Blood Oath: The Rise of Aria Nightfall

The moon hung full and heavy in the night sky, casting a silver glow over the grand hall of Silverclaw Pack. Tonight was the Moonlink Ceremony-the sacred night where the Moon Goddess revealed soulmates.

Aria stood in the farthest corner of the hall, trembling.

She was an omega. Unwanted. Unloved. Orphaned at six and raised by a cruel aunt who beat her more than she fed her. She had no rank, no allies, no beauty anyone would care to see.

And yet...

Her heart thudded wildly in her chest. Because for the past few weeks, her dreams had been haunted-no, blessed-by him.

Alpha Kael Blackthorn.

Leader of the Silverclaw Pack.

Powerful. Deadly. Worshipped.

And tonight, as he stepped into the hall, the world seemed to hold its breath. His black suit fit like armor, and his eyes scanned the crowd like he owned it.

Then... his gaze locked with hers.

Time stopped.

A rush of fire coursed through Aria's veins. Her wolf surged to the surface, screaming, "Mate!"

And Kael-his breath hitched. His body stilled. His fists clenched.

The room whispered, gasped.

They saw it.

They all saw it.

The bond had snapped into place.

Aria took a hopeful step forward.

But Kael's lips curled into a cold, cruel smirk.

"No," he growled. "This must be a mistake."

Her heart cracked.

"Kael..." she whispered. "I can feel it. You're my mate."

The Alpha walked toward her-slow, deliberate.

He stood before her, towering.

Then-

He slapped her.

The force sent her sprawling to the floor.

Gasps exploded across the room.

"You think the Moon Goddess would give me-the most powerful Alpha-you?" he hissed. "A worthless omega with nothing but dirt under her fingernails?"

Aria's eyes welled with tears. But she sat up, clutched her chest, and whispered,

"The bond... it's real. You felt it too."

Kael crouched, grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her to look into his blazing eyes.

"I'd rather die than let trash like you carry my mark."

He stood tall and shouted for everyone to hear:

"I, Kael Blackthorn, Alpha of Silverclaw, reject Aria Raventhorn as my mate!"

Suddenly-

Agony.

Aria's body seized. Her wolf howled in pain, writhing as the rejection tore through her soul like a blade. Her hands dug into the floor. Her mouth opened in a silent scream.

But Kael wasn't done.

He drew his claw-and slashed her arm open.

"Here's something to remember me by."

Blood splattered across the marble floor.

The crowd stared in stunned silence-before the laughter began.

"What a joke of a mate," someone whispered. "She actually thought she was worthy."

Aria lay on the ground, broken.

Alone.

Bleeding.

But then-

The moon turned red.

A wind blew through the hall, icy and ancient.

A silver mark flared on her forehead, pulsing with light.

The Elders gasped.

"The Luna's Sigil," one of them whispered in horror. "She's... the descendant of the Lost Bloodline!"

But Aria's eyes closed.

She blacked out.

And that night, she was dragged from the pack, dumped in the forest like garbage, and left to die.

****

Four years later...

Kael stood in the same hall, arms crossed.

"There is no threat left," he announced. "The Lost Bloodline was never real. And the omega is long dead."

The doors burst open.

A gust of wind swept in.

Footsteps echoed.

He turned-and froze.

Aria stood in the doorway.

No longer the scared, broken omega.

Her silver eyes glowed. Her hair was long and wild. A crescent mark burned on her skin. Behind her, power gathered like a storm.

"You rejected me once," she said, voice cold as ice. "But this time, Kael... I didn't come to beg."

She stepped forward.

"I came to destroy you."

****

The silence in the hall was suffocating.

Kael's jaw clenched. His beta, Lucas, stepped forward, lips curled in a snarl.

"Impossible. She was dead-"

"You made sure I would be," Aria cut him off coldly, her voice echoing like steel across stone.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Aria stepped deeper into the room, every stride deliberate. The omega they'd beaten, exiled, rejected... now stood like a queen among ruins.

Her eyes locked with Kael's.

"Did you miss me, Alpha?"

"You don't belong here," Kael growled, though his voice lacked the certainty it once held. "Leave. Now."

Aria smirked.

"Still pretending you don't feel it? The bond never broke, Kael. You can't fake that forever."

He flinched.

And she saw it.

The flicker of pain. The guilt. The part of him that had felt the bond tear... and still felt it pulling even now.

But Aria wasn't here for heartbreak.

She was here for war.

"I've come to claim what's mine. You rejected me as a mate," she said, voice sharp. "But you won't reject me as your Luna. Not anymore."

Laughter broke out behind Kael.

From Selena.

She was the Beta's daughter-gorgeous, cruel, and Kael's rumored new mate.

"You?" Selena scoffed. "An omega Luna? You're insane."

Aria turned to her, slowly.

"Insanity is surviving rejection, exile, betrayal-and coming back stronger."

Selena charged, claws bared.

But Aria didn't move.

Not when a silver blur appeared behind her.

A growl ripped through the hall as a massive black wolf leaped forward, knocking Selena across the floor. He shifted mid-air, landing gracefully.

Tall. Scarred. Dangerous.

Damon. Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack.

Aria turned and smiled.

"Meet my mate."

Kael's world fractured.

His wolf howled inside him, furious, broken.

"Mate?!" Kael's voice was a roar. "You accepted another?!"

Aria arched an eyebrow.

"What, Kael? You thought I'd wait? You rejected me. Remember?"

He lunged.

Damon stepped forward, blocking him with a growl.

"Touch her again, and I'll rip you in half."

Pack members gasped.

Kael's warriors moved, but Damon's eyes glowed red.

"I brought a gift," he said.

A door opened-and in marched warriors from the Bloodfang Pack.

Aria raised her hand.

"Tonight, I give Silverclaw a choice. Submit to new leadership... or burn."

The Elders stepped back in horror.

"You can't do this-"

"I'm the last of the Lost Bloodline!" Aria shouted, her voice laced with power. "The true heir. The Moon Goddess didn't make a mistake that night. You did."

Kael stared at her, torn.

Rage. Regret. Obsession. It bled through his pores.

He took one step closer.

"Do you still love me, Aria?"

She looked him dead in the eye.

"I loved you before you tore my soul apart. Now, I pity you."

Her voice dropped.

"Because you're about to lose everything."

And with that, the war began.