MOON CHOSEN

I never should have come.

The thought echoed in my mind as I perched in the ancient oak overlooking the gathering. Below, hundreds of wolves from our pack and visiting territories filled the sacred clearing, their excited murmurs carrying up to my hidden spot among the leaves. I'd chosen this tree carefully—far enough to remain unnoticed, high enough to see everything, but still within the boundaries required for pack attendance.

Not that anyone would notice if I wasn't here. The pack runt, the orphan herb witch, the girl who lived in the shadows. That's all I'd ever been to them.

My fingers absently traced the worn leather of my mother's journal, filled with her careful notes about healing plants and wolf lore. The only thing I had left of her, besides her lessons about herbs and the wild places where they grew. Those lessons kept me fed, barely. Trading healing salves and poultices for scraps of food and clothes, hunting small game when I could. It wasn't much of a life, but it was mine.

Earlier that day, I'd spent hours gathering moonflowers by the creek, knowing their healing properties would be strongest during tonight's ceremony. The delicate white petals had reminded me of my mother—she used to weave them into my hair when I was small, before the fever took both my parents in one cruel winter. "Beauty can bloom in the darkest places, little moon," she'd say. I hadn't felt beautiful in a long time.

The drums began, deep and primal, calling us to witness. Kieran Blake would become our Alpha today, following his father's death three months ago. I'd seen him from afar, of course—everyone had. He was everything an Alpha should be: powerful, commanding, beautiful in that dangerous way of apex predators. But I'd never been close enough to really look at him. Why would I? Someone like him would never notice someone like me.

I remembered the day his father died. The whole pack had felt it—a tremor in our bonds, a collective gasp of loss. I'd been in the forest, gathering herbs, when the howls began. Even then, I'd stayed away from the mourning ceremonies. My presence would only have been an unwelcome reminder of my parents' deaths, of the pack's failure to care for their own.

The ceremony began, ancient words echoing through the clearing as Kieran took his vows. His voice carried clearly—strong, unwavering. "I swear by moon and blood to protect this pack, to lead with wisdom and strength, to—"

Pain shot through my chest like lightning.

I clutched at my sternum, nearly losing my grip on the branch. What was happening? The pain spread, molten and insistent, but it wasn't exactly pain—it was something else. Something that made my wolf stir and whimper, desperate to break free.

When I managed to open my eyes, my heart stopped.

Kieran was staring directly at me.

His eyes blazed Alpha gold, but there was no warmth in them. Only shock, quickly morphing into disgust as the same realization that was dawning on me hit him. No. No, it couldn't be. The moon wouldn't be this cruel.

But my wolf knew. My body knew. Every cell in my being was screaming one word: Mate.

Moving like someone in a dream, I slipped down from my perch. The crowd parted as I walked forward, their whispers sharp as knives. I heard them all too clearly with my enhanced senses.

"Is that the orphan girl?"

"The herb witch?"

"She's nobody."

"Look how small she is—her wolf probably can't even hunt."

"Isn't she the one who lives in that shabby cabin by the creek?"

"How dare she interrupt the ceremony?"

Beta Marcus tried to stop me, his massive frame blocking my path. But I was used to being small, used to slipping through spaces others couldn't. I darted past him, my eyes never leaving Kieran's face. Each step closer made the pull stronger, until it was almost unbearable.

I stopped before him, having to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. He was so tall, so powerful, everything an Alpha should be. And I was... me. But it didn't matter. The moon had chosen.

"Mate," I whispered, the word carrying in the sudden silence.

The crowd erupted. Some laughed. Others shouted in outrage. But none of that penetrated the bubble of connection between us—until she stepped forward.

Selene Blackwood, daughter of the Northern Pack's Alpha, radiant in ceremonial silver. She took Kieran's hand possessively, and I watched the spell break in his eyes. Of course—everyone knew they were meant to unite the packs through marriage. She was everything I wasn't: tall, strong, politically valuable. Perfect.

His face hardened into a mask of cold authority. "I reject you."

Three words. Just three words, but they shattered my world.

The pain was immediate and all-consuming. My wolf, who had always been so quiet, so submissive, suddenly surged forward with a howl of agony. The change took me before I could fight it, faster and smoother than ever before. No cracking bones or tearing muscle—just a smooth transformation into my other form.

I heard the gasps. Even in my wolf form, I was small—barely larger than a regular dog. But my fur was pure white, marked with silver, and my eyes... I caught a glimpse in someone's shocked face: they blazed blood red.

My wolf took control then, turning us away from the mate who didn't want us. We ran, ignoring the shouts behind us, ignoring everything but the need to escape this pain.

Through the trees we flew, our small size allowing us to slip through spaces larger wolves couldn't follow. Behind us, I heard the commotion of the ceremony dissolving into chaos. Someone called for pursuit—Beta Marcus, probably—but my wolf knew these woods better than anyone. We'd spent years learning every hidden path, every secret hollow, while gathering herbs and avoiding the pack.

The full moon rode high above, its light catching on my white fur like flames on snow. The rejection burned through every nerve, every muscle, but my wolf pushed harder, faster. We needed to get away, to hide, to heal. Already I could feel the mate bond trying to form, even as it was simultaneously being torn apart by the rejection. It felt like being ripped in two.

We ran until we reached the creek where I'd gathered moonflowers that morning. The white petals glowed in the moonlight, beautiful and untouchable—like everything else I couldn't have. My legs finally gave out, and I collapsed by the water's edge.

The change took me again, leaving me human and shivering in the midnight air. I curled into myself, trying to hold back the sobs that threatened to tear me apart. My wolf whimpered in our shared mind, as lost and broken as I was.

"Why?" I whispered to the moon. "Why would you make me his mate if I'm not worthy of him?"

Only silence answered, broken by the gentle sound of falling water. I didn't know then that this night would change everything—not just for me, but for the entire pack. I didn't know that my red-eyed wolf was more than just a curse, or that rejection wouldn't be the end of my story with Kieran Blake.

I only knew that I had to survive this pain. And somehow, find the strength to keep running.

Kieran

The moon mocked me.

I stood at my father's... no, *my* office window, staring at the silver orb that had just destroyed years of careful planning. My fingers clenched around the crystal tumbler, whiskey burning untouched at the bottom. The mate pull throbbed in my chest like an open wound, each pulse a reminder of *her*.

Luna Martinez. The pack runt. My mate.

"You had no choice," Selene murmured, lounging on the leather sofa, every inch the future Luna she was supposed to be. "The Northern and Silver Creek packs need this alliance. One little witch can't destroy generations of pack tradition."

Before I could respond, Marcus burst through the door without knocking, his usual composure shattered. The fury rolling off him filled the room with the scent of storm clouds and rage.

"Out," he growled at Selene, his beta authority crackling in the air.

Selene rose gracefully, though I cau