SHANNA

"Move, fatso. You're taking up my personal space."

The shove caught me completely off guard.

I stumbled sideways, my foot catching on a loose stone. For one terrifying second, I thought I was about to crash into Mrs Hilda's vegetable stall. A basket overflowing with bright red apples tipped dangerously toward the edge.

I grabbed it just in time.

The basket wobbled in my trembling hands before settling back onto the wooden table.

"Oh, look!" someone called from behind me. "She almost flattened Mrs Hilda's shop."

Laughter exploded around the marketplace.

I squeezed my eyes shut for exactly one second.

Don't cry.

They're not worth it.

Lift your chin, Shanna.

I slowly opened my eyes and carefully set the basket back where it belonged.

"I'm... sorry, Mrs Hilda."

The elderly woman reached across the counter and patted my hand.

"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart."

"Maybe if she stopped eating everything in sight," another voice sneered, "she'd actually see where she's going."

I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

Clara.

Gamma Howard's daughter.

Beautiful blonde hair. Tiny waist. Perfect smile.

Everything the girls in our pack wanted to be.

Everything I wasn't.

I picked up the loaf of bread Mom had asked me to buy and placed a few coins on the counter.

"I'll take this."

Then I glanced over my shoulder.

"And Clara? Keep your silicon-botched self away from me."

A few surprised gasps echoed through the crowd.

Clara's mouth actually fell open.

Mrs Hilda coughed into her hand, clearly hiding a laugh.

As she wrapped my bread, she leaned closer.

"Happy birthday, Shanna."

A genuine smile slipped onto my face.

"Thank you."

It was the first birthday wish I'd received all day.

Unfortunately, Clara wasn't finished.

"Today's the big day," she called loudly as I walked away. "Maybe the Moon Goddess will bless you with a treadmill instead of a wolf."

More laughter.

Without even looking back, I raised my middle finger over my shoulder.

The crowd laughed even harder.

Normally, I would've marched back there and dragged Clara across the market by her perfect blonde hair.

Today wasn't the day I'd allow myself to be insecure about anything.

Tonight, beneath the full moon, I'd finally receive my wolf.

Maybe...Everything would change.

By the time I reached home, my eyes burned from holding back tears.

I wiped them before opening the door.

"Happy birthday!"

I barely had time to blink before my mother crashed into me.

"Mom!"

She wrapped both arms around me so tightly my feet nearly left the floor.

"My baby is eighteen!"

"I... can't... breathe..."

"You'll survive."

She squeezed even harder.

"I carried you for nine months. The least you can do is let me hug you for thirty seconds."

Despite everything that had happened that morning, I burst out laughing.

Only my mother could do that.

She finally released me, cupping my face with both hands.

"My beautiful girl."

I rolled my eyes.

"You have to say that."

"No."

She shook her head firmly.

"I choose to say it because it's true."

I looked away.

If only everyone else saw what she did.

Mom was beautiful.

She studied my face for barely two seconds before her expression softened.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Shanna."

"It's my birthday."

"I know."

"I got called a whale before breakfast."

Her smile disappeared.

"And?"

"A cow."

"And?"

I forced a weak laugh.

"A walking earthquake."

Pain flashed across her face.

She pulled me into another hug.

"I wish I could make them stop."

"So do I."

"They're wrong."

"Maybe."

"No."

She gently lifted my chin.

"Not maybe."

Her voice turned fierce.

"They're wrong."

Then she grinned.

"And besides, if they keep bothering you, beat them until they learn some manners."

I laughed.

That was my mother.

Matilda.

The sweetest woman in the world...

Until someone messed with her family.

Then she became terrifying.

"Where's my favourite sister?"

I groaned before I even turned around.

"I know that voice means trouble."

Killian walked through the doorway carrying an enormous wooden crate.

He was twenty-one.

Six feet three.

Built like he'd been carved from stone.

The future Beta.

One of the strongest warriors in the Cord Moon Pack.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"What did you steal this time?"

