Chapter 1 The Alpha's Verdict

They all stared like she didn't belong.

Elara stood in the center of the ceremonial hall, her presence swallowed by the towering stone pillars and glowing torches overhead. The vast chamber was crowded-elders seated in rows, warriors standing shoulder to shoulder, curious onlookers watching from the shadows. Their gazes followed her every move, filled with suspicion, pity, or something colder.

She felt like a trespasser in her own fate.

The marble beneath her bare feet was cold, unforgiving. Her white dress clung to her damp skin, and the silence was so thick it pressed against her chest like a weight. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her expression blank. She wouldn't fall apart in front of them. Not in front of him.

Alpha Kael stood on the dais, tall and composed, carved from stone and just as warm. His black ceremonial coat brushed the backs of his boots as he slowly stepped down. His jaw was sharp, his posture regal, and his dark eyes didn't betray a single thought as they locked on hers.

He didn't smile. He didn't speak.

He descended like a king delivering judgment, not fate.

Elara had dreamt of this moment countless times. In those dreams, he looked at her like she mattered. There was always a spark, a glow-the mate bond igniting like wildfire between them.

But in reality, Kael's gaze was flat. Distant. She searched for something behind his eyes... and found nothing.

He came to a stop inches from her. Close enough for her to hear the quiet breath he took before turning slightly to the man beside him.

"Touch her," Kael commanded.

His Beta obeyed with no hesitation. A large, weathered man with silvering hair and steady hands, he stepped forward and rested his palm on Elara's arm.

She braced herself, heart thudding hard.

This was it. The moment the bond would awaken. Her skin would glow, her soul would hum, and everything would finally make sense.

Except... nothing happened.

No spark. No light. No confirmation.

Only silence.

A moment later, the Beta stepped back and gave a slight shake of his head.

Elara's chest collapsed inward. Her stomach twisted.

Kael turned toward the watching crowd and delivered his verdict without emotion.

"She is not my mate."

The words cracked the stillness. Gasps spread like ripples on water. Some wolves lowered their gazes. Others stared openly, drinking in her shame. A few even sneered.

Elara stood still. Her face didn't flinch, but inside, something shattered. She had waited for this for so long. The dreams. The signs. The quiet hope. All of it-wrong.

She didn't belong to him.

And he wanted the entire pack to see it.

The humiliation settled over her like a heavy cloak. Her vision blurred slightly, but she held her ground. She would not give them the satisfaction of watching her break.

But then, as if the universe had other plans, a strange warmth crept along her neck. It was subtle at first, like heat rising under her skin.

Then it burned.

Sharp. Blazing. Alive.

She gasped, lifting her hand to her jaw, just as a brilliant light burst from beneath her skin.

The crowd cried out.

A glowing symbol bloomed along the side of her neck-an intricate, ancient mark pulsing with golden light. It cast a halo around her face, illuminating the chamber with a soft, powerful glow.

The wolves closest to her recoiled. Even the guards hesitated.

The Beta's face turned pale. His voice trembled.

"Nightborn..."

That single word echoed like a curse.

A chill swept through the crowd. Elders stood. Warriors stepped back. Fear crept into their eyes like fog rolling over a battlefield.

Kael's calm expression cracked for the first time. His eyes locked onto the mark, and for a heartbeat, Elara saw something in him she hadn't expected.

Uncertainty. Maybe even fear.

Then his face hardened again.

"Take her away," he snapped, voice clipped.

Two guards began to approach-but slowly, as if unsure whether she was still safe to touch. The glowing mark on Elara's neck pulsed brighter, brighter still, matching the rhythm of her racing heart.

She couldn't move. Not from terror-but because something ancient had awakened inside her. Something that refused to let her go.

Her body trembled, but her feet remained planted.

The torches flickered.

Then, one by one, every flame in the chamber died.

Darkness.

Complete and consuming.

Gasps rang out. Someone stumbled. A chair scraped. But no one dared speak.

Elara stood in the center of it all, glowing faintly in the dark. Her pulse roared in her ears. Her breath came shallow.

Then came the voice.

Not aloud-but inside her. Smooth. Low. Unmistakably possessive.

> "You were never his, little moon.

You're mine now."

Her skin tingled.

The mark on her neck burned hotter.

And in that moment, surrounded by fear and shadows, Elara realized something terrifying:

The bond she had hoped for her whole life...

Was never meant to come from Kael.