CH 1-10

Summary

Book One of the Reborn Lycan Series Asha never believed in fate, until it began to call her name. Drawn into a hidden world of wolves, magic, and ancient prophecy, she discovers that her existence is tied to a curse that reshaped an entire realm. As the moon’s power stirs once again, Asha must navigate dangerous truths, shifting loyalties, and a bond that defies everything she thought she knew. Some destinies are chosen. Others are fated. This is only the beginning.

Prologue

***- when in bold, enter/exit dream

***- regular, character and/or scenery change

… -when in bold, before and after sentence, mindlink

“”- when in bold, before and after sentence, wolf/lycan speaking out loud through human

Fire.

Fire everywhere.

Through the trees and bushes, you could see the silhouette of something…..small. Darting away as fast as she could from all the smoke and screams.

Rogues. Always the rogues, can’t live without chaos, can’t live without bloodshed and battles. And her, not only so small, but wolfless, human, she must hide.

As niece to the Alpha, Asha, age 5, would most likely be the target of the rogues to blackmail the alpha to surrender. She tried to remember where uncle said to go during an attack, but she was distracted by the butterflies in the window and hadn’t listened to his speech at the drill in class last week.

She winds up taking a wrong turn deep into the woods and she seems to have gotten away, for now. Now realizing that she’s worse than just lost, but now she’s completely isolated.

As long as you belong to a pack, you can mindlink, even the young wolves, the pups. Though for Asha, without her wolf, she has no heightened senses to lead her back to the pack. Neither can she mindlink anyone for them to find her.

So she keeps wandering in the woods, until she hears her Alphas howl. At first she is elated, help was surely drawing near! But then, she heard a menacing growl from behind her.

A rogue foaming at the mouth emerges from the bushes, ready to pounce. Asha started to tremble, terrified that this was it when a large dark brown wolf jumped out from the side and latched on top of the rogues back and began to rip him apart.

“Alpha!!!” the girl smiles as she knows who this wolf is.

A smaller light brown wolf appears and approaches the girl. After checking for any wounds, the wolf seeming satisfied rubs her snout against the girl, making her giggle. “Mommy stop that”.

The Alpha approaches them, looks towards the packhouse, and back to them. The light brown wolf, Amy, then bows her head towards the girl, as to say get on. The little girl happily bounces to get on for a ride, but as she gets ready to, more growls from all around them sound.

Slowly they emerge surrounding them on all sides. The Alpha and Amy growl in warning to keep them away from the girl, when one sneaks from behind and grabs Amy’s hind leg.

Alpha Ned turned to attack but they all snarl and lunges to try to reach for Asha. Ned lunged at the one closest to her and snapped his neck in one swift bite.

Asha is now curled up on the ground crying and screaming for the other wolves to get off her mom.

Her mom is a fierce warrior that only the alpha can beat and makes it harder to put Amy down, but with so many, she can barely hang on.

One after the other, no matter how many they put down or threw off they kept coming.

A rogue slashed through her mothers shoulder and another sliced her face, more and more gashes appearing but Amy was not going to let them have her daughter.

Ned on the other side of her tosses one off him just to be grabbed by another in his stomach and he growls loudly as they try to rip his flesh.

Asha stands watching her mother and uncle fight and bleed to protect her, she felt pitiful. If she were normal, she could at least mindlink the Beta and the others where they are since you are connected to the packlink all your life.

A rage started to build within her and the tears stopped flowing.

The rage became a spark and grew until her eyes went violet and her chest began to glow.

She releases a loud cry and a white light exploded from within her, and in an instant….

All the rogues were dead, eyes burnt and gone, and the 3 were left untouched.

Stunned, Alpha Ned turned back to human form just in time to catch Asha as she fell unconscious. With one look to his sister, they knew not to speak of this, and they burned the bodies.

Their wounds already began to heal, so Amy grabbed Asha and held her as she rode on top of Ned back home.

At the packhouse, they arrive to see the rest of the rogues already disposed of, and everyone cleaning up what they could from the mess of the battle.

Beta Garrett approaches them to assess the situation and sees all their wounds healed, eyes lingering on Amy.

With a slight growl from the alpha for the wordless approach and looks, Garett bears his neck.

Garrett says “We lost a handful of soldiers, none with mates or families and new to the pack so still untrained. It was an unorganized attack and they sought nothing but to steal and kill but were not very skilled. They were just many in number and had a few home made molotovs to create a distraction it seems in order to take….”

He looks to the sleeping girl.

“Well, they got away with nothing Alpha and no rogues escaped. We will bury them tonight. All the rogues have been taken care of, and George is in the safe house with the omegas. He may be 8 but he was ready for battle haha. Are you all okay?”

His eyes drifting to Asha again.

Alpha Edgar grunts and says, “She went into shock and just needs rest.”

Looking to Garrett speaking in the mindlink,

…Details later…

And without a reply they all head home to get cleaned up and talk before repairs to the packhouse tomorrow.

That night, before the girl drifts off, a voice calls to her.

“It’s time.” and Asha falls into a trance like dream.

***

Asha finds herself walking through such a pretty field of flowers of all colors in this magical place. She feels at peace and isn’t scared at all though she has no memory of how she got there.

She looks to her right and sees a midnight blue lake surrounded by pearly white crystals, oh how she would love to climb those.

Before she could run off to the lake, she can hear something, through the flowers.

Just then, a very large wolf slowly approaches her with sparkly white fur, and bright silver eyes.

The wolf then spins in a circle and in a glittery mist, is suddenly a young woman with long white hair to the floor, and her still silver eyes. She would be the definition of beauty and grace in her silk white gown.

“Hello Asha, I have wanted to speak to you for some time, and I am so sorry for what has happened to you in the past and what you almost went through now.

Neither you or her were ready yet to make contact, I suppose, until now.”

She raises her hand to make Asha turn to the lake to see a magnificent wolf as radiant as an amethyst approach her as she walks on the water.

“She has been training a long time to be ready to return, she has so desperately wanted to see you”.

Asha is confused at this point because she doesn’t know this wolf, she could never forget one that looked as stunning as her.

Then, she speaks, into Asha’s mind.

“Hello little one, we finally meet, I have waited to be with you for so long and have become the best in the stars to become one with you once you’re ready.

I couldn’t take them hurting mother anymore and might have snuck into you for a moment to help earlier.

Mother moon was not happy.” She says snickering as the goddess just shakes her head smiling.

It was after she said that when it clicked, and Asha’s eyes became watery.

“Its you, my wolf, its really you, you came back to me.” Asha ran up to her and hugged her wolf so tight. She felt so soft, she could get lost in her fur forever.

“She arranged this meeting, to hold me off a few more years without overwhelming you again. I’m so sorry.

You weren’t ready to have my powers yet, but you will, someday. Oh and I almost forgot, she has another little trick up her sleeve.”

Asha steps back now. “Wait, but how? I thought you were never born? That you died when I…..”

The amethyst wolf bowed her head to the goddess. “Mother Moon pulled them away at that exact moment, and saved their soul. Wolf souls that die in extreme pain or agony can not be reborn, she was quick and made sure they felt no pain. One day, they will be able to come back to join another soul.

The moon goddess had been watching you for some time, your soul. You were always meant to be special, but your original fate was ruined by the woman who seduced father.

For millennia, here in the skies, she has trained me everyday among the best of her celestial soldiers to be strong enough to protect the one I’m meant for when I return. I transformed myself into the most powerful being among the strongest of her warriors, and I am ready to join you.

Tonight, Mother Moon will help me join you secretly to keep watch and keep you safe until the time is right to become one.

Nobody will be able to tell my presence.

Not even you.

You will wake in the morning and forget this meeting ever happened, but you will be a true wolf.”

Asha starts sobbing now, “Please don’t make me forget, I’ve been so alone please.

I’m not mistreated but its like I’m not really a member of this pack, other children don’t play with me in fear of hurting me and everyone always has this sad look on their face when they speak to me. Please, help me be normal and help me protect my family instead of bring danger as a human.”

The amethyst wolf rubs her snout along her cheek trying to soothe the girl. “Soon we will be one, until then, stay strong and train to be the best the way I have, show them you are still a wolf of this pack even without one inside you, and one day I will return, now sleep, our mother is calling to you.”

Just then Asha can hear her mom.

“Asha, Asha baby wake up please don’t leave me again, I can’t lose you again.”

Asha, without a second glance, ran towards the sound into a white light.

***

She finally awakened with a gasp to her mother crying and held her close to her.

“Mommy you’re okay! Where’s uncle Ned?? How are we back home?” Amy shushes the frantic little girl, the mother’s eyes full of tears and a smile at Asha awakening. She explains to her the alpha took care of the rogue wolves and she passed out in shock during the battle.

“Go back to bed sweetie, you just stopped breathing for a moment, and I was afraid…. never mind sweetie, I’m going to bed, and you should sleep too. Tomorrow me and your uncle will go out into town and help the others. You stay here with the omegas until I get back and you just rest up.” The little girl nods her head and drifts off back to sleep.

In the other room, Amy joins Ned, Garrett, and Edgar, her ex-mate and father to Asha.

Garrett starts. “So what happened out there Alpha? You guys were gone for a while and I thought I felt something, odd in the link.”

Amy is the one to explain as Ned pours himself a drink by his desk. “We had just found Asha and was about to head back when we were surrounded. Damn rogue got me from behind and the others jumped Ned when he got distracted when some tried lunging for Asha.

He was able to get one off but then he had 3 on him and I had 2, anytime I took one out another popped in.

I really thought it was the end for us when a scream followed by a bright light came from behind us, and it was coming from Asha.

Her eyes were glowing violet, and then the light exploded around us, burning out the retinas of the rogues and we were left standing there, unharmed. I have never seen or heard of something like that happen.”

Garrett with his mouth agape finally says “That must have been what I felt in the link, does this mean she has a wolf? But I’ve never heard of a wolf with powers? And violet eyes? Are you sure?”

Edgar suddenly chimed in “Maybe the goddess will give her powers instead of having her wolf. This would be great for her and the pack!”

Ned stiffens, puts down his glass, and slowly turns around. He soon stalked towards Edgar and grabbed him by the throat lifting him off the ground. Eyes glowing a fierce yellow, showing his wolf, Torv, was at the surface.

“You have no right to talk of what’s best for her or the pack. You lost that right the night she was born. Where were you anyways? You were supposed to be here with her and take her to the safe house! You went to that whore again didn’t you? After everything she has caused you to lose?!?”

Edgar wanted to be upset and rage out that he was being handled this way but his wolf Vargr hasn’t had any fight in him for years.

…Your fault… Some of the only words he speaks to Edgar now.

Ned satisfied with his wolfs submission, tossed him to the ground and stomped over to his desk.

Edgar coughing trying to get air says “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the battle or her leaving the house.

I wasn’t with her I swear. I haven’t since that night.

I was drinking, my wolf stays hidden now and no longer heals me so I became inebriated quickly.

I was unconscious until something stirred my wolf to wake me and immediately sobered me. Must have been the incident with you 3 in the woods.

Asha must have tried to wake me when the battle started and then tried to get to the safe house alone when she couldn’t.”

Amy just staring at him in disgust says “This is why the goddess weakened our bond and weakened you. Even your wolf has decided to forsake you and watch you live as a human as he refuses to heal you or share his strength. You are useless and almost caused our daughters death, again.”

Suddenly her arm started to burn for the second time in her life. She hisses and rolls up her sleeve and there it was. The empty branch starts to form leaves, creating a full healthy branch to form on her arm. She has been blessed as the new Gamma.

Looking to Edgar’s arm, a shadowed outline of Edgars branch that had remained from before, has now faded away, looking like a stain upon the skin.

“No….” Edgar whispers into the silence of the room.

Eyes going wild he screams “I didn’t mean it, I didn’t do it on purpose I did nothing!!” When Amy tackles him to the ground, her usually calm wolf, Eira, rushes forward so rough she almost shifts.

Claws slowly getting longer and deeper in his neck as she says “That. Is. The. Point.

You did NOTHING!

You swore you would try to be better, to not just be a good father, but a mate to me.

We had moments where the sparks were back even just for a moment, I believed we could have our bond back…

Yet once again, as I bled on the ground and your daughter so close to death, you weren’t there you pathetic BASTARD!

If you hadn’t been so inebriated and unconscious, Vargr would have sensed something wrong and come forward to let you shift and protect the pack.”

Backing away loosening her claws, she lets him rise.

“You are not the Gamma anymore, and I want you out of my house. You are still a member of this pack and I expect to see you at the construction site tomorrow amongst the other soldiers.”

Edgar stills before he bows his head, he bares his neck as he sobs, knowing he lost his last chance to get his mate back. In a blank stare, no more fight or life left in him, he rises to his feet and walks away.

“I will go to my new quarters. I will remain there until needed.”

After the office door closes, she listens to the footsteps and waits to hear the front door close, before she drops to her knees and lets out her pain and disappointment again for the man she thought would change for their family, for her.

It’s Garret that approaches her, crouches down, and lends a tissue and a hand to let her up with a smile that surprisingly makes her feel, warm?

She shakes it off and thanks him as she gets up and sits on the couch with her brother.

Garret now seated in the chair opposite the couch looks over to the siblings, takes a deep breath, and asks what he has needed to all this time.

