The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale, silvery glow over the River Ash pack's gathering. The scent of pine and damp earth lingered in the cool night air, mixing with the pungent, familiar aroma of sweat and anticipation. It was the night of the Pack's annual Moonlit Ceremony, a tradition that bonded every wolf under the River Ash banner. For Marisa, however, tonight was meant to be something different—something personal. Tonight, she was finally going to claim what she'd been waiting for her entire life: the love of her mate, Alpha Damien.
She had always known that her bond with him was special. From the moment they first met as children, there had been an undeniable connection—a pull that only the deepest of mates could feel. But as they grew older, the bond between them intensified, and Marisa had held onto the hope that Alpha Damien would eventually come to see her not just as a packmate, but as his equal, his mate, his love.
The ceremony was about to begin. The pack had gathered in the clearing, their eyes shining with excitement. Marisa stood near the edge of the crowd, her heart racing in anticipation. She wore a simple gown, the color of the midnight sky, her long auburn hair cascading over her shoulders in soft waves. Her pulse quickened with each passing second, her every nerve alive with expectation. She had rehearsed what she would say when Damien called her forward.
But as the Alpha stepped onto the raised stone platform at the center of the gathering, all Marisa could do was stare at him. He looked powerful, his broad chest rising and falling with each breath, his dark hair falling over his forehead. He was everything she had ever dreamed of—strong, beautiful, and, most importantly, hers.
Damien's sharp, ice-blue eyes scanned the crowd, his gaze locking with hers for a brief moment. She felt it then—the crackle of power, the electric charge that surged between them. He was hers. This was it. The night she would finally be claimed by him.
The sound of wolves howling in the distance signaled the beginning of the ceremony. Damien raised his hand, his voice deep and commanding as he addressed the gathered pack.
"Tonight, we honor our ancestors. Tonight, we celebrate the strength of the River Ash Pack," his voice echoed, filling the clearing. "But this night also marks a new beginning for the pack, for all of us. There is something, someone, I must address."
Marisa's heart skipped a beat. Was this it? Was he about to announce their union to the pack?
"I stand before you tonight, not as the Alpha, but as a man burdened by a choice," Damien continued, his eyes scanning the crowd. "A choice that will affect the future of this pack. My mate."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. The air seemed to thicken with tension. Marisa's breath caught in her throat. The bond between her and Damien pulsed stronger, urging her forward. But as she took a step toward him, she noticed something—a subtle shift in his posture, a tightness around his jaw.
Damien's gaze flicked over to her, his eyes narrowing. She froze.
"This is not the path I wanted, but it is the path I must take," he said, his voice now carrying a chilling edge. "Marisa... I reject you."
The words struck her like a physical blow. A sharp pain radiated from her chest, and for a split second, everything around her seemed to blur. The crowd fell into stunned silence. Her world began to tilt, crashing around her in slow motion.
"What?" she managed, her voice barely a whisper. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I reject you as my mate, Marisa," Damien's voice was steady, his eyes cold as ice. "You are not the one I've chosen."
Her knees buckled, and she stumbled back, barely catching herself before falling to the ground. Her chest heaved, a tight knot of disbelief and pain coiling inside her. The rejection wasn't just cruel—it was public. The pack was watching. The weight of their eyes bore down on her, as if the whole world had turned against her.
"Damien, no," Marisa whispered, her voice thick with a mix of anger and hurt. "You can't—"
But his expression remained unchanged. His lips barely moved as he gave the slightest shake of his head. "It is done."
The air around her seemed to crackle with the sharp sting of humiliation. The pack's eyes were on her, some filled with pity, others with judgment. A few of the younger wolves shifted nervously, unsure of how to react. The older members exchanged knowing glances, their expressions unreadable. Marisa felt her stomach churn.
She had never imagined this. Never in her wildest dreams had she considered that Alpha Damien—the man she'd been destined for—would reject her in front of everyone.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn't let them see her broken, wouldn't let them see the weak, heartbroken girl behind the facade of the strong wolf she had always been. But the pain... it was suffocating.
"Go," Damien said, his voice cold and final. "The pack needs a strong leader, not someone who is tied to the past."
With that, he turned away, his back to her. It was as if she had never existed, as if the years they had spent together meant nothing at all.
Marisa's chest tightened, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She fought to keep herself steady, but the weight of rejection pressed down on her like an invisible hand. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think.
Without another word, she turned and fled.
She ran, faster than she had ever run before, her feet pounding the earth beneath her as she bolted into the forest. She didn't care where she went, didn't care that the pack would be watching her go. The only thing that mattered was getting away from the crushing weight of Damien's rejection.
The forest swallowed her whole, the towering trees closing in around her as she ran deeper into the night. Her senses were on high alert, every sound and scent more vivid than before. She pushed herself harder, faster, until she felt like her legs would give out from under her.
Finally, after what felt like hours of running, she collapsed onto the soft, mossy ground, her breath ragged. The tears she had been holding back fell freely now, soaking into the earth beneath her. She wanted to scream, to tear apart the world that had been so cruel to her. But there was no one here to hear her. No one here but the trees, the wolves, and the distant howls of the pack.
Her heart was shattered, but somewhere deep inside, she knew this wasn't the end.
It couldn't be.
Marisa lay there, staring up at the sky, the silver light of the moon filtering through the canopy above. She had been rejected. But the bond... the bond between her and Damien still pulsed through her, faint but undeniable.
And if there was one thing Marisa knew, it was this: a rejection wasn't always the end of a story.
Sometimes, it was just the beginning.
---
As Marisa lay on the forest floor, broken and lost, a figure emerged from the shadows, his eyes glowing with a dangerous intensity. "You think this is the end?" the figure's voice rumbled. "It's just the beginning, Marisa. You don't know what you've unleashed."