It felt like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off my chest. The moment I said those words, "Winter is my mate," the silence that settled over the meeting room initially felt suffocating, but then something warmed the air—something that could only come from truth spilling into the universe. Sure, the initial shock rippled through my parents and pack members like a pebble tossed into a still pond, but for me, it was a deep sigh of relief.
Still, as the silence filled the room, my heart sank a little more. You'd think the reveal of a mate—a soul meant to share your life—would be met with happiness, maybe even a playful howl or two, but all I felt was the weight of judgment pressing down on me. My mother looked at me as if I had just confessed to ripping the family's cat's head off. Y
