Bound by blood,Torn by fate

Sera's POV The punch hit my stomach before I saw it coming. "Happy birthday, freak," Maya snarled, her claws barely hidden as she stepped back. "Finally eighteen. Maybe now you'll actually shift into something useful instead of just taking up space." I doubled over, gasping for air behind the wedding hall. The sounds of celebration leaked through the stone walls – laughter, music, and the howls of newly shifted wolves. Everyone else was inside enjoying the monthly pack meeting, but Maya had cornered me the moment I stepped outside for fresh air. "I'm not looking for trouble," I wheezed, standing up slowly. "Too bad. Trouble found you." Maya's eyes flashed yellow. "My brother Derek should be the one getting attention tonight, not some nobody orphan who doesn't even have proper wolf scent yet." She was right about that part. While other kids my age had started growing their adult wolf scents months ago, I still smelled like nothing special. The pack healer said some wolves were just late bloomers, but Maya's cruel words repeated what everyone whispered – maybe I was broken. "Maya." The voice behind her was ice-cold. "Move." Maya spun around and quickly dropped her gaze. "Alpha Darius, I was just—" "I said move." His voice held that Alpha command that made every wolf's spine straighten automatically. Maya scurried away without another word. I pressed my back against the stone wall, suddenly very aware that I was alone with the most powerful and dangerous man in our area. Alpha Darius Blackthorne stood six feet away, but he might as well have been on another planet. At twenty-nine, he was already legendary – the youngest Alpha to ever unite three warring packs, and the most feared fighter in five regions. His dark hair was always properly styled, his expensive suits never wrinkled, and his green eyes never showed mercy. He was also extremely handsome in that way that made smart girls do stupid things. I was determined not to be one of those girls. "Thank you," I said quietly, keeping my eyes down. "But I could have handled it." "By letting her beat you up?" There was something strange in his voice. Almost... strained. "She's just jealous because Derek didn't get chosen for the honor guard this year." "Look at me, Sera." The demand in his voice made my head snap up automatically. Our eyes met, and something impossible happened. The world exploded with smell. It hit like a tidal wave – warm honey mixed with wild forest nights, dangerous and sweet and totally overwhelming. But it wasn't coming from him. It was coming from me. Darius went completely still. His nostrils flared, and his pupils enlarged until his eyes looked almost black. "What..." he breathed. I stumbled backward, fear flooding through me. This couldn't be happening. The smell was so strong I could taste it on my tongue, so powerful that even I was getting dizzy from it. "I have to go," I gasped, turning to run. His hand caught my wrist, and lightning shot up my arm. "Don't." His voice was rough, almost urgent. "Don't run from me." "Alpha, I—" "Say my name." He stepped closer, his thumb tracing over my rushing pulse. "Just once. Say my name." "Darius," I whispered. Something broke in his face. Before I could think or breathe or complain, his hands cupped my face and his lips crashed down on mine. The kiss was nothing like the fumbling tries I'd shared with boys my own age. This was fire and demand and three years of lonely nights that I didn't understand. His mouth moved against mine like he was drowning and I was air, like he'd been waiting his whole life for this moment. I should have pushed him away. He was the Alpha. I was nobody. This was impossible and risky and wrong. Instead, I kissed him back. When we finally broke apart, we were both shaking. Darius rested his face against mine, his breathing harsh and uneven. "This is insane," he grumbled. "You're just a kid." "I'm eighteen," I said, hurt flashing through me. "As of today." "Eighteen," he repeated, like he was trying to convince himself of something. His fingers brushed across my cheekbones. "Sera, what's happening to me? I can't... I've never..." "Never what?" Before he could answer, voices echoed from around the corner. "—need to find the Alpha. The Ravencrest group just arrived." Darius jerked away from me like I'd burned him. In seconds, his face went back to that cold, controlled mask I knew so well. "You should go inside," he said politely. "Enjoy your birthday celebration." He started to walk away, but then stopped and looked back. "Sera? Stay away from the forest tonight. There are... dangerous things hunting." Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my beating heart and the lingering taste of honey on my lips. I tried to go back inside and act nothing had happened. I tried to smile at the birthday wishes and eat the cake and act normal. But every few minutes, I caught Alphas from other packs looking at me with hungry eyes. Their women pulled them away with worried looks. Whatever had stirred in me wasn't going away. If anything, the smell was getting stronger. By the time the ceremony finished, I was exhausted from the constant attention. All I wanted was to go home to my little cottage on the pack's edge and find out what was happening to me. The walk home took me through the older part of the territory, where the houses were spread far apart and the forest pressed close to the road. Moonlight filtered through the pine trees, casting everything in silver shadows. I was almost to my door when I heard the footsteps. Soft. Careful. Following. I turned around, but saw nothing except empty road and moving trees. My new wolf senses screamed danger, but I couldn't see or smell anything threatening. "Hello?" I called out. Silence. I stumbled with my house key, my hands shaking. Just as the lock clicked open, a deep voice spoke from the shadows. "The forecast was true. The Moonfire Omega has risen." I spun around, but there was no one there. Only darkness and the sound of my own frightened breathing. From somewhere in the black forest, another voice answered the first: "The Alpha will take her before the next full moon. Everything depends on what she picks." I slammed my door and threw every lock I had. Through my window, I could see forms moving between the trees. Watching. Waiting. Whatever had started tonight was bigger than a first kiss or an awkward birthday. Something ancient and strong had been set in motion, and I was trapped right in the center of it. My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: The real danger isn't what's hunting you in the forest. It's what's hunting you in the pack house. Trust no one. – A friend Outside, something howled in the distance. It didn't sound like any wolf I'd ever heard.