The world is still wrapped in darkness when awareness returns to me. Voices echo through the haze, first muffled, then sharper, clearer.

  “Lirian? Lirian, honey, are you okay?”

  My mother’s voice trembles with panic. Cool hands cradle my face while strong arms hold me upright. I blink until the shadows peel back, and familiar faces swim into view.

  Kellan is holding me tightly, his golden eyes wide with fear. Alpha Kennan and Luna Marienne hover behind him, their expressions carved from worry. My parents kneel on either side of me, fussing over my arms, brushing hair from my face, whispering reassurances I cannot quite process.

  “Baby, are you alright?” my mother pleads. “Is the change coming? Can you feel its urgency?”

  I open my mouth, but my throat is dry as sand. My head spins violently. A furnace burns at the center of my chest, spreading outward until every bone aches, ready to snap and reshape. My wolf claws at the edges of my mind, desperate, impatient, begging to be set free.

  Then the senses hit me. Too sharp. Too fast.

  I can smell everything. Hear everything. See every twitch of muscle, every flicker of fear in the eyes around me.

  And there is something else.

  Emotions.

  I can smell them.

  Kellan reeks of possessiveness and panic. Not fear. Jealousy. The realization sends an unsettling chill through me. Jealous of what?

  Luna Marienne carries the sharp scent of irritation, frustration simmering beneath her carefully controlled concern.

  Alpha Kennan smells of fear. Real fear. His expression confirms it. Something is wrong. Something about me…is wrong.

  I knew it.

  My parents are a whirlwind of frantic love, worry rolling off them in tangible waves.

  “I’m fine,” I manage to whisper. “I think I’m just hungry.”

  “You scared me, darling,” my mother breathes, cupping my cheek. “You weren’t responding. We thought…”

  “Let me get you some water,” Kellan says quickly, helping me sit up. “Or a cold compress. You feel like you’re on fire.” He presses a cool hand against my forehead and frowns. “Come on. Let me get you to bed. You shouldn’t push yourself.”

  “I’m fine,” I repeat, trying to sound convincing. “Really. Probably just nerves.”

  No one looks convinced.

  “Maybe you need a little nap,” Kellan says gently. “I can stay with you while you rest. Just in case.”

  “I’ll feel better once I eat. I forgot dinner last night, and I haven’t had anything today. I promise I’ll be okay.”

  The looks exchanged above my head tell me they do not believe that at all.

  Later that evening, after food, a cold shower to soothe my feverish skin, and a short rest, my mother and Luna Marienne dress me for the ceremony.

  The transformation is breathtaking.

  A flowing white gown trimmed in lace and pale ribbon. Beads and jewels dance shimmering starlight across the folds of fabric. Loose waves are braided with delicate white flowers in my hair. A shimmering crown settled lightly on my head.

  My mother ties the final ribbon when she suddenly freezes, staring at the skin at the base of my neck.

  “Her skin…” she whispers, looking at Luna Marienne. “It’s…”

  Luna Marienne steps closer.

  My skin glows softly. A pearly sheen pulses luminescent beneath the surface, stronger than anything I have ever seen on myself, and I am not standing in moonlight.

  “What’s wrong?” I whisper. “Is something wrong?”

  “Of course not, dear,” Luna Marienne says quickly, forcing a smile. “Just…trust your instincts tonight.”

  But her eyes betray her. Fear flickers there, sharp and unmistakable. And something else. Something she is desperate to hide. I can smell the emotions radiating off of her.

  I look sharply between them. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Neither answers.

  “So earlier,” I press, my voice shaking, determined to pull some semblance of an answer from them. “before I passed out… I heard a voice. In my head. It’s the same one from my dreams. Could it be my wolf trying to speak to me?”

  They exchange a silent, wide-eyed stare.

  Panic curls tight in my chest.

  “We all experience different things before the first shift,” Luna Marienne says quickly. “There is nothing to worry about.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The lie is obvious.

  She grips my shoulders, her voice firm. “Do you remember the steps of the ritual?”

  I nod, though confusion clouds my thoughts.

  “You must stay inside the circle until the rest of the pack has shifted. Do you understand? You cannot leave until everyone is with you.”

  “I understand.”

  “As a new wolf, you are still weak and susceptible to harm.”

  “Harm from what?” I ask. “From who?”

  “Never mind that,” she says briskly. “Just follow my instructions exactly. Anything is always possible.”

  I swallow hard. “Of course, Luna Marienne.”

  Their hands fall away, but their fear lingers in the air like static.

  A hush settles over the room.

  Then it happens.

  A soft whisper slips through the open window, barely audible, as gentle as breath against my ear.

  “Lirian.”