He gasped dramatically.

"You wound me."

"It looks like you kidnapped someone's furniture."

"It's called effort."

He dropped the crate onto the floor with an exaggerated grunt.

"Open it."

I raised an eyebrow.

"It better not be vegetables."

"My own sister..."

He clutched his chest.

"The disrespect."

Laughing, I lifted the lid.

Then I froze.

Books.

Dozens of them.

Even every romance novel I'd secretly borrowed from the pack library over the years.

I looked up slowly.

"You..."

"I remembered."

My vision blurred instantly.

"You actually remembered."

"You've read every book in the library twice."

I threw myself at him.

He stumbled backwards as I hugged him.

"You're the best brother ever."

"I know."

"You don't even sound humble."

"I earned the title."

Mom laughed from the kitchen.

Killian lowered his voice just enough for her to hear anyway.

"I'm still her favourite child."

Mom snorted.

"Keep dreaming."

We all burst into laughter.

For a little while...

The world outside disappeared.

Dad came home shortly before noon.

Unlike the warmth filling the house, he carried the weight of the entire pack on his shoulders.

Being Beta meant everyone depended on him.

But the second his eyes landed on me, his serious expression melted.

"Happy birthday, little wolf."

I smiled.

"I don't even have a wolf yet."

"You will tonight."

He kissed my forehead.

"And everyone who's underestimated you will regret it."

"You really believe that?"

"I don't believe it."

He smiled with complete certainty.

"I know it."

I wished I shared his confidence.

By evening, the entire pack buzzed with excitement.

The Spring Ascension Festival only happens once a year.

Bonfires burned throughout the village.

Music echoed across the valley.

Children laughed as they chased one another between decorated tents.

Visitors from neighbouring packs crowded every street.

Mom spent nearly an hour adjusting the emerald-green dress she'd sewn by hand.

"It looks beautiful."

"It makes me look huge."

"It makes you look like my daughter."

Killian walked in wearing his formal warrior uniform.

He stopped.

"You look amazing."

"You have to say that."

"No."

He cracked his knuckles.

"I have to punch anyone who says otherwise."

I laughed.

"You'd end up fighting half the pack."

"Then half the pack better stretch first."

Dad sighed dramatically.

"I raised a menace."

"A loyal menace," Killian corrected proudly.

Together, we walked toward the sacred clearing.

For the first time all day...

Hope settled quietly inside my chest.

Maybe tonight really would change everything.

The clearing came into view.

Hundreds of wolves surrounded the ancient Moon Altar.

The Alpha's family stood proudly at the front.

My eyes drifted toward Darius.

Future Alpha.

The boy every unmated girl dreamed about.

He looked like every hero I'd ever imagined while reading romance novels.

Then he looked at me.

His lips curled into a smirk.

He leaned toward the beautiful girl hanging on his arm and whispered something.

She burst into laughter.

Both of them looked directly at me.

I didn't need enhanced hearing to know I was the joke.

I quickly looked away.

Some dreams weren't meant for girls like me.

Three enormous horns suddenly echoed across the valley.

The sound shook the ground beneath my feet.

The clearing fell silent.

Every warrior immediately dropped to one knee.

Even Alpha Gregory bowed his head.

Confused, I looked at Dad.

His face had gone completely pale.

"They're here," he whispered.

"They?"

He stared toward the massive gates.

"The Three Kings."

A cold breeze swept across the clearing.

Thousands of heads turned toward the entrance.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the silence.

Three men walked into the sacred grounds.

The air itself seemed to bend around them.

Power rolled from them in invisible waves so overwhelming my knees nearly buckled.

Every woman around me stared with open admiration.

Moon Goddess...

Even I wasn't immune.

They were breathtaking.

King Kif, ruler of the vampires, walked with effortless elegance, silver eyes sharp enough to cut through steel.

King Conrad radiated raw strength, every step carrying the confidence of someone who had never lost a battle.

