Finally.

Finally, the day I had dreamed about since I was little.

I stood in front of the mirror and turned slowly. The silver-white dress flowed softly around my legs like water. The silk shimmered when I moved, catching the light with every step. My hair was braided with thin silver threads that glittered like stars. Everything felt light, almost unreal.

Today… today I would be claimed by Aedric Veyr.

My fated mate.

My promised future.

My best friend.

The person I had waited for all my life.

My chest felt full…. so full I thought my heart might burst. A smile wouldn’t leave my face.

I placed my hand on my stomach and breathed.

This is it, I told myself.

This is your moment.

Outside the Moon Hall, I could hear the soft hum of the pack… voices, laughter, footsteps, the rustle of clothes. The air smelled of pine and earth, clean and sweet. Lanterns glowed along the path, warm and golden, like stars guiding me forward.

When I stepped into the hall, the marble floor felt cold beneath my feet, grounding me. The hall was full…. wolves from every corner stood watching, their eyes turning toward me as I entered.

The High Elder lifted his staff.

“Let all present witness the joining of Alpha Aedric Veyr and Omega Sylvara Rynne,” he called out. “Under the blessing of the red moon.”

My breath hitched.

My pulse quickened.

My dream was finally real.

And then… I saw him.

Aedric.

Tall. Bright. Golden hair glowing under the lantern light. His face was calm, serious, but beautiful in the way I had memorized long ago. He was my future. My mate. The one destiny had given me.

When I reached him, he took my hand. His palm was warm against mine. My wolf stirred harder, excited, eager, whispering, yes… yes… this is ours.

The Elder began the ancient chant.

Each word wrapped around us like a warm thread.

I felt my breath match the rhythm.

I leaned in, closing my eyes, letting the moment sink into my bones.

But then..

He let go.

His hand slipped from mine.

Cold rushed over my skin.

My eyes shot open. I turned to him, confused. His expression was tight. Closed. Not the warmth I remembered. Not the man who had smiled at me yesterday.

The Elder stuttered to a stop, unsure.

A soft murmur started moving through the hall.

My smile faded slowly, like someone was wiping it off my face one inch at a time.

“Aedric?” I whispered. “What… what is it?”

He didn’t look at me at first. When he finally did, his eyes were distant, like he was somewhere else entirely.

“I can’t do this,” he said quietly.

The words hit me like a punch.

My heart skipped.

My breath stumbled.

Everything inside me shrank into itself.

“What?” My voice trembled. “What do you mean?” I blinked at him, confused and scared.

“I can’t do this,” he said. “I just can’t marry you.”

“But the….” she stammered, her hands flying to her head as she rubbed at her temples. Her fingers tangled in her hair, tense and shaking. Her chest tightened, and her breath hitched. “The bond… Aedric, we’re meant to be. We belong together!”

He exhaled slowly, a long, heavy sigh that seemed to push her words aside like dust. His eyes didn’t soften. They were distant, unreadable, as if her pain wasn’t real….only an inconvenience he had to endure.

“The bond was untrue, Sylvara,” he said. “I’ve pledged myself to another. The daughter of the Frostmoon tribe.”

My vision blurred for a moment.

He stepped aside… and that was when I saw her.

Tall. Pale. Dressed in frost-white. Watching us with calm, icy eyes.

Aedric continued, “She will be my mate. Tomorrow evening, I will marry her. I’m sorry.”

The hall fell silent.

Everything inside me went still.

I blinked. Slowly.. Trying to steady myself.

As if moving too fast would make everything collapse.

My hands trembled.

The ribbon meant to bind us slipped from my wrist and fell to the floor.

“No,” I said softly, stepping forward. “You promised me. You….don’t do this. Please.”

I reached for him without thinking, grabbing his arm with shaking fingers.

“I would be better,” I whispered, ashamed of how desperate my voice sounded. “I promise, Aedric, I would be better. Just… don’t leave me.”

But he didn’t even look at me.

He simply turned and walked toward her.

Walked away from me.

Walked away from everything we had ever shared.

The sound of whispers rose like flames behind me.

Faces stared. Some shocked, some pitying, some already turning away.

My throat burned.

My chest felt crushed.

But no tears came.

Not yet.

I picked up the ribbon with trembling hands and flung it at his back.

“Take your cowardice with you!” My voice cracked through the hall. “I am not your toy, Aedric Veyr. I will not be thrown aside.”

