Free Web NovelChapter 2: Chapter 2: Moonbond
One week passes in the blink of an eye.
Anna has gone shopping almost every day this week, coming home each time with new luxury shopping bags, while Nyra continues to wear old, faded clothes to the academy.
"I need to look good if I’m chosen as the new Luna." She’d whine around the house whenever their parents complained.
Finally, the night of the Moonbond comes. And for the first time in years, their mother shows up at her door, holding a new dress.
"Wear this... I don’t want you to embarrass us in front of all those guests tonight."
Of course.
Nyra mutters something that sounds like a thank you. It is surprisingly beautiful: a short black sequined dress that hugs her frame perfectly.
She is even surprised her mother knows the correct size.
By 10 p.m., the streets of Moon-Crest are alive with color. There’s a small parade outside, while the invited guests are already arriving at the Alpha’s mansion.
Anna walks out first, dressed in a long silver dress with crystals scattered across the front, her blonde hair pulled into a tight bun.
Immediately, everyone turns to stare at her, a beauty, no doubt. They already believed she would be the next Luna.
Nobody even glances at Nyra when she steps in after her. Even a waiter almost runs into her and spills water on her shoes.
Thankfully, she manages to find a seat at the very back of the hall without any more accidents, hoping to remain invisible the entire night.
It doesn’t take long before the ceremony begins. Alpha Darius addresses the guests for a few minutes first, before Adrian finally makes his entrance.
He is wearing a navy blue suit, looking extremely handsome as usual. He smiles at the guests, presenting himself as the perfect Alpha heir of Moon-Crest.
After that, the main event of the night starts. The priestess--better known as an Oracle--steps forward. She chants a few lines from the sacred book, calling forth the Moon Goddess.
By the time the clock strikes twelve, the entire room falls dark, leaving only the moonlight, which falls directly on Adrian.
He looks completely ethereal, Nyra thinks. It’s a pity he has such a disgusting personality.
Finally, it is time for the Goddess to choose...
Right at that moment, Nyra starts to feel something hot moving inside her, like her wolf is being awakened for the first time in years.
The first thing she realizes is that her wolf senses are turned on. She can hear everything, including the sound of a girl’s breathing on the other side of the hall.
She panics. What is happening!?
Meanwhile, Adrian’s eyes turn bright red on stage--a confirmation of what everyone already knew: the Goddess has chosen him as the next Alpha.
A few guests turn to Anna, already expecting something from her too--but there is nothing. Not even a glimpse of moonlight. She looks just as plain as everyone else.
Everyone stares in shock--the Goddess didn’t choose her.
Then...who?
Right at that moment, Nyra starts to feel something hot moving inside her, like her wolf is being awakened for the first time in years.
The first thing she realizes is that her wolf senses are turned on. She can hear everything, including the sound of a girl’s breathing on the other side of the hall.
She panics. What is happening!?
Meanwhile, Adrian’s eyes turn bright red on stage—a confirmation of what everyone already knew: the Goddess has chosen him as the next Alpha.
A few guests turn to Anna, already expecting something from her too—but there is nothing. Not even a glimpse of moonlight. She looks just as plain as everyone else.
Everyone stares in shock—the Goddess didn’t choose her.
Then... who?
Right at that moment, the moonlight snaps across the room until it stops at the back.
Right on Nyra.
For one horrifying second, nobody reacts, nobody moves. You could even hear the sound of a pin drop.
"How..." Anna snaps first, interrupting the ceremony. "...how can the Goddess choose her when she doesn’t even have a wolf?"
Good question.
Even the Oracle looks shocked at the unexpected match.
Adrian looks disgusted, while the crowd looks confused by the unexpected pairing.
But the light doesn’t lie--the Goddess has chosen.
As if the Goddess herself personally decided to answer the accusations: Nyra starts to feel a prickling sensation in her hand. Her claws, for the first time in years, resurface. Not short--full-length werewolf claws.
Nyra looks down in shock, feeling an unfamiliar buzzing, like something inside her is finally unlocking.
And then the final sign--her eyes flash a new color. Not blue, like the regular Omegas.
Not even red for Alphas.
Nyra’s eyes turn a terrifying shade of purple.
"Great Wolf..." Luna Selene, mumbles from the front. "Her eyes are purple!"
Across the room, Nyra and Adrian’s eyes meet, and for a moment, it seems like the entire room has vanished around them. The air crackles with unexpected heat.
Mate.
The word slams through both of them with terrifying force.
One, the girl he has spent years destroying.
One, the boy she has spent years hating.
---
The hall is a mix of different reactions.
"Great Alpha... I think there has been a mistake!" Mary says suddenly. "I think the light picked the wrong daughter."
Nyra stares at her mother in shock at her words. Even now, they still don’t take her side.
"Yes!" her father adds. "Maybe the Goddess made a mistake. We should check-"
"The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes!" the Oracle cuts him off, raising her hand. "If she has chosen, then let us accept her decision!"
