I didn't stop running until my lungs burned and my legs threatened to give out beneath me.
The trees blurred past me, moonlight flashing between branches like shards of broken glass. Every breath felt too sharp, too shallow, as if the forest itself was pressing against my chest.
I crossed the boundary stones without realizing it.
The moment my foot hit Silvercrest soil, something inside me snapped.
Pain exploded through my body.
I cried out, stumbling forward as the invisible cord in my chest yanked hard—like a chain pulled tight between two worlds. My knees hit the ground, the basket of moonbloom roots spilling beside me as I gasped for air.
This wasn't fear.
This wasn't exhaustion.
This was the bond.
Rejected.
Ignored.
And screaming for attention.
"No," I whispered, curling inward as the ache spread through my ribs and down my spine. "Please… make it stop."
But fate didn't listen.
My wolf—silent my entire life—stirred again, weak but desperate, like a newborn crying out in the dark. I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, feeling something new beat beneath my skin.
I wasn't wolf-less.
I had just been… dormant.
Footsteps crunched behind me.
"Elara!"
I flinched, scrambling to my feet as several pack members rushed toward me, torches blazing. Beta Mara's sharp eyes immediately took in my disheveled state, the scratches on my arms, the moonbloom roots scattered at my feet.
"What happened?" she demanded.
I opened my mouth—but no words came.
How could I tell her I'd crossed into Nightfang territory?
How could I say I'd met *him*?
That Alpha Kael Nightfang—the pack's greatest enemy—was my fated mate?
My silence was answer enough.
Murmurs rippled through the group.
"She looks strange."
"Her scent—can you feel that?"
"Did she shift?"
Beta Mara's expression darkened. "You were warned not to wander far."
"I—I got what you asked for," I said hoarsely, gesturing to the roots. "That's all."
Her gaze lingered on my neck, bare and unmarked.
For now.
"Pick them up," she snapped. "The ceremony is about to begin."
No one helped me as I gathered the roots with shaking hands.
No one asked if I was okay.
That was normal.
---
The Silvercrest ceremonial grounds were already alive with anticipation when we arrived.
Pack members gathered in a wide circle around the ancient stone altar, their voices low and excited. The full moon hung directly overhead, bright and merciless, bathing everything in silver light.
Tonight was supposed to be about awakening.
About celebration.
About wolves finally finding their strength.
I stood at the edge of the clearing, unseen and unwanted, my heart still aching with every beat.
And then—
The bond pulled again.
Harder.
My breath hitched as heat rushed through my veins, my senses sharpening painfully. I could hear everything—the rustle of leaves, the hum of blood beneath skin, the distant howl of wolves deep in the forest.
And something else.
Him.
Even miles away, I could feel him.
Alpha Kael Nightfang.
His presence was like a storm pressing against my mind—controlled, furious, and dangerously close to losing restraint. The bond stretched between us, humming with awareness.
He knew.
He could feel it too.
"Elara."
I turned to find Alpha Rowan of Silvercrest watching me intently.
He was older, graying at the temples, his sharp gaze missing nothing. Power rolled off him in waves—but compared to Kael, it felt… thinner. Lesser.
"You don't look well," he said slowly. "Step forward."
My stomach dropped.
"I'm fine," I said quickly.
"That wasn't a request."
The crowd parted as I stepped into the moonlight, every eye turning toward me. Whispers followed, sharp and curious.
Alpha Rowan inhaled deeply.
His expression changed.
"What happened to you?" he demanded.
I shook my head. "Nothing."
"That scent," he said, voice lowering. "It's new."
Fear crawled up my spine.
The bond flared violently, heat licking across my skin, and for the first time in my life..
I felt claws.
Pain ripped through my body as I screamed, collapsing to the ground. My spine arched, muscles tightening as energy surged through me uncontrollably.
Gasps echoed around the clearing.
"She's shifting!"
"But she's wolf-less!"
"That's impossible!"
I clawed at the dirt, sobbing as my bones burned—but the shift never completed. It stopped halfway, leaving me trembling, trapped between human and something more.
Alpha Rowan stepped back, stunned.
"A delayed awakening…" he murmured. "On a full moon."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"And bound."
The clearing erupted into chaos.
"Bound to who?"
"Which Alpha?"
"It can't be—"
A howl cut through the night.
Low.
Powerful.
Not Silvercrest.
Every head snapped toward the forest as a second howl answered the first—closer now.
My heart seized.
He was here.
Alpha Rowan's face went pale. "Nightfang," he breathed.
The forest exploded with movement.
Dark figures emerged from the shadows—warriors clad in black, eyes glowing under the moonlight. At their center walked Kael Nightfang.
He didn't rush.
He didn't threaten.
He simply *arrived*—and the world bent to make room for him.
His gaze found me instantly.
The bond surged like wildfire.
I cried out as his eyes flashed red, his jaw tightening as if he were fighting something savage within himself.
"I warned you," he said coldly, his voice carrying across the clearing. "She is not to be touched."
Alpha Rowan bristled. "This is Silvercrest territory."
Kael didn't even look at him.
"She is my mate," he said, each word heavy with power. "Even if I refuse her."
Silence fell.
Shock rippled through the pack.
Mate.
The word hit harder than any blow.
Alpha Rowan turned slowly to stare at me.
"You brought him into our lands?" he hissed.
"I didn't choose this," I whispered, tears spilling over. "I swear."
Kael took a step forward—and every Silvercrest warrior tensed.
"I am not here for war," he said. "I am here to make something clear."
His eyes burned into mine.
"This bond will not control me," he said harshly. "But no one else will claim her."
A pause.
"If anyone harms her," he continued, voice dropping to a lethal whisper, "I will tear this pack apart."
Then he turned away.
The Nightfang warriors followed him back into the forest, vanishing as quickly as they'd come.
The bond screamed as he left.
I collapsed to the ground, shaking.
And I knew, without a doubt
My life in Silvercrest was over.