In the moon's light, destinies entwine.

ISABELLA

“Nadia, please don't do this to me. I can't remember doing anything to you.” I pleaded, only to receive a hard blow across my face that pushed me to the ground.

“Certainly, you can't remember doing anything to me, you fool. You had the effrontery to report me to my father and think you will go scot-free? Never!” She stated.

I changed, “I am sorry,” several times but did not get any response from her. Instead, she instructed the three men to beat me up more.

I had no option but to endure the pains I received from the beating silently because there was no one to cry or run to.

When they left, I looked at the mess Nadia made in my home and tears were the only things that could escape from my eyes.

After the incident, even fellow omegas started avoiding me even more because who dares challenge the popular Nadia?

It's true that loneliness was consuming me but in it I found the determination to endure and rise above the ruins of my home.

Something happened during the communal hunting expedition. My fellow Omega's distanced themselves from me, leaving me to wander in the forest alone.

As I went deeper into the forest, my fellow pack members communicated through glances and gestures in an attempt to deliberately exclude me from the whole experience.

“Well, here comes the failure herself,” said Lyra, an Omega who was once friendly to me.

In my attempt to ignore the betrayal, I asked her, “What do you want, Lyra?”

Her mocking laughter was so loud that I wished she could reduce it but no, who am I? A powerless Omega who could not shift?

Lyra continued without any form of sympathy. “Words travel fast, Isabella. Your little home is in shambles. I don't even know what Nadia found there.”

At this point, I was already burning in anger but I refused to let it consume me. “It's none of your business. If you have anything to say, say it.”

Lyra stepped forward with her eyes reflecting a newfound malice and hatred. “You are a stain on this pack, Isabella. You are nothing but a burden we all have to bear.

However, you are more likely to scare off Rey than catch it. Perhaps you should just stick to the things you are good at—like being a burden to everyone.

As I turned away from Lyra, I quickly remembered the battles I have faced not just in the hands of Nadia but also in the hands of everyone in the pack. The pain was much but I had to endure it because I am alone.

“Why must it be like this?” I asked no one in particular out of frustration.

“Will my true mate emerge, or will the pack mock me for that again?

I hope that the discovery of my true mate will help me escape the humiliation and hardship within the pack,” I said to myself.

The night of the ceremony arrived and the whole pack was filled with anticipation. The pack members gathered but we're all looking at me.

In their eyes, I could see them eagerly waiting to witness the continuation of my disgrace.

As the Alpha, a towering figure with eyes that embody the wisdom of centuries, presided over the ceremony, there was tension everywhere.

One after the other, everyone's mate was revealed and they all solidified their bonds in joy and happiness. The Omegas all found their mates except me.

I stood alone expecting the worst to happen because it already seemed like I didn't have a mate the same way I was not able to transform into my wolf form.

The whispers and murmurs intensified as I was the only one standing alone waiting for the final blow.

Then, the Alpha's gaze met mine, and he solemnly declared, “In the Moon’s light, destinies entwine.

The whole pack became silent as the alpha approached and extended his hand towards me. “Isabella, you are my chosen mate.”

I felt a mix of nervousness and hope as his eyes locked onto mine. It was like a secret shared between us and the Moon.

There were whispers among the pack members like leaves rustling in the wind. Lyra, who had mocked me earlier, had her jaw wide open. “Wait, what? It's not possible. Isabella is the Alpha’s mate?” She exclaimed as disbelief was written all over her face.

Everybody was surprised as no one expected what just happened. How could the powerless omega be the Alpha's mate?

I know that they had expected my embarrassment but this twist left them speechless. Now, the forbidden one like me is chosen by the Moon goddess to be the Alpha's mate. Oh, my enemies are shocked!

I was still enjoying the disbelief written all over their faces when the Alpha shifted from solemn to something akin to surprise.

His gaze became softened as he looked at me as if he was just realizing the weight of his declaration. “Isabella, you are my chosen mate.”

That moment, I felt a mixture of emotions —disbelief, relief, and a little bit of happiness. Just then, I noticed that I was not the only one battling with mixed emotions. Everyone else in the pack was battling with it.

Nadia, who had celebrated my misery, was shocked more than anyone else. “But she couldn't even shift properly at the shifting ceremony,” she muttered in frustration.

A younger wolf pup tugged at his mother's fur to ask, “does it mean Isabella is going to be out Alpha now?”

“No, darling. It means that she has been chosen by the moon goddess as a special mate for our alpha,” his mother whispered.

“Like a story from the Moon goddess?

Exactly like that.

As the whole pack were all getting prepared to accept the new development, the Alpha looked into my eyes and said, “The Moon goddess has chosen you as my mate but I can't accept you as my mate.”

While I was still trying to recover from the Alpha's shocking statement, he uttered another one while forcefully pushing me aside.

“Isabella, I reject you.”