“What exactly happened 5 years ago?”

Chapter 1

Asha POV

One year later…

...Asha…

“Ahhh! What was that? Mommy!”

Mom came rushing in the room spatula in hand with yellow eyes and growling. At first I was scared, but after realizing I was just dreaming, so did my mom. We stood in silence for a moment before we both started to laugh seeing how ridiculous my mom looked with her deadly weapon.

“Get ready to head out sweetie, today is Georges first day on the training ground and you promised to be there. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Fine mom I’m up now anyway.” Slowly I got up and went to my closet to grab some shorts and a t-shirt, looks bright and that means hot.

“You sure you okay Asha? Did you have one of those dreams again?”

She always gets so freaked when I tell her about the purple eyes or the woman in white, best not to tell her anything about that anymore.

“No mom, I told you those dreams stopped already remember? I dreamt of the scary movie we saw last night. I do NOT like sharks.” Mom giggles and tells me we will stay away from those kind of scary movies then.

She walks off and I catch a glimpse of her neck, the barely visible silhouette of dads old mate mark, seems almost gone now.

I throw myself backwards on the pillow and think of how this last year has changed so much.

It feels weird not having daddy here anymore, his bellowing laughter ringing through the house in the mornings.

The tickle fights and pillow fights before a bedtime story.

I thought mates were eternal. That it meant you were perfect for each other and nothing could separate you, I guess that forever is a myth.

Mom said she and dad agreed to not be together anymore and that’s the reason why the mate mark on her neck is nearly gone, which is odd because Uncle Ned’s mark is still on his neck. Then again, Aunt Lily was murdered.

Mom and Dad never truly seemed happy, and Dad was rarely home, I never really saw them be affectionate to another either.

Mom seems happier now though, she’s even become the new Gamma!

That night she saved so many lives before finding me in the forest, she and Uncle Ned ripped through so many rogues and saved my life.

My head hurts when I think of that night, I feel like I’m forgetting something. It doesn’t feel like I’m missing anything, rather that I found something and can’t remember what.

Each time I feel like I might be getting images it all dissolves away, must just be another dream, no way I turn into some deadly flashlight haha.

Once I’m done getting dressed I hop downstairs, eat my pancakes, and then we head out to the training field to see George fight for the first time. As the Alphas child, he spars with the coach on a regular. Today is a real match. He is the one below the Gamma who trains all the wolves, but the Gamma gets final say of who joins the guard.

Todays little fight is only for coach to get a feel on what he has to work on going forward as he trains George to be the next Alpha. We get there finally and I see George and coach already standing on each end of the ring.

We sit quickly and I call out “Go Georgie!” He blushes and looks upset for just a second before we both laugh it off and he waves.

A few minutes later the coach arrives. George readies his stance and the match starts with a ding of a bell. I thought I would be bored or even scared watching this as usual, I stayed away from the training grounds since I was little but, this time its different. Every move they make and how quick and strong they are is just incredible, and much different than watching the other kids.

I wish I had a wolf and could fight, but I know they will just tell me I can get hurt since I cant heal. They’re probably right, one swing and my arm could break.

I focus back in on the match when everyone starts getting riled up at the last 2 minute mark. George doesn’t have to win, just last 10 minutes, no kid our age can fight like coach, only Mom and Alpha Ned.

With the last 2 minutes almost over I become hypnotized almost to the energy of the fight.

Just as George darts in low, the coach shifts, planting a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder and using his own momentum against him, sending him sprawling across the dirt. Before George could scramble back up, the coach crouched beside him.

“You’re too high on your entry. Keep your center low and grounded, or anyone bigger will toss you like a leaf in wind,” he said, voice calm but sharp. “And quit puffing your chest after every dodge. Confidence doesn’t win fights pup, discipline does.”

George blinked up at him, dirt clinging to his cheek and lip trembling with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. But he didn’t growl. He didn’t lash out.

He breathed in deep.

Then rose.

His movements weren’t refined, but they were precise. Wild eyes locked in, he charged like instinct had taken over, fangs bared in a snarl that didn’t belong to a child.

When the coach grabbed for him, George twisted his wrist free with an instinctive roll of his shoulder, then jabbed twice, once to the ribs, once to the gut before slipping out of reach again.

He pivoted on his heel, using the momentum to swing low and sweep the coach’s legs from under him, a move too fast and clean for a pup his age.

For a heartbeat, the clearing was silent.

Then the crowd erupted.

Shouts burst from every side, wild cheers, loud gasps, the sharp bark of laughter as wolves slapped fists together and stamped their feet. George stood there, his chest heaving, ears ringing now as the sound washed over him. He looked around, wide-eyed, disbelief melting into something brighter. A grin broke across his face, quick and boyish, proud in a way he didn’t yet know how to hide.

Across the ring, the coach pushed himself to his feet, brushing dirt from his forearms. He stared at George for a long moment, shock flickering before it settled into something far more dangerous, approval sharpened by challenge.

At the edge of the crowd, Ned’s jaw had gone slack, pride shining openly in his eyes, while Amy pressed a hand to her mouth, her breath caught somewhere between worry and awe.

The coach rolled his shoulders, planting his feet again. “Alright then,” he muttered, lips curling. “Let’s see if you can keep it.”

They squared off.

The start signal sounded, and the coach lunged, swinging wildly now, heavy strikes meant to overwhelm rather than teach. His fists cut through the air in rapid succession, powerful and unrelenting.

George didn’t strike back.

He dodged.

The countdown began, voices joining together as one.

“Ten!”

George ducked under a wide hook, the wind of it tugging at his hair.

“Nine!”

He sidestepped a follow-up blow, boots skidding in the dirt as he twisted away.

“Eight!”

A swing came too fast, George bent backward instinctively, the strike missing his nose by inches.

“Seven!”

He spun out of reach, breath steady now, eyes locked and focused.

“Six!”

Another blow, he dropped low, rolling past the coach’s legs.

“Five!”

The crowd roared louder with every miss.

“Four!”

George slipped left, then right, the chaos around him blurring as instinct guided every step.

“Three!”

The coach overextended, George was already gone.

“Two!”

A final wild swing cut empty air.

“One!”

The signal rang out.

DING! DING! DING!

George stood untouched, chest rising and falling, eyes bright with something ancient and unshakable, while the coach froze mid-step, staring at the child before him like he’d just glimpsed the future of the pack.

George made it without bowing out. His wounds will heal in a few hours, he hasn’t merged with his wolf yet so it will take some time before it will only take minutes to heal these type of wounds. George is young but very strong and fast, it’s the Alpha blood that makes even his human form strong.

He walks away with a victory today and with his head held high. , but as I walk away, I’m left with a strange sense of loss, like I should be in that ring too. I’ve never fought before or had any interest until now. I hated fighting, but something in me itches to jump in the ring, almost clawing at me to get out and join them.

As the months go by, I watch the adults spar, and I watch George. I hide behind the bleachers and memorize their moves. At night I hide in the woods to practice alone where nobody can see me. I had been doing it so often and not getting caught, I hadn’t realized when I started being watched.

One night by the lake, I was trying this new uppercut combo I saw Jason try out before, and I heard a twig snap. I didn’t react right away and pretended to walk over to my bag for a sip of water as they tried to sneak up on me.

Once they reached out I swung around, grabbed their wrist and threw them to the ground. With a loud “OOMF” I knew it was George.

“Ugh what are you doing here Georgie? How did you know I was here?”

George still trying to catch his breath from slamming into the dirt says “I’m here for you. You shouldn’t be so surprised, why do you think nobody ever bothers you out here?” He gets up, dusts himself, and shakes his head at me. I’m not going to like this…

“Rowans dad found you, I guess you got hurt a while back while you were out here and he smelled your blood. He went to look for you to see if there was danger but you were already back to training by the time he saw you and he let you be. He told me and Rowan about you being out here training while I was at his place sparring and we begged him not to tell the alpha and to leave you be.”

Wait what? He knew all this time and didn’t tell our parents?

“Why didn’t you tell them? You know my mom would freak if she knew I were out here alone.”

I squinted my eyes at him and crossed my arms. “What do you want from me George?”

George laughs and rubs the back of his neck.

“Uhh haha, actually, I want you to join the ranks.”

I busted out laughing so hard I thought we would REALLY get caught for sure. I look up and he looks, serious?

“Come on George I’ve never fought anyone. So you saw me throw a few punches in the air big whoop but I have no wolf, I’m basically human.”

He walks to me and hugs me.

“Oh don’t say that about yourself Asha, never again. I think you’re going to be a great soldier.”

He steps back to look at me now.

“Its not just tonight that I’ve seen you. Been watching for a while now. I even ask coach to repeat certain workouts because later on when I check on you, I see you get frustrated because you either couldn’t remember it or just couldn’t get it right.”

I was in shock now, he’s been helping so much and I had no idea.

My eyes start to get a little fuzzy…

“I still don’t get why you want me to join so badly, I’ll never be as strong as the others…”

George gets completely serious now.

“I have seen you running through these woods, lifting small logs, how fast you swing, and how flexible you are. Other kids our age can barely jump rope for longer than 10 minutes. You’re almost 7 but train like, well an alpha.” He starts laughing, but I don’t.

“I will never be a soldier, let alone an alpha”

He sighs.

“No you won’t be alpha, I will take care of that tiny one, but who knows, gamma position is always there.”

Now that piqued my interest, but no matter how much I want it, its not up to me, or him either.

“I still need the goddess blessing to become a gamma. I doubt that without a wolf I would get the mark.”

He gives me a little smirk suddenly, like he knows something?

He pokes and pushes at my forehead and tells me “Remember from class tiny one, that the mark comes to those who deserve it and fit the position more than any other. Its a matter of soul, not strength.” He sighs.

“How about this, from now on, we meet here every night and we train what I’ve learned so far and so on. That way you don’t have to keep hiding in the bleachers. Then when you’re 10 and think you want to do this, we will approach coach for a match.”

I blush cause he really knew everything, nobody else pays attention to me. My cousin has always been more like a brother to me.

As he walks off he says “Think about it. Meet you here tomorrow night if its a yes. If not, take the night off and stay home. Plus, something in me just tells me that you will definitely be someone we need.”

I drop to the ground and take a breath, taking in everything George told me.

Can I really do something like that?

Become someone like my mother?

I smile to myself when I think of the times I’ve seen my mother spar and drop every soldier that comes forward, except uncle Ned of course. He says he loves sparring mom though because he actually gets challenged in a fight.

Sigh, I am NOT going to be that strong no matter how much I train. Even Jason who is a year older and half my size has noticed weird strength lately.

AHHH!! I can’t catch a break!

I’m not a wolf…

I’m…

An abomination.

I’m not meant to do anything…

My chest starts to feel tight and I can’t breathe.

That’s when I hear it. The voice that I’ve heard all my life in my dreams.

…Asha…

….ASHA….

….AAASSSHHHAAA!!!….

But, but I’m awake? That’s impossible!

I jump up and start to cry, this cant be happening. I cover my ears and close my eyes but still hear her everywhere.

Then, I hear her, softly now, ahead of me.

I open my eyes…and I’m no longer at the lake by the packhouse.

I’m at the lake from my dreams. Tall crystals, blue lake, and so many pretty flowers and butterflies!

I must have passed out or something after practice, this definitely isn’t real.

I look around again and see I’m alone, might as well do what I’ve always wanted!!

I run to the crystals and climb the tallest one.

I lay atop it watching the water and think, I’ve never actually dreamt of running around though.

Only like images in my head about the flowers, the crystals, and the…eyes…

The purple eyes that haunt me.

At the same time, I never feel danger or scared when I dream of them. I actually feel really sad and even upset sometimes, like they’re eyes full of pain and hurt.

Like they need me.

…I do need you…

I look up, and coming towards me on the lake, is the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen.

And…walking…on… the WATER?! “That’s gotta be proof I’m sleeping now, there’s no way that’s possible.”

…Silly girl you are not dreaming, I simply took you into your mind for a moment to calm you down. You were having a panic attack and saying things so hurtful and awful about yourself Asha…

“What do you mean into my mind? Who are you? And how can I hear you? You’re a wolf, you can’t speak.”

…Don’t worry about all that just yet, it’s time for you to get back. If you get caught now, you can’t meet Georgie tomorrow…

I start feeling dizzy and my eyes feel heavy.

…You won’t remember everything, only pieces, but know this. You will have my strength once you strengthen your body. The stronger your human side, the sooner we can merge and be one again. Till we meet again…

Now my eyes fully shut and a moment later once they’re open…

“Oww my head. What was I doing? Why am I still here?” Confused and unfocused, I stand up to get my stuff and start to head home now. Its only a few hours before I have to be up again, and I will need some rest for tomorrow night.

Chapter 2

George POV

I left Asha standing there, still as stone, staring down at the ground like she was trying to find the answers in the dirt.

I hoped what I said didn’t make things worse for her. Maybe offering to train her was pushing too much, but I didn’t know what else to do. She’d always been tough, stubborn as hell….but lately, something was off.

The wind rustled the trees as I stepped onto the path back toward the packhouse. The half-moon filtered through the leaves, casting fractured white light on the trail. I needed to clear my head.

“George! Wait!”