He didn’t even flinch.

He kept walking.

And wolves followed him…my pack, my supposed family…offering him smiles and congratulations.

Congratulations.

The word stabbed deeper than anything he said. They were celebrating his betrayal. Celebrating my humiliation.

The hall emptied slowly. Every footstep felt like another small tear inside me. I stood frozen, listening to their voices fade into laughter and music outside.

I felt small.

Invisible.

Alone again.

Just like before.

I walked to the middle of the hall and knelt, slowly gathering the scattered silver ribbons even though they meant nothing now. Maybe I picked them up because they were the last pieces left of the life I thought I would have.

I sat down on the cold steps and stared at the place where he had stood.

My voice came out in a broken whisper.

“Why wasn’t I enough?”

No answer.

Only silence.

Only the wind… pushing open the heavy doors.

A cold breeze swept through, lifting the ends of my hair. From outside, faint sounds drifted in…music, laughter, toasts for new alliances.

My humiliation turned into their celebration.

I curled my fingers into my dress, trying to hold myself together. My chest ached like something was clawing from the inside, but still… no tears. My body held them back like it refused to give anyone that satisfaction.

I sat there until the hall was almost dark, until the lanterns burned low, until every bit of warmth faded.

Then, slowly, I stood.

My dress wrinkled.

My hands are cold.

My eyes are burning.

But my spine was straight.

I had lost my mate.

I had lost my place in the pack.

I had lost everything I had ever hoped for.

But I would not beg.

Not tonight.

Not ever.

I whispered to myself… soft, steady.

“I will survive this.”

I will not be broken.”

If he doesn't want me. His loss not mine.”

SYLVARA POV

The corridor outside the Moon Hall was almost empty when I finally forced myself to leave. My shoes clicked softly against the marble floor; every step echoed like a reminder that I was walking alone now.

The torches burned low along the walls, throwing long stripes of gold and shadow across the floor. I was halfway to the guest wing when a low voice came from the dark corner near the stairwell.

“You shouldn’t cry over scum like him, bunny.”

I stopped.

The word bunny caught me first…soft, teasing, completely unfamiliar. I turned slowly.

He leaned against the stone wall as he belonged there, one boot crossed over the other, the firelight catching on the edge of a black coat. I had never seen him before.

He didn’t wear any crest or color that marked him as part of our pack.

His face was half hidden by shadow, but what I could see made my breath catch. Sharp jaw, dark hair falling carelessly over his forehead, eyes the color of storm clouds…steady, unreadable, dangerous in a quiet way.

I straightened, brushing my hands down the front of my ruined dress. “I’m not crying,” I said.

He smiled a little, still leaning against the wall. “Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

“I don’t even know you,” I muttered. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He shrugged. “Maybe I shouldn’t. But you looked like you needed someone to say it.”

“Say what?”

“That he’s an arse.” His mouth curved into a slow grin. “You're pretty Alpha. The one who tossed you aside like a broken toy.”

The words stung because they were true. I folded my arms over my chest. “You shouldn’t talk about him that way.”

He raised a brow. “Still defending him, bunny?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? It suits you.”

Something about the lazy warmth in his voice made my pulse jump. “You don’t even know my name.”

He pushed off the wall, walking toward me with easy, unhurried steps. I took a small step back before I realized I was doing it.

He stopped a few feet away, enough that I could see his face clearly now. His features were sharp but not cruel, the kind of handsome that felt a little dangerous…like fire that didn’t know it could burn.

“Then tell me,” he said quietly. “What’s your name, bunny?”

“Sylvara.”

He said it once, testing the sound. “Pretty. But I think I’ll keep bunny.”

I should have been angry. Instead, I found myself almost smiling. “You really don’t listen, do you?”

“Not when I’m right.”

I shook my head and looked away, toward the open archway that led to the courtyard. “Why are you even talking to me?”

“Because you look like the world just ended. And you need a companion”

A laugh escaped me, small and bitter. “It did.”

He didn’t say anything. Just waited.

Maybe it was the way he stood…silent, patient, or maybe I was too tired to keep the words inside anymore. “He was supposed to be my mate,” I whispered. “We grew up together. Since we were six. He was the only one who ever talked to me. The one who truly knew me. My first love.”

The man’s expression softened a little. “And now?”

“Now he’s marrying someone else tomorrow evening.” My voice cracked on the last word. “A Frostmoon princess. He said he had no choice. That it was for the good of the pack.”

