Awakening of the Rejected Luna

[ARIA'S POV]

I knew better than to look up.

Head down. Eyes on the floor. That was how someone like me survived in a pack like this. But tonight was different. Tonight, the packhouse buzzed with an energy I'd never felt before.

The Mate Recognition Ceremony.

My fingers were raw from scrubbing the dining hall floors all afternoon. The scent of roasted venison and honeyed wine hung thick in the air, making my empty stomach twist. I hadn't eaten since dawn. Servants didn't get to eat until the wolves they served were satisfied.

"Aria! Where's the wine?" Beta Thomas's voice cracked like a whip.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my already-stained dress and grabbed the nearest bottle from the kitchen. My hands shook as I pushed through the swinging door into the grand hall.

The sight stole my breath.

Wolves in silk and leather filled every corner. Laughter echoed off the stone walls. The chandeliers cast golden light across faces flushed with excitement and wine. This was the night unmated wolves dreamed of-the night the Moon Goddess revealed your destined partner.

I'd turned nineteen three months ago. Old enough to have a mate. Old enough to hope.

Except I had no wolf. And without a wolf, I had no future.

"Move faster, you pathetic thing," someone hissed as I wove through the crowd.

I kept my head down and focused on not dropping the wine. Just get through tonight. Just survive.

Then I felt it.

A pull. Deep in my chest. Like an invisible thread tugging me forward.

My feet stopped moving. My head lifted before I could stop myself.

And I saw him.

Alpha King Daemon Blackthorne stood at the front of the hall, and even in a room full of powerful wolves, he commanded every eye. Tall-so tall I'd have to crane my neck to meet his gaze. Broad shoulders filled out his black jacket like he was carved from darkness itself. His hair fell just past his collar, black as midnight.

But it was his eyes that trapped me.

Silver. Cold. Ancient.

Those eyes found mine across the crowded room.

The wine bottle slipped from my fingers.

Glass shattered. Red wine exploded across the pristine white marble like blood at a crime scene.

But I barely noticed. Because something was happening inside me. Something that felt like waking up after sleeping my entire life.

Heat bloomed in my chest and spread outward. My skin tingled. Every nerve ending came alive. The air between us seemed to shimmer with invisible energy.

Mate.

The word whispered through my mind in a voice that wasn't mine. Deeper. Wilder. A voice I'd never heard before but somehow recognized.

My wolf.

Mate. Ours. OURS.

No. No, this was impossible. I didn't have a wolf. Everyone said so. The pack healers, Alpha Gregor, and even Elder Moira, who knew everything about wolves and magic.

But I watched Daemon's nostrils flare. Watched his chest expand as he pulled in a deep breath. Watched