I groaned softly and turned. “Rowan. Should’ve known you’d follow, again.”

The kid burst through the trees, grinning like he’d just won something. “You said you were training Asha tomorrow, right? Can I come?”

I blinked. “What? You were spying on us?” I said with a growl.

Rowan just smirked and raised his hands. “Chill out, my dad said she was out here then I saw you sneaking around so yeah. And I saw her sneaking around a couple times before and saw her before dad ever said anything. She’s training. I wanna train too.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Rowan, listen to me. This stays between us, yeah? No one knows. No one’s supposed to know.”

“But why?” he whined. “She’s cool! And I could totally help!”

“She’s not ready for all that attention,” I said, voice firm. “And you? You’d blow her whole cover before we even started. It’s not a game, Rowan.”

Rowan pouted, kicking a pinecone. “I wouldn’t say nothin’…”

I sighed. “It’s not just about keeping quiet. She’s going through something. Real stuff. You think this is about sparring or throwing punches? It’s bigger than that.”

He looked up at me, more serious now. “You think she’s okay?”

I hesitated.

“…I don’t know. But I’m gonna help her figure it out.”

Rowan finally gave up with a dramatic sigh and trudged off toward home, muttering something about practicing with sticks if he had to.

I stayed on the path a little longer, listening to the silence settle in after his footsteps faded. I knew I snapped at him, but it wasn’t really about him. It was about her.

Asha.

I glanced back toward the trees, where I’d left her minutes ago. Something in her face, tight around the eyes, like what I had said triggered something….. it had stuck with me. She didn’t say anything after I offered to train. Just kind of… shut down. Like her mind turned inward and locked her out.

She was always good at hiding things, but I grew up with her. I knew the signs.

This wasn’t just about fighting. Or proving herself. This was about survival. Like she was bracing for something the rest of us couldn’t see.

I clenched my jaw. Maybe I shouldn’t have walked away. Maybe I should’ve stayed, pushed just a little harder to get her to talk. But she was proud. She hated being watched, hated feeling like she needed anyone. I had to respect that.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d left her standing on the edge of something, something dark, and walked away before she succumbed to her thoughts.

I kicked a rock off the trail, watched it bounce down the slope and vanish into the brush. “You better be okay, Ash,” I muttered.

“Because if you’re not… I’ll fix it. Whatever it is. I swear.”

By the time the next night fell, I was already waiting by the lake, unsure if she would show.

I didn’t feel her presence by the bleachers today, she hasn’t missed a training session in months. Maybe I did push her too far last night…

As I started getting off the rock to start gathering my things, I hear her. “Gave up on me that easy huh?” She’s giggling now, which means it must be good news why she came.

“So does this mean you will do it? You will let me train you to become a soldier for this pack wolf or not?” I saw her flinch a little when I said it but before I could say anything she speaks up.

“Yes, I’ll do it. I’ve been dragging my feet all day because I tried not wanting it, didn’t go to practice and ended up being stir crazy cleaning my room.”

She’s pouting now, showing her true age as she says “I don’t like the idea of you telling me what to do, or anyone but mommy. But I want to fight, I can feel it, its what I’m meant for.” Finally she admits it, and even without having contact with my wolf yet, I can feel him, he wants her to fight too. “Alright then tiny one, where do we begin?”

Next moment, from the bushes comes Rowan loud as always saying, “We start with a 3 way match, who can defeat me?!” As he attempts to flex.

I laugh and say “With those twigs for arms Rowan, Asha needs one good push or punch and you’ll be down for the count.” Asha starts giggling and Rowans face gets red and pouts at me.

He angrily whispers “Geoooorge, you promised you wouldn’t make fun of me in front of her anymore.”

Me and Asha start to laugh and Rowan soon joined in.

But then suddenly, I felt my body get a shiver. I look behind me and see a dark figure approaching through the trees.

Then I see them, red eyes…

“ROGUES! RUN!”

The rogue snarls and then howls. We all dash away quickly as me and Rowan mind link our fathers. I can hear Asha crying and see Rowan holding her hand to help her catch up.

In the distance I can hear my fathers roar, the roar of an angry Alpha about his pup in danger. “They’re coming, we just have to get away till they find us!”

I can hear other rogues around us, more than one!

Asha speaks up now “There’s an empty field to the left a bit, sounds like the pack will meet us through that way.”

Of course, forgot all about that. “Great idea! How did you know?”

Frantic she says “I know these woods very good now, training and running out here last few months, the field was always nice to relax and stare at the stars.”

We head that way and once there we stand in the middle. I can hear the thundering footsteps of the pack and take a deep breath.

“They’ll be here soon I can feel them.” Rowan still with panic in his eyes, keeps his head on a swivel guarding Asha.

“George, this doesn’t feel right. How does 3 kids outrun a fully grown rogue?”

I snap my head to him, because he’s right. Where is the rogue? I don’t feel him anymore and its impossible he left us alone. I know they felt my alpha wolf, that’s something you can feel come off a pup at birth.

Asha slowly brings her hand up to my arm and squeezes looking straight into the trees. I look closer and there they are, 2 pairs of red eyes.

“Rowan, you have to run and find the pack. They are after me and Asha can’t outrun them or link the pack. Only you can get away fast enough.”

His eyes start to glaze but before he tries to protest I growl

“GO NOW!”

Rowan is the fastest and the only one who could outrun them and link the pack. If he doesn’t go, we’re all dead.

He runs off and the rogues try to follow so I yell “I’m the Alpha’s only child, take me and leave them!”

One of the rogues shifts into his human form and starts to snicker, his evil smile on full display.

“You little brat, we don’t need you,” he looks down next to me, to Asha, “We want her, they paid us real good to take this little bitch out, nice and slow” his cackle crawled under my skin as the other rogue in wolf form starts to get closer. “Just give her to us and you can be on your way back to daddy.”

Where is Rowan?? They should be here by now.

I push Asha behind me and attempt a threatening growl, it comes out small the first time. Then I try again, but this time, I can feel him.

My wolf!!

…Hello my friend, did not think you would summon me so soon. I am Bjorn, and I am your wolf. We cannot shift, too risky, you are still too young and fragile. But you can use the alpha howl, Rowan became lost in his fear and the pack cannot feel us. I think it is her. She is guarding our scents from the other rogues but the pack can’t sense us either. She does not know what she is doing, but she is very powerful…

I look over to Asha and she is trembling, but I don’t sense fear anymore. And I swore I saw a flash of purple in her eyes.

Nevermind that now, I turn back to the rogues to see that they too stopped to stare at Asha, did they see it?

Without another second wasted I lifted my head and let out the loudest howl I could.

Almost immediately after, our pack rushes through the trees and surrounds the 2 rogues with ease. One pack wolf kills the shifted rogue when they tried to attack, a shrill cry from its mouth. The rest of the pack circle and captures the one in human form. They wrap him in silver chains and drag him back towards the packhouse.

We see Rowan hugging his dad in the distance as they walk away. Father comes to us with Amy and they scoop us up and take us home. No words, no yelling, just a tight hold as we went back to the pack grounds.

After Auntie Amy splits off to her quarters with Asha, dad takes me to his office, not the bedroom.

“Sit son, I need you to tell me everything. Starting with that howl.”

I stand for a moment, close my eyes, and concentrate. When I open them, Bjorn comes to the surface but only one eye since we are still not completely merged. “My son, you reached your wolf.” He is smiling now, but quickly fades as he realizes my wolf held the control now and starts to speak.

“I am Bjorn, George will not tell you, but Asha is not human. I saw her eyes go violet, and for that split moment I felt it, a wolf.”

He fades away after that, not being able to hold me any longer.

Shoot!

I wasn’t going to tell dad anything about that. It’s Asha’s secret to tell and she doesn’t even know herself!

Father leans forward and wide-eyed says “Your wolf sensed hers? That’s impossible, I’ve never felt one in the last almost 7 years.”

“He’s right father, and she is no ordinary wolf. She hid our scents in the field so the surrounding rogues in the forest couldn’t find us, but that also meant neither could you and the pack.”

“That makes sense, Rowan found us but couldn’t find the way back and we couldn’t tell where he came from. What matters now is that you are all home safe and all the rogues were taken care of. The one we caught will be interrogated in the morning.”

“That reminds me I almost forgot, they weren’t after me, they were after Asha. The one you guys caught said someone hired them to kill Asha.” Father roars deeply at that and stands. “Then we interrogate him tonight, we have a traitor in our pack.”

***

Back at the packhouse, Neris is in her chambers folding her clothes after laundry day when Edgar storms in grabbing her arms and shaking her.

“What did you do?? I see you sneak out the pack lands last week and today my daughter almost dies?!” His wolf almost taking over as he said those words. “I heard the rogue said he was working with someone in the pack. What do you think will happen if I sat you in front of the rogue to identify?”

Neris starts to shake, she didn’t know someone had seen her, definitely not Edgar no less. “Darling, you know I would never do something like that, your daughter is a wonderful girl and your most precious thing, I would never harm her, I love you. ”

She reaches her hand out to touch his face and he recoils in disgust and almost growling at her, “We were never together Neris, you were nothing but comfort in desperate and weak times, nothing more. You must get over your feelings for me, I already lost my mate, I will not want another. If you are not gone within the hour, I will hand you to the Alpha.” He growls before he storms out the room and she throws herself on the ground, now crying, but laughing manically. “One day you will see Edgar, you belong to me, if I cant have you, nobody will. ”

Chapter 3

Ned POV

The stench of blood clung to the interrogation room like a second skin. I start pacing slowly, boots echoing against the cold concrete floor. The rogue, shackled to a silver-laced chair, slumped forward, his breathing shallow and erratic. A faint whimper escaped him each time he moved, whether from pain or fear, I didn’t care.

The dungeon was underground away from the packhouse, wouldn’t want the pups to hear what happens down here.

I stop in front of the rogue, arms crossed. “You’ve got one chance. Talk.”

The rogue spat blood to the side, flashing a grin that didn’t quite reach his dull eyes. “Wasn’t personal.”

I know he’s lying. “Someone paid you. Who?”

Silence.

I lean in, voice a low growl. “You entered my territory. You tried to murder a pup under my protection, my flesh and blood. Tell me who sent you before I rip the truth out of your mind.”

My reflection glowed in his eyes, bright yellow. Torv was rising.

A flicker of fear then, he quickly spills “She said it’d be easy. That the girl didn’t have her wolf. Just a regular kid. Bitch lied to us, that was no ordinary girl!!”

“She?” Ned’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

The rogue chuckled, then winced. “Didn’t give a name. Just said she used to be close to the pup’s father. Real close. Said he’d come back to her once the girl was out of the picture.”

My stomach turned, stepping back, eyes blazing. “Describe her.”

“Dark hair. Pretty. Cold eyes though… like ice, even when she smiled.”

I froze. I knew exactly who the rogue meant.

Neris.

I clenched my fists at my sides, breathing deeply to keep my wolf in check. Edgar had claimed Neris was innocent years ago. Claimed she was just lonely, rejected and forgotten. And because of that pity, she’d been spared. But now…

“What else do you know? Tell me everything and i’ll make it quick, despite my wolf wanting to come out and play.” I smile and show him my canines and he spills it all.

“I don’t know anything except that the bitch who came to us said we could have fun killing the next line of leaders of the pack but the girl HAD to die first. The rest of the group were cut off from us somehow so we were just gonna kill the girl and leave when that brat howled.”

I rushed forward and ripped out his throat, the thought of him also harming my son enraging Torv.

Ned turned on his heel without another word, storming out of the room. His beta fell into step beside him with a wet rag.

“Alpha?”

“Find Neris,” I ordered. “Now.”

Garrett nods sharply. “We’ll find her, Alpha.”

But Ned already knew it was pointless. Neris was clever, too clever to stay put once she caught wind of the interrogation. Like smoke, she would vanish before they even had a chance.

The guards split up, searching the usual hideouts and places Neris had been spotted before. Hours passed with nothing but silence and cold wind.

When they regrouped at the dungeons, Ned’s expression was grim. “She’s gone. Slipped through our fingers yet again.”

The door to the dungeons groaned shut behind me, sealing in the pain, blood, and truth I hadn’t wanted to find. I stepped into the night air, letting it sting my face.

The sky was cloaked in thick clouds, the moon a pale smudge behind the gloom. Fitting. She had turned her back on us years ago, and maybe we deserved it.

I tilted my head up anyway, whispering into the wind, “If you’re still watching… give me the strength to do what’s next.”

Without wasting more time, I headed straight for Amy’s home. I looked inside and see Amy on the couch, seemingly trying to focus on the half-stitched seam in her hand. Her needle had paused mid-loop at least five times now. She glanced toward the stairs, Asha’s room, something heavy pressed at her chest.

I sigh, the weight of the news too much to even push open the door. I finally do, and Amy stands up to approach me, tired but hopeful.

“You got what you needed? We know who the traitor is?”

I sigh, this won’t be easy. “Come, I need to tell you everything,” I say quietly, voice steady but heavy.

Amy’s eyes searched my face. “About what?”

I took a deep breath and began. “The rogue we captured… He was sent by Neris.”

Amy’s face tightened. “Neris? What does Neris have against?…No. Tell me she did not do this for Edgar. He said it was over with her the night Asha was born, that he initiated with Neris first and she was innocent.”