And King Mariteo...The oldest.

His mere presence made my wolfless body instinctively want to submit.

The third king walking in the centre suddenly stopped.

His silver eyes locked onto mine.

For one impossible moment...He smiled.

SHANNA

My breath caught.

For one impossible second, it felt as though the entire clearing disappeared, leaving only those silver eyes fixed on mine.

They weren't cold.

They weren't mocking.

They were... curious.

Then reality slammed back into me.

Moon Goddess!

What was I doing?

Dad's hand clamped around my elbow so tightly I nearly yelped.

"Lower your head, Shanna," he whispered, panic thick in his voice. "Do not look directly at the Kings."

I immediately dropped my gaze.

"Sorry."

His grip loosened, but only slightly.

Around us, every wolf remained kneeling. Even the children had gone silent. The only sound was the steady rhythm of boots against the stone path as the Three Kings made their way toward the Moon Altar.

I'd grown up hearing stories about them.

Every pup in every pack had.

King Kif, the Vampire King whose enemies vanished without leaving behind so much as a drop of blood.

King Conrad,the Lycan King who had conquered entire territories with nothing but his warriors and his own terrifying strength.

And King Mariteo...

The oldest of them all.

The King no one dared speak about for too long, as though saying his name too often might somehow summon him.

They were living legends.

The kind of rulers wolves like me weren't supposed to meet.

So what were they doing in Cord Moon Pack?

"Our deepest gratitude for honoring us with your presence, Your Majesties," Alpha Gregory said, bowing until his forehead nearly touched the ground.

A deep voice answered.

"You may rise."

The voice carried enough authority to silence even the wind and a shiver ran down my spine instantly.

Slowly, the crowd stood.

I kept my head lowered, refusing to make the same mistake twice.

Even Vanessa, Alpha Gregory's spoiled daughter, wasn't wearing her usual arrogant smile. She stood quietly beside her family, looking almost... nervous.

That alone told me just how powerful the Kings truly were.

My own world had always been painfully small hence I had never met them in person.

My family had made sure I knew how to defend myself. Dad insisted I train with the warriors from the time I could throw a proper punch. Killian made sure I never skipped a session.

"You'll never win every fight," he'd always say.

"But you'll never lose because you refused to fight."

Tonight was supposed to change everything.

Tonight I'd finally have my wolf.

Maybe even my mate.

The thought sent butterflies tumbling through my stomach.

The Chief Elder stepped toward the ancient altar, lifting his carved ceremonial staff high into the moonlight.

"As tradition demands," he announced, his aged voice carrying across the clearing, "every young wolf who reaches their eighteenth year this night shall awaken beneath the blessing of the Moon Goddess."

The ceremony began.

One by one, the newly eighteen-year-olds stepped onto the altar.

The first was Thomas, the blacksmith's son.

He knelt beneath the full moon.

For several long seconds...

Nothing happened.

Then his body jerked violently.

A cry tore from his throat.

His eyes flashed brilliant amber.

The scent of fresh wolf filled the air.

"I can feel him!" Thomas shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I have a wolf!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

His parents rushed forward, crying just as hard as he was.

Another girl stepped up.

Her awakening was gentler.

She swayed as silver light surrounded her before smiling through her tears.

"I hear her..."

More applause.

And another.

Each successful awakening tightened the knot in my stomach.

Soon...

It would be my turn.

I rubbed my sweaty palms against my dress.

Why were my hands shaking so much?

What if nothing happens?

The terrifying thought slipped into my mind before I could stop it.

What if everyone is right?

What if I don't have a wolf?

I'd always been different.

Larger than every girl my age.

Slower to shift during training.

Unable to sense things other wolves claimed came naturally.

What if...

What if I'd been fooling myself all these years?

What if tonight proved I didn't belong?

"Shanna."

I didn't move.

I was too lost inside my own head.

"Shanna!"

Still nothing.

A familiar voice laughed.

"Move it, fatso."

Darius.

