Chapter 1

I was exiled from my pack, my consciousness fading as death drew near. Through the haze, I saw a pair of golden eyes.

A rogue wolf king, rumored to have slaughtered entire packs, shifted into human form before me.

He pressed a burning palm against my chest, his voice low as if rising from the depths of the earth.

“You carry the Golden Bloodline, lost for three centuries.”

Three months later, messengers from my old territory knelt before me, begging for salvation.

And the man who once publicly declared “You aren't worthy” was now forced to drop to his knees at my feet.

1

Every Winter Solstice, the Moon Shadow Pack holds the Awakening Ceremony.

All adult werewolves stand on the ritual platform to receive the mate mark bestowed by the Moon Mother.

The mark tells you exactly who your fated one is. For us wolves, we only recognize the one partner chosen by the heavens.

I stood in the very back row.

It wasn't because I was being humble. It was because I was an orphan.

I had no parents and no family legacy. I grew up in the pack eating everyone else’s scraps.

They called me “Cinder”―the little gray waste.

But I was still waiting.

I was waiting for the Alpha’s son, my childhood friend―Lukas Blackwood.

We grew up together.

Though he never said it out loud, I knew he treated me differently.

He would secretly leave medicinal herbs for me when I got hurt during training.

In the winter, his heavy coats would “accidentally” fall right in front of my door when I had nothing to wear.

I had been waiting for the day he became Alpha. I believed he would announce to everyone that I was his mate.

The ceremony began.

The moonlight swept across everyone’s foreheads, leaving behind silver marks.

When it was Lukas’s turn, he stepped onto the highest platform.

He wore the black and gold ceremonial robes of an Alpha.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and the moonlight made his handsome face look like a god’s.

The females below held their breath.

Everyone knew the Alpha’s mate mark was the strongest blessing.

The chosen female would receive the protection of the entire pack.

Lukas’s gaze scanned the crowd.

He looked past the daughters of the high-ranking nobles in the front row.

Then, his eyes landed on me.

He spoke.

“I, Lukas Blackwood, the new Alpha of the Moon Shadow Pack, hereby announce my choice of mate.”

He paused for a second.

My heart jumped into my throat.

“My mate is―Alina Frost.”

In the center of the first row, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stood up.

Her father was a pack elder, and she held her chin higher than the moon itself.

The crowd erupted in applause.

I stood frozen, the tips of my fingers turning ice-cold.

“Wait,” Lukas’s voice rang out again.

He was looking at me now.

His gaze finally stayed on me, but the emotion in his eyes was nothing like what I had imagined.

“Before I claim my new mate, I must complete an old ritual.”

He raised his hand and pointed directly at me.

“I, Lukas Blackwood, officially reject Cinder as a candidate for my mate. You aren't worthy.”

The crowd went silent for half a second.

Then, the laughter started.

Someone whistled.

“Did Cinder really think she’d be chosen?”

“She can’t even shift into a full wolf. Did she really want to be the Alpha’s Luna?”

I stood there as the laughter and whispers surged toward me from all directions.

The moonlight was still bright, illuminating everyone’s faces.

I turned around.

I walked off the ritual platform.

No one tried to stop me.