Rise of the Assassin Luna

Serena stood at the edge of the Bloodfang Pack's territory, the sun disappearing into the horizon and painting the blue sky with some hues of crimson and gold.

The tension in the air was almost tangible, only interrupted by the sounds of laughter and celebration that floated towards her from the pack's central clearing.

The Blood Moon Festival was in full swing as the pack members celebrated the strength of the pack and the bond between all wolves.

But for Serena, it was a painful reminder of everything she wanted to be but was not.

At the age of sixteen, she should have awakened her wolf and gained the power that only real wolves can feel in the depths of their veins.

She should have joined the other young wolves in celebrating their rites of passage. However, all she felt was hollow inside her chest, she felt like a ghost among the living. And the treatment her pack gave her only strengthened that feeling.

The whispers of her pack mates stung like daggers laced with silver as she recalled their mocking and derisive laughter. "Look at her. Still no wolf."

"How pathetic." They mocked her like she wasn't there.

Serena felt the night air chill her to the bone.

Nevertheless , it wasn't just the cold that sent shivers down her spine but also the weight of their disdainful stares and remarks.

It was a suffocating cloak of shame that she had worn for months since she turned sixteen.

Turning her back on the festivities behind her, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, steadying herself.

Tonight, she wouldn't let them see any weakness in her. No matter what, she would hold her head high and treat them like carrots.

Serena had spent countless nights in the forest beyond the Bloodfang pack territory; training in secret, pushing her body to its limits.

While her peers had awakened their wolves, she was different. She had to fight against the darkness inside her. Darkness formed from the bullying and neglect she had experienced since she turned sixteen and failed to awaken her wolf.

She had been honing her strength and agility. She had decided to walk her own path.

A path many would not choose. If they wouldn't accept her as one of their own, then she would find power elsewhere. She would find a place to belong. Even if it meant being alone.

As Serena moved deeper into the shadows of the dense trees, the sound of howling filled the air. A beautifully harmonized sound that spoke of unity and belonging.

It felt like a knife was being twisted in her chest, reminding her of the family she yearned for but could never have. She had the feeling of an outsider, a pariah, who was forever shunned because of her failure to awaken her wolf.

Even her parents were ashamed of her. They were strong warriors of the pack yet their daughter couldn't even awaken a wolf.

Such a disgrace, they said.

Suddenly, the haunting howl of her fated mate sliced through the night.

Kai's voice was rich and commanding. It was the voice of an alpha wolf calling the pack to gather.

Serena squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe through the swell of anguish that threatened to consume her entire being.

He was the future Alpha; powerful and charismatic. His presence filled the clearing like a beacon. Yet, the more he shone, the dimmer her own light became.

"Let's see if the little weakling is hiding in the shadows!" a voice suddenly called out, followed by the raucous laughter of a group of young wolves.

Serena clenched her fists tightly at her sides, anger bubbling within her chest like a volcano waiting to erupt.

They were always waiting for a chance to humiliate her, to remind her of her inadequacies. They didn't care that she preferred being alone and always avoided crowds.

It felt like in this pack, even hiding alone in the darkness was a luxury no one was willing to give her.

"Let her be, Kira. She'll never be one of us." Kai's voice broke through the banter, laced with condescension and dismissal.

"A girl who can't even shift isn't worth us wasting our time on." That felt like the cruelest remark one should ever hear from their mate.

But Serena didn't know that the worst was yet to come. She closed her eyes and continued to ignore them.

The laughter grew louder and crueler. Serena's heart twisted painfully as she fought against the tears that threatened to spill.

They were right.

She was indeed worthless, a disappointment not just to her pack but to herself. With surging determination that she didn't know how she managed to master, Serena opened her eyes and said the words she should have said long ago.

"I, Serena, reject you future alpha Kai as my mate." That was the bravest thing Serena had ever done.

And just as the legends said, the pain that throbbed in her chest was unbearable. It made her want to sink her hands into her chest and pull out her heart. It was too painful.

But the pain was about to double because at that moment, Kai who had finally come to his senses after the rejection said angrily.

"I should be the one rejecting a disgrace and weakling like you. You think you have the right to reject me?" He was so angry that he was heaving.

"But you gave me the opportunity I was looking for. I, future Alpha of Bloodfang pack, Kai accept your rejection."

It was at that moment that Serena understood what pain really was. What she had experienced before was just child play. The pain this time could literally kill.

It took her every ounce of will power she could master to get up from the ground where she had collapsed due to the pain and turned away, stepping into the shadows and allowing the darkness to swallow her whole.

While she had always felt bad for herself for failing to shift, tonight would be different. She wasn't going to wallow in self-pity or allow the words of irrelevant people to cut her deeper.

Serena took a deep breath, her resolve hardening like steel.

She could master the strength and resolve to reject Kai, thus, she was done being a victim. She would train harder, fight fiercer, and prove to them all that she was worth something.

The sound of the festival faded behind her, replaced by the rustling leaves and the quiet hum of the forest.

In the depths of her shattered heart, she made a vow: she would find her strength, even if it meant standing alone, on the other side of everyone else.

No longer would she be known as the girl who couldn't awaken her wolf.

With each step deeper into the forest, Serena's resolve hardened. She would become someone powerful. So powerful that everyone who mocked her for being useless would be in awe of her.

Wolf or no wolf.

She would harness her skills and become the most dangerous thing in the darkness.

She didn't have to live in the light. That was for those looking for approval and praise. She wasn't interested in either.

She would use those skills to hunt the rogues that threatened her pack even if these people didn't deserve her efforts. She was going to prove that strength wasn't solely defined by the presence of a wolf.

Even if they never find out about her.

The world outside the Bloodfang pack was dangerous, and she would learn to navigate it, one way or another.

That sense of danger is going to be her best friend. It was going to help her grow stronger.

As Serena ventured deeper into the woods, the moon rose higher in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the path she was walking.

She might have been cast aside by the people she considered family, but the darkness held secrets and power. Secrets she would uncover and use to forge her own destiny.

Serena set her sights on the future, refusing to let anyone, not even her supposed fated mate Kai, define who she was.

It was time for the world to see the strength hidden beneath her skin.

The resilience that had kept her going all these months even when everyone including her parents dismissed her presence.

The moon goddess had given everyone a wolf except her, and she believed there was a reason for that.

There was no way the moon goddess would let her children suffer. The suffering and humiliation she was experiencing had a purpose.

At least, that was what she liked to believe. It was her driving force to work harder and become stronger.

As long as she didn't stop or slow down, she would get what was prepared for her. But in the meantime, the darkness was calling to her.

The Bloodfang Pack would remember the name – Serena, and she would no longer be their disgrace.

She would rise from the shadows and claim her power, one hunt at a time.

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