"Even the Moon Goddess is getting tired of waiting."

Snickers rippled through the crowd.

Heat flooded my face.

I looked up just as one of the Kings turned toward him.

"Is this," the King asked quietly, "how members of Cord Moon Pack treat one of their own?"

The question wasn't loud.

It didn't need to be.

The entire clearing froze.

Darius went deathly pale before dropping to one knee.

"N-No, Your Majesty."

"Then explain why it is that you deem it fit to bully a pack member"

"I... I was only trying to get her attention."

The King's gaze lingered on him for another long moment.

Darius didn't dare breathe.

Finally, the King looked away.

The tension eased, but only slightly.

No one laughed anymore.

Hundreds of eyes shifted toward me instead.

I felt every stare.

Every judgment.

Every whispered insult I'd endured over the years seemed to settle on my shoulders all at once.

My heart pounded so violently I thought everyone around me could hear it.

Then I felt warm arms wrap around me.

Mom.

"It's time, baby."

She kissed my forehead.

"No matter what happens tonight..."

She pulled back just enough to smile at me.

"...your father, Killian and I love you."

Dad rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing changes that."

Killian bumped my arm gently.

"And if anyone gives you trouble afterward..."

He cracked his knuckles with a grin.

"...I'll happily remind them why I'm the future Beta."

Despite everything, I laughed.

Just a little.

I drew in one long, shaky breath. What if everything goes wrong tonight? What would become of me?

Straightening my shoulders, I stepped away from my family.

Toward the ancient Moon Altar.

Toward my destiny.

And somehow...

I couldn't shake the strange feeling that the Three Kings were still watching my every step.

SHANNA

Every step toward the Moon Altar felt heavier than the last.

The chatter that had filled the sacred clearing moments ago had disappeared, leaving behind an eerie silence that wrapped around me like a second skin.

Hundreds of eyes followed my every move.

Some were curious.

Some were amused.

Most looked like they were waiting for me to embarrass myself.

Don't trip...

Don't fall...

Don't give them another reason to laugh.

I lifted my chin anyway.

Mom's voice echoed inside my head.

Lift your chin, baby girl. Never let them think they've broken you.

My hands trembled at my sides.

I quietly curled them into fists before anyone noticed.

"You've got this."

Killian's voice drifted toward me.

I glanced over my shoulder.

He grinned and punched his chest twice.

Our signal.

You're stronger than you think.

A smile tugged at my lips.

No matter how cruel the rest of the world was, I had them.

The best family the Moon Goddess could have given me and that was enough.

I turned back toward the altar.

The Chief Elder stood waiting beside the ancient stone, his silver robes swaying gently in the evening breeze.

"Step forward, child."

I obeyed.

The stone beneath my bare feet was surprisingly cold despite the warmth of the spring night.

Above me, the full moon hung impossibly large, bathing the clearing in soft silver light.

The Elder lifted his ceremonial staff toward the sky.

"Great Moon Goddess," he chanted, his voice echoing through the clearing, "we present before you Shanna, daughter of Beta Kelsie and Matilda of Cord Moon Pack. Bless her with the spirit destined to walk beside her."

Silence answered him.

A brilliant beam of silver light burst from the moon itself.

Gasps swept through the crowd.

The light surrounded me completely.

Warmth washed over my skin.

It felt like someone had wrapped me in the gentlest embrace imaginable.

The nervous pounding of my heart slowly faded.

The whispers disappeared.

The music...

The crowd...

Even the wind...

Everything melted away.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

...

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't standing on the altar.

I stood in the middle of an endless silver forest.

Moonlight poured through towering crystal-like trees whose glowing leaves shimmered whenever the breeze touched them.

The air smelled fresh.

Peaceful.

Alive.

I slowly turned in a circle.

"This..."

I stared in amazement.

"This isn't the clearing."

"No."

A gentle voice answered behind me.

"It's home."

I spun around.

A white wolf stepped gracefully from between the glowing trees.

