CHAPTER 216: CURSE!

**~Hazel’s POV~**

I really hoped the Moon Goddess had listened to my prayers, because the ceremony had already begun.

Aurora...of course—was the witch chosen to oversee the ritual again. The last time, she’d cast the spell flawlessly, and this time was no different.

Technically, werewolves didn’t need a witch to find their mates, but with Aurora guiding the ceremony, everything always ran smoother... faster. The day was long enough already.

She began her preparations, her movements graceful and sure.

"Each of you," she said softly, "offer a drop of your blood to the Silver Bowl."

One by one, they obeyed, each stepping forward, pricking their palms, and letting a single drop fall into the shimmering liquid. The air crackled with energy. But when Aurora reached Leon, I felt the air shift.

The tension between them was so thick I could feel it pressing against my skin. Their eyes met for only a second,Aurora’s hand trembled slightly as she pricked his skin. The silver bowl flared brighter than before when his blood fell into it.

She hesitated... then quickly set it down.

My heart was melting for both of them.

Then Aurora lifted her voice, calling out for the young she-wolves of age and they began to run, their laughter and nerves echoing into the night.

Now it was the males’ turn. They were to chase the pull of the bond, their instincts leading them toward their destined mates.

Leon didn’t move.

He just stood there, staring at Aurora. And she stared back, her hands clenched by her sides. Every muscle in his body screamed to stay, to fight, to choose her. But he couldn’t. Not publicly. Not in front of the elders.

He gave me a helpless look, then turned and ran out into the night.

Aurora turned toward me, and I gave her a quick, reassuring nod. She smiled weakly in return, both of us clinging to hope like it was air.

The ceremony continued.

One by one, the male wolves returned, each carrying a chosen mate in their arms. The crowd cheered for every pair. The first was the son of a respected family—everyone knew he’d make a good match. Then came another. And another. Laughter, clapping, joy filled the night.

But Leon didn’t return.

I could feel my heart beginning to steady with relief. I turned toward Aurora, ready to smile—because if he hadn’t come back yet, it meant he hadn’t found his mate. It meant there wasn’t one waiting for him. It meant there was still hope.

I mouthed, Congratulations, and she blushed, a soft pink rising on her cheeks. The sight of her smiling again made my chest warm.

Then another male entered the hall.

He was holding a she-wolf in his arms—but his face wasn’t joyful like the others. It was strained, almost uncomfortable. The crowd cheered for him, but he didn’t respond. He scanned the room slowly until his gaze locked on me.

Confusion prickled down my spine as he began walking toward me.

When he stopped in front of me, his voice dropped to a whisper meant only for my ears. "Leon found his mate... a bad mate."

My body went cold. I blinked, uncomprehending. "What?"

He hesitated. "He... he found her. But..."

I turned toward Aurora, my heart hammering. She was still there, standing perfectly still, her face unreadable.

"What are you saying?" I turned to the wolf in disbelief. "Everyone’s finding their mates. Why would you come to me about Leon?"

Nobody knew about Leon and Aurora’s affair—nobody but me, Caspian, and Cayden. Not even the elders. So why was this random wolf acting like it was my concern?

He swallowed, avoiding my eyes. "You’ll understand when you see."

I frowned, still trying to wrap my head around it. If Leon had truly found his mate, shouldn’t he be ecstatic? Showing her off like the others?

Before I could question him further, the hall doors burst open.

Leon walked in.

The moment I saw his face, my stomach dropped. He looked broken—utterly, devastatingly broken. His usually confident stride was gone, replaced by a slow, heavy walk that made my chest ache. He wasn’t just torn... he was shattered.

And then I saw her....A figure in his arms.

Aurora gasped so hard she almost fell back, and Caspian caught her just in time. "Aurora, are you okay?" I heard him whisper, but her wide eyes stayed glued to Leon.

The hall went dead silent.

Leon’s grip tightened on the woman in his arms. His jaw trembled. His eyes—once full of warmth—were glassy with restrained tears.

No. No, it couldn’t be.

When the light hit her face, my heart stopped.

Sophia.

