THE WOLF THEY WERE ASHAMED OF

Everyone was waiting for me to fail. I could feel it in the silence surrounding the Moonstone Altar. Hundreds of wolves had gathered beneath the silver light of the full moon, their faces turned toward me. Some watched with curiosity. Others watched with pity. Most watched because they wanted to see me humiliated. Again. I stood barefoot on the cold stone, trying not to let my trembling hands reveal how terrified I was. Tonight was supposed to be the most important night of my life. My eighteenth birthday. The night every werewolf in the Silvermoon Pack awakened their wolf and completed their first shift. For everyone else, it was a celebration. For me, it was a trial. I looked toward the elders. My father stood among them. Alpha Darius Vale. The most respected wolf in the territory. His silver-black hair moved gently in the night breeze, and his expression remained as hard as stone. He didn't look at me like a father. He looked at me like a problem. Beside him stood my mother, her hands folded nervously in front of her. And then there was my sister. Seraphina. Beautiful. Graceful. Perfect. She wore a white ceremonial dress embroidered with silver threads, and the moonlight made her look almost unreal. She caught my eyes and smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. It was the same smile she'd given me every time someone called me broken. I looked away. "Elara Vale." The elder's voice echoed across the clearing. I swallowed. "Step forward." My feet moved before my fear could stop them. Whispers immediately rose from the crowd. "Do you think she'll shift?" "At eighteen? Impossible." "Her mother said she has never even heard her wolf." "Maybe there isn't one." A quiet laugh followed. I clenched my jaw. They had been saying those things about me for years. Broken. Defective. Wolf-less. Embarrassment. I had heard every word. I had learned to pretend they didn't hurt. But pretending never made them hurt less. The elder lifted a silver ceremonial blade. "Tonight, beneath the eyes of the Moon Goddess, every wolf comes into their true nature." His gaze settled on me. "Elara, place your hand upon the Moonstone." I stepped toward the enormous crystal in the center of the altar. It was taller than I was, pale and translucent, glowing softly beneath the moon. My heartbeat quickened. I had imagined this moment thousands of times. When I was younger, I used to hide in the forest and practice shifting alone. I would close my eyes. Breathe deeply. Imagine claws breaking through my fingers. Imagine fur covering my skin. Imagine hearing the world through a wolf's senses. Nothing ever happened. Not once. Still, some foolish part of me had hoped tonight would be different. I placed my palm against the crystal. Cold rushed through my body. The crowd became silent. I closed my eyes. Please. Just once. Please let there be something inside me. I inhaled. The elder began chanting. The moonlight seemed to grow brighter. My fingers tightened against the stone. Pain suddenly exploded through my chest. I gasped. Something moved beneath my ribs. My eyes flew open. The Moonstone flashed. A wave of silver light burst across the clearing. Everyone screamed. I stumbled backward. "What was that?" The elder stared at the crystal. His face had lost all color. My father stepped forward. "What happened?" The elder didn't answer. He was staring directly at me. I looked down at my hands. They were shaking. But nothing had changed. No claws. No fur. No glowing eyes. Nothing. A laugh came from somewhere in the crowd. Then another. And suddenly the whispers returned. "She failed." "Again." "Of course she did." "I told you she was broken." My face burned. I looked toward my father. For one foolish second, I hoped he would defend me. He didn't. His expression hardened. "Enough." The crowd became quiet. He turned toward me. "Elara, leave the altar." The words struck harder than they should have. "Father—" "Now." I lowered my head. "Yes, Alpha." Not Father. Alpha. That was what he wanted me to remember. I stepped away from the Moonstone. Seraphina approached me as the crowd began dispersing. She leaned close. "Don't look so sad." I stared at her. She smiled. "At least nobody expected you to succeed." My chest tightened. "Congratulations," I whispered. She raised an eyebrow. "For what?" "Your ceremony." "Oh." She glanced toward the young man standing behind her. My heart stopped. Adrian. The son of one of the pack's most powerful families. My childhood friend. My first crush. The boy I'd secretly loved for almost eight years. His eyes met mine. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. He had changed so much. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair falling slightly over his forehead. His wolf had awakened months ago. He was already considered one of the strongest young warriors in the pack. I'd always imagined that one day, somehow, he would look at me differently. Tonight, he didn't. His eyes moved over me with something dangerously close to pity. Then he looked away. Something inside me cracked. Seraphina slipped her arm through his. My stomach dropped. "Come on, Adrian," she said sweetly. "Mother is waiting." He followed her. I stood there alone. Again. I told myself I didn't care. I told myself I had survived worse. But when I turned toward the forest, my eyes were already burning. I ran. I didn't stop until the voices of the pack disappeared behind me. The forest swallowed me. Branches scratched my arms as I pushed deeper between the trees. I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I needed to get away. Away from my father. Away from Seraphina. Away from the whispers. Away from the pity in Adrian's eyes. I finally stopped beside a small stream. My knees gave out. I sank onto the damp earth. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the water. Then I started crying. Quietly at first. Then harder. "I hate you." I didn't know who I was talking to. My family. The pack. Myself. Maybe all of them. "I hate all of you." The words disappeared into the trees. I wiped my face angrily. Then I heard it. A growl. Low. Deep. Close. I froze. My head snapped toward the darkness. Nothing. Only trees. I slowly stood. "Who's there?" No answer. Another growl. This time, it came from inside me. My breath caught. "No." I pressed both hands against my chest. My heartbeat thundered beneath my palms. Then something whispered inside my mind. Not a thought. Not my imagination. A voice. A woman's voice. Ancient. Calm. Powerful. "You finally heard me." I stopped breathing. My entire body went cold. "Who are you?" Silence. Then— "Your wolf." I stumbled backward. "No." A strange sensation spread through my veins. Heat. Pain. Power. My vision blurred. For one terrifying second, my eyes flashed silver. And somewhere deep inside the forest, something answered with a howl. Not an ordinary wolf. Something much larger. Much older. Something that sounded as though it had been waiting for me. The voice returned. "Run, Elara." I looked around wildly. "Why?" The answer came softly. "Because your family is coming for you." Behind me, branches snapped. I turned. Three figures stepped out from between the trees. They weren't wearing Silvermoon colors. They wore black. And the wolf standing in front of them smiled when he saw me. "Found her." My blood ran cold. The voice inside me whispered one final warning. "Do not let them take you alive."