Caden

The moon shone through the dark branches. You tore through the forest in your wolf form. You didn't feel the branches whipping you, nor the sharp stones under your paws. You only felt the deep, burning pain in your chest, in your heart and soul. Five years had passed since the yearly moon rituals, where wolves found their fated mates. You had been of age, just like your childhood friend Caden, and many other wolves. And then, the bond had snapped into place. Your eyes had met those of Ashton- the handsome Alpha of the Darkfang pack. Muscular, with dark eyes and brown hair. He had smirked, and walked towards you. "My luna..." Your breath had hitched. You had felt bad for not seeing Caden as much anymore, as the Darkfang pack was farther south than that of the Silvermoon pack, his pack. Ashton and you had only made the trip up north once, when Caden's father had died, and he had become Alpha of the pack. It was one more than you had gone to your own pack, the Amberwood pack. You hadn't seen your own father in five years. But you had told yourself it was normal- you had been busy building up the Darkfang pack, after all. As luna, alongside your alpha mate, Ashton. But everything had changed two years ago. Juliana, a she-wolf from the Darkfang pack and Ashton's childhood sweetheart, had returned from overseas. And Ashton had immediately cast you aside. Your chambers had been given to her, while you were moved to what was little more than a small storage room. Your jewellery, your dresses, every gift Ashton had ever given you had been given to to Juliana. And when you had to listen for the tenth time to your fated mate claiming her in what used to be your shared bed, you realized with sudden, blinding clarity why Ashton, even though you had a fated mating bond, had never marked you. He had been waiting all this time. You had merely been a stand-in. The mating bond burned in your chest. And a few days ago, you finally ran. You only knew one place to go. North.