Blood & Moonlight: The Silverveil heir

Nyra POV The night my wolf finally surfaced, my pack decided I was no longer worth protecting. I felt it before I saw it. A pressure behind my ribs. Not pain. Not fear. Something stretching awake, slow and deliberate, like it had all the time in the world. I was washing dishes in my foster mother’s apartment when the glass shattered in my hands. I didn’t scream. I just stood there, staring at the blood running down my palms, while my heartbeat thundered loud enough to drown out the city traffic outside. So that is it, I thought. Eighteen years late. Every wolf in the Grayridge Pack shifted by sixteen. Some earlier. Some later. But me? I was the girl born without a wolf. The burden. The one they whispered about when they thought I couldn’t hear. The useless one. My phone buzzed once. PACK SUMMONS. NOW. No explanation. No comfort. Just a command. By the time I reached the underground parking lot beneath the high-rise we used as neutral ground, the air was already thick with tension. Wolves lined the concrete walls in human form, leather jackets and hoodies hiding the predators beneath. Their eyes glowed faintly, gold and silver reflecting off fluorescent lights. Alpha Riven stood at the center. He didn’t smile when he saw me. “You felt it,” he said. It wasn’t a question. “Yes,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “My wolf woke up.” A ripple of unease passed through the pack. Not relief. Not pride. Fear. Riven’s gaze sharpened. “Explain the surge.” I hesitated. Words felt inadequate for what had happened. “I didn’t lose control. I just… existed. And something pushed back.” His jaw tightened. “You cracked three wolves’ mental shields within a mile radius.” My breath caught. “That’s impossible. I didn’t touch anyone.” “Intent doesn’t matter,” he snapped. “Power does.” The pack murmured now, louder. I scanned the familiar faces. People I’d grown up with. People who’d shared food, training sessions, secrets. Not one of them stepped forward. Except Liam. He moved to stand beside Riven, hands in his pockets, expression carefully neutral. My chest twisted painfully. Liam had been my anchor for years. The one who trained with me even though I couldn’t shift. The one who swore the pack would accept me one day. “She’s unstable,” he said. The words hit harder than any blow. I stared at him. “You don’t believe that.” He didn’t look at me. “We don’t know what she is,” he continued. “No wolf for eighteen years, then a surge strong enough to overpower an alpha? That’s not normal.” Riven’s eyes flicked at me. Cold. Measuring. “You were born wolf-less,” he said. “We kept you out of pity.” There it was again. Pity. “I have a wolf now,” I said, my voice trembling despite myself. “That means I belong.” “No,” Riven replied. “That makes you dangerous.” The pressure inside me shifted. My wolf stirred, alert now. Watching. She didn’t snarl or rage. She waited. That scared me more than if she had. Riven raised his hand. The murmurs died instantly. “By pack law,” he said, “Nyra is stripped of protection.” The words echoed off the concrete. My heart dropped. “You can’t do that.” “You’re no longer under Grayridge authority.” “That’s exile,” I whispered. “You know what hunts outside our territory.” He met my gaze without flinching. “Then you should have stayed weak.” The world tilted. Exile wasn’t mercy. It was a death sentence. A sharp, mocking howl cut through the parking lot. Not wolf. Coyotes. Lean figures emerged from the shadows at the far entrance, moving with loose confidence. Their leader stepped forward, dark eyes gleaming with amusement. “Well,” he drawled. “Looks like the great Grayridge Pack finally cracked.” Riven stepped back instinctively. Coward. The coyote’s gaze locked onto me. “You’re the one,” he said. “The quiet girl with the broken clock.” My wolf bristled. Not in fear. In recognition. “I don’t belong to you,” I said. He smiled wider. “No. But you don’t belong to them either.” The pack didn’t move. Not to protect me. Not to stop what was coming. Liam finally looked at me then. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. I felt something inside me fracture. “Don’t be,” I replied. “I’ll remember this.” Then I ran. The night swallowed me whole as I burst onto the street, shoes slapping against wet pavement. Behind me, the coyotes gave chase, their laughter sharp and hungry. Ahead of me lay a city full of enemies. And somewhere beyond that… A strength my pack never deserved to witness.