I sigh, here it goes… “Edgar took the blame to protect her. Said she was lonely and lost after her mate rejected her. But this? This was calculated, she’s twisted now. She hired rogues to get rid of Asha, hoping to pull Edgar back to her.”

Amy’s hands trembled. “So she’s still a part of this pack…and yet still not satisfied. She took my mate and almost killed my child!! Again!!”

She roars and I try to calm her down to not wake Asha.

“She’s dangerous, it means her loyalty no longer resides with the good of the pack.”

I nodded, agreeing with her. “We have to be ready. Because she’s not done yet.”

Amy looks at me with fear. “What do you mean brother? Do you know more?”

I rub my face now, I am exhausted and all this is too much. “If Neris is capable inside the pack of doing something like this, being out there she could do so much worse. I wouldn’t put it past her that she was the reason for the battle that broke out 2 years ago too, where Asha’s power first surfaced.”

Amy goes still. Damn it, I was going to tell her in the morning, this is all too much for her to be told at once.

“First surfaced? What do you mean first surfaced Ned? What else aren’t you telling me??”

I see the tears start to form, I lead her to the couch, she must try to breath for what I need to tell her now.

“When George was out there alone in the field with Asha, 2 things happened. First, because of the panic, adrenaline, and pure need to protect Asha, George’s wolf, Bjorn surfaced. He did not shift, but he managed to let out an alpha howl.”

Amy is now overjoyed and smiling, but it quickly fades.

“That’s amazing brother, I am glad he got his wolf early. They will be a great team, but you said something else happened?”

“Yes, when George’s wolf came forward, he sensed something about Asha, and saw her eyes flash purple.”

Amy gasps and covers her mouth, taking a deep breath she says “What did he sense Ned?”

I take her hand to try and soothe her, “Bjorn said he felt her wolf, a powerful wolf inside her when her eyes flashed, then nothing. But a wolf that powerful, at that age? My blood ran cold when he said that it was not that she went dormant, but that she was just no longer there. He said she was the reason we could not sense or smell them in the forest, she blocked them to keep the other rogues from finding them first.”

Amy shoots up and starts to pace now. “Her dream…”

Now I’m confused. “What dream are you talking about Amy?” She sits back down and turns to me with a small smile, but its not without pain.

“She used to tell me about this dream she had, She says she hasn’t had it in months. It started on that night 2 years ago. She told me of a beautiful blue lake, with white crystals surrounding the edges, flowers of every color in a field surrounding the lake…It sounds exactly like our lake here but so much more, ethereal.” Her smile drops now, and I feel a cold shiver down my spine.

“She also tells me of someone with her in the dream, the woman in white. And there’s someone else, something else in there with her. Something with purple eyes.”

I try to put the pieces together, but nothing make sense. “What is that supposed to mean? Is Asha just dreaming of herself? Or is something else inside her? Who is the woman in white?”

Amy scrunches her face deep in thought. “She told me the woman in white also had long white hair, like snow that sparkled. I think, Ned I think she dreamt of the moon goddess!”

My eyes go wide. I am thick, so very very thick, how can I not remember that?? I shoot up off the couch now, laughing.

Amy looking more confused than before I tell her “Growing up, training to be alpha, I had to read every story, every prophecy we know, and there was always a mention of a woman in white. She came down from the moon to bless her children in need of her guidance every full moon. She has not graced this plane with her form in centuries after the Great Lycan War between the Lycans, wolves, and witches.

All the bloodshed and betrayal to her bloodline, the first of the lycanthropes, made her weep and step back into the moon where she stays hidden. Ever since that war, clouds would cover the moon each night it was full, dulling the connection to the moon not just to the wolves, but the witches who need moonlight for their magic, to feed into their souls.

Nobody knows how it affected the Lycans, it is only known that there are only 5 remaining, and they are the leaders of this realm. Perhaps the last.” I look to Amy and expect her to be in shock as I was, but she’s smiling?

“Amy? Why are you smiling?” She looks to me with what looks like hope in her eyes.

“That night Ned, the moon showed itself while we fought. I thought I was dying and that’s why I saw the full moon, for the second time, I saw the complete moon shine down on us. I think she was there, watching.” I interrupt her and say “Woah woah woah, a second time?”

“I think, I believe she was there the night Asha was born, I was bleeding so much after giving birth, and I almost died when I felt Asha go still and she had no breath. Then I felt it, the moonlight, I thought I was dreaming as I was dying… that she came to take Asha’s soul herself, and the moon goddess came to claim my pup. Suddenly Asha breathed in and started to cry. I blacked out and completely forgot about what happened that night after what happened in the clinic.”

I can see her visibly flinch at that, it was not an easy night, for any of us, we all felt that pain through the link.

“What do I do Ned? Should I tell Asha? What if her power manifests early like George and she has no idea what’s happening to her. We still don’t even know. Purple eyes? I have never heard of a wolf with purple eyes. Witches eyes are light green. Wolf leadership is yellow, the rest of the pack just shines their human eye color, rogues are red, Lycans are blue, and the king has a deep orange eye color, and the goddess is silver. So what could purple mean?”

She’s in my face now bawling and I have no answers for my baby sister, no way to soothe her worries. I get angry, because this was what mates were for, to help us in times of need. Mine taken by murder for power, hers taken by betrayal. Perhaps for the same reason I wonder, and maybe if by the same person. Maybe the goddess was right to leave us… Little did I know, there was a little pup, listening in on everything, changing her life forever, as we debated what to do with her.

Chapter 4

Asha POV

What a night, I can’t believe George got his wolf! I don’t know if I should be happy or even more jealous that he’s gonna be so much more stronger yet again.

Grr, definitely gonna be another night where my brain does NOT like me and won’t let me sleep. I guess I’ll get some milk and honey like mommy makes me, that should help.

I get up to go to my door and open it a crack when I hear mumbling from downstairs, momma must have uncle Ned over.

I start walking to the stairs when I hear momma yell “She took my mate and almost killed my child!! Again!!”

I gasp and cover my mouth, starting to cry I wonder, what is that suppose to mean? Someone took daddy? And wants to kill me? What does she mean by again?

I walk slowly towards the steps, I have to know what she’s talking about, and who. As I get down step by step I can hear them speak again, this time about the fight that happened two years ago, they were after me too? And….what? Powers? What powers?

Uncle Ned says “When George’s wolf came forward, he sensed something about Asha, and saw her eyes flash purple.”

I felt a pulse go through me at those words…purple eyes… I hiss at the sudden pain in my head and my legs get weak. I walk back to the room, I feel dizzy now and I don’t think I need that milk anymore.

I get back into bed and get under the covers, what do they mean by powers? And he saw me with purple eyes? But that wasn’t me in the dream, it was another being entirely. Is something taking over me? Am I…possessed?

I start going clammy and I can’t breathe, my thoughts run wild until I pass out, not sure if I want to wake up tomorrow…

***

Asha suddenly feels a wonderful breeze, the smell of the ocean in the air, she opens her eyes to see she’s standing at the edge of a cliff looking out to the most beautiful ocean glimmering in the moonlight. Asha’s attire, an ethereal dress to match the ocean and starlit sky that dances in the wind. She looks up to the moon, never has she seen it so full, so bright. Staring at the moon, it suddenly splits in two, one half black and the other white. She hears a voice whisper: “You are not what they think. You were never meant to be ordinary.”

Asha tries to search for the voice and when she looks behind her, she sees a grand palace, a massive black figure all the way at the top on the roof, howling to the moon. She wishes to soothe the creature, he feels so alone, but the moment she tries to move, his eyes find her, those deep blood orange eyes shine her way.

***

I woke up startled, I’ve never dreamt of that place before. My sheets were tangled, my throat dry, and my skin clammy with sweat. My heart thudded in a slow, echoing rhythm.

What… happened?

I rubbed my forehead. The last thing I remembered was going downstairs for milk and honey. Then… a dream. A moon, split in two. A black one and a white one, circling each other. And a voice whispering:

“You were never meant to be ordinary.”

That part clung to me like smoke, and that ocean, so beautiful, everything else? Gone. My chest tightens again, there was something important, something I’d heard, something I had seen. But it slipped through my mind like water through cracked hands.

I swung my legs out of bed. Everything ached. Had I slept the whole day? The sky outside was already fading to dusk, and my stomach grumbled angrily.

I pulled on my hoodie and padded to the door. Just as I opened it, I heard voices downstairs.

“…. if she’s awake?” That was Jason.

I made my way down, each step feeling like I was waking up from a deeper sleep. Jason was in the kitchen with my mom, hands in his hoodie pocket, bouncing like he was on caffeine and anxiety.

He turned the second I stepped in. “Ash!” His eyes lit up, then narrowed. “You okay? You look like death warmed over.”

“Thanks,” I muttered with a tired smile. “I feel… off. What time is it?”

“Almost seven,” he said. “PM.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You were out cold all day,” Mom said, stepping toward me, eyes full of worry. “I couldn’t get you to wake up. You didn’t even twitch.”

I glanced at Jason, then back at her. “I just remember… dreaming.”

Jason tilted his head. “What kind of dream?”

Looking to my mom head first in the freezer, I hesitated. “I’ll tell you outside.”

We headed to the backyard, settling onto the porch steps. The air was cool, and the last light of the sun painted everything gold and purple.

“I’ve been having weird dreams since I was five,” I confessed. “Never told anyone. I always thought they were just… nightmares or something.”

Jason looked surprised but didn’t interrupt.

“They always have a full moon. But last night, it was different. The moon was split in two. One white. One black. And there was a voice. I can’t remember most of it, just the last part. It said, ‘You were never meant to be ordinary.’”

Jason gave a low whistle. “Creepy. Kinda epic, though.”

I nodded. “Yeah. But I feel weird today. Like something’s calling to me, inside me.”

He looked at me for a moment, then nudged my shoulder. “You always were a weirdo. Guess now it’s just official.”

I chuckled, but it faded fast. “Jase… I need to train. I need to be ready if something happens. I can’t just be the only one without a wolf and without any way to defend myself.”

Jason looked like he wanted to argue, but instead he said, “You really gonna talk to your mom about it?”

Before I could answer, the porch creaked.

Uncle Ned stepped into view from around the side of the house, arms crossed. “She won’t have to do it alone.”

“Uncle Ned?” I stood up, a sudden mix of nerves and hope rushing through me.

“I want to train,” I said quickly. “Please. I know you heard me. And I know Mom’s not gonna be thrilled, but I need this. I need to feel strong. Like I can protect myself.”

He studied me for a long beat, then gave a small nod.

“You’ve got fire,” he said. “You’re going to need it. I’ll talk to your mother. And if she says no… we’ll talk again.”

A grin cracked across my face.

“Thanks, Uncle Ned.”

Jason grinned too. “This is gonna be awesome.”

Uncle Ned laughs and says “I’m glad you think so, she’s going to need a sparring partner.” Jason is not laughing anymore with his mouth wide open as I start to cackle.

But as I looked up at the rising crescent moon, the grin faded. That voice from the dream echoed again in my ears:

“You were never meant to be ordinary.”

And suddenly… I wasn’t so sure that was a good thing.

The next morning, the house was quieter than usual, sunlight pouring in through the windows like golden silk. Amy sat with a steaming mug of tea, watching the morning unfold with a faraway look in her eyes.

Asha stood in front of her, fists clenched. “I want to train.”

Jason and George hovered behind her, both silent but clearly there in support.

Amy raised an eyebrow, slowly setting her mug down. “You just turned seven.”

“I’ll be eight soon, in a few months, well ten months…” stumbling on her words.

She shakes it off, and Asha says, voice steady. “I want to be ready.”

Amy studied her, and for a moment, it looked like she might say no. But then her gaze softened. “You won’t officially spar until you’re ten. That’s the rule for all pups except the future alpha. When the time comes, you’ll face the coach, same as the others.”

Asha nodded, almost vibrating with determination.

“Until then,” Amy continued, “you train with Jason, George, and Uncle Ned. If I hear even one complaint, it’s over. Understood?”

Asha’s smile broke like dawn and bounced out of the room, the rest following her and the door clicking shut behind her. The second it did, Edgar stepped out from the shadows near the stairwell.

“Did I just hear you properly?” His voice was already heavy with accusation.

Amy didn’t answer right away. She began clearing the dishes from the small table, deliberately slow.

“Didn’t even think to ask me, and you said yes.”

“She’ll train with Ned. It’s done,” Amy said without looking up.

“You didn’t even think about it, did you?” he snapped, stepping closer. “She doesn’t have a damn wolf, Amy!”

“And you don’t have a damn spine, Edgar,” she fired back. “So what’s your point?”

He bristled. “I’m her father.”

“You’re a sperm donor with an opinion, and I’m tired of hearing it.”

Amy spun around, fury radiating off her like heat. Her hands were still damp from the dishwater, but she jabbed a finger toward him like a dagger.

“She’s been asking to train for months. And you? You’ve done nothing but breathe doubt down her neck and mine since the day I carried her home alive.”

“She was dead, Amy!” he shouted, voice cracking. “Don’t act like that’s normal, like she’s normal! We don’t even know what brought her back or what the trigger is for whatever the hell is inside her!”

