The wolfless luna

Seven years.

Seven long years of empty birthdays, watching his warriors find their mates, while he stood alone at the top.



Alpha King Ryker of the Eclipse Pack sat at the edge of the cliff behind the palace, wind cutting through his thick black coat. Below him, the moonlit forest stretched wide — his kingdom. Strong. Prosperous. And yet... hollow.



His wolf growled beneath the surface. Restless. Agitated.



> “She’s out there,” it whispered.

“We’re wasting time.”







Ryker clenched his fists.

He’d searched every pack within a thousand miles. Invited every unmated female to every gathering. And still—nothing.



But tonight would be different.

The Moon Goddess had whispered in his dreams: “On the night you are born again, she will find you.”



His 30th birthday.

The Gathering.

Over a dozen packs were already arriving. Some came to honor him. Others… to challenge him.



But none of it mattered.

He didn’t want their loyalty. Or their fear.



He wanted her.

His mate.

Whoever she was. Wherever she’d been hiding.





She wasn’t supposed to be there.



Kate stood in the back of the crowd, hidden behind the towering bulk of her pack’s warriors. The grand palace loomed ahead — all silver stone and glowing torches — like something out of a dream. Her hands trembled as she clutched the tray of drinks her Alpha had forced on her.



> “Stay out of sight,” he’d hissed.

“Don’t embarrass the pack.”







Typical.

To them, she was an embarrassment.

An omega without a wolf. Unclaimed. Unshifted. Unwanted.



But the second she stepped onto Eclipse territory, something inside her stirred. Not a wolf — she’d long accepted she had none. This was something deeper. Ancient. Burning just beneath her skin.



Her eyes flicked to the towering dais where Alpha Ryker would soon stand.

The stories didn’t do him justice. He was… more. Raw power. Magnetic. Dangerous.



And then—he turned.



Even across the crowded courtyard, their eyes met.

Time cracked. Air froze.



> “Mate,” a voice whispered in her soul.

Not hers. Not his.

Something older.







Her tray crashed to the ground. Glass shattered.

Gasps rang out.

All eyes turned.



But Ryker didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.



He simply stared at her.

As if the world had stopped turning — and finally made sense.