The hall of Moonridge Pack was never meant to feel like a courtroom.
But that was exactly what it felt like.
Cold stone walls. Silent warriors. Watching eyes that didn’t blink often enough. Even the air felt heavier, like it had been trained to wait for punishment.
Elira Virell stood at the center of it all.
Her heart wasn’t racing with excitement like she had once imagined it would on a day like this.
It was racing with dread.
Her fingers curled tightly at her sides as she forced herself to take another step forward. The ceremonial circle beneath her feet was carved with ancient runes—mate bond markings, glowing faintly in silver light.
Today, they were supposed to complete her destiny.
Today, she was supposed to become Luna.
Her gaze lifted.
Alpha Kael stood across from her.
Her mate.
The word should have meant warmth.
Safety.
Belonging.
But the man standing there looked at her like she was a stranger he had already decided to forget.
“Elira Virell,” the Elder announced, voice echoing. “Step forward for bond confirmation.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Elira stepped forward.
The mark on her collarbone tingled faintly beneath her dress. It had appeared months ago—faint, incomplete, waiting. Everyone said it meant the bond was strong.
Meant fate had chosen correctly.
Kael didn’t move.
That was the first crack.
The Elder raised the ceremonial blade. “Alpha Kael of Moonridge Pack, do you accept Elira Virell as your fated mate and Luna?”
Silence.
Too long.
Too heavy.
Elira’s breath caught.
“Kael…” she said quietly.
His eyes finally met hers.
And what she saw there made her stomach drop.
Not anger.
Not hesitation.
Disgust.
“I do not accept her,” Kael said flatly.
The hall exploded in whispers.
Elira blinked. Once. Twice.
“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “That’s not possible. I felt the bond. You felt it too.”
Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.
“That was a mistake.”
A mistake.
The word hit harder than any blade.
Her wolf stirred inside her—confused, then uneasy.
Elira took a step forward. “Fated bonds aren’t mistakes.”
“They are when they’re wrong,” Kael replied.
Wrong.
Her chest tightened.
The Elder’s voice cut in sharply. “Alpha Kael, rejection at full bond stage is forbidden without council review—”
“I am Alpha,” Kael interrupted coldly. “My decision is final.”
The bond snapped.
Elira gasped.
Pain erupted through her chest like fire tearing through bone. She staggered back, one hand flying to her collarbone as the mark burned violently.
“No—stop—”
Her knees nearly gave out.
Gasps filled the hall.
“She’s destabilizing—”
“Hold her—”
But Elira couldn’t hear them properly.
The bond was breaking.
Her entire existence was cracking open from the inside.
And then Kael said the second sentence.
“She will be transferred to Alpha Draven of the Nightfang Pack as part of the peace agreement.”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Elira froze completely.
“What… did you say?” she whispered.
Kael didn’t look away. “You are part of the treaty exchange.”
“I am not an object,” she said, voice trembling.
“You are now.”
Something inside her snapped completely.
