The moon goddess’s eyes widened as she saw the formation of a strong golden fiber of love and a bond being woven in the air – the strongest to ever be formed. It shone brightly like glimmering pearls beaded together.

This was the first time since eons that moon goddess Selene did not form a mate bond. It has already formed since birth.

A bond that can never be broken, yet Selene was so lost in hatred that she did not care.

So she did what was best for her, the sharp moon dagger aimed above from her dainty fingers ripped the fiber before it could intertwine completely.

She twirled her fingers, selecting the most corrupted of thread – red – which represented the wolves fated to be mateless and attached it with one ripped piece – the girl’s soul.

She gave the newborn a devastating future filled with pain and anguish, but could she? A tinge of pain erupted in a corner of her heart… Can Selene see the girl suffering? She didn’t know herself.

But if only she knew…

A horrific scream resonated from her mouth as ink darkness started covering her hands, the same hands which broke the rule of nature. Her creamy fingers developed claws – a corrupted soul.

Her eyes snapped to the dark blue mirror adorned with turquoise sapphire in her adobe, it reflected her once luminescent face, now marred with a shade of pitch coal. Another scream left her lips.

Never will the moon shine bright and completely white every day, now its beauty would be engulfed by darkness in its soul. Each day a slash of black will corrupt a part of its round face.

There wasn’t a day when the full moon failed to shine in all its glory… but it won’t be full now, nature was changing its course, and Selene would pay the price of going against it.

May the little girl never pay the price though… for her new mate was made to devastate her.

***

[19 years later]

Black Moon Pack

Persephone’s POV

Droplets of water fell from the oblivion. My soul was on fire, my peace taken, and the world turned upside down.

Every year the mating ceremony ignited hopes in werewolves across the globe. Like every other girl I had dreams of finding my beloved soulmate and then I found him.

“Mate,” the Black Moon Alpha growled as he approached my stoic form – Alpha Adrian. He pushed me into his stronghold, and ingles erupted on my skin as my body went tense…it felt wrong…it had felt wrong when I found out that he was my mate but the mate bond never deceived – it didn’t lie.

He was known to be vicious and cruel, killing rogues even if they were innocent and inflicting unspeakable torments. A monster I had received in place of a mate and my body screamed every time he touched me… repulsive…his touch was vile, it made me feel like a worthless prostitute.

My heart had screamed for me to move away from him, the way his eyes glazed over my body lustfully made my stomach hurl its contents.

I was a member of his pack for the past ten years and I couldn’t even count the number of deaths due to his maliciousness. I knew what that man was made up of and such creatures were not meant to be loved.

His lips curled into distaste when he took in my dirty clothes, being an orphan in his pack was the same as committing a crime, I was the daughter of the previous alpha of Black Moon pack but I was casted out by the pack members. Even if my life was tough, the pack never tried to torment me knowing that an Alpha’s blood can overpower them anytime yet for others it was not having enough food and being pushed around like dirt.

“Go get yourself cleaned, sweetheart.” He stroked my cheek softly but I couldn’t help feeling it go away, as I looked into his affectionate smile, I wanted to give this a chance, I didn’t have a choice.

I didn’t know why the thought of giving Adrian a chance made my heart hurt.

‘You are mine, Persephone…’ A fleeting voice in the wind seemed to sing those words to me.

The pack house was filled with murmurs, the people who ignored me all my life were eyeing me with fake sympathy, to be fated with a monster.

The orphan and Omega children whom I used to live with a few hours ago were huddled in the corner eyeing my food full plate hungrily.

They haven’t been given food for the past two days and today they would be served enough to survive the next two.

Tears glistened in my eyes as I took in their malnourished forms, it was not like the other members never took pity on them but whenever they did, the remembrance of the punishment shuddered them to the core, they would be made an Omega too just like my-

“Persephone, please give us one too,” Lily with her big brown eyes filled with hope asked for the grapes which seem to overflow out of my plate.

He was a monster – my mate to keep the children starved. I plucked a branch, the wolves surrounding me watching my action with dread.

An icy voice froze the room, “What do you think you are doing, orphan mate?