Chapter 1: Moonlight Reject
Standing here, basking under the silvery glow of the moon, I'll be telling you about me. Yes, me... My name is Lena, and I'm part of this Silver Moon pack, a pack of fierce werewolves that I call home. You see, I can never start my story without mentioning the kindness of a couple. They are also members of this very pack; they took me in when I was just a little pup. They raised me, they taught me everything I know about this pack, and above all, they taught me how to love like no other.
Even amid this loving family, I couldn't help but have this peculiar feeling of loneliness. Well, I will attribute the reason for my loneliness to some special reasons, among which were my ranking within the pack and my fighting skills. Did I just say class and fighting skills? Hmm... Those things were pretty much nonexistent as far as they were connected to me.
But my deepest craving—the one thing that kept me fantasising and awake at night—was the hope of finding my mate. "Don't worry, Lena; at the right time you will find your mate, and he will fill all these vacuums in you". So my mom will often say: Well, I believed her. I have always had the feeling that finding my mate would bring the missing piece to my puzzle, filling my world with happiness and a sense of being complete. It was like having a safe room deep inside my heart, where I could retreat when the world got too heavy, and if I must be sincere, I feel the world very heavy quite often.
Just here, thinking of how the mating ceremony will be, I've attended so many mating ceremonies, but I have never found a mate. I just have this positivity that this will be my time, and I am so anxious for the day to come.
The day of the annual mating ceremony finally arrived, and I couldn't help but feel like a butterfly eager to break free from its cocoon. The air buzzed with excitement as unmated wolves, dressed in their finest attire, gathered beneath the silver moon, hoping to be lucky. My heart thrummed with anticipation, for this was the day I believed my dreams would come true.
You see, the annual mating ceremony was the grand event of our pack, a time when the moon goddess bathes the world with her divine glow and the promise of destiny. As I entered the clearing, a cocktail of the scents of pine and earth blended with the fragrance of my packmates circulated through the air. Each aroma was a whisper of secrets, carrying with it the hopes of all my fellow mateless wolves who gathered here. As the evening advanced, we kept sniffing the air to see if we could be lucky and find our mates. Some lucky wolves were privileged to pick the scents of their mates, while a few wolves like us were just there searching, feeling this tingling of jealousy.
As I continued to sniff in to see if I could find the scent of my mate, I noticed something different in the scent. I noticed that what seemed almost like a regular scent now had a different flavour to it; there was a presence of a more potent scent, a scent I recognised immediately. Just as the elders will say, "When you smell your mate, you will know." I recognised the scent immediately. It was the scent of my mate, no doubt about this, very rich and familiar. It was funny how familiar the scent was, even though I had never perceived it before. The scent was synonymous with the melodious tune of a favourite song, and this scent was beckoning me closer.
At that moment, a rush of emotions surged within me, pumping my adrenalin and my heart leaping in response. I was so restless at the moment; I just wanted to find my mate so desperately. I followed the smell, hoping it would lead me to love.
Following the scent, it was unmistakable and intoxicating, leading me to none other than Axel. Yes, Axel, you can imagine my luck, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, a man of undeniable strength and power, the dream of all female folks. He stood there watching me with those stern eyes of his as I sluggishly approached him.
I took a step, then another, my heart soaring as I approached him, my pace quickening with every heartbeat. My eyes danced with excitement, and my lips curled into an involuntary smile, for I believed that at last, my destiny was within reach, and the thought of my mate being Axel made everything even more awesome.
The crowd seemed to part, like a sea of wolves giving way to our meeting. Many of them seemed to be happy as well. As they noticed the sudden bond we shared, I could also catch some glimpses of envy in the eyes of some mateless wolves. Well, I can't blame them; it was normal.
As my eyes met Axel's, I could just explain how I felt, but I knew that my heart somersaulted. In my mind, I have pictured how we will meet: a warm welcome, a tight hug, and a passionate kiss that would solidify our union and keep the girls all awwed up.
But when I reached out to him, my world came crashing down. He wasn't happy that I was his mate; Axel's hands, instead of embracing me, pushed me away. The force of it sent me stumbling backwards. I fell to the ground with no one there to hold me or raise me. I heard a chorus of laughter and what came as mockery, and my heart plummeted to my stomach. I watched in disbelief as Axel, the mate I have waited for all my life, my supposed long-awaited Messiah, voiced his rejection for all to hear.