This should feel right.
Instead, all he can think about is the man he left behind.
Aiden Hale.
The man who had been his anchor, his solace, his greatest joy.
For more than five years, they had built a world of their own, a world where love wasn't a duty but a choice, where whispered promises in the dead of night felt as sacred as any vow.
Aiden, with his steady hands and unwavering heart, had been the only home Lucian ever needed.
They had dreamed of forever, of growing old together, of defying everything that stood in their way.
But fate had never been kind, and now, here he was, bound to another, while the one he truly loves is left behind, waiting for a promise that could never be fulfilled.
~The memory crashes into him like a tidal wave.
"Lucian, please, don't do this…"
Aiden's voice had cracked, his fingers trembling as they clutched Lucian's wrist.
His eyes, so full of pain, of longing- had searched Lucian's for something, anything that would make him stay.
Lucian had wanted to.
Moon above, he had wanted nothing more than to hold Aiden close, to erase the ceremony, the duty, the weight of expectation crushing him.
But he couldn't.
Not when the Moon Goddess herself had chosen his mate.
Not when defying her meant risking his entire pack.
"If I don't go through with this," he had whispered to Aiden, "the consequences won't just be mine to bear. The pack will suffer. You will suffer, Aiden."
Aiden's breath had hitched. His grip had tightened, as if holding on would change fate itself.
"You promised," Aiden had whispered. "Five years ago, you swore you'd find a way to break the bond. You swore we'd be together. But here we are, Lucian. You're still bound to her. Going to make yours!"
Lucian had no answer.
Because Aiden was right.
Five years. Five years of searching, of hoping, of trying everything the Elders forbade him from even speaking of.
And still, the bond between him and Anna remained, as unbreakable as the moon's hold on the tides.
Aiden had cried, did all he could for Lucian to see his pain- and maybe, just maybe he could change his mind.
But Lucian still walked away.
And now, standing in the grand ceremonial hall, with the entire pack waiting, he feels suffocated.
He can't wait for this so-called marriage ceremony to end.
So he can go back to where his heart truly desire.
Back to Aiden.
The ceremony goes on. His pack is rejoicing, but he feels like a man being buried alive in a grave he dug with his own hands.
Nothing lasts forever, and finally, the ceremony ends.
Lucian takes Anna's hand, his grip loose, indifferent.
He walks beside her toward his chamber, a show for the onlookers, nothing more. The moment they turn the corner, disappearing from view, he lets go.
Anna falters slightly, but Lucian doesn't care. He doesn't stop, doesn't look back.
He strides ahead, his pace quick, impatient.
He needs to get out of here.
Inside his chamber, he rips off the ceremonial robe, letting it fall carelessly to the floor.
His movements are sharp, restless, every second feeling like an eternity wasted.
Anna watches in silence.
She doesn't ask.
She can sense the mood.
Lucian buttons up a plain black shirt, his hands steady, his mind set. He reaches for his jacket, ready to leave.
But Anna moves.
She steps in front of the door, blocking his way.
"Are you seriously going to leave me here on our wedding night and go to him?!"
Lucian freezes.
His grip tightens around the jacket. He lifts his gaze, meeting hers.
Wait. Did she just say…?
His pulse pounds in his ears.
Anna crosses her arms, tilting her head slightly. There's no shock in her expression. No pain. No confusion.
Just… knowledge.
Before Lucian can react, she steps forward.
"Lucian, I'm not going to accept the humiliation of being rejected by my own mate, so stop playing these little games," she murmurs, her voice low, razor-sharp. "Or I swear, I will announce to all the packs that the great Alpha Lucian of the mighty Moonlight Pack is having an affair with a man. That you're sleeping with a man."
The room tilts.
Lucian's blood turns to ice.
His mind races, struggling to piece this together. The only person who knew about this was Jackson- his beta. So how did Anna…?
She chuckles, the sound soft yet laced with wicked amusement.
"Yes, I know. Don't bother asking how."
She takes a slow step forward, her voice almost teasing, almost pitying.
"Imagine how everyone will feel. How disgusted they'll be. Your pack? The other alphas? You think any of them will still respect you? You won't have a pack anymore, Lucian. You'll lose everything."
Lucian's breath comes short.
Anna's eyes gleam with cruel satisfaction.
"And we both know wolves can't survive without a pack. Without them, we grow weak until we die." She tilts her head, feigning innocence. "Come on, Lucian. Every wolf praises you for your intelligence, so choose wisely. Why should a mere disgusting affair cost you everything you've ever desired and cared for?"
Lucian clenches his fists.
His jaw locks.
His entire body trembles, not with fear, but with rage.
How dare she?
How dare she call that a mere affair?