The Luna who rose from the flames

Thalia

I felt the watchful gaze of the park members as I stepped forward. The air shimmered with anticipation as the full moon rose over Greenwood Park.

The central clearing, normally used for council meetings and celebrations, had been transformed for the annual Mating Ceremony. This year I've been picked by the Moon goddess to meet my fated mate. My wolf growled happily just at the thought of him. Lanterns floated on invisible strings, golden petals danced in the air, and every unmated wolf stood in formation under the watchful gaze of the Moon Goddess wishing it was their mating ceremony.

I stood at the edge of the crowd. As always, alone.

Hidden behind the elite warriors, my sister seraphina, and the beautifully adorned she-wolves in silks and gemstones.

I wore nothing but patched linen, my feet were bare, and my auburn curls tangled. I had prepared a very beautiful gown for this special event. I wanted to meet my mate dressed in red flowing silk made by my hand. I was shocked to find it torn to shreds this morning so I had no other choice but to put on my rags I called clothing.

I didn't belong here, but i had to be here. I was the alpha first daughter after all and an omega, or should I say, slave.

I turned twenty today. I have waited all my life for this moment. The year the Moon Goddess would reveal my mate.

The fated bond. Hope flickered quietly in my chest, small and desperate. Maybe this is my moment. My chance to escape the title I was born into; the Omega. The one blamed for her mother's death. The cursed one. The forgotten one.

Please, i whispered silently, eyes fixed on the moon. Please give me someone. Just one person who won't see me as a stain on this pack. Just one person that would be proud of me and love me instead of treating me like a mere slave.

The High Priestess stepped forward, arms raised to the sky.

"The Moon shines on us tonight," she proclaimed. "Let Her light reveal what fate has woven."

A hush swept across the crowd.

Wolves began to shift, hearts racing, eyes glowing. The pull of the mating bond stirred. My wolf jumped up inside me, pacing, alert.

Then suddenly, it hit me. A sweet smell of wood and honey caught my nose. It was the nicest thing I had ever smelt. Addictive even. A jolt of electricity shot through my spine, heat bloomed in my chest.

Angel stood still. Watching, waiting. She could smell it.

He is here.

My gaze swept the crowd until it landed on one figure at the front, tall, broad-shouldered, with tousled dark blond hair and sharp emerald eyes.

Cane. The future Alpha of Greenwood Park. My father's prodigy. He was the council head son and my sister's longtime obsession.

He stared directly at me and my heart skipped. The connection was undeniable. I could feel it down to my bones, the bond tugging at me, calling me forward.

The crowd began to murmur. I stepped forward, trembling. My knees could barely hold my weight as I crossed the space to meet him, eyes locked with his.

For the first time in years, people actually noticed me. They parted, staring in shock. And there I was standing before him. The moment held like glass. I could only whisper, trying not to ruin the moment.

"You feel it,"

Cane's jaw clenched. His hands fisted at his sides. "No."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I said no," he growled, louder now. "I reject you, Thalia, Omega of Greenwood Park, as my mate."

The clearing fell into stunned silence. His words sliced through me like a knife In my gut. My wolf whimpered, recoiled, and howled in agony inside her mind. I stumbled back, my vision blurring with tears.

"But....we're mates. The bond...."

"I would rather die than be tied to you," Cane's spat, loud enough for the entire pack to hear. "You're a disgrace. Cursed. A pathetic excuse for a she-wolf."

Laughter rang out. I bit my lower lip bitterly. He shared their views. He couldn't defend me. I have been rejected. The reality hit me like a wave. I had no safe haven. I was their subject of mockery.

"Is this a joke?" someone sneered.

"The Moon Goddess must be losing Her mind."

"She actually thought she was worthy of an Alpha?"

My legs gave out and I fell to my knees, the pain of the rejection crashing over me like a tidal wave. My chest felt like it was being ripped open.

Then, the final blow-

Seraphina stepped forward. My sister. Beautiful, smug, and shining in crimson silk. She sauntered past me like she was stepping over dirt and wrapped her arms around Cane's arm.

"She might be your fated mate," Seraphina purred, "But you can agree that I am better for you."

Cane smiled and kissed Seraphina in front of everyone. The crowd roared with approval. I curled into myself, nausea rising in my throat. My lungs screamed for air. No one helped me. My father, stood proudly beside Seraphina. The elders, whispered that I was cursed. The pack, always wanted me gone.

I was alone, as always. My wolf was silent. She was curled up in one corner in agony. When I finally found the strength to move, my hands were scraped and bleeding. My eyes stung but I didn't cry. I walked, slowly, deliberately out of the clearing.

No one stopped me. No one called my name. I had never mattered to them. I made it to the river before my knees gave way. The cold night air tore into my skin, but I barely noticed. By the river, my reflection stared back. Faded green eyes, gaunt cheeks, a faint scar just above my right brow. The scar i earned the day my mother died to protect me.

I was just a child when the ambush happened. I was just sixteen. My training wasn't enough. I screamed, clawed, begged the masked men to leave my mother alone. They didn't. I ran only because my mother made me. Only because I made her a promise to survive. I promised to avenge her death. But right now I was nothing. i have given the Moon Goddess everything I had. My faith, my patience, my heart and still, the bond had been thrown back in my face like garbage.

I Looked up at the dark sky and screamed.

"I'm done!"

"You hear me? I'm done waiting. Done begging. Done hoping."

The wind stirred, brushing my skin like a caress. My mind was made up. I'm done being treated like trash.

⚜️

Later that night, while the rest of the pack celebrated Cane and Seraphina's pairing, I sat in my cold room, packing what little I had into a torn satchel.

"Thalia!" My father's voice boomed from the hall. I could hear it quite clearly because I lived in the servant quarters just beside the hall. "Yes father?" i replied as I stood up to meet him

"We have guests, serve them" He commanded but I just stood still at my spot. Defying his instructions in the presence of the whole park.

Seraphina frowned. "Are you deaf?" she asked but I just went over to where she was seated at the dinning table and gave her a dirty slap. Everyone gasped.

"That's for stealing my mate!"

I landed another one before she could recover

"That's for turning me to your slave"

I gave her the final slap

"This is a warning to everyone, not to ever cross paths with me".

"Thalia!" My father screamed. My mate growled. I Ignored them and walked away from the hall.

"Lock her up" he commanded the guards.

I went back to my room at the servants quarters and picked my things. I tried to leave but I was arrested by the guards and put in chains. This isn't going to be over as fast as I thought.