Chapter 1 Broken and rejected

• Aldric looked directly into my amber, penetrating eyes, No affection. Cold detachment alone.
• "You are not suitable to be my Luna, Elara." Sharp as a sword, his deep voice rumbled through the pack. The assembled members of the pack let out a series of gasps.
• "What?" My breath was little more than a whisper. Even though my knees felt weak, I resisted letting them give out.
• He moved in closer, looming over me with Alpha-level dominance. "You heard me. You're not strong enough. You could never be my equal at my side.
• "Please, Aldric." My voice broke as my chest ached from his rejection. "I've given this pack my all, please don't do this.
• A grimace curved his lips. "You believe that loyalty is sufficient? We need strength, not a weak excuse for a partner.
• The whispers became ruthless laughter, and the murmurs became whispers. They were audible, and I could feel their contempt stabbing me.
• Even though I could hardly hear myself, I said, "I'm not fragile." "I've been there for you no matter what. Doesn't that make a difference?
• Anger surged in Aldric's eyes. "It is meaningless. Elara, you're not Luna material. Embrace it. Instead of becoming a burden, the Bloodfang Pack should have a leader.
• The shame was more intense than fire, and the words felt like a slap. Unshed tears clouded my eyes, but I resisted letting them go.
• With a shaky voice, I answered, "You're making a mistake." "You'll regret it."
• He grinned, the ruthlessness in his face further entangling the blade. "Here, the only error was ever believing that you could be sufficient."
• Around me, laughter broke out, and I felt my chest smothered by their disdain. I was so ashamed and incredulous that my feet would not budge. It felt like glass fragments in my throat, but I pushed myself to speak at last.
• "I'll go if that's what you want, Aldric. But don't count on me to return.
• He didn't flinch at all. "Well done."
• Ignoring the murmurs and jeers, I turned on my heel and bounded off the dais. Even though my heart felt like it had been torn to pieces, I refused to let them see my breakdown.
• All I could think of was the dark, ominous forest of the Shadowglade, but it was the only location that came to me. The sound of my own cries followed me as I raced, breathing in ragged gasps.
• "Weak. Useless. A load. Aldric's words kept repeating in my head, each one piercing my already broken heart.
• I fell hard to my knees after stumbling on a root. Despite the cold and unforgiving soil under me, I lacked the strength to get up.
• "Why?" I spoke in a whisper to nobody. "What made me insufficient?"
• Perhaps it was my own imagination torturing me, but the wind carried voices in whispers through the woods. "You were always insufficient."
• "Stop it!" I put my hands to my ears and yelled. However, the voices persisted.
• “You know, they’re right.” Through the confusion in my mind came a voice, definite this time, smooth and feminine.
• I looked up, trying to find the source. "Who is there!?"
• A shadow moved closer, shifting between the trees. "Someone who recognizes your true potential," the soothing, deep voice whispered. "Elara, you're not broken. Not quite yet.
• I stumbled to my feet and retreated. "Don't come near me!"
• A tall lady with piercing violet eyes and long black hair that appeared to shimmer like liquid night emerged as the figure moved into the dim moonlight. She wasn't a member of the group. That much was obvious.
• "Who are you?" Despite the lack of confidence in my voice, I insisted.
• With a little grin on her lips, she cocked her head. "Lysandra is my name. I had also been anticipating your arrival.
• My heart was racing as I stood still. " You were waiting for me? Why?
• Lysandra stepped forward, her motions elegant and almost unearthly. "Because your destiny is much bigger than you could have ever dreamed." And tonight is when it starts.
• I stepped back again and shook my head. “I don’t have a destiny. I am nothing. A rejected partner, that's all.
• Something I couldn't identify flared in her violet eyes. That's what you think? Or did they lead you to think that?
• I recoiled as her comments struck a chord. "What's the point? That's the reality.
• Lysandra's face became softer. "Elara, the fact is that you have been misled. You are not weak. You are a power that is just waiting to be released.
• I tightened my chest as I gazed at her. "What makes you worthy of my trust?"
• With a hint of mischief in her eyes, she grinned. "Because I'm giving you an opportunity to disprove them. to develop into the woman you were destined to be.
• A part of me wanted to turn away, to write off what she had said was bullshit. However, there was a part of me that still aches from Aldric's rejection and wanted to believe her.
• "What do you mean?" With hesitation in my voice, I asked.
• Lysandra took a step forward and extended her hand. "Allow me to demonstrate."
• I grasped her hand against mine, Her skin felt chilly, and I felt a rush of electricity as soon as our hands touched. Around us, shadows started to tangle and contort like living creatures.
• "What's going on?" I tried to break away as I gasped, but she held on tightly.
• With a firm and authoritative voice, she said, "You are the moon's chosen."
• Darker and heavier, the darkness closed in on us. My chest ached, but Lysandra's calm demeanor kept me grounded.
• "Take a breath," she said. "Give up your fear."
• I closed my eyes and gave myself up to the weird energy that was pulsing through me. A weird warmth and a growing sensation of power inside of me took the place of the anguish and shame I had experienced before.
• The shadows disappeared by the time I opened my eyes, but something had changed. I felt it in my body and in the air.
• Lysandra grinned broadly. "Elara, you've made the first step. When you return, the pack won't recognize you.
• Her words made me shiver. "Come back? What are you saying?
• She stepped back, her violet eyes shining. "You'll see. Rest for now, however. The change is only getting started.
• She vanished into the darkness before I could reply, leaving me alone in the clearing. I looked down at my hands and saw that they seemed... strange. more powerful. There was no turning back now that something had changed.
• A solitary thought kept ringing in my head as my eyes succumbed to the darkness around it.
• "What am I now!!?"