Rise of the Assassin Luna

The Blood Moon Festival had reached its peak. The wolves shifted freely from their human form, their fur glistened under the moonlight as they prepared for a midnight run.

Serena stood at the edge of the clearing. In the darkness where she preferred to be.

Alone, watching the chaos from the shadows with disinterest. Her arms folded across her chest.

She hated that night. It was supposed to symbolize unity and strength. But for her, it only magnified the gaping void where her wolf was supposed to be.

"Serena, why are you lurking there like a lonely ghost?" Kira's sharp voice cut through the silent night. Serena's muscles tensed as Kira, Kai's current obsession strutted over with her entourage.

She had already left the clearing and stayed in the dark. Why were they haunting her like ghosts?

Couldn't they let her lick her wounds alone?

They were all snickering with malicious intent. "Shouldn't you be hiding in shame right now?"

"Leave me alone, Kira," Serena muttered as she turned and started walking away. But the sneer in Kira's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't be so sensitive. It's okay to hide. The festival is for real wolves after all."

Laughter bubbled from the other girls in the group. Serena had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her temper from erupting.

Her fists clenched and nails digging into her palms, she wished she could just disappear.

Walk away. She told herself. It was always better not to engage in irrelevant conflict. Especially, when one of them had the protection of the future alpha.

But the taunts kept coming. "Still no wolf, huh? How does it feel to be sixteen years old and completely useless?"

Before she could respond, a pin-drop silence swept through the area. Followed by excited murmurs as Kai, the future Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack entered the circle.

Serena's heart almost stopped when their eyes met. It was a brief moment, but Serena saw the flicker of emotion that passed through his eyes.

It was funny how even after breaking the bond established by the moon goddess that connected them as fated mates, his stare still affected her.

She guessed it would take time for the bond to be completely severed.

However, she still hoped that even though their bond was broken, Kai would show some restraint for the sake of respecting the moon goddess.

She was wrong as that hope was snuffed out as quickly as it came.

Kai's expression darkened as he turned to face the gathering crowd of wolves with an unreadable expression.

"Everyone," Kai called out. His voice was as deep as a cello traveling through the clearing. "I have something important to announce."

The crowd quieted down eagerly awaiting to hear what their future Alpha had to say. Serena's heart thudded in her chest. A sickening feeling of dread caused her stomach to churn.

Kai's gaze swept in her direction. Cold and dismissive. "As many of you know, the Moon Goddess grants us each a fated mate." His voice was dripping with arrogance. "Unfortunately for me…mine" He pointed directly at Serena, ensuring that all eyes had turned in her direction. "…is her."

Loud gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by murmurs of shock and disgust. Serena's skin felt like ants were crawling all over her as every gaze burned her, judging her and mocking her pathetic existence.

She almost wanted to dig a hole with her toes and bury herself in it. The scrutiny made her shrink into herself.

When she rejected Kai earlier, she had done so with a few people because she didn't want to become a spectacle.

She knew it would be a matter of time before the arrogant Kai rejected her, so she held no hope.

But she never expected that he wouldn't leave her even the most basic dignity.

Kai's lips curled into a sneer. "But let me be perfectly clear about one thing. I, Kai, future alpha of the Bloodfang pack, reject you, Serena, as my mate."

The words hit her like a ton of bricks. It was more painful than a physical blow. Her breath caught in her throat and for a moment, the world turned completely dark.

The rejection cut her deeper than she'd expected the first time she initiated it.

The pain was sharp and cold and it made it hard to breathe. It felt like someone had plunged a knife into her heart and was constantly twisting it.

She had experienced pain when she rejected Kai, but she couldn't understand why it still hurt so much now. Was it because the humiliation of being rejected in public was adding to the pain?

"Why would the Moon Goddess pair me with someone who can't even shift?" Kai continued, his voice laced with cruel amusement.

"What kind of Alpha would I be if I acknowledged a mate like you, Serena?"

Laughter erupted from the crowd, loud and merciless. Serena's vision blurred, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.

She felt as though the ground had been ripped out right from under her. Leaving her free-falling into a pit of shame and ridicule.

Kai stepped closer to her, his expression one filled with mockery. "You're not worthy of me, Serena. You're not worthy of anyone."

The words echoed in her mind like a curse.

But even as the pack laughed and jeered, Serena squared her shoulders and straightened her spine.

She forced the tears that threatened to spill back and willed herself to meet Kai's gaze, even though every part of her screamed for her to run.

"You're right," she said in a steady voice as she could master. "You are not worthy of me." She refused to let anyone put her down.

Not even the mate moon goddess had personally chosen. He was not worthy of being her mate if he could not accept her for who she was and could humiliate her without any qualms.

"Also, I already rejected you, remember? You are not the one who is rejecting me. I already rejected you as my mate. You don't deserve me." Serena would not let him have the last say. He was not worth it.

For a brief moment, Kai's smug smile faltered, but Serena didn't wait to hear anymore.

She turned on her heels and walked away, her head held high. The crowd's laughter and taunts had come to an abrupt end when she answered Kai.

The forest welcomed her like an old friend, the cool air soothing her burning heart.

As soon as she was out of sight and was sure no one could see her, she leaned against a tree. Her breath came out in short, ragged gasps.

The tears she had been holding in finally spilled. She cried her heart out as the pain of the broken bond stung like a bi**h.

She wondered if she was the only one experiencing this kind of unbearable pain. Didn't Kai feel it?

Once she had cried enough, she wiped her tears and opened her eyes in determination. You're not weak, Serena. You don't need him. You don't need a mate. You don't need anyone. You are enough.

But the pain wouldn't go away. It settled deep in her chest, right in the middle of her heart. Twisting and coiling around it like a poisonous serpent.

She dug her nails into her palms, causing them to bleed as she forced herself to breathe through them.

She wouldn't let Kai or a mate bond destroy her. She had survived worse. She would survive this.

Suck it up, Serena. She told herself.

As the cold wind swept through the trees and brushed past her, Serena made a silent vow to herself.

She wouldn't waste another second pining for a mate who saw her as nothing more than an embarrassment. She would become stronger than Kai could ever imagine.

She would rise from the ashes of the broken bonds, and make herself something different, something far more dangerous than anything anyone had ever seen.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

You'll regret this, Kai. One day, you'll regret throwing me away.

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