She was beautiful.

No...

Beautiful wasn't enough.

She was breathtaking.

Her fur gleamed like untouched snow beneath the moonlight.

Her blue eyes...

They were exactly like mine.

Emotion clogged my throat.

"My..."

I couldn't even finish the sentence.

She smiled.

"Hello, Shanna."

Tears instantly blurred my vision.

"You're real..."

She laughed softly.

"I've always been real."

Without thinking, I ran toward her.

She lowered herself just enough for me to throw my arms around her neck.

After eighteen years...

After wondering whether I would ever have a wolf...

She was finally here.

"I thought..." My voice cracked. "I thought maybe I wouldn't get one."

"I've been with you since your very first heartbeat."

A laugh escaped through my tears.

"I can't believe this."

"I promised I'd never leave you."

I leaned back enough to look into her eyes.

"Do you have a name?"

She lifted her head proudly.

"Lane."

"It's beautiful."

"So are you."

I blinked.

"What?"

"You've spent your whole life believing the lies people told you."

She gently rested her forehead against mine.

"But I see the truth."

Fresh tears slipped down my cheeks.

"They call me ugly."

"I don't."

"They call me fat."

"I call you strong."

"They laugh at me."

"They fear what they don't understand."

I frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Lane's smile slowly faded.

"There isn't much time."

Confusion replaced my happiness.

"What do you mean?"

She lowered her gaze.

"Our bond..."

She hesitated.

"...isn't complete."

My heart lurched.

"What?"

"I've awakened."

She looked back at me.

"But my strength hasn't."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I."

She took a slow breath.

"It's like part of me is still asleep."

A knot formed in my stomach.

"Can it wake up?"

"I believe it can."

"When?"

"I don't know."

The joy I'd been drowning in moments earlier vanished.

"So..."

I swallowed hard.

"You're weak?"

She immediately shook her head.

"No."

"Then what?"

"I'm..."

Pain flickered across her eyes.

"Incomplete."

The word hurt far more than I expected.

"No..."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"If I were whole…."

"You are whole enough."

She smiled sadly.

"We'll figure it out together."

The forest suddenly shook.

The trees trembled.

Moonlight flickered violently.

Lane stepped backward.

"It's time."

"What?"

"You're waking up."

"No, wait!"

"I'll always be with you."

"I still have so many questions!"

"And we'll find every answer."

The silver forest dissolved around us.

Everything began fading into light.

"Lane!"

Her voice echoed one last time.

"Trust your heart... not your fears."

My eyes flew open.

I gasped.

The sacred clearing came rushing back into focus.

The Moon Altar.

The crowd.

The Elder.

My family.

Everyone was staring at me.

The Chief Elder smiled warmly.

"Did your wolf awaken, child?"

A smile spread across my face despite the lingering unease inside me.

"Yes."

Cheers erupted across the clearing.

Mom burst into tears.

Dad's proud smile nearly broke my heart.

Killian threw both fists into the air.

"I knew it!"

For the first time in my life...

I wasn't alone anymore.

I had my wolf.

I wasn't broken.

The Elder nodded approvingly.

"What is her name?"

"Lane."

"A beautiful name."

Then his expression grew serious.

"Release a portion of her aura."

I frowned.

"My aura?"

"Call to your wolf."

I closed my eyes.

Lane?

I'm here.

What do I do?

Just reach for me.

I focused on the warm bond connecting us.

A tiny pulse of energy escaped my body.

Tiny.

Barely noticeable.

The cheers stopped.

Silence settled over the clearing.

The Elder frowned.

Another Elder stepped closer.

"...That's all?"

Heat flooded my cheeks.

I tried again.

Nothing stronger came.

Whispers immediately spread through the crowd.

"That's pathetic."

"Her wolf is barely awake."

"I knew something was wrong with her."

"I guess even the Moon Goddess makes mistakes."

My stomach sank.

Lane had been right.

Something was terribly wrong.