Sophia—my enemy, my step-sister, the woman who had tormented me for years, who had once taken pleasure in every scar she left on my body.

Gasps erupted all around us.

Caspian immediately released Aurora and stormed toward Leon, rage radiating off him. "How dare you bring a prisoner as your mate?" he roared, his voice echoing through the hall.

Leon barely managed to place Sophia on her feet before Caspian’s fist collided with his jaw. The sound of the impact echoed like thunder.

Leon stumbled backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I didn’t choose her!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "You know how the bond works! I didn’t—"

"Silence!" Elder Gina barked from her seat. The crowd murmured, wolves exchanging confused and disgusted looks.

"A prisoner?" someone whispered.

"The Gamma of the Blue Crescent, mated to a criminal?" another scoffed.

"Blasphemy. The Goddess must be testing us."

Aurora’s face went pale as moonlight. She took a trembling step forward but stopped herself. Caspian turned, his breathing ragged, fury rolling off him like smoke.

"How foolish are you, Leon?" he spat. "Do you even realize what this means? This is treason!"

Leon wiped the blood from his lips, his voice raw. "You think I wanted this? You think I would ever want her?" His chest heaved. "But the bond—" he pointed to Sophia—"the bond doesn’t lie. She’s my mate."

I couldn’t move. My brain screamed in protest, trying to reject what I was seeing. Sophia? How could that vile woman be chosen by the Moon Goddess to bond with him?

It made no sense.

Sophia, still in chains, lifted her head slowly. Her smirk was faint but unmistakable. That same evil gleam lived in her eyes—the one I’d seen a hundred times before, whenever she’d hurt me just to see me break.

"Oh, how poetic," she whispered, voice smooth as venom. "The Gamma and the fallen princess."

My blood ran cold.

I looked toward Aurora. She stood frozen, her expression empty, her magic humming faintly under her skin like a heartbeat about to burst. Caspian was holding her back again, but she didn’t resist this time. She just stared—right at Leon.

The hall was chaos. Elders whispering in panic. Wolves gasping. Chains rattling as Sophia’s laughter cut through the noise.

And then the reality hit me like a blade.

Sophia was older than Leon—she should have had her mate ceremony last year. But she didn’t. It was Natasha who did—Natasha, the eldest. Meaning Sophia’s turn... was this year.

The timing was perfect.

Horribly, perfectly cruel.

Aurora’s voice finally broke the silence. "No..." she whispered. "No, no, no."

I wanted to run to her, to hold her, to tell her it wasn’t real. But how could I lie to her face when the mate bond shimmered faintly around Leon and Sophia like a curse?

"Who released her?" I snapped, my voice echoing through the hall. "She was chained when I saw her earlier. Who took off the chains?"

Because someone had to have released her. Sophia was supposed to remain in the High House and be returned to prison right after the ceremony. For her to even participate in the mating game—someone interfered.

"It was me," Selene said, her voice dry, dark, and dripping with malice.

I turned sharply to her. My stepmother—still as evil as she’s always been.

"My daughter turned eighteen today," Selene said coldly. "And even if she’s a prisoner, she deserves to find her mate. And now look—she’s mated to the Gamma. Soon-to-be Beta of this pack. Seems the Moon Goddess favors her more than any of you ever did."

"You what?" Caspian roared, stepping forward. "If Leon is mated to that bastard daughter of yours, then he will no longer be our Beta. He’ll be treated like a prisoner too!"

"No!" I shouted, raising my voice over the uproar. "It’s not Leon’s fault—and it’s not Sophia’s either!"

Everyone froze and turned to me.

"The Moon Goddess made her choice," I said, my throat tightening. "Sophia... is Leon’s mate."

Aurora’s face went pale. "Hazel—what are you saying?" she whispered.

I met her eyes. "It’s the truth, Aurora."

The words had barely left my lips when Aurora fainted. Leon instinctively reached out to catch her—but before he could, Sophia wrapped her arms tightly around him, her lips curling into a satisfied smile.

"Today," she said, her voice ringing through the hall, "is the best day of my life."