“Exactly,” Amy growled, stepping toe-to-toe with him. “We don’t know, because you left me to figure it out alone. While you sulked and spiraled and shoved your dick into anything, that wasn’t grieving.”

His jaw clenched. “You think I didn’t suffer too?”

“I think you got scared that your mate was stronger than you. I think you saw your daughter born without a wolf and decided she was broken. And I think it burns you to see that she’s not. That despite what you did to her, she will be a better soldier than you”

He looked away for half a second, stung. “She’s a girl. A fragile, triggerless bomb just waiting to go off. She shouldn’t be trained like a soldier. She should be helping from the sidelines patching wounds, supporting the real fighters.”

Amy laughed, sharp, vicious, disbelieving. “You mean like I should have? Is that it? You think I should’ve stayed home and braided hair while the men went off to bleed for the pack?”

“You were different,” he muttered, but it was weak. “Before all this.”

“Yeah, Edgar. I was in love with a man I thought had a spine.” Her smile was cold. “Then the world caught fire and I realized I was married to the smoke.”

He said nothing. He couldn’t. The air between them snapped with silence.

Amy stepped back, shaking her head, voice low now but venomous. “She’s going to be stronger than both of us, and that terrifies you. But guess what? I’m not raising her to be afraid of her own damn shadow just because you are.”

Then she turned away, deliberately, back ramrod straight. Her hands shook, but not from fear.

From fury.

The door to Amy’s room clicked shut while Edgar stood there in the dim hallway, jaw tight, fists clenched, the echoes of her words still vibrating in his bones.

“You were different.”

“I was married to the smoke.”

His nostrils flared. He didn’t move.

…You really think you won that one?… came the low rumble in his mind.

Edgar closed his eyes, Vargr, his wolf. Always calm, steady, just tired of the mess Edgar kept making.

…She was right, you know. You do fear her strength. Just like you feared Amy’s…

“Shut up,” Edgar muttered aloud.

…I won’t. Not this time. You love them both, but your pride is louder than your heart…

Edgar’s chest heaved. He leaned a hand against the wall, the old wood creaking beneath his weight. “She’s still a child. She doesn’t even have a wolf.”

…Neither did Amy when she fought off those rogues with her bare hands. You remember that night? Because I do. We both do…

He gritted his teeth.

…You laid passed out drunk while she bled for your daughter. You call yourself her protector, but you haven’t protected anyone, not in a long time…

“Don’t,” Edgar growled. “Don’t talk to me like I’m some weak excuse of a”

…You are… Vargr said simply.

...You used to be a soldier. A mate. A father. Now you’re just bitter that the women you love don’t need saving…

Silence.

…But they did need you to stand beside them. You were too proud to see it…

Edgar pounded the wall once with a clenched fist, wood splintering beneath his knuckles.

Vargr was quiet for a beat. Then softly,

…You can still change…

Edgar said nothing. He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

And then, without a word, he turned and walked away from the door, his shadow trailing like regret behind him.

Chapter 5

Three Years Later

Seasons came and went. Bruises bloomed and faded. Laughter echoed across the training field. Asha learned how to fall, how to rise again, how to breathe past the ache in her lungs. She still didn’t have a wolf, but she had something else, a fire that refused to go out.

Jason became her partner in rhythm, George her wall and mirror, and Uncle Ned her mountain.

And now, it was time.

The pack had gathered in a wide circle around the sparring grounds. Spring wind stirred the trees, and the scent of grass clung to the morning air.

Coach Harlan stood in the ring like a boulder, massive, broad, and unimpressed. His gaze scanned Asha as she stepped inside: small, lean, wolfless.

She didn’t flinch under his stare.

“Three minutes,” he grunted. “You don’t have to win. Just don’t yield.”

Asha nodded, silent.

She’s too small, he thought, circling her. No wolf. No natural instinct. She should’ve been disqualified, but Amy’s girl deserves a chance.

He raised a hand. “Begin.”

Asha moved first, light, quick, but cautious. Harlan tested her with a low sweep. She dodged, he lunged but she twisted out of reach. Her eyes never left him.

She’s fast, he noted, and sharper than she looks.

He increased the pressure, faster strikes, calculated feints. Asha blocked two, dodged the third, but the fourth grazed her cheek. Blood beaded instantly.

From the crowd, Rowan inhaled sharply.

The wound didn’t close.

No healing, Harlan realized. Of course. No wolf. And yet… she doesn’t stop.

Asha’s breath came ragged, sweat stinging her eyes. Every fiber of her body burned, but she held her ground. Harlan pushed harder, just to test her. She stumbled but didn’t fall. Didn’t yield.

Ten seconds left.

She dropped into a roll and sprang up, unsteady but defiant. His final blow skimmed her shoulder, and she stayed up.

The whistle blew.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Coach Harlan exhaled and offered a grunt that passed for approval. “Pass.”

Cheers erupted, but Asha barely heard them. Her vision swam, and she winced, reaching for her shoulder.

Blood streaked her side.

And then a sound, a half-growl, half-snarl.

Rowan.

He was pushing through the crowd, eyes wild. George caught him just in time.

“Easy,” George muttered, gripping his friend by the arms. “She’s okay. It’s over.”

“She’s bleeding,” Rowan snapped, voice deeper than it should’ve been.

George’s hands tightened. “I know. But not like this. Not here.”

Rowan trembled. His skin shimmered, like light trying to break through. George felt the heat rise in his own chest, his breath shallow, pulse pounding. He quickly tries to move them away but it’s too late.

And then they both dropped to their knees.

Bones snapping loudly as they screamed.

Gasps echoed.

The crowd backed away.

Two small wolves appear. One a sleek light grey, the other much bigger and color like carved oak with a sandy belly. They hit the ground, shaking the earth as they emerged. As the boys shifted back, breath heaving as the bones crack and reshape once again, the crowd watched in silence as glowing marks began to burn into their skin. A grand tree with no leaves on George’s left chest. A mirrored, smaller one on Rowans right. The earth itself seemed to hold its breath. The future Alpha and Beta of Miravael were no longer waiting to be chosen. They had arrived.

For a heartbeat, the forest stood still.

Then movement, steady, deliberate.

Alpha Ned pushed through the circle of onlookers, his expression unreadable. Just behind him came Rowan’s father, Victor, tall, broad-shouldered, and silent as stone. Neither man said a word as they approached the boys.

George and Rowan, still catching their breath, didn’t protest as they were guided to their feet, Ned’s hand resting firmly on George’s shoulder, Victor giving Rowan a look that held more pride than reprimand.

Amy moved in without hesitation, her calm unraveling only in the tight line of her mouth as she reached for Asha, inspecting the blood at her shoulder with a mother’s precision. Garrett appeared beside her moments later, his face pale but jaw set, he lifts Asha to carry her to the clinic.

Wordlessly, the group moved together: through the parted crowd, across the field, and toward the pack house.

The air buzzed with whispers behind them, but none followed.

The clinic doors swung open with a soft whoosh, the scent of antiseptic mixing with earth and sweat.

Amy was the first to step inside, her arm around Asha, who winced but didn’t complain. Garrett held the door behind them, glancing back as Ned and Victor entered, each flanking their sons like guards returning from war.

Nurses moved forward, pausing only at the look on Ned’s face.

“Two fresh shifts,” he said, voice low but firm. “And one injury. Private room.”

They nodded and vanished down the hallway.

The group followed in silence, through sterile corridors and past frosted glass until they reached a wide exam room. A bed waited against the wall, and beside it, two chairs and a cabinet full of gauze, antiseptic, and tools.

The boys, given new clothes to change out of their shredded ones, go to the other side of the room covered with curtains.

Amy and Garrett guided Asha to the edge of the bed. Crouching to check the wound herself despite the hovering nurse. “It’s shallow,” she murmured, more to herself than anyone. “No stitching needed, but she’ll scar.”

Asha looked down at her bloodied sleeve. “I didn’t yield.”

Amy’s eyes met hers. “I know, love. And I’ve never been prouder.”

Across the room, George sat down on the exam bench, silent, staring at his hands like they didn’t belong to him. Rowan paced, shirt clinging to his back, his breaths still too quick, too shallow.

Victor finally stepped in front of his son. “Breathe, Rowan.”

“I tried,” Rowan muttered. “I tried to stop it.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Ned said from behind him, moving to rest a hand on George’s shoulder. “Neither of you did.”

George finally looked up. “We felt it coming. At the same time.”

“Because it was meant to,” Victor said simply. He turned to Ned. “They’re ready, then.”

Ned nodded. “Chosen. Together. At 13 no less…”

A silence settled, thick with weight, but not dread. Ned moves to open the curtain to reunite with the girls.

Amy stood, wiping her hands on a cloth. “What I want to know,” she said quietly, “is why my daughter is still bleeding when she’s the strongest damn pup I’ve ever seen.”

The room shifted.

Rowan’s head snapped up.

Asha flinched under the weight of everyone’s gaze.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, but her voice cracked.

“You’re not,” Amy said, crossing her arms. “And we’ve let that slide for too long. Asha baby, you have a wolf.”

Asha looks down for a moment, then says “I know,” her mother gasping, unaware she knew all along and when she found out.

“She doesn’t have a wolf,” Rowan said softly, totally unaware he is about to learn otherwise.

“Maybe,” Ned offered, “or maybe her wolf is something else.”

Asha turned to face him. “You’ve seen the dreams, too?”

Ned shook his head. “No honey, your mother told me everything. George has seen things, so have me and your mother.”

“So, what does that make her?” Rowan asked, eyes flicking to Asha, not with pity, but something deeper, sharper.

“A question we don’t know how to answer yet,” Ned replied. “But we will.”

The question lingered and over time, forgotten.

In the years that followed, Asha trained harder than anyone. Her mornings began before the sun, limbs aching before breakfast. Uncle Ned pushed her through drills until her bones burned. Garrett taught her pressure points and precision. Amy trained her with the kind of ruthlessness only a mother with secrets could wield. And with George and Rowan, now warriors in their own right, she learned speed, strength, and how to read a battlefield before it moved.

She still didn’t shift. Still didn’t heal. But Asha endured.

Every night, she dreamed. The woman in white dancing under the moon, the violet eyes waiting in the distance, and now, the cracked moon and the whispers of being meant for more. Something else was missing, something important she had forgotten…

Now at age fifteen, she heads out to the training field, the air charged with something electric Asha couldn’t name. Her body was leaner now, wiry muscle over quiet fire. The others had grown too. George with his quiet steadiness, Jason all broad smiles and silent strength. And Rowan…

Rowan had become dangerous.

Not just in the way he fought, though there was no denying his speed, his bite, the way his wolf moved through him like smoke over flame. But in the way he watched her.

It hadn’t always been like that.

Rowan had spent years pretending not to care, teasing her like a brother, pushing her too hard, calling her “sparkplug” when she got angry. But something had changed after her tenth birthday.

He started avoiding her.

Until he couldn’t.

Chapter 6

Eighteen is a big day for wolves.

You can get your wolf early like George or Rowan had, but the eighteenth birthday is the last year your wolf will rise. For example, like with hybrids, you won’t know for sure if you have a wolf or not until your eighteenth. This birthday is what marks you as a fully grown wolf and no longer a pup, which means from that day forward, you can find your mate.

Today, Rowan was eighteen.

He had already shifted years ago, but he has yet to receive his full beta mark. Maybe it just isn’t his time yet.

Rowan and George were doing laps around the forest for training when they circled back to the packhouse for break time.

Then Rowan stopped so suddenly, George nearly crashed into him.

He stood frozen, breath knocked from his lungs, his wolf howling inside him.

George looked at him, alarmed. “Rowan?”

Rowan’s chest heaved. His hands shook.

“She’s mine.”

Without another word he sprints forward.

He looks towards his line of sight and oh no…

George knows what’s happening and darts off to try and keep up.

The steady rhythm of fists meeting flesh, the crunch of boots digging into damp earth, the clashing breath of effort and focus, this was where Asha thrived. The training field. The only place she felt close to something real.

Her body moved on instinct, precise yet powerful, controlled. She landed a blow, grinning at her sparring partner, Jason. She felt good today. Strong.

Then… the air shifted.

A prickling sensation crawled up her spine.

She sensed someone approaching before she saw him. Felt a presence cut through the noise like a blade through silence.

Her partner faltered, gaze flicking over her shoulder and she turns.

It was him, Rowan, the soon-to-be beta. Her cousin George’s best friend. Popular, reliable, always polite, but something was off. His eyes… they glowed.

She barely had time to react before he shoved her partner aside and stepped into her space.

“Mate,” he growled.

…What?

“He did not just say….” Jason says mouth agape looking between them.

Before the word fully registered, he grabbed her hand.

Pain.

A static sting that burned through her palm and up her arm like icy needles. Not the warmth or fire people talked about. Not the bond she’d dreamed of. It was a jolt, not a spark. A tingle, but it hurt.

And then… nothing.

Just as fast as it came, the sensation disappeared.

She pulled her hand away quickly, heart thudding against her ribs.

“I… You’re mistaken,” she said. “I don’t have a wolf. I can’t have a mate.”

His expression shifted, a mask sliding into place, his smile tight, eyes hard.