Right in that moment, the moonlight completely disappears. The lights come back on and that’s when Nyra realizes every eye in the hall is pinned on her and her new claws.
What’s worse is, for whatever reason, her purple eyes can’t seem to tear away from Adrian.
"Purple?" one of the elders questions from one end of the hall. "What kind of color is that? Is something wrong with her?"
They all murmur and gossip around the hall, discussing her like she’s something dirty and unfit to be the future Luna.
Right at that moment, Adrian finally drags his gaze away, his jaw tight enough to hurt. Nyra also looks away, feeling angry at the Goddess for this entire mess.
What kind of joke is this? Why now? Why just as she’s about to leave Moon-Crest?!
Is there a way to reject the bond!? Maybe she could-
As if reading her mind...
"No!" Adrian’s voice cuts in from the front. Loud and final, "I don’t want her!"
Anna, who has been crying, suddenly lifts her head, eyes shinning with relief when she realizes Adrian also doesn’t agree with the results.
"Adrian, babe, do you know what’s going on? How did this happen?"
"I don’t know. But I don’t want her." Adrian rejects her in front of everyone.
Nyra doesn’t hesitate to add either. "I also don’t want him. He has spent years making my life a living hell. Why would I want to be his mate!?"
The Oracle stares at them in horror. "Future Alpha, future Luna-"
"Don’t call her that."
"Find someone else." They both speak at the same time.
The Oracle shakes her head. "But I’ve triple-checked. There has been no mistake, the Goddess chose her tonight."
But Anna refuses to accept it. She shakes her head, eyes wide with hysteria. "I’m his mate! He chose me! The Goddess can’t just choose someone else like this, it’s unfair!"
She turns to their father, crying in front of everyone. "Daddy, please tell them. Tell them that it’s supposed to be me! Tell them!"
"Anna, you’re making a scene!" their mother tries to quiet her.
"No!" Anna shakes her head, refusing to calm down. "Adrian is my mate. Everyone knows that."
Nyra doesn’t even know what to say. If she accepts this, then she would have to live with Adrian for the rest of her life. The realization terrifies her.
She shakes her head, refusing to accept it. "I--I want to reject this bond!"
The moment the words leave her mouth, pain explodes in her chest. She gasps softly, grabbing at it.
At the exact same moment, Adrian doubles over on the stage, clutching the same spot on his chest as if he were feeling her pain too.
The guests all look shocked.
"Impossible..this is far too early ." the Oracle whispers under her breath, rushing over to Adrian’s side. "Wait, stop! Neither of you can reject this bond."
What does that even mean? People rejected bonds all the time. Why is this one different?
"Why not?" Nyra asks from the back. Her head feels dizzy.
But before the Oracle can answer, Alpha Darius rises, taking control of the situation. "Whether they can reject it or not is irrelevant." His gaze settles on Nyra. "How can she lead if she doesn’t even have a wolf?"
Other guests and council members murmur in agreement.
The Oracle bows. "This selection must be for a reason, Great Alpha." Her eyes find Nyra again. "The next Rite of Awakening is in three days. The future Luna should be included. Let’s see if the Goddess will finally reveal her gift."
Shame climbs up Nyra’s spine like tiny needles. The Rite of Awakening is for thirteen-year-olds. She’s almost eighteen!
What a joke. The universe must be hell-bent on punishing her.
However, despite his disappointment, Alpha Darius doesn’t object.
"If her gift is revealed in three days, then the mating bond will proceed as the Goddess intended. But until then, no final decision will be made."
And just like that, their fate has been sealed by whatever sick games the universe is playing.
---
The moment the Oracle leaves the stage, Nyra runs out of the hall through the back exit without looking back. Tears threaten to fall as she runs toward the back of the mansion, far away from everyone else.
Why her?
How can her mate be the boy she hates so much? Why does the Goddess hate her so much?!
And now it’s a bond she can’t even break.
Nyra stops running when she finds herself on one of the empty balconies at the back of the mansion. This part is silent, but it still feels like she can hear all of them mocking her.
She’s sighs and leans against the railings, when suddenly a set of familiar voices reaches her ears.
"...Adrian, say something." It’s Anna’s voice. She sounds desperate.
Nyra stiffens. She knows she shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but something in her wants to know what exactly they’re talking about
She looks down the corridor and sees them. Anna has Adrian pressed against the wall, fingers tangled desperately in his suit while kissing him like she’s trying to erase what happened minutes ago.
And Adrian kisses her back with such ferocity. He grabs her hips tightly, pulling her close like he can’t bear any distance between them.
Nyra’s stomach burns at the sight, even though she doesn’t want it to.
She had spent her entire life wearing or eating Anna’s leftovers. And somehow, even her own mate still belonged to Anna first.
It stings.
But just as she’s about to turn away, Adrian’s voice reaches her one last time. freёwebnovel.com
"Don’t worry. If I can’t break this bond..." he says coldly, "...then I’ll make her life such a living hell that she’ll beg to reject me herself."
