Chapter 2 A BOND DIED

The moon hung high again tonight, its gentle silver light pervading the assembled Whiteclaw Pack in their central clearing. Tonight was one of those very rare nights where all pack members, from warrior to elder down to outcast, were obligated to attend. The Elders referred to this as The Blood Moon Gathering; a tradition to please the ancestors and reaffirm pack strength.

Gwen stood at the very edge of the gathering, as far away from the main crowd as possible. She wasn't here by choice. Attendance was mandatory, and while she knew no one wanted her there, defying the Elders wasn't an option. The clearing buzzed with excitement, wolves shifting between human and beast as they mingled and celebrated. The warriors stood in their groups discussing patrols and border tensions with neighboring packs, while the younger wolves laughed and flirted, their eyes searching for their destined mates.

Mates! Gwen swallowed hard, her fingers curling into her cloak as she willed herself to stay still. The air was thick with the scent of bonding wolves; new links forging. Every Blood Moon Gathering brought with it at least a handful of mates, where wolves acknowledged the holy bond between them. For years, Gwen had kept telling herself that she would never feel that pull. Until now.

Then a sudden shift in energy swept through the clearing-a ripple of awareness that set off a shiver down Freya's spine.

And then she saw him.

Alpha Logan smoke .

The famous Alpha of the Nightfang Pack was their visitor and he was right in their middle, rounded by his fighters, and in a commanding disposition of every wolf present in that clearing. The man was huge, his muscles toned with wild power, as the wind swept his dark messy hair aside. Even without up close to him, the raw power from him rolled upon her in powerful waves.

But when Gwen tried to look up, it was his eyes that held her captive; piercing golden eyes that glowed beneath the moonlight, the same shade as the stranger from the night before. Her chest tightened, a sharp pull deep in her core, her wolf suddenly restless beneath her skin. In her head she thought, "Impossible". Her mate... an Alpha? Her body shook as the bond fell into place, her breathing hitching. She had dreamed of this, but never had she imagined it was with someone like him. Someone so powerful. Someone... unattainable. Gwen knew she should look away, that locking eyes with an Alpha uninvited was considered a challenge. But she couldn't dare move an inch.

And then, Logan turned to face her squarely. His gaze landed on her.

The world around her blurred, sound fading to nothing as an invisible force tethered them together. It was real. It was undeniable.

Fate had chosen. Her lips parted, but no words came. For a moment, just a moment-she saw something flicker in his expression. Recognition. Awareness. His wolf stirred behind his golden eyes, his body going rigid, as if he too had felt the bond snap into place. Hope flared in her chest.

But in an instant, his face hardened. Everything that had ever pulled them together felt like a thread being pulled too tight, about to snap. Logan turned away.

Gwen's breath caught. No, no, it wasn't like that. He'd felt it. She knew he had. Why was he ignoring her? Every single instinct in her body was yelling at her to move, to follow him, to demand an answer. But she stood frozen, her feet unwilling to budge as shame torched through her veins.

It dawned on her as he walked away not sparing her a glance that he had rejected her. The rush of excitement she had felt, replaced with a feeling of emptiness. She felt this vacuum, a void that she knew can't be replaced. Why? Why meet you just so you can reject me? Just like that.

Whispers began to rise among the crowd.

"Did you see that?" someone muttered.

"She was staring at the Alpha," another scoffed. "She's insane."

"She really thought..."

The words meant little to her above the ringing in her ears. Her body numb, her chest hollowed out as the cruel reality set in. She had little time to assimilate what happened before a well-known jeering voice brought her back to the present.

"Well, that was pathetic."

Gwen turned abruptly, her stomach sinking as Eamon appeared, his green eyes glinting with amusement. He had seen everything. Of course he had.

"Did you really think an Alpha like Logan would claim you?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "That has to be the funniest thing I have seen all night."

Gwen fisted her hands, willing herself not to react.

Eamon took another step closer, his voice dropping into a whisper only she could hear.

"No one wants you, Freya," he murmured, his smirk broadening. "Not even fate can change that."

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, forcing her gaze to his.

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her break.

"Get out of my way, Eamon," she said, even though her inner world was fighting a storm inside her.

He grinned but moved aside, making way for her. "Run along, little outcast.

Freya turned on her heel and walked away, her back straight even as her vision blurred with unshed tears. She didn't stop until she had reached the farthest part of the clearing, where the trees loomed tall and silent, shielding her from prying eyes. She pressed a hand against her chest, where her heart pounded painfully.

Finnick had felt the bond. She knew he had.

Why then had he denied her?

She breathed shallowly, trying to push down the ache in her soul, but no matter how hard she tried, reality wasn't going to change. He didn't want her.

The moon cast its light down on her, and she simply stood there, alone, its light offering no comfort. The bond that she had been longing for her whole life finally formed but then was severed before it had even started. And for the first time, she knew what it felt like to be unwanted.

But as the night wore on and the party kept going without her, another emotion took residence in her chest.

Not sadness. Not defeat, but; Determination.

If destiny had given her a mate only to have him turn his back on her, she would find out why. And if Finnick Logan thought he could disregard their connection...

He

was about to find out how wrong he was.