  My entire body locks. A shiver races down my spine and my heart lurches painfully.

  The same voice from my dreams.

  The same presence from the treeline.

  My wolf slams against the inside of my skin, frantic and wild, desperate to surface.

  My breath stutters.

  My mother notices instantly. “Lirian? Honey, what is it?”

  “Nothing,” I lie, my pulse roaring. “Just nerves.”

  But it is not nerves.

  Something is calling to me.

  Something in the woods.

  Something that feels like danger and destiny tangled together.

  And for the first time tonight, I am not sure which one terrifies me more.

  As I walk beneath the ornately decorated archway, my parents at my sides, the breath leaves my lungs. What was once a simple sparring field has been transformed into something from a moonlit dream. Twinkling lights drape from the branches like fallen stars, weaving through garlands of white blossoms and gold-tipped leaves. Ribbons flutter in the cool night air, catching moonbeams like threads of silver.

  For a heartbeat, my worries fall away.

  This was all for me.

  The guest of honor. The future Luna.

  And for a moment, I let myself feel the wonder of it.

  We descend the stone steps, and pack members bow their heads respectfully as I pass. Some offer warm smiles, murmured blessings, pride shining in their eyes.

  But the shift in the crowd comes slowly.

  Almost imperceptibly at first.

  As I draw nearer to certain pack members, their expressions sour. A few of the males stiffen when my scent reaches them. One takes an involuntary step back. Another releases a low warning growl before catching himself.

  Confusion twists in my stomach.

  I glance at my parents. Their smiles remain fixed, but rigid enough that I know they notice it too.

  A cluster of young she-wolves passes, and when my scent brushes them, they exchange looks. Annoyance flashes across one pair of eyes.

  A whisper drifts to me.

  “That’s not right. Her scent is… strange.”

  The words strike like a slap.

  Heat stings behind my eyes.

  What is wrong with me?

  Why do I feel like an outsider on the night meant to celebrate my acceptance?

  Humiliation coils cold and sharp in my chest.

  Desperate for reassurance, I scan the crowd until I find Kellan beneath the altar archway. Lantern light gilds his golden hair, and when he sees me, his expression softens into the familiar smile that once steadied everything inside me.

  He nods. A simple gesture, but it loosens the knot in my ribs.

  He said he would always love me.

  I cling to that promise.

  My thoughts scatter when Alpha Kennan steps forward and lifts a hand for silence.

  “Welcome, family and friends of our great pack Vale,” he begins, his voice carrying easily across the gathering. “For five centuries, we have stood united. Tonight, we honor a most auspicious moment.”

  His smile sweeps across the crowd, warm and commanding. But when his gaze lands on me, something flickers behind it.

  Concern.

  Fear.

  “We gather to witness the first shift of Lirian Ellas,” he continues, “our future Luna and destined mate to our rising Alpha, Kellan Vale. Kellan would like to say a few words.”

  Kellan steps forward, his eyes locking onto mine with such intensity that my pulse stumbles.

  “Lirian,” he says softly, “would you join me?”

  I climb the final steps, and as I do, his smile falters for the briefest breath. When my scent reaches him, something flashes behind his eyes.

  Worry.

  Conflict.

  Possession.

  Fear.

  Still, he takes my hand and draws me to his side.

  “Not many wolves find their true soulmate,” he begins, voice steady but threaded with emotion. “Some never do. But I was blessed. I found her from the very beginning.”

  He turns to face me fully.

  “Lirian, you have been the light of my life since the day you were born. My heart has never doubted our destiny. I will always love you. Always protect you. You can have faith in that.”

  He leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my cheek.

  But as his lips brush my skin, a quiet growl rumbles deep in his chest.

  Soft.

  Too soft for anyone else to hear.

  But I hear it.

  My breath catches.

  This is not right.

  This is not him.

  His lips brush my ear.

  “You will be mine,” he whispers, voice edged with something dark and primal. “Forever.”

  A chill skitters down my spine.

  He turns back to the crowd before I can react.

  “Please help me begin the ceremony,” he calls. “Form a circle around our honored guest as she prepares for the shift.”

  Wolves move immediately. Bodies shift. Lights dim. Anticipation thickens the air. The moon glows at its apex, and I feel it calling to me.

  Then, just as the circle closes, a whisper cuts through the night.

  “Mine.”

  Not Kellan’s voice.

  Not spoken aloud.

  A voice inside my mind, deep and velvety and unmistakably familiar.

  The ground tilts. My knees buckle as heat surges violently through my veins, bones burning and stretching in warning.

  My wolf roars awake.

  And just before I collapse, I look toward the treeline.

  Two pale, predatory eyes gleam back at me from the darkness.

  Watching.

  Claiming.

  Calling.