The music and laughter from the grand hall behind her all felt like a cruel joke. A celebration of joy she wasn't accepted to be a part of. The cheers, the clinking of glasses, the scent of roasted meat in the air, all felt like mockery.
Selene ran, her vision blurred with unshed tears. The cold night air blew hard on her delicate face but she didn't stop. She couldn't and she wouldn't. She needed to get away. Away from the heartbreak. Away from the suffocating walls of the packhouse. Away from him.
His words still echoed in her head, cold and harsh
"I, Damian of the Shadowfang Pack, reject you as my mate."
Her wolf whimpered inside her, shattered, broken beyond repair. The bond that had sparked to life only moments ago had been crushed beneath his boot before it even had the chance to bloom.
She had always loved Damian. He was cold and aloof, hardly seen but she loved him. Fortunately…or unfortunately the Moon goddess chose her as his mate. She was overjoyed but her happiness was cut short as fast as it came
She stumbled through the trees, her pounding She couldn't go back to that grand hall where everyone whispered, where the girls who had always looked down on her now had one more reason to laugh. Not to the cold, cramped room she shared with her stepsisters, where their cruel mockings would break her bleeding heart further.
"What did you expect, Selene?" She could almost hear her eldest stepsister, Miriam, sneering. "A bastard rogue son like Damian would never accept a weakling like you. You're a joke."
And actually she was a joke.
The weak, powerless stepsister. The girl the pack barely acknowledged. A stain in her father's bloodline. She had no gifts, no strength, just hopes that she'll find a significant mate and she'll finally belong.
How foolish.
Selene reached the lake, panting. The water was still, dark, reflecting the full moon above. A cruel reminder of the goddess who had cursed her to this life.
She looked at her reflection in the water. She was a tragic beauty. Messy silver hair, damp from sweat. Pale skin, too delicate for a werewolf. And her eyes, red-rimmed, glassy with unshed tears. A beautiful disaster.
Was this what fate had in store for her? To live as a discarded mate? To be hated or pitied or worse…mocked?
'No!' She thought as she clenched hr hands into fists.
If fate had cursed her to suffer, she would break free. She would take control of her own ending.
Taking a shaky breath, she stepped into the lake. The cold water rushed over her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
Deeper.
And deeper
Until the world above her became blurry and then…black.
Earlier that Day:
"Selene!"
Her stepmother's shrill voice rang from upstairs, wicked as a whip. "What in the Goddess' name is taking so long? Do you plan on keeping us all waiting? We've got a ceremony to attend!"
Selene flinched, her hands trembling slightly as she stirred the boiling pot of stew. The thick scent of roasted meat and herbs filled the air, but she wasn't attracted. She had no appetite.
"Selene!" The voice was closer now, followed by the sound of female heels against the wooden floor.
Before she could prepare, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. Her stepmother, Lady Helena, stood there dressed in a deep crimson gown that hugged her figure perfectly. Her golden hair was pinned back, exposing her sharp features contorted with fury.
"You're slower than usual today," Helena said, her lips curling in disgust. "Are you daydreaming again? Thinking about some poor, unfortunate male the Moon Goddess might force to mate with you?"
A snicker came from the door. Miriam, her eldest stepsister, leaned against the frame, arms crossed. "I don't think even the Moon Goddess is cruel enough to curse someone with Selene as their mate."
Helena smirked, tilting her head. "That's true. She's been… merciful so far."
Selene bit her lip, forcing herself to keep her expression neutral. They wanted her to react but she wouldn't.
She turned back to the stew, stirring it quietly.
Miriam sighed. "You know, you could try to look decent for once, Selene. Not that it would help much, but at least people wouldn't mistake you for one of the servants or think that we're maltreating you."
Helena laughed, patting Miriam's arm approvingly. "Let's not be too harsh, darling. Maybe, just maybe, the goddess has found a mate for her. Though I highly doubt it's anyone important."
Selene clenched the spoon in her hand, swallowing down the sharp insult brewing in her mouth. It didn't matter. It shouldn't matter.
She was used to this.
Or at least, she should have been.
Her heart pounded against her ribs as she thought about the upcoming ceremony. Tonight, the entire pack would gather at the grand hall for the Marking Ceremony, where the Moon Goddess' bonds would be revealed. It was the most anticipated night for every unmated wolf.
For most, it was exciting. For her? She wasn't sure.
Her father had barely acknowledged her since her mother passed, her stepmother treated her like an unwanted burden, and the pack… well, the pack pretended she didn't exist.
She wasn't a warrior. She wasn't a healer. She was nothing.
And yet, some part of her still hoped.
She let herself fall into her usual fantasy. If she could choose, if the Moon Goddess would grant her a mate, there was only one wolf that stirred her heart.
Damian.
The bastard son of Alpha Castor. The rogue-born prince who had never quite belonged.
Selene had admired him for as long as she could remember. Even though he was cold and distant. Even though his name was spoken in whispers, laced with fear and uncertainty.
She had always liked him.
And maybe, just maybe, the Moon Goddess would be kind tonight.
Just this once.
Selene closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer into the air.
"Please... let it be him."
She knew it was foolish. She knew it was impossible.
But still… she wished.
Not knowing that by the end of the night, her wish would actually come true but in the cruelest way possible.