“Ah.” He tilted his head. “Politics. The oldest curse of our kind.”

“I would have followed him anywhere,” I said. “Even if I was the unshifted wolf every mocked. Even if the others laughed. I thought love mattered.”

He studied me quietly for a long moment. “It does. He just doesn’t know what the word means.”

Something inside me loosened at that, a thread pulling free. I hadn’t realized how much I needed someone…anyone….to say it wasn’t my fault.

“Thank you,” I said softly feeling a bit light.”

“Do you have a name?” I asked.

He smiled, slow and unreadable. “Names make things complicated. Let’s keep it simple.”

I frowned. “You’re strange.”

“I’ve been called worse. But strange..not really”

For a few heartbeats, neither of us spoke. The wind slipped through the open arch, cool against my face.

“I wish I could leave this place,” I said suddenly. “The pack, the whispers, everything. Just… go somewhere no one knows me.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because I have nowhere to go.”

He studied me with those dark, steady eyes. “Everyone has somewhere. They just haven’t found it yet.”

I laughed softly. “You sound like you’ve done a lot of running.”

“Maybe.” He looked away, as if something far away had caught his attention. “Maybe I just know what it’s like to be unwanted.”

That hit too close. I wanted to ask more, but he stepped back, the shadows wrapping around him again.

“Don’t waste your tears on men who don’t see you, bunny,” he said quietly. “Save them for something worth breaking.”

Before I could ask his name again, he turned and disappeared down the corridor.

I stood there for a long time, the echo of his voice following me like a heartbeat. I didn’t even realize I was smiling a little through the ache.

The corridor felt emptier after he left.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the place where he’d been. The air still held a trace of him… something dark and clean, like smoke and pine. My heart beat faster than it should have.

I told myself it was just from the shock of everything. From the humiliation. From losing everything I thought I had. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t only that.

No one had ever spoken to me like that before, honest, kind. It didn’t make sense, but somehow, that stranger had made the weight on my chest feel lighter, even if just for a few moments.

“Bunny,” I whispered to myself, shaking my head. “What kind of name is that?”

Still, it made me smile a little.

I turned and started walking again, my footsteps soft against the stone floor. The torches hissed in their brackets, throwing trembling light across the walls. Every echo reminded me how alone I was.

By the time I reached my room, most of the hallways were empty. I pushed the door open and slipped inside. The scent of lavender filled the space…one of the maids must have lit the candles earlier, thinking I’d be coming back with Aedric.

That thought made my throat tighten again. I looked around the room, at the white flowers by the window, the folded robe at the end of the bed, the silver hairpins arranged neatly on the dresser. All of it had been prepared for a mated pair.

Now it just looked like a stage for a play that had ended before the first act.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my hands resting in my lap. For a long time, I just stared at them. The marks where the ceremonial ribbon had been tied were still faintly red on my skin.

I rubbed them absently, wishing the memory could fade as easily.

Outside, I could hear laughter…soft, distant, coming from the main courtyard. Wolves are celebrating the new alliance. Maybe even Aedric himself, smiling beside her. The thought burned worse than anything.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to cry.

But mostly, I wanted to forget.

Instead, I stood up and walked to the small mirror by the wall. My reflection stared back…pale, tired, eyes swollen from the tears I refused to let fall. The girl looking back at me didn’t look like an omega ready for a bond ceremony. She looked like a ghost wearing someone else’s happiness.

“Tomorrow, I’ll leave,” I said quietly to my reflection. “I’ll find somewhere new. Somewhere I don’t have to see them.”

The words sounded brave, but my chest ached when I said them. I didn’t know where I would go. The world beyond the pack lands was cold, and for someone unshifted, it was dangerous.

Still, the thought of staying here was worse.

I blew out the candles one by one until the room was dim. Only the moonlight through the window stayed, soft and silver on the floor.

When I finally crawled into bed, the sheets were cold against my skin. My body felt heavy, my mind refusing to quiet.

I kept replaying the ceremony in my head…the moment Aedric looked at me and said I cannot.

The look in his eyes hadn’t even been guilt. It was… a pity.

That hurt more than anything.

SYLVARA POV

I woke to the sound of birds.

For a moment, I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the sunlight bleeding through the curtains. The air smelled faintly of ashes and the wildflowers someone must have placed in a jar by the window days ago.

For half a heartbeat, I almost forgot everything that had happened. Then the memories came flooding back.

The ceremony. The whispers.

Aedric’s voice saying I cannot.

The humiliation.. The pain.

My chest ached as something sharp had lodged there. I pulled the blanket over my head and wished I could sink into the bed and disappear.

But even under the covers, the world pressed in. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding. My mind wouldn’t stop replaying the way everyone had looked at me... the pity, the shame. The way he had walked away without a single backward glance.

Another day, another humiliation.

Another day to be a thing of gossip and ridicule.

I sat up slowly. My throat burned. I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying again. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, trying to breathe evenly.

He’d been my dream since we were children. My friend. My protector. My only real family.

And he had thrown me away like I was nothing.

A soft knock broke the silence. Three steady taps against the door.

My stomach turned. I froze, listening. No one had come near my room since last night. Not even the maids.

The knock came again, a little firmer.

“Who is it?” My voice came out hoarse.

A pause. Then a voice I knew better than my own.

“It’s me. Aedric.”

Everything inside me went still.

For a long moment, I didn’t move. Then I got out of bed, pulled a robe over my thin nightdress, and walked to the door. My hand trembled on the handle as I opened it.

He stood there, calm as ever. The morning light caught his face... golden hair, proud jaw, pale blue eyes. He looked like he always had… perfect, untouchable, every bit the Alpha he was raised to be.

“May I come in?” he asked.

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I stepped aside.

He walked in and looked around, as if the small room was unfamiliar. His gaze landed on the folded white dress from yesterday, the torn silver ribbon on the table. He sighed quietly.

“You didn’t join us last night,” he said.

I bit back a bitter laugh. “Did you expect me to?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous gesture he hadn’t grown out of. “I wanted to make sure you’re all right.”

“All right?” I repeated, the word almost breaking on my tongue. “You humiliated me in front of everyone, Aedric. I don’t think all right covers it.”

“I didn’t mean to humiliate you,” he said softly. “You know how much I respect you.”

“Respect?” I let out a sharp breath. “You rejected me to marry someone else.”

He looked away. “It wasn’t my choice. My father and the council decided. The Frostmoon alliance will strengthen the pack. You of all people should understand that.”

“I understand you made your choice,” I said quietly. “And it wasn’t me.”

He didn’t argue. He only stepped closer. The faint scent of pine and smoke wrapped around me, familiar and cruel.

“You’ve always been important to me, Syl. You were my first friend. You’ll always mean something to me.”

The words cut deeper than I expected.

A friend nothing more

“I don’t want to mean something,” I whispered. “I wanted to be the woman you love and marry.”

Silence.

He reached out, fingertips brushing a stray strand of my hair. “You’re strong. You’ll move on from this.”

“Don’t,” I said, pulling back.

He dropped his hand, jaw tightening. “The wedding’s tonight.”

I stared at him, confused. “Why are you telling me that?”

“I’d like you to be there,” he said.

The words didn’t make sense. “You want me to come to your wedding?”

“It would mean a lot to me,” he said quickly, like he could fix it if he said it fast enough. “It would show the pack that there’s peace between us. That there’s no bitterness.”

I laughed softly, though it didn’t sound like laughter at all. “You don’t want the pack to think you broke me.”

His silence was the answer.

My throat closed. “You really don’t see what you’re doing, do you?”

He took a step forward. “Please, Sylvara. I want to part as friends.”

“Friends?” I repeated, shaking my head. “Friends don’t destroy each other.”

He didn’t say anything. He only looked at me with that same sad expression that had once melted me. And before I could step back, he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against my forehead.

It was soft. Brief. Final.

I didn’t move. I didn’t even breathe.

When he pulled away, his eyes were bright. “You’ll always be special to me, and I'm sorry again, I didn't mean to hurt you” he murmured. Then he turned, opened the door, and left.

The sound of the latch closing echoed through the room like a bell.

I stood there for a long time, staring at the space where he’d been. Then I lifted a hand to my forehead. The spot where his lips had touched felt cold.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and let the tears come. Quiet, bitter ones that burned my eyes and soaked into my sleeves.

He was gone.

He was really gone.

By tonight, he’d belong to someone else...another woman, another pack, another life.

And I would still be here, the forgotten girl in the empty room.

I looked around at the walls that had never felt like home and whispered to the silence, “I can’t stay here anymore.”

The words trembled out of me like a vow.

For the first time since yesterday, I meant it.