HE TOOK MY HEART I WILL TAKE HIS PARK

The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the clearing. A faint chill brushed the edge of Selene's skin as she stood at the center of the pack, waiting. Her heart thrummed in her chest like the beat of a distant drum, resonating with the power of the moment. This was it. The moment she would be officially marked as the Alpha's Luna-the pack's queen. She had always known it, had always been taught that this was her destiny.

But as she looked around at the gathered wolves, the weight of her father's old prophecy pressing down on her, a cold shiver ran through her. This was not a moment of triumph.

The pack was silent, their eyes turned toward her, a mix of respect, curiosity, and-something else. Her nerves fluttered in her stomach, but she masked it with the confidence drilled into her by years of tradition. The fire crackled softly beside the elders, their figures blurred in the shadows, observing with quiet intensity.

But it wasn't the elders she was focused on.

It was him. The Alpha.

Her mate. Her chosen. The one who had sworn to protect her, to make her his equal in every sense. His strong form stood before her, his presence commanding the space as his dark hair fell in a mess of waves around his sharp features. His eyes, a shade of stormy gray, locked onto hers.

"Selene," his voice rang out, deep and steady, as though the entire clearing itself hung on the weight of his words. He was supposed to be the source of her power. The man who would stand beside her and rule. Together.

The ritual began. The elders chanted softly, their words a familiar, sacred melody. Her pulse quickened, but she stood still, the air around her growing thicker with anticipation. She could feel the bond forming between them, the invisible strings that would tie their destinies together. But something was off. Something didn't feel right.

He stepped forward, his hands reaching for her. His fingers were warm, but there was a hesitation-a strange, cold pull that gripped her chest, tightening her throat. She couldn't place it, but it was there. The familiar sting of doubt.

The Alpha leaned down, his lips brushing the side of her neck, his breath hot against her skin. Her wolf stirred restlessly within her, yearning for the bond, but Selene's stomach twisted. His touch was meant to ignite a fire, to set her soul on fire, to burn with the strength of their connection. But it didn't. It flickered.

As his teeth sunk into her skin, the ritual marking them both, Selene's eyes closed, her heart hammering in her chest. This was supposed to be the moment when everything became real. She was his. He was hers. Forever.

But as the ritual ended and the crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers, Selene's heart was no longer the fluttering beat of a joyous bride-to-be. It was a distant, hollow echo, fading into the silent screams in her head. He didn't feel the same.

She stood back, her fingers lightly touching the spot where he had marked her, and though she knew the bond was there, something wasn't right. The warmth from his touch had disappeared. The energy she had felt, the connection, felt-distant. Faint.

Her gaze flickered to the side, her breath catching as her eyes locked onto the figure standing in the shadows across the clearing. A woman. Her scent-sweet, intoxicating, familiar. The moment Selene saw her, a cold chill shot up her spine, her wolf growling low in her throat.

The Alpha noticed her hesitation and followed her gaze, his face twitching for the briefest of moments. His eyes flashed with something... guilt? Fear? He didn't look at her like he had just moments ago, when he had kissed her neck and marked her as his own. He wasn't looking at her anymore.

Selene's chest tightened. The moment she had been waiting for-the moment when she would become his, when she would be his Luna-felt like a fading memory, disappearing into the ether. And in its place, the woman standing in the shadows seemed to absorb all the light.

Her wolf raged inside her, a snarl rising in her throat, but she swallowed it down, refusing to let the pack see her weakness. Weakness.

"Why... her?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but the words felt like they were being torn from her chest. Her. The woman standing there, with the same dark eyes, the same dangerous aura that seemed to radiate from her very being.

The Alpha turned slowly, as though the weight of the situation had only just dawned on him. His eyes, once warm and full of promises, were now cold and distant. Empty.

"I-" His voice faltered. "Selene, I didn't-"

She felt the bond shatter within her like glass breaking. The connection that had been hers was no longer there. He wasn't looking at her like he had moments before.

The woman across the clearing stepped into the light, her head held high. The air between them grew heavy. Selene couldn't breathe. She wanted to scream, to demand an explanation, to tear this woman apart. But the words wouldn't come. She was no longer the Luna who had been chosen. She was just a shadow in the Alpha's eyes.

The woman approached, her steps confident, purposeful. The pack fell silent.

"I'm sorry, Luna," she said, her voice cold and dismissive. "But the Alpha chose me. He marked me."

The pack stirred uneasily. Whispers followed her words like a tide, a rush of confusion, of shock. Selene could feel their eyes on her, but none of them mattered. Not anymore. Nothing mattered.

The Alpha turned to the woman, his eyes softening, as though this wasn't the confrontation it was meant to be. "Selene," he began again, but his voice was shaky. "It's not what you think."

Not what I think? Selene could feel the heat of her anger flare up, but she kept it contained, locking it away behind the steely wall she had built for herself. This wasn't the time to fall apart.

"I think you've made your choice," Selene said, her voice flat, though the pain was too clear in her eyes. "And you've made it clear that I don't belong here anymore. You've chosen her."

The Alpha's face twisted with something like regret, but Selene didn't care anymore. Regret wouldn't fix this. She wasn't going to be his second choice.

Her hands clenched into fists as her wolf growled in her mind, urging her to fight, to rip everything apart. But Selene knew better. She would not be broken. Not again.

She turned on her heel, her heart shattering as she left the pack behind, leaving the Alpha, leaving the life she had been promised, behind her.

As she ran into the forest, her feet sure and steady, the pack's murmurs followed her, but she didn't look back. She wouldn't.

The woman standing with the Alpha would have everything. The pack. The power. But not her.

And Selene knew one thing: she would return. She would take back what was hers. The pack. The power. Everything.