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LUNA OF THORNS AND ASHES

LUNA OF THORNS AND ASHES

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Fate chose her. He rejected her. Now their survival depends on a bond they both swore to destroy. Elara Voss knows what it means to be hunted. Orphaned by a pack massacre and burdened by a forbidden legacy, the shadowed power of the Eclipse Wolf, she hides in plain sight at Lunaris University, a sanctuary for supernatural elites. But when a brutal mate-bonding ceremony exposes her as the fated Luna to Kieran Blackthorn, heir to the most ruthless werewolf dynasty alive, her fragile anonymity shatters. Kieran is everything she despises: arrogant, lethally beautiful, and determined to reject her. To him, Elara is a weak, human liability, unworthy of his throne. But when assassination attempts and a centuries-old curse threaten his pack, they're forced into an uneasy alliance. The closer they grow, the harder it becomes to ignore the electric pull between them or the dark truth that Elara's blood holds the key to saving Kieran's world... and destroying her own. As their enemies close in and Kieran's icy resolve melts into obsessive desire, Elara must choose: Embrace her destiny as the Eclipse Wolf, risking her heart to unite fractured packs. Walk away and let the boy who shattered her pride become the monster she always feared. But in a world where love is war and loyalty is forged in blood, survival might demand a price neither is ready to pay...

Chapter 1 The Ceremony of Rejection

The scent of roses and wolfsbane choked the air, heavy and sweet like poison in my throat.

I stood at the edge of the ceremonial circle, heart slamming against my ribs, dressed in borrowed white and secrets. Around me, hundreds of wolves gathered under the blood moon, watching, waiting for the Moon Goddess to choose their mates.

I shouldn't be here.

I had no wolf. No pack. No right.

But the forged mark on my shoulder, the one that shimmered like silver beneath the candlelight, said otherwise. It fooled the Seers. Fooled the Elders. Fooled everyone but me.

And maybe him.

Kieran Blackthorn.

He stood on the opposite side of the circle, tall and still as carved obsidian. Jet-black hair. Moonlight eyes. Power coiled around him like smoke and steel. He looked like the kind of man who could burn kingdoms just by breathing. And he had the temper to match.

Everyone knew the heir to the Blackthorn Pack didn't want a mate. Didn't believe in fate.

And definitely wouldn't accept a weak, human-born girl like me.

Still, the pull had been undeniable since the second I stepped into Lunaris University. I'd caught glimpses of him across the courtyard. Felt his gaze scrape against my skin in combat class. The bond crackled in the air between us like lightning waiting to strike.

I prayed it was just my imagination.

I was wrong.

The Seer's voice rang out, sharp and cold like shattered glass. "The Moon has spoken. She has chosen..."

My breath was locked in my throat.

No. Please, no.

"Elara Voss... and Kieran Blackthorn."

Silence fell like a guillotine.

A hundred wolves turned to look at me. Confusion. Disgust. Curiosity. But Kieran?

His lips curled into a sneer.

"You're joking," he said, voice laced with ice. "Her?"

My knees almost buckled, but I forced myself to stay upright. If I crumbled now, I'd never survive.

The Seer didn't flinch. "The bond is true. The mark"

"Is fake," Kieran cut in. "She doesn't even smell like a wolf. She smells... human."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. My lungs tightened.

I couldn't breathe.

Kieran stepped forward, every inch the predator. "I reject the bond. Publicly. Irrevocably."

Pain lashed through my chest like claws, sharp and searing. The magic recoiled, as if the Moon herself had struck me down.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

Rejection wasn't supposed to hurt this much.

But the bond had been real for me, at least.

I turned away before anyone could see the tears gathering in my eyes. Not because I was weak. Because I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Let them whisper. Let them doubt.

I didn't come here for love.

I came to survive.

And survive I would.

Twelve Hours Later

"I need your ID," the campus guard barked, blocking the entrance to Dormitory B with a clipboard and a scowl.

I handed over my forged Lunaris ID card with steady fingers. He barely glanced at it before waving me in.

The bond was broken. The mark had faded. And yet, I still felt like I was being watched.

The rejection ceremony had been streamed live across campus, and the headlines had already started:

"Heir to the Throne Rejects Luna Claimant."

"Human Impostor Humiliated at Moon Ceremony."

"Kieran Blackthorn: No Mate, No Mercy."

Perfect.

I shoved open the door to my room, collapsed onto my creaky bed, and tried not to cry.

Failed.