“My wolf can feel you,” he said, voice lower. “You are my mate. You are strong and wolf blood flows in you even without a wolf. I’ll be wolf enough for the both of us.”

Her skin prickled again, but this time with unease.

Before she could step back, his arm slid around her waist, pulling her in.

“You were always mine, even if you didn’t know it yet. I will wait until it is time to claim you.”

She stiffened.

Nothing.

No warmth. No spark. Just him.

And inside her, something stirred.

A distant presence caught off guard.

Confused.

She didn’t know it yet, but it was her wolf.

But just as quickly as it surfaced, it slipped away.

She forced a smile, fighting the churn in her stomach. “I need to go to the bathroom,” she said quickly, and slipped from his grasp.

As she walked away picking up her pace as she goes until she was running, her fingers still tingled, not with connection, but with warning.

And just like that, she was gone.

Rowan stood there, chest heaving, hand still tingling where she’d touched him. Where the bond should’ve sparked and caught fire.

But it didn’t.

It fizzled. Stung. Went cold.

His ears rang.

He didn’t notice George until he was suddenly at his side.

“Rowan,” George said, voice quiet but edged. “What the hell was that?”

Rowan didn’t answer. Couldn’t. His tongue was thick in his mouth.

Jason approached slower, eyes sharp and unreadable. He said nothing either. Just stood a few feet away, arms crossed, like he didn’t trust Rowan to stay in his lane.

He didn’t.

Rowan’s thoughts were spiraling.

…You lost her…

Soren’s voice cut through the noise like a blade.

…You scared her. You touched her too soon…

“I didn’t mean to,” Rowan whispered. “I just… I knew. I felt it. So did you.”

…She didn’t…

“I could see it in her, something flickered. She felt something.”

…Fear…

The word sat like ash in his mouth.

George exhaled. “Look… I believe you think she’s your mate. I do. But Rowan, that’s not how you do it. She looked, she looked terrified.”

“She doesn’t know what the bond feels like,” Rowan said, harsher than he meant. “She doesn’t even have a wolf. How would she know?”

Jason finally spoke, dry and quiet. “Maybe because she doesn’t have a wolf, you should’ve asked instead of grabbed.”

Rowan’s jaw clenched.

George stepped between them slightly, sensing the shift. “Enough.”

Jason shrugged and stepped back. “I’m just saying.”

“I didn’t mean to scare her,” Rowan said again, quieter. “I just… I’ve felt it for so long. I thought she might feel it too. Maybe she’s just not ready to know.”

…Maybe not ours… Soren offered, not unkindly.

Rowan recoiled at that thought. “No,” he murmured. “She’s mine.”

George looked at him then, not with anger, but with disappointment. A kind of tired grief.

“Maybe,” George said, voice low, “but you still don’t own her.”

That landed heavier than any blow.

No one said anything for a moment. The training grounds had gone quiet.

Then Jason turned and walked off without another word.

George lingered, studying Rowan like he didn’t know what he was looking at anymore.

Part of him wanted to believe this was just the shock of the bond. The other part… the part that had grown up with Asha, that saw the way her hands had trembled… wanted to deck him.

“I’ll talk to her,” George said finally. “But give her space. Don’t make this worse.”

Rowan didn’t answer.

He couldn’t.

Because deep down, the part of him that still listened to Soren was whispering something he didn’t want to hear.

Maybe he already had.

***

The bathroom door slammed behind Asha and she braced both hands on the sink, chest rising and falling like she’d just run ten miles. Her palm still buzzed, but not with warmth. It was cold now. Hollow.

“Okay,” she muttered, eyes locked on her reflection. “What the FUCK was that?!”

She stared at her hands. The one he touched still tingled, like a limb waking from being asleep. “A mate? Seriously? I don’t even have a wolf. How does that even work?”

Her mind replayed it again and again. Rowan’s glowing eyes, the pressure of his hand, the… sting. A spark? Or something else?

“That feeling… was that supposed to be the mate bond?” She scoffed.

“It felt like someone punched me with a live wire. That’s not what people describe. That’s not… right.”

She ran a hand through her hair, pacing now, trying to calm the rising panic.

“He’s not a bad guy. He creeped me out for a second there sure, but he’s always been decent, hasn’t he? Maybe the bond just… I don’t know, needs time? Maybe I’m just too young to feel it yet?”

She turned back toward the mirror, trying to convince herself. “If we’re mates, I should try to get to know him. Right?”

But as the last word left her lips, she froze.

In the mirror, just over her shoulder, someone stood in the corner of the room.

A figure cloaked in shadows.

A woman.

Wearing a thin, flowing dress that shimmered faintly in a muted violet hue.

The figure didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

Just watched.

Asha whipped around, breath caught in her throat.

Empty.

The corner was bare. Silent. Still.

Her heart pounded in her ears.

“Nope,” she whispered, not even bothering to look back at the mirror again.

She threw open the door and ran-one word echoing louder than the slam behind her,

…Soon…

Chapter 7

Amy POV

In the office upstairs as the boys speak, I glance through the window. What I see, makes me get the attention of the others in the room.

“Guys, come see, she’s sparring Jason again. Last time he had her, but look, she learned his movements in three matches. Taught her a fake-out for his leg swipe. She’s got him in… three… two… one…and he’s down!”

She’s beautiful, I’m bursting with pride, but then Jason tells me something that hits me a bit hard.

“He just mind-linked me, said he truly tried, she’s getting stronger, fast.”

That last word came out softer, laced more with worry than celebration.

Ned stepped forward, ready to offer reassurance, when a low growl snapped our attention back to the field. There was Rowan. His stance was rigid, hostile, but it wasn’t toward Asha. It was Jason.

We watched as Rowan shoved Jason aside, eyes locked on Asha. His lips moved. One word.

Mate.

I gasp, a flicker of hope sparking. But it died just as quickly. Asha pulled away. Once. Twice. Then ran.

“I have to go to her,” I said, already halfway to the door.

But Ned’s arm shot out, blocking my path with quiet strength.

“Give her a moment,” he said firmly. “She just found out she has a mate, and still believes she has no wolf. She’s young, it’s possible she felt nothing, Amy. The bond may need to form naturally after she is older. We still don’t know what’s inside her. Maybe it is a wolf. Maybe she will have a chance to become one of us when the bond is completed.”

My eyes narrowed, voice cracked with emotion. “When the bond is completed? Or if it is?”

I step back, folding my arms tight.

“Asha wasn’t singled out, but she was always treated like a delicate human even after her match with coach, until she won her first match at thirteen, to a pack guard, no less. She shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

I shook my head, jaw tense. “And now she just beat Jason, someone twice her size who took the match seriously. You saw it. She’s not just talented, she’s powerful.”

Her voice dropped, more gravel than silk now. “And that boy… he’s not right for her. My wolf doesn’t approve. She feels something off about him. And not just as a mother, but as Gamma.

I turn to Garrett and Ned. “I saw his face when she pulled away. He was a good pup, but he is surely different now. Even when you’re young you always have some kind of bond with your future mate if you meet before its time for the bond to snap in place. You and Lily were always sweet on each other before you guys even knew you were mates.”

Ned nods in understanding “You’re right, me and Lily always seemed to find each other as pups. But they are different, Rowan got his wolf early and Asha both does and doesn’t seem to have one, or a normal one at that. It could just take time, we will see when she is 18.”

I give in with a huff and nod, we will see what happens. “Keep an eye out for him still, I don’t want him to force anything on her, he always followed her around when they were kids, make sure he doesn’t escalate any further than that until she’s ready.”

***

Outside, the air had barely settled from the morning’s tension when the main gates of Miravael creaked open again.

Asha stood at the edge of the training field, her pulse still steady from drills, her thoughts anything but. Jason jogged over, hair damp with sweat, and nudged her shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Define ‘okay,’” she muttered, but before he could press, a scent caught on the breeze. Not unfamiliar, but not yet known. It was floral, but not soft, wild jasmine maybe, twisted with something sharper.

Jason stilled, then smiled. “She’s here.”

“Who?”

“My cousin. Farah.”

Asha blinked. “Cousin? Since when do you have family not in this pack?”

“She was in the Redwood territory,” Jason said, already turning toward the road. “Her parents were… they didn’t survive the last rogue ambush up there. She’s been with the council until they found a safe pack to place her in.”

Asha followed without needing to be asked, curiosity bubbling.

As they neared the training courtyard at the front of the packhouse, a black SUV pulled to a stop. The engine clicked as it cooled, and the passenger door opened.

Farah stepped out.

She was tall, nearly as tall as George with long limbs and a proud, upright posture that didn’t scream royalty, but survival. Her skin was pale, her hair long and platinum blonde braided back from her face. Her eyes scanned the pack like a wolf judging a new territory.

Cautious. Calm. Calculating.

Jason ran to meet her with a choked laugh and a hug that looked like it should have hurt. “You made it.”

“Barely,” she muttered, squeezing him tightly before pulling back. “And what the hell is this heat? This place always feel like a sauna?”

“Only in the summer,” he said. “Or during battle drills.”

Asha stood awkwardly as they approached, but Jason gestured to her immediately. “This is Asha, my best friend. We’ve been friends since forever.”

Farah’s gaze flicked to Asha, and the corner of her mouth lifted. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Asha replied warmly, though she felt like Farah was measuring her. Not in a cruel way, more like someone who needed to know if you were safe. She got that.

Jason continued, “George and Rowan are around here somewhere. George is the Alpha’s son. We all sort of… hang out.”

“Pack royalty,” Farah said with dry amusement, her voice smooth and low.

Before Asha could respond, the air shifted. A presence like static filled the space. She turned just as George rounded the corner of the training hall, sweaty and shirtless from sparring. He paused mid-step.

His eyes locked on Farah.

Asha felt it, saw it in the sudden stillness of his body, the slight parting of his lips, and the way every muscle seemed to freeze and tighten all at once.

Jason didn’t notice. “George! This is my cousin, Farah!”

George blinked slowly and forced a casual smile, but Asha noticed how tight it was. “Welcome to Miravael.”

Farah nodded politely, unaware of the sudden tension in George’s posture. “Thanks.”

Asha narrowed her eyes. She didn’t know exactly what had just happened, but she had an idea, and just filed it away in the same place she kept all the other mysteries in her life lately.

As the group walked away from the training field together, Asha fell into step beside Farah. “We usually hang out by the lake past there after dinner.” Pointing towards the woods next to the packhouse. “Jason complains about the food every night, but he always finishes two plates.”

Farah huffed a laugh, small but genuine, thoughts of a sense of peace.

Over the next few weeks Farah eased into the group like she’d always belonged there, though Asha could tell it wasn’t effortless for her. She listened more than she spoke, always alert, like her mind was scanning for exits even in casual conversation. But little by little, the cracks showed. Soft smiles at Jason’s jokes, dry comments during movie nights, and a sharp wit that could shut Rowan up faster than anyone Asha had ever met.

They trained together in the mornings, Farah moved like someone who’d been forced to grow strong fast. She didn’t have her wolf yet, but she could take down Rowan in a spar when she was focused, and even George looked impressed more than once. Asha admired her. Farah was the type of strong that came from fire, not pride.

One night, after dinner and after Jason predictably complained about the undercooked rice, the group gathered near the back of the packhouse under the stars. Rowan was teasing Jason about some girl who’d asked him out and gotten rejected.

“She practically threw herself at him,” Rowan was saying with mock shock. “And our boy said, ‘Sorry, I don’t date within the gene pool.’”

Jason threw a pebble at him. “You’re just mad she didn’t ask you.”

Farah laughed, actually laughed, low and warm. Asha smiled at her, feeling something tighten in her chest. Not jealousy, just… hope. That maybe they were healing. All of them.

“You always this loud?” Farah sarcastically asked Asha with a small smirk, nudging her shoulder gently.

“I’ve been told I have no indoor voice,” Asha replied, grinning.

“You and Jason are really close,” Farah said, tone casual.

Asha nodded. “He’s family in everything but blood. When we were small pups, he was the shortest and scrawniest in our age group, and I was the wolfless girl. We paired up a lot since the others were afraid of hurting us if they played with us, sometimes bullied until George and Rowan would come around. We’ve all been inseparable since”

Farah gave a small nod accepting that answer, and Asha saw the flicker of something behind her eyes. Grief maybe, or envy. She gently hooked her pinky with Farah’s, grounding her.

“You’re part of the chaos now. Sorry in advance.”

Farah didn’t speak for a moment. Then, “I think I like chaos.”

Asha smiled. “Then you’ll fit right in. Hey, want to go for a walk by the lake?” Farah smiles at Asha and eagerly nods her head, they both stand and walk off saying bye to the boys and they will just be by the lake.

George watched them from the edge of the tree line, arms crossed, his jaw tight.

Farah’s laugh floated up into the night, light and real in a way that tugged something deep in his chest. He didn’t know what he expected when Jason said she was coming, maybe another broken soul, another quiet shadow added to the pack.

He hadn’t expected her.

Not the way her voice settled into his bones, or how his wolf had gone completely silent the moment their eyes met, as if the beast within was bowing to something sacred.

Mate.

He’d known instantly. The bond surged forward like lightning in a storm, and he’d nearly collapsed from the force of it. But she had blinked at him like he was just another stranger. Because to her, he was.

