Chapter 1: The Lycan King's Mate?

Chapter 1: The Lycan King's Mate?

Luna

The grand hall shimmered with golden light, the chandeliers overhead casting a soft glow across the polished marble floor. I tightened my grip on the rag in my hands, my fingers raw and aching from scrubbing the ornate designs etched into the stone. Sweat beaded on my forehead, but I didn’t dare pause to wipe it away. The palace gleamed more magnificent than I had ever seen it, and every tiny mark was a reminder of how low I had fallen in my twenty years.

"A faulty wolf," they called me. A curse from the Moon Goddess herself.

I pushed the thought away and focused on my task. The Ascension Ceremony wasn’t for me. It never would be. A maid had no place dreaming of such grandeur, yet the air buzzed with anticipation, a mixture of hope and dread. Rumor had it that tonight, when the moon reached its peak, our Lycan king, Blade would find his Luna. And while everyone else waited eagerly to see who would be chosen, I knew my place. on my knees, cleaning dirt that wasn’t mine.

Even though I wish to have a mate to lessen some of my misery.

My fingers ached as I scrubbed the marble floors of the grand hall, each stroke a desperate attempt to erase the scuffs and dirt that marred the Sun Palace’s pristine beauty. I’d been at it since dawn, and my bones felt as worn as the rags I used to polish these stones. The ascension ceremony was set to begin in mere hours, and everything had to be perfect for Blade Sterling, our future Lycan King.

I paused to catch my breath, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. My reflection in the gleaming floor was a cruel reminder of what I was, plain, hollow-eyed, and exhausted. They called me “Lana” in the palace, a mockery of the name my mother had chosen for me—*Luna.*

My chest tightened every time I heard it. *Luna* was a name full of meaning, reserved for a leader, a queen. But to everyone here, I was nothing more than a faulty orphan with a half-broken wolf, unworthy of that title.

My wolf, if you could even call it that, stirred weakly within me, a faint echo of what a real wolf should be. Sometimes I wondered if she resented me as much as I resented myself.

“Lana!” a sharp voice shattered my reverie. I tensed instinctively.

Crystal Winters walked into the room like she own the whole palace. Her blonde hair under the light, as ever step she take holds a confidence that I could only dream of.

Her lips curved into a cruel smile as she found me on my hands and knees, scrubbing floors like a true lowborn I am. Her emerald eyes lit up and her lip having that cruel smile.

“Still crawling around, I see,” Crystal sneered, her voice sugary-sweet. “You might want to be careful, or someone might mistake you for a lost pup.”

Laughter erupted from her friends, a chorus that echoed in the big hall. I bit my lip, forcing down the surge of anger that tried to rise. Crystal was everything I wasn’t, powerful, respected, and poised to become our pack’s Luna. Blade Sterling himself had been seen with her on more than one occasion. Rumors swirled about their future together, and the entire palace buzzed with excitement.

Crystal sauntered closer, her heels clicking on the freshly polished floor. “You know, Blade and I will be quite the pair,” she mused, tilting her head. “Imagine that—me, the perfect Luna, and you... the perfect little maid.”

My knuckles whitened as I gripped the rag. This was Crystal’s game, and she played it well. The more she taunted, the more everyone around her laughed. I took a shaky breath, remembering the nights I’d spent dreaming of a mate—someone who would see beyond my fractured lineage and accept me as I was. But deep down, I knew better. My wolf was too broken, too flawed. Dreams like that were reserved for those like Crystal, not for a girl like me.

Crystal’s laughter filled the hall as she wrapped her arm around one of the friend. “Don’t forget to polish the throne well, Lana,” she cooed. “After all, the King and Queen's seat must shine.”

I nodded stiffly, keeping my eyes trained on the floor. When they finally swept out of the hall, leaving me alone once more, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. It hurt more than it should have. This life, this constant degradation, never got easier. Yet, I held onto a faint, foolish hope that maybe, just maybe, the Moon Goddess had some grand plan for me.

The ceremony began an hour later, the air heavy with expectation. We maids were allowed to stand at the back of the hall, a concession to our low status but still a gift from the Moon Goddess. My eyes swept over the crowd, past the elegant guests with their glittering jewels and fine silks, until they landed on the dais where they Lycan king Blade is to sit.

Just then he – Lycan King entered, his powerful presence commanding the room’s attention, his expression as unreadable as stone. He was everything a king should be, tall, broad-shouldered, with a gaze so sharp it cut like a blade.

His dark hair framed his chiseled features, and the scar across his jaw only added to his air of authority. He wore the ceremonial robes of the Lycan King, and the power that radiated from him made the air hum with tension.

My heart thudded painfully in my chest. Crystal was seated near the front, her gown shimmering like starlight. Her eyes never left Blade, a mix of longing and certainty in her gaze. The moon climbed higher, bathing the hall in silver light. The elder stepped forward, his voice deep and resonant as he began to speak the vows of the mate bond.

"Today, The Lycan King. Our protector, our leader, is destined to find a Luna tonight." His dark hair was as wild as the forest he ruled, his jaw sharp and uncompromising. Blade exuded power, and I knew he could snap me in half with a flick of his wrist.

Yet, even he had known tragedy. His mother had been poisoned when he was just a boy, a story whispered in hushed tones that had never quite faded from palace gossip.

The moon hung heavy in the sky, glowing with a light that felt both hopeful and ominous. The elder stepped forward, his staff tapping rhythmically on the floor as he began the ancient vows. My heart raced. Despite everything, despite Crystal’s cruelty and the laughter of the maids, a small ember of hope flickered in my chest.

What would it be like to have someone who saw me, who loved me, even in my brokenness?

My wolf stirred, a faint presence deep inside. It was the most she had done in months, and it startled me. Before I could make sense of it, I heard the elder’s voice rise. “As the moon reaches her highest point, she ask the moon goddess to reveal the bond that no creature can sever. The mate, chosen by fate…”

I was restless, my heart was banging in my chest, making me swallowed hard, feeling my chest clench.

The words in my lips were dry.

I leaned forward, every muscle in my body tense. Crystal was in the front, her hands clasped, a smirk playing on her lips. She was certain, as was everyone, that she would be the chosen one.

And then it happened.

A tug, an overwhelming pull, as if the very core of my soul was being wrenched from my body. It was sudden, powerful, undeniable. I gasped, clutching my chest, my knees buckling beneath me.

Suddenly, all eyes were on me, making Crystal gasped, her eyes wide and confused. I barely had time to process the shock on her face before it happened—before the bond hit me like a wave crashing through my entire being. My vision went white, and the world tilted.

Around me, the hall erupted in murmurs, and I vaguely heard Crystal scream.

“No! No, this can’t be happening!” Crystal’s shriek cut through the crowd, her hands reaching toward Blade.

But I couldn’t focus. The world was spinning, the mate bond searing into me like white-hot fire. But I heard as the pack members whispered.

“Witchcraft!” someone hissed.

“Abomination,” another muttered.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Blade’s eyes, wide with shock, locking onto mine.

Pain lanced through me as I collapsed onto the cold marble floor. A gasp of horror rippled through the crowd, and whispers erupted around me.

Above the chaos, Crystal’s scream sliced through the air like a blade, filled with anger and betrayal. “This is nothing but Witchcraft!” she shrieked, pointing at me, her face twisted with rage.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. The world spun around me, and for a split second, all I felt was the mate bond, undeniable and searing. My heart shattered and soared at once, and somewhere in the crowd, Blade Sterling’s gaze locked onto mine, his expression unreadable.