Stupid, Elara. So stupid.

I'd spent years hiding. Years blending in. Years pretending to be just another student at Lunaris, even though my tuition was paid with fake coins and blood money.

Why did the bond choose me? Why him?

I curled tighter, gripping my pillow like a lifeline. Somewhere deep inside, the remnants of the bond still sparked. Still ached.

I hated it.

I hated him.

The Next Morning

"Miss Voss?" a crisp voice called as I exited Combat Theory class, sweat still clinging to my back.

I turned to find a woman in Council robes standing in the hallway, flanked by two guards.

Oh no.

"By order of the university, you've been reassigned to Dormitory Alpha. Effective immediately."

I blinked. "That's... that's a mistake. Alpha dorms are for "

Bonded pairs. Or those under bond investigation."

"But the bond was rejected."

"Nevertheless, the connection registered as active. Dorm reassignment is non-negotiable."

I stared, numb.

Alpha dorm.

That meant...

I was being moved in with him.

Kieran Blackthorn.

The boy who rejected me in front of the entire supernatural world.

I was going to kill the Moon Goddess.

Dormitory Alpha, Room 13

"Hell no," Kieran growled the second he opened the door.

He was shirtless. Glorious. Muscles cut from shadow and sin. A single silver chain hung around his neck, glinting against his tanned skin.

I tried not to look. Failed again.

"I don't like this any more than you do," I snapped.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "You're a liability. I won't have a fake Luna in my space."

"Tell that to the housing committee. The 'bond energy' is still active."

His jaw ticked.

He moved aside without a word.

I stepped into the room and braced myself.

It was massive. Clean. Two beds. One bathroom. Zero privacy.

Fantastic.

"Don't talk to me," Kieran said, grabbing his phone. "Don't touch my stuff. And stay on your side."

I dropped my duffel on the opposite bed. "Don't worry, Alpha. I wouldn't dream of touching anything that belongs to you."

Something flickered in his eyes at the word Alpha. Heat. Annoyance. A dangerous mix of both.

The tension in the room thickened until it hurt to breathe.

This was going to be hell.

Three Days Later

"I said no!" Kieran snapped, shoving the training blade aside.

We were in Advanced Combat a required class for all upper-tier shifters. As a top scorer, I was often paired with elite partners.

Today, I got stuck with him.

"Scared I'll beat you?" I taunted, raising my blade again.

He smirked, lazy and lethal. "You couldn't land a hit on me even if the Goddess kissed your feet."

"I'd rather she kissed yours. Maybe it would soften that massive ego."

Our classmates laughed. A few even cheered.

Something shifted in Kieran's expression half amusement, half fury. Then he lunged.

We clashed, blades ringing. I ducked, twisted, and struck.

He blocked. Barely.

"You're fast," he muttered.

"You're predictable."

His eyes narrowed. "You're enjoying this."

"A little."

I swept his leg.

He fell.

For one glorious second, I had the future Alpha flat on his back, panting, eyes blazing with fury and something else.

Desire.

The air between us sparked. My skin tingled where it brushed his. The bond flared, wild and raw.

Then he shoved me off and stood.

"Don't touch me," he growled.

"Trust me," I said, breathless, "I wasn't trying to."

That Night

I dreamed of fire.

Screams.

Blood on my hands.

The night my pack died.

I woke up gasping, drenched in sweat, the scream still caught in my throat.

Moonlight spilled through the window. A shadow stood by the door.

Kieran.

Watching me.

"Were you dreaming?" he asked, voice quieter than I'd ever heard it.

I looked away. "None of your business."

"The bond echoed it. I felt... something."

"You're the one who rejected the bond. You don't get access to my nightmares."

He flinched, just barely. Then turned and walked away.

But he didn't sleep.

And neither did I.

One Week Later: The Gauntlet Announcement

Professor Rylen's voice echoed across the Lecture Hall. "As part of your final term, each bonded pair will enter the Gauntlet Trial. Survival determines graduation."

The room erupted in gasps and murmurs.

My blood turned cold.

Kieran raised his hand lazily. "We're not bonded."

The professor blinked. "The bond was recognized by the Moon herself. You're enrolled. Together."

"No." Kieran stood. "I won't."

"It's not optional."

My stomach churned.

Kieran glared at me. "You'll slow me down."

I glared back. "And you'll get me killed."

"Perfect match," he said coldly.

And the room laughed.

But I wasn't smiling.

Because the Gauntlet wasn't a game.

It was a death trap.

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