She was only seventeen.

Her senses and her wolf, likely still locked away behind trauma and blood and fear, wouldn’t awaken until eighteen. She couldn’t feel it. Not yet.

He had a year to wait.

A year to pretend she was just another member of the pack.

A year to watch her grow close to his friends, especially Asha, whose bond with her was already blooming into something sisterly and fierce. He couldn’t take that from her.

He wouldn’t.

So George did the only thing he could. He watched.

And waited.

And prayed to the goddess that when the time came, she wouldn’t run.

Chapter 8

The moon was high, casting a silver sheen across the still lake as Asha and Farah walked side by side along the bank. Crickets sang in the distance, and the cool air smelled of pine and water. Their footsteps were soft in the grass, their jackets pulled tight against the evening chill.

They’d wandered out here after dinner, both of them needing quiet in the way only girls carrying too much ever really understood.

Farah stopped to skim a stone across the water. It skipped twice before sinking.

“Your pack must’ve had a lake like this,” Asha said gently.

Farah’s lips twitched, not quite a smile. “We did, it was smaller, but I used to go there after training. Sometimes with my mom. Mostly alone.”

“What was it like?” Asha asked, genuinely curious.

Farah took a breath, eyes fixed on the horizon. “Peaceful, mostly. My pack was small but tight-knit. Everyone knew everyone. We’d patrol together in rotations, take meals in the communal hall. Every Sunday we’d light a fire at the center of the territory, and anyone could speak, celebrate, mourn, tell stories.”

She paused. “My mom told the best stories. She made up these wild legends about wolves made of starlight and monsters hiding under the roots of old trees. She always ended with something hopeful.”

“She sounds amazing,” Asha said softly.

“She was.”

They stood in silence for a moment. Farah’s fingers clenched and unclenched at her side, but Asha didn’t push. Instead, she tossed her own pebble into the water and waited until the ripples faded.

“I miss what I used to imagine life would be like,” Asha murmured. “Before I realized I was…different.”

Farah glanced at her. “Different how?”

Asha hesitated. Then sat on a flat rock, hugging her knees to her chest. Farah joined her.

“I don’t have a wolf, and I’ve never felt her,” Asha admitted.

“Everyone says I just need to wait. That my wolf will come when I turn eighteen. But nobody can feel her, not dormant, or even a scent. But Rowan…” she exhaled shakily, “…he says he’s my mate.”

Farah blinked. “No wonder he’s always giving you those longing gazes like a lost puppy.” She chuckles at the thought. “Do you feel it though?”

“I feel something, but I don’t know if it’s real or if I just want it to be real,” Asha said. “There’s no pull, no bond. Not like how people describe it.”

“Maybe it’s just not time yet,” Farah offered gently.

“Maybe,” Asha said. “Or maybe my mom was right and I do have a wolf but she just… can’t reach me.”

She looked down at her hands, then up at the moon’s reflection. “Lately, I’ve been having these dreams. Always by a lake, but it’s not this one. The water’s darker. Sometimes it glows. And there’s this figure…a wolf, hiding in the shadows. I can’t see her face, but I feel her.”

Farah was silent, listening intently.

“She never speaks. But her eyes are always purple, bright, glowing. Sometimes…they’re mine. Like I’m seeing through her. And when I wake up, I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.”

“Do you think it’s your wolf?”

“I don’t know,” Asha whispered. “Maybe it’s her. Maybe it’s something else. Or maybe I’m just broken.”

Farah placed a hand over Asha’s. “You’re not broken. You’re… becoming. Like the rest of us. But maybe what you’re becoming just takes longer.”

Asha looked at her. “You really think that?”

“I have to,” Farah said. “Because if I don’t believe people like us, people who’ve been cracked open, can still be whole someday, then what’s the point?”

Asha smiled through the knot in her throat. “We’re a mess.”

“Definitely,” Farah said. “But at least we’re not alone in it.”

When Farah says that, another dream comes to mind, one she hasn’t made known to anyone. With hesitation, she grabs Farah’s hand for support.

“There’s another dream, one I used to forget bits and pieces of but its been getting clearer as I get older. Its of an ocean, a big midnight blue ocean with the moon full high above. No clouds blocking the moon this time, and on full display for all to see. Until one moment, when it splits in two, one white half, and one black half. A voice dancing in the wind. You were never meant to be ordinary…That can’t be right though, I’m nothing special.”

Farah gave a quiet squeeze to her hand, but Asha’s eyes were already drifting toward the lake, lulled by the moon’s gentle pull and the weight of her own words.

That night, sleep came slow but deep, like sinking into dark water.

***

She was back at the lake.

Not the one from earlier, but the other one, the one that she only visited in her sleep.

She sat on the edge of one of the crystals surrounding the lake, the surface smooth and cool beneath her palms, her legs swinging gently above the quiet tide.

Each time her toes skimmed the water, ripples bloomed outward in perfect rings, distorting the reflection of the full moon overhead. A gentle wind stirred the air, carrying the scent of lavender and stardust.

She felt calm here. Weightless. Her safe space to have peace.

Then….a soft rustle.

She turned.

The flowered field that ringed the lake swayed, not violently, but with rhythm, as if someone were walking slowly through it.

A shape emerged from the tall stalks. Tall, broad-shouldered, cloaked in shadow, but not sinister, familiar somehow. Like a name she used to know.

And then she saw them, his eyes.

Not the haunting kind from nightmares, but radiant and burning, deep blood-orange like dying embers in a sacred flame. They held no malice. Only… intensity. And something unspoken. Recognition.

How could I forget? I have seen those eyes before…

He stopped at the edge of the field, not approaching, just watching. His presence didn’t make the flowers wilt. If anything, the light pulsing from the ground around him seemed to brighten slightly, as though the land itself bent toward him.

Asha didn’t move.

Neither did he.

But she felt him. In her chest, in her belly, and even lower, where she had never felt a reaction like this before….Like a low hum in her bones.

Her lips parted to speak, but no words came.

The wind shifted, carrying a sound like a whisper, but too distant to understand. And then, she heard it again, a crack.

She looks up to see the moon split in two, half shone like a light, half as dim as a shadow, light dancing across the water’s surface.

When she looks back to the field, he was gone.

The crystal beneath her started to shimmer.

And she woke up.

***

Asha sat up with a sharp inhale, her sheets tangled around her legs and her skin damp with sweat. The sunlight from her bedroom window stretched across the floor in long, pale ribbons, flickering slightly as the trees outside swayed.

She stared at the ceiling for a long moment, letting her heartbeat settle.

She’s had that dream every night for weeks.

Same lake. Same crystals. Same feeling, like something’s just out of reach, but not him, not since the first night. She always looks. Always turns toward the field, but the flowers are still. The air is silent. He’s not there.

It’s as if whatever part of her recognized him is missing now. As if the dream is waiting for something to return before it can go on.

She dragged a hand down her face and sighed, flopping back against the pillow.

“I’m losing it,” she whispered to the dark.

But even now, wide awake, she could still feel it. That strange hum in her bones, that quiet pull in her chest, like a tether to something ancient and waiting.

The scent of eggs and coffee greeted Asha as she padded barefoot into the kitchen, hair still a mess from sleep and her hoodie hanging off one shoulder. The light through the windows was golden and warm, too bright for how tired she felt.

Farah was already at the table, her dark curls pulled into a loose bun, a protein bar half-eaten in one hand. Across from her, Jason was gulping down what looked like his second bowl of cereal, legs sprawled out like he owned the place.

“Look who’s finally up,” Jason teased, grinning around his spoon.

Farah looked up with a soft smile, but there was something different in her eyes, brighter, clearer. Her posture was straighter too, more alert than usual.

“Guess what day it is?” Jason said, practically vibrating.

Asha blinked. “Uh… training day?”

Jason threw his arms up dramatically. “Yes, but more importantly, it’s Farah’s eighteenth birthday!”

Asha’s head snapped toward Farah. “What? You didn’t say anything!”

Farah shrugged, a flush creeping into her cheeks. “Didn’t want to make it a big deal. But… I do feel kind of different today.”

Jason leaned forward, eyes wide with excitement. “She’s been itching to spar since she woke up. Says she feels… stronger.”

Asha studied her friend, her pulse steady, the tension humming beneath her skin, the way her hand curled slightly like she was itching to move. There was something… awakened.

Asha felt it too. Not in her own bones, but in the air around them, a shift, a pull.

Farah stood, tossing her empty wrapper in the bin. “I don’t know what it is, but I need to be on the field. I need to move. It’s like this… pressure inside me building.”

Jason was already grabbing his jacket, grinning. “Told you. We’re about to see if this girl’s wolf is ready to make an entrance.”

Asha hesitated for just a breath longer before grabbing an apple off the counter and heading to the door with them.

That strange tension, the same hum she woke up with, followed her out the door.

Something was about to happen.

The sun had barely climbed above the treetops by the time Asha, Farah, and Jason reached the training field. Dew still clung to the grass, and the air was crisp with morning energy. The field buzzed with motion, soldiers in wolf form darted through drills, others sparred in human form, sweat and effort thick in the air. The clang of fists meeting flesh and the grunts of exertion echoed like rhythm, wild and disciplined all at once.

Asha was mid-laugh at something Jason said when Farah suddenly stopped walking.

Asha paused, confused, until a pulse hit her.

She feels it. Something rich. Ancient.

Farah stood rooted, her back straightening, pupils dilating. Her hazel eyes shimmered suddenly, gold bleeding into brown, then glowing fully, alight with something primal. She breathed in sharply, her chest rising like her lungs were trying to hold the whole forest in.

Jason blinked. “Farah? Wha…” but she didn’t answer and then…

She was already moving.

Slowly. Deliberately. Toward the center of the field.

Across the grass, George had been sparring with another warrior, his body slick with sweat and his attention focused, until he froze. His head snapped up. His own body went still, breath catching in his throat.

He turned. Eyes glowing gold.

Their gazes locked like a fuse catching flame.

And everyone on the field stopped.

One by one, soldiers and trainers faltered and blows were pulled, steps quieting. Then silence fell across the entire field as though the wind itself was holding its breath.

Farah and George walked toward each other, slow and steady. The field was silent, eyes wide and locked onto the scene before them.

Two stars aligning.

When they stopped, just a foot apart, Farah tilted her head slightly, breathing him in. George’s fists were clenched at his sides, trembling not with fear, but restraint.

Her voice was soft, filled with awe, and heard by everyone standing still in the quiet morning.

“Mate.”

The word dropped like thunder, even though she had barely whispered it.

Gasps rippled across the crowd. Jason’s jaw dropped. Asha’s eyes widened.

George exhaled like he’d been holding it in for years. His lips parted, and his voice, rough and reverent, matched hers.

“Mate.”

For a heartbeat, they just stood there, breathing the same air.

Then George took a step closer.

Every breath he’d ever taken without her now felt like a mistake.

His voice trembled, thick with something he rarely let show. “I’ve waited so long…”His hand hovered just shy of hers, like he was still afraid to believe it.

Farah’s lashes fluttered, her lips parting with a breath that shook her whole frame. “Is this….”She choked on the words. “I thought maybe I wouldn’t feel it. That something in me was broken after everything. But this,” she placed a hand to her chest, eyes brimming, “I feel like I could drown in it.”

George reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering at her jaw. “You’re not broken. You were just waiting, for this, for me.”

She let out a soft laugh, tearful and awed. “I can feel her. Only a little but, she’s back. I thought I’d shift and feel stronger. But this? This is like waking up for the first time.”

Around them, no one moved. Even the birds seemed to hold their songs.

And in that quiet, George gently pressed his forehead to hers.

His voice was barely a whisper, raw and full of truth:“I won’t let you go. You will never be hurt again. Not ever.”

Farah’s hands gripped his arms like she needed to anchor herself or be swept away.“And I won’t run,” she said. “Not from this. Not from you.”

A quiet gasp rippled through the crowd, but neither of them noticed. Their bond was a radiant thread, fully formed at last, stretching between them, warm, certain, eternal.

And at the center of it all, Asha stood quietly behind them, a bittersweet smile pulling at her lips.

She was happy for them. Truly.

Asha watched them, Farah and George, drawn together like gravity had remembered them at last.

Her chest ached, but not in jealousy. It was something quieter. Lonelier.

She was happy for them. She truly was. But as the glow of their connection lit the field, something in her pulled tight and cold, like a string wound too long without release.

They had their moment. The bond. That beautiful, unshakable certainty.

And Asha… still waited.

Still wondered.

Still dreamed.

She glanced toward the trees beyond the field, where shadows pooled like secrets. The breeze brushed her skin, and just for a second, she thought she felt it again, that presence. Those blood-orange eyes. Watching. Waiting. Her thoughts should be of Rowan, her so called mate. And where is he right now?

“You okay?” Jason’s voice was gentle beside her.

She nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “Yeah. Just… a lot.”

He gave her that look of his, half protective, half unconvinced, but said nothing. Just stood beside her, a quiet shield.

Farah’s laughter rang out across the clearing, bright and stunned and joyful. George’s hand hadn’t left hers since they touched.

Asha turned away.

“I’m gonna head down to the water,” she said softly.

