CHAPTER 1

Broken Bond

Sophia’s POV

The night was meant to be a party. The Silver Fang Pack's large mating event, a custom that signified new relationships and the pack’s strength.

The moon was bright in the sky, giving a silver glow to the area, making it seem special. But for me, nothing about it felt special.

I could smell the scents of flowers and perfumes, a strange blend of excitement and stress. People moved around as pack members danced and laughed, their faces showing happiness and hope.

I stayed at the edge of the area, feeling like I did not belong in my own home.

I noticed the couples, moving to the music, their bodies in the same movements.Some had already found their mates, just as I was meant to. But instead of feeling joy, all I felt was the cold emptiness of being alone.

My eyes shifted to the middle of the crowd, looking for him. Ethan. My mate. The person I had been longing for my whole life. The one the moon had picked for me.

But he wasn’t where I expected him to be.

I spotted him across the other side, standing with a group of his friends. They were laughing, drinking, and enjoying the night. And he was standing there, so unhappy, so uninterested in what was happening around him.

The knot in my stomach tightened. My heart started beating painfully in my chest. Why isn’t he with me?

I had waited so long for this night, for this moment. The mating ball was meant to be the moment he would come to me, take me into his arms, and claim me as his own.The moon would bless our bond, and everything would fall into place.

But instead, he was over there, alone along with laughing friends like he didn’t even know I existed.

I felt my pulse begin to increase as I walked toward him, my feet heavy on the ground. My mind screamed at me to stop, but my heart was already racing with different thoughts, I was desperate to make things right, to make him see me. To make him want me.

I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the curious looks and gossips that followed me. My hands were shaking at my sides, and I had to force myself to breathe as I reached him.

When I finally stood in front of him, I felt so small, so useless as if I was nothing.

“Ethan,” I said softly, my voice like a whisper.

He looked at me, his eyes moving for just a second before he turned his attention back to his friends. A cold, distant look in his eyes that made my stomach twist.

“What do you want, Sophia?” His voice was sharp, almost annoyed.

I froze, and my breath caught in my throat. What do you mean, what do I want?

I forced myself to ask him, though my voice was shaking.. “I... I thought we could dance. The ball, the moon, everything—it’s perfect. I thought we could—”

He cut me off, his tone colder than I ever heard it. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not interested in you, Sophia. I never was.”

Those words hit me like a slap, the force of them knocking the breath from my lungs. For a moment, I just stayed there looking at him, my heart racing, my mind trying to process what he just said.

Not interested in me?

The words kept ringing in my mind, but they didn’t make sense. This was my mate, the one I was supposed to be with. The one the moon had chosen for me. We were supposed to be together. We were supposed to be bonded.

I couldn’t breathe. I could feel my tears burning in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of him. Not in front of everyone who was watching.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “We’re mates, Ethan. The moon... the moon chose you for me.”

But instead he just sighed, the sound almost mocking. “The moon doesn’t matter. This bond? It’s nothing. It means nothing to me. I’ve never wanted this, and I’m not going to pretend I do now.”

His words cut so much like a blade this time. The pain was sharp, deep, but it wasn’t just pain. It was humiliating. I could feel the eyes of the others looking at me. I could feel their judgment, their pity. They all knew what was happening. They all saw how I was being rejected.

I’m nothing.

I took a step back, but my feet felt like they couldn’t move from the ground. The world around me started spinning. The music, the laughter, the discussions—it all just turned into nothing but a dull hum. I could feel my chest tightening, my heart struggling to stay intact as everything I had ever hoped for was crumbling right in front of me.

“Please, Ethan,” I said again, my voice shaking. “Please, I don’t understand. I thought—"

“I don’t care what you thought,” he shouted, cutting me off again. “Stop embarrassing yourself. I’m not your mate. I never was.”

I turned my back to him now, my feet moving like it was working on its own.i was desperate to get away. To escape. But where could I go? Where could I hide from the truth that was now shattering my soul?

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

I ran, my heels making sharp sounds on the cobblestones, my breath coming in little gasps as I pushed my way through the crowd. I could feel their eyes on me, their whispers, but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing except the crushing weight of his rejection.

Finally, I reached the edge of the pack grounds, where the trees were, the darkness swallowing me whole. I collapsed to my knees, my hands pressing onto the soil beneath me. I didn’t care that I was outside the safety of the pack house. I didn’t care that I was alone.

The trees loomed tall and dark, but I didn’t hesitate. The forest was the only place I could escape to right now. My feet carried me forward, walking over fallen leaves and snapping twigs as I ran deeper.

Branches slashed at my arms and legs, but the sting was nothing compared to the pain inside. My lungs burned from running, but I didn’t stop until the sounds of the mating ball were far behind me, swallowed by the quietness of the woods.

Finally, I slowed down, breathing heavily as I gasped for breath. The moonlight barely reached through the trees, casting nothing but faint shadows on the ground. I collapsed against a tree, sliding down until I was sitting on the cold soil.

I wrapped my arms around my knees and let the tears fall again, my sobs echoing in the quietness.

“How could he do this to me?” I whispered, my voice breaking. It was barely heard by me, a fragile sound that got lost in the forest trees.

I had imagined tonight a thousand times. Finding my mate, feeling the bond, starting a life filled with love and belonging. But instead, Ethan had destroyed it all in an instant, throwing me aside like I was nothing.

I folded my hands into fists, gripping the fabric of my dress as anger bubbled up through the pain. How could he reject me so easily? Didn’t he feel anything? Did I really mean so little to him?

The pain in my chest wouldn’t go away. It was a weight that kept on pressing down on me, stealing the air from my lungs. I leaned my head back against the tree and looked up at the shining moonlight cutting through the branches.

I couldn’t go back. Not tonight. I couldn’t face t

he stares or the gossip, I couldn’t bear to see Ethan and his heartless rejection again.