THE REJECTED LUNA

excitement, preparing for the annual Moon Goddess Festival. Laughter echoed from every corner, banners danced in the breeze, and the scen

wentieth birthday, the age when many wolves found their fated mates. I had dreamed about this moment for years, imagining what it would feel like when the Moon

in that dress if you

ver hair framed her warm face, and her eyes sparkled with amusement.

vous," I

hten a loose strand of my hair. "But you should enjo

"Easy for

t the Moon Goddess, Aria.

th was that there was only one wolf I sec

ael Bla

rotective of his pack. Most unmated women admired him, but my feelings went far beyond admiration. For years, I had watched him from a distance,

ated wolves waited for their names to be called. The ceremony was one of the oldest traditio

side his Beta, Rowan Hayes. Even in a room full of people, he commanded attention without trying. His dark hair, broad sh

moment, ou

eath

e look

rward. Some left smiling. Others returned to their seats

Priestess ca

Nights

eemed to f

ollowed my every step. My pulse thundered in my ears as the High Priestess place

nothing

t silver light

illed t

powerful force exploded inside my chest, stronger

te wa

like a glowing thread, connecting me to som

rectly to Alpha

pt throug

erupted e

ldn't

dn't b

oddess had

m I had ever buried in my heart suddenly felt poss

appiness, I foun

e

l f

e had g

w tigh

om waited for

ook one ste

aid words that shattered the happiness insi

can't be h

ween us puls

aiting for one of us to speak. My heart pounded so hard that I could barely hear the whispers spreading through the crowd. Finding your mate was supposed t

etween us was real. I could feel it pulsing deep inside my soul, connecting me to him in a way I h

tension in Kael's shoulders. His fists clenched at his sides. For a brief second, our eyes met again. A s

tinued whispe

a found h

n't he lo

ing is

to open beneath my feet and swallow me whole. Yet despite the embarrassment, a small part of m

estess stepped fo

nnounced. "The Moon Goddess h

ng settled i

pping toward me, Kael

n his eyes onl