Jason hesitated, then let her go. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

She nodded and slipped away from the field, boots crunching lightly in the grass. Her mind churned, caught between dreams and longing, between who she was and who she was becoming.

Chapter 9

The lake was still, a mirror of moonlight and clouds. Asha stood at the edge, arms folded tight across her chest, eyes distant as the wind played with strands of her hair.

She didn’t know how long she’d been there, long enough for the silence to settle deep in her bones, long enough for her heartbeat to quiet.

Then she heard him.

Footsteps, too deliberate to be Jason’s, too familiar to mistake.

Rowan.

She didn’t turn when he stopped a few feet behind her. His presence was like pressure, like heat rolling off his skin even though the night was cool.

“I saw you leave,” he said, voice low. “Figured you’d come here.”

She nodded once, still staring ahead. “It’s quiet here.”

A beat passed. “You see, it happened when she was 18, you get that right?”

Asha didn’t answer, she didn’t need to. The whole pack had felt the shift when Farah and George found each other. A ripple of something sacred.

Rowan stepped closer, just enough to feel too near.

“You know… maybe it’s time,” he said carefully. “Time to try.”

Asha turned her head, brow furrowed. “Try what?”

He looked at her, eyes burning with hope that made her stomach twist. Rowan stepped closer, speaking as he moved.

“To awaken it. The bond. Maybe we don’t have to wait until your birthday. Maybe if we, if we get close, if you just let me,”

He quickly grabs her waist and brushes his lips against her ear.

She quickly steps away as if burned by the touch.

“No.” The word was sharper than she meant, but she didn’t take it back.

Rowan flinched, barely, but it was there.

“I can’t,” she said, softer this time. “I don’t even know for sure if I have a wolf. You’re holding on to something that might not be real.”

His jaw tightened.

“It is real. I feel it, Asha. Every time you’re near. I’ve waited for you. Protected you. Believed in you when no one else did.”

“I never asked you to!” Her voice rose with the frustration she tried to swallow, echoing across the lake like something broken. “I care about you, Rowan, I just don’t think so in that way. I won’t lie to you just because you want this so badly.”

His chest rose and fell, breaths coming too fast. He stepped back, the hurt in his eyes impossible to miss.

“I’m not trying to force anything,” he said, quieter now. “I just… I just want to know. One way or another.”

Asha closed her eyes. “So do I. But I won’t gamble your heart, or mine on a maybe.”

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Rowan nodded, jaw clenched. “Then I’ll wait. But not forever.”

She opened her eyes, met his gaze. “That’s all I can ask.”

And then he left her there, by the water, with the moon watching overhead and her reflection rippling in the waves, blurred, uncertain, shifting.

Over time, things go back to normal, George and Farah get closer and she starts to let him in.

One morning, Farah runs into Asha’s bedroom squealing to high heavens that she has GREAT news. Asha who is now unfortunately fully awake rubs her eyes and says voice dripping in sarcasm, “Well good morning to you too Farah, thank you I slept well thank you so much for asking”.

Farah giggling non stop now rolls her eyes and shows Asha the ring on her finger.

Now Asha jumps up and is also squealing “No way no way no way for real??” Farah nods happily and says “I want you to be my maid of honor, please Asha?” Tears now falling from her face and a bright smile on her face, how could Asha say no to her.

“You will officially be a part of the family soon, of course I will.” They start squealing more when Jason rushes in and jumps on the bed. “So ladies, when do we start on planning this party?” The three of them laugh and talk about every detail of Farah’s wedding.

Down the hall, Ned, Garrett, and Amy all talk about what this means for the future of the pack. Ned begins, “Soon after the mating ceremony was when I received the Alpha mark, a sign to take leadership of the pack. It may take time before the leaves show, we may have to wait for Farah’s wolf to make an entrance. They feel the bond, but her wolf won’t come forward for them to mark each other.”

Amy nods her head and looks deep in thought. “Maybe he needs to mark her first, then her wolf will fully awaken to the bite of her mate. A sign to her wolf that she is safe now. We shall see after the ceremony, he will take her to the forest on his back since she cant shift, and see if maybe alone she will come forward after he bites her.”

Garret silent as always, leaning against the wall, asks the other question that he knows Ned has been circling for days. “And what if George is ready, and Rowan is not?”

Ned grunts heavy, he knows exactly what that will do not only to his and Georges friendship, but grow the tension between him and Asha.

Garret continues, “Do you think he will blame Asha for not being given the full mark? To bring up their bond again?”

Ned shoots up and looks at Garrett with confusion, “You don’t think they’re mates?”

Garrett looks to Amy, still with her head down in thought. He says, “No I don’t think so, I think its pure infatuation with the mysterious girl he grew up with. His wolf maybe made her his chosen by sheer want, but they are not fated. The bond isn’t real. The way Asha acts around him compared to Farah around George? Miles apart from each other.”

Amy finally speaks up, “If Asha chooses him it will be just that, that she chose to be with him and truly wants it, bond or not. But I don’t see it, she has never had any reaction to him and has told me time and time again that she feels nothing for him. We will just have to keep an eye on him if the time comes that George is ready to lead the pack. And Rowan is not.”

The three of them stand in silence for a moment. Garrett stealing a glance at Amy as usual, but today, just for a moment, she smelt of milk and honey. He shakes it off and announces that he must go, he must help with training since the Alpha house may be a bit busy for a while.

The next day, Jason, Asha, and Farah all head to town to pick out a dress for the ceremony, simple, flowy, and crystal white. Asha also got her dress, a simple light blue, and Jason a dark blue tuxedo.

Laughing down the street towards the path in the woods that lead to the packhouse, the trio don’t register someone following them.

Once deeper into the woods, the stalker speeds up and pulls out a dagger, “For the coven!!”

Asha reacting first spins around last moment and screams “Watch out!!” as she walks in the way of the dagger meant for Farah.

Jason cries out “NO!!” His wolf, Eydan, emerging for the first time. He shifts immediately and tears apart the stranger within seconds before turning back and seeing Asha’s unmoving body bleeding out on the ground as Farah tries to stop the blood crying uncontrollably.

Still in wolf form Jason howls and sends a mindlink to the Alpha and the clinic. In a mindlink he reaches to Farah.

…Farah get up you have to put her on my back, get on too and hold her up, I’ll take us to the clinic…

She can’t move. So much blood. She gets flashbacks of the night she lost her pack.

Still not moving watching the blood on her hands, Eydan loses his patience.

…FARAH!! SHE WILL DIE SHE CAN NOT HEAL WE MUST HURRY!!…

With that she finally springs to action, Eydan bends forward to let her climb on with Asha and he sprints off quickly.

Back at the packhouse, Ned is in the office signing papers with Garrett when he hears the howl. Confused he says, “Who is that? I think he is one of ours but I’ve never heard him before.” Next second the link comes through

…I am Eydan, Jason’s wolf. Someone tried to kill Farah and Asha took the blow, silver, they were making sure Farah died. They didn’t get too deep but Asha is still bleeding out. We are headed for the clinic…

Ned growls and jumps up, “Asha is hurt, someone tried to kill the future Luna and she protected her. Mindlink Amy to meet us there.”

“Yes Alpha.”

Eydan bursts through the clinic still as a wolf carrying Asha and Farah. “She’s bleeding help me!!” Farah says through her tears. After the nurses approach and bring her down gently, he shifts back into a human with his shorts in shreds and shirt gone.

Soon after, Alpha Ned and Beta Garrett appear with Amy trailing not too far behind.

Ned roars out “What’s the status?!”

The nurses turn and talk to the alpha about what they saw the wound looked like but don’t know how she will be.

“The stab wound was not deep and if she had a wolf and it weren’t a silver dagger, she’d just be able to sleep it off. With no wolf the silver doesn’t effect her but the bleeding won’t stop until the doctor sews the wound close, then we wait.”

In a low tone, Garrett speaks of a different take on this attack. “What if they weren’t after Farah? Think about it, what about Farah would be so dangerous to the coven? She and George aren’t even mated yet. I think they sensed Farah’s power and Asha’s lack of and believed she was the target. Especially with what you and Amy saw that night.”

A shiver runs down the back of everyone there.

Before walking away, the nurses all gasp and Farah’s jaw drops as she looks where their eyes are pointed.

They’re all staring at Jason’s arm now.

He follows their gaze and now sees why they stare.

On his arm, now holds a branch with no leaves etched into his skin…

The next Gamma has been chosen.

***

It was quiet in the forest.

Dappled moonlight danced through the trees as Asha walked barefoot along a narrow, winding path. The air was cool, the kind that kissed her skin and whispered of something ancient. Her fingers brushed over the bark of each tree she passed, grounding her in the dream, though some part of her knew, this wasn’t the real world. And she was okay with that.

The dirt was soft between her toes, moss cushioning each step like a lullaby. Birds didn’t sing. Wind didn’t stir. The whole forest held its breath.

Then…water.

Faint at first, like a memory surfacing. The sound of waves crashing gently. Calling her.

Asha followed it, drawn like a tide herself, until the trees parted and gave way to the cliffs. She knew this place. The ocean below churned with silver light, the stars hanging impossibly close overhead.

But she wasn’t alone.

A figure stood near the cliff’s edge, cloaked in white, long hair shimmering like moonlight made flesh. She radiated warmth and stillness all at once. Asha knew her without needing words, she has met her before.

The Moon Goddess…

The woman turned, eyes like galaxies locking with hers. Asha’s heart clenched, not in fear, but awe. She stepped closer, and the goddess opened her arms.

“You’ve come far, child,” the goddess said, voice soft as waves but carrying infinite weight. “But your journey is only just beginning.”

Asha felt tears sting her eyes. “I’m tired,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go back. It hurts.”

The goddess cupped her face gently, thumbs brushing away those tears.

“I know,” she said. “But you were never meant to sleep forever. Your people still suffer. Your light hasn’t yet touched the darkest places. There is work to be done.”

Asha’s chest ached with something deep and unnamed.

The goddess pulled her into a hug, one that felt like home, like warmth, like a thousand lost memories falling into place.

“You must wake, Asha. It’s time.”

Then…

A howl. Loud and fierce, piercing the air, splitting the sky like thunder. It brings an ache to my chest, it almost feels, familiar.

Asha and the goddess turned together, looking to the mountain ridge beyond the forest. The palace. A tall figure cloaked in shadow stood at its highest balcony, watching silently, waiting.

Then, their eyes met.

Asha inhaled sharply, and the world cracked like glass.

***

The machines beeped steadily. Amy stirred in her chair, eyes weary, her hand wrapped gently around Asha’s, when she felt it.

Asha’s fingers twitched. Then her eyelids fluttered. And for the first time in a year, her chest rose with a deeper breath.

She’s awake.

Chapter 10

For the first time in a year, Asha stirs.

Her eyelids flutter open and she lets out a slow, pained inhale.

Amy gasps, then stands so fast her chair screeches backward.

“Asha?” Her voice cracks. “Baby, look at me. Can you hear me?”

Asha tries again to open her eyes slowly, pupils dilated as she blinks against the light. Her lips part, dry and unsure.

“Mom…?”

Amy drops to her knees beside the bed, clutching her daughter’s hand like a lifeline, her tears falling freely down her cheeks.

“You’re awake. Goddess, you’re awake.”

Asha frowns slightly, then it clicks. She stills and says, voice hoarse.

“How long?”

“A year,” Amy whispers, voice thick. “You’ve been gone a whole year.”

Asha blinks again. Flashes start to hit her. The dream, the forest, the cliff. The Moon Goddess. The howl. She swallows hard.

“She told me to come back. She said my time is coming.”

Amy’s breath catches, but she nods. She doesn’t question it. Not anymore.

Then Asha’s brows furrow.

“Where’s… everyone?”

“George is out on patrol,” Amy says softly, brushing stray hair from Asha’s face. “Farah’s with him. Jason is also on patrol, he came to visit before he reported for duty, he does everyday.”

Asha closes her eyes briefly. Relief. “And Rowan?”

Amy tenses. Her grip on Asha’s hand loosens, then tightens again.

“He… he isn’t here.”

Asha’s eyes meet hers. Sharp. Calm.

“Why not?”

Amy hesitates. Swallows.

“Because a week ago, he stopped waiting.”

Asha blinks.

“Word got out that, he slept with someone.”

Silence.

Asha stares at the ceiling, emotionless at first. Then a deep sigh escapes her lips, not heartbreak, but resignation.

“Of course he did.”

Amy leans forward, cupping Asha’s face. “It wasn’t your fault. He made a choice. A stupid, selfish choice.”

Asha nods slowly, as if processing the weight of it. Her voice is steady, but distant.

“He spent years pushing me… begging for the bond to mean something. I fall, in a coma for a year after being near death, and he couldn’t wait just a little longer.”

“I’m not mad,” she murmurs. “Just… tired, and strangely relieved.”

Amy’s brows furrow.

“Relieved?”

Asha’s lips quirk, bittersweet.

“Because now I know. It was never what I thought it was. And I don’t have to feel guilty about outgrowing him.”

Amy wraps her arms around her daughter carefully, as if afraid she’ll vanish again.

Asha leans back against her pillow, her body heavy with exhaustion. The machines hum quietly, but her mind is still catching up, fragments of the dream, the howl, her mother’s words.

“Sleep, baby,” Amy whispