She was born to be a part of something great.
"Rei, it's time to practice," a voice called. The seven-year-old girl carefully returned the black-and-white photo of a boy she had found in her father's study. She didn't know who he was, but his handsome features haunted her thoughts. His dark, soulful eyes stayed with her, even as she placed the photo back among the papers and old books. There was something captivating about him.
"Rei, focus. We train for the future," her father's voice rang out, pulling her attention away.
Rei Ookaze was the seventh child of Akechi Ookaze, the Alpha of the Wind Pack. Akechi had married three wives, each bearing him children in hopes of producing the most powerful heir. His obsession with power was no secret. He demanded perfection from everyone, especially from his bloodline. The Wind Pack was the most feared and influential pack, and its Alpha would stop at nothing to ensure that legacy continued. He believed one of his children would inherit his strength—and he refused to accept that none had it in them. Until Rei.
Before their wolves awakened, Rei and her siblings underwent intense training. Failure was met with dire consequences. Ethics, medicine, martial arts—every aspect of their being was tested. They were expected to be flawless. But none of Akechi's children were strong enough. One by one, they failed the final test—the awakening. Their wolves were weak, unworthy. Disappointments.
"Rei, show your strength!" her father had yelled in her early training days, demanding perfection. "Don't let anyone think you're like your siblings. You are better."
But Rei was different. She had always been strong. At eighteen, she finally awoke to her wolf—a powerful gray and sable creature. Her father showed her a rare sign of approval, inviting her into his study.
"Rei, you've made me proud," Akechi said, his voice softer than she had ever heard it. He handed her a black-and-white photo—the same boy she had seen years ago in his drawer. Hizuki, her future husband, her father said. She would be his Luna, if she worked hard enough.
Her heart swelled with ambition. "I will be his Luna. I'll make you proud, Father."
She believed it. She would marry Hizuki, the man she had admired. She would become the Luna of the Lycan King.
But time passed, and no word came from Hizuki. He never came to ask for her hand, never sent a letter or an invitation. Her heart began to sink, and with each passing year, her dreams seemed to fade. It became clear that the marriage was only her father's wish. Hizuki hadn't even seen her.
"Father, why is Hizuki not coming? Should I wait longer?" Rei once asked, her voice trembling with hope and confusion.
Akechi's eyes hardened. "Patience, Rei. He'll come when the time is right. You are the one for him."
Rei didn't mind. She refused to give up. Hizuki would know about her, see her. He would come. Her father's plan wasn't failing—it just needed time. She would make him fall for her, even if it took forever. The name of her destined mate was enough. She would have him.
"Father, I'll be ready when Hizuki finally comes for me. I'll be everything he needs," Rei vowed, her determination unshakable.
Then came the rumors. Hizuki was not interested in any other woman. He was searching for his fated mate, and no one else would do.
Rei's heart twisted with frustration. She was the rightful Luna. The Ookaze bloodline was superior. Hizuki would have no choice but to recognize that. If he couldn't find his mate, he would accept her.
"Father, if Hizuki doesn't come, will he still accept me?" she asked, her voice a rare note of vulnerability.
"You are the chosen one, Rei. He will come to you when the time is right," her father replied, though his conviction wavered.
Then the elders discovered something that could change everything: Moonlight Palm. An ancient technique hidden in the ruins of the Shinrei Mikazuki, capable of bending anyone to the will of its caster. The power was forbidden but intoxicating. Rei knew this was her chance to make Hizuki hers.
"I know it's wrong, but I can't give up," Rei whispered to herself, staring out into the night, moonlight filtering through her window. "I'll do whatever it takes to make him mine."
She struggled with the idea. She knew it was wrong, that using such power would be a grave mistake. But her obsession with Hizuki, with becoming the Luna, clouded her judgment. She could feel her future slipping through her fingers. How could she not try?
And so, she agreed. The plan was set in motion. She would infiltrate Kageoden, use the Moonlight Palm on Hizuki, and bend him to her will. He would be hers.
"Let's make him fall for me, Father. I'll do whatever it takes," Rei said, her voice firm as she prepared for the journey ahead.
But as Rei entered Kageoden and prepared to cast the spell, something unexpected happened. The Moonlight Palm didn't work.
The technique, flawless on others, had no effect on Hizuki. Instead, his wolf—a primordial force, ancient and untamed—reacted. It surged with power that Rei couldn't comprehend. The force of it knocked her back, both physically and mentally. A deep, overwhelming presence engulfed her, shattering her spirit.
It wasn't just a rejection—it was a complete breaking of everything she believed. Hizuki, the man she had dreamed of, was not who she had imagined. He couldn't be controlled. He wasn't someone she could manipulate.
"How could this happen? I've done everything right... I am the one," Rei whispered in disbelief, staring at the ground, her voice shaking with hurt.
The rejection tore through her. She had believed she was destined to be with him, that the Moon Goddess had chosen her. But she was wrong. Hizuki wasn't hers. He wasn't anyone's to claim.
Her mind shattered. All her dreams, her fantasies, her obsessive need to make him hers—they crumbled. She had spent years believing that if she tried hard enough, if she became powerful enough, she could bend the world to her will. But she couldn't.
"Why?" Rei whispered into the empty room, the weight of her failure sinking in. "Why wasn't I enough?"
The crushing disappointment overwhelmed her. Her mind unraveled, her heart shattered. She had wanted to be his Luna, to stand by his side. But in the end, she was nothing. No matter how much power she had, no matter how much she had sacrificed, it wasn't enough.
She never expected it to end this way. Not only had she lost Hizuki, but she had lost herself. Her obsession had consumed her, and now, there was nothing left.
In the end, not only did she end up with a broken heart, she also ended up with a broken mind and soul.