Aelara's POV
Tonight.
It had to be tonight.
I sat on the edge of my stone bed, arms wrapped around myself, staring at the thin strip of moonlight sneaking through the basement window. My whole life felt like a story that had happened to someone else , a girl who used to laugh easily, who had parents who loved her, who had a future.
That girl had died the night the pack decided she was a curse.
There was no wolf in my head to steady me. No second heartbeat beneath my own like the others described. Just a quiet, aching emptiness, as if something were supposed to be.
But even emptiness could hold determination.
"We can't stay," I whispered to the dark. "Not after tonight."
My hands trembled, but not from fear alone.
If I stayed, I would disappear piece by piece until there was nothing left of me but obedience.
If I ran… I might die.
But at least it would be my choice.
Footsteps echoed down the basement corridor.
I froze.
A guard appeared in the doorway, face bored, neutral. "Coronation's starting. Alpha wants all servants visible."
Visible.
Displayed.
I followed him upstairs, keeping my head down as we entered the grand ballroom. It was unrecognizable polished floors, gold drapery, crystal lights scattering brilliance across silk gowns and tailored suits. Laughter filled the air like nothing ugly had ever lived here.
I stood near a pillar, dirt-stained dress against a sea of white and gold.
Then the room quieted.
Ronan entered in formal black, every inch the Alpha they wanted him to be. Beside him, Seraphine glowed in deep crimson, jeweled and radiant.
They looked powerful.
Untouchable
My chest tightened ,not from a bond, not from a wolf's pain , just from the sharp, human ache of being discarded.
Applause thundered as they stepped onto the raised platform.
Everyone's attention locked on them.
No one watched the servant slip away.
I moved slowly at first, then faster once I reached the corridor. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the whole pack could hear it. I didn't stop until the cold night air hit my face.
The moon hung full and bright above the forest.
Waiting.
I ran for the tree line, avoiding the main paths, using shadows and memory. No alarm sounded.
Not yet.
At the boundary line, I stopped.
There was one last chain to break.
I lifted my face to the sky, voice shaking but steady.
"I, Aelara Voss, daughter of Alpha Theron and Luna Elira of Silver Ridge, accept the rejection of Ronan Vale as my mate."
The words tore through me.
Pain flared ,sharp, blinding ,hen snapped like a cord pulled too tight. My knees nearly buckled, but I stayed upright, gasping.
Somewhere far behind me, a wolf howled in sudden agony.
I didn't understand why.
I didn't wait to find out.
A strange heat pulsed in my chest ,a surge of strength I couldn't explain. My senses sharpened, the forest clearer, the night air colder against my skin.
I didn't shift.
I couldn't.
But something inside me had woken up.
Run.
The thought wasn't a voice.
It was instinct.
So I did.
I ran under the full moon, through shadow and silver light, away from the pack that tried to bury me