My Execution Day
The night I turned eighteen was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.
Every wolf in the pack waits for that night. We grow up hearing stories about it how the moon finally calls to us, how the wolf inside us awakens, how the Moon Goddess reveals our true destiny.
Some meet their mates.
Some gain their wolves.
Some discover their place in the pack.
I had spent years imagining how my own night would go.
I thought I would feel proud.
Strong.
Finally complete.
Instead, it became the night my Alpha ordered my execution.
The entire pack gathered in the training grounds just beyond the pack house. Torches were planted deep into the earth, their flames dancing wildly in the cool night air. The smell of burning wood mixed with the scent of pine trees from the surrounding forest.
The clearing was packed with wolves.
Children perched on wooden fences.
Warriors stood with arms crossed.
Elders watched from the front rows, their sharp eyes filled with expectation.
Tonight was the night the newest generation would shift.
And I was one of them.
My heart pounded so loudly in my chest I was sure the entire pack could hear it.
Beside me stood Mira, my best friend since childhood.
She nudged my arm gently.
“Relax,” she whispered with a small smile. “It’s just a shift.”
Just a shift.
Easy for her to say.
Mira had shifted last year, and everything had gone perfectly for her. Her wolf was strong, fast, and loyal. She had gained instant respect among the younger wolves.
I wished I felt half as confident as she did.
My palms were sweaty.
My breathing uneven.
Something about tonight felt… strange.
Like the air itself was heavy with something I couldn’t explain.
Above us, the full moon hung high in the sky.
It was huge.
Bright.
Its silver light poured down over the clearing, illuminating every face in the crowd.
Moonlight was supposed to feel warm to wolves.
Comforting.
But as it touched my skin, a strange chill crept down my spine.
Or maybe I was just nervous.
“Look,” Mira whispered again, pointing toward the front of the clearing.
Alpha Roderick stepped forward.
The entire crowd instantly fell silent.
Alpha Roderick was a large man, even in his human form. His presence alone was enough to make most wolves lower their heads in submission. His dark hair was streaked with silver, a sign of both age and experience.
His sharp eyes scanned the gathered wolves.
When his gaze landed on me, something flickered across his face.
Something unreadable.
Then it vanished.
“Tonight,” he announced, his deep voice carrying easily across the clearing, “the next generation of our pack will take their first steps into their true nature.”
A ripple of excitement spread through the crowd.
“This sacred moment is blessed by the Moon Goddess herself,” he continued. “Each of you will discover the strength that lies within your blood.”
His gaze hardened slightly.
“Honor your wolf.”
A group of younger wolves stepped forward one by one.
The first boy shifted easily.
Bones cracked.
Fur burst from skin.
Within seconds, a large brown wolf stood proudly where he had been.
The crowd cheered.
The next wolf shifted just as smoothly.
And the next.
Each transformation was greeted with excitement and applause.
My chest tightened with every passing moment.
Soon it would be my turn.
Soon everyone would be watching me.
Mira squeezed my hand.
“You’ve got this,” she said softly.
I nodded, though the knot in my stomach only tightened.
Then Alpha Roderick’s voice rang out again.
“Next.”
My name echoed through the clearing.
“Selene.”
My heart nearly stopped.
The entire crowd turned toward me.
Hundreds of eyes locked onto my face.
My legs felt strangely heavy as I stepped forward.
The center of the clearing suddenly felt much larger than it had before.
Much more exposed.
The moonlight seemed brighter here.
Sharper.
Like a spotlight.
“Step forward,” Alpha Roderick commanded.
I forced myself to obey.
My hands trembled slightly at my sides.
I could feel the weight of the pack’s expectations pressing down on me.
“Let the moon guide you,” the Alpha said.
I closed my eyes.
And waited.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the moonlight touched my skin.
Pain exploded through my body.
Not the dull ache I had expected.
Not the controlled shift I had watched the others go through.
This pain was violent.
Savage.
My bones cracked so loudly I heard someone gasp.
My spine bent painfully as my muscles twisted beneath my skin.
A scream tore from my throat before I could stop it.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
This wasn’t how shifting was supposed to feel.
It felt like my body was being ripped apart from the inside.
My claws dug into the dirt as the pain surged through me again and again.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Someone shouted.
“Something’s wrong!”
My vision blurred.
My breathing came in ragged bursts.
I tried to control the transformation, but whatever was happening to me was completely beyond my control.
My bones continued to crack.
My muscles stretched painfully.
But instead of settling into a wolf’s form…
My body seemed to fight itself.
Two forces pulling in opposite directions.
Then suddenly—
The pain stopped.
Just like that.
The silence that followed was deafening.
No cheers.
No excitement.
Only silence.
Heavy.
Terrified silence.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
My breathing was uneven as I opened my eyes.
And the moment I saw the pack’s faces, my blood ran cold.
They weren’t looking at me with pride.
Or curiosity.
They looked…
Afraid.
Wolves stepped backward.
Some even growled.
Mira stared at me like she didn’t recognize me anymore.
Fear filled her eyes.
“What…?” I whispered.
Then I caught sight of my reflection in the polished surface of Alpha Roderick’s sword.
My breath stopped.
My eyes weren’t the warm amber color of a normal wolf.
They were glowing.
Bright silver.
A murmur spread through the crowd like wildfire.
“Impossible…”
“That can’t be…”
“What is she?”
Alpha Roderick stepped forward slowly.
His expression had turned dark.
Cold.
Furious.
I took an instinctive step back.
“Alpha?” My voice shook.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, his gaze swept over me like I was something disgusting.
Something dangerous.
Then he spoke one word.
“Guards.”
My heart skipped violently.
Several warriors stepped forward immediately.
Their weapons drawn.
Confusion and fear twisted in my chest.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
No one answered me.
Alpha Roderick’s voice dropped into a deadly whisper.
“Kill her.”
The words slammed into me like a physical blow.
My breath caught.
“What?”
But the Alpha’s next words were far worse.
His eyes burned with hatred as he looked directly at me.
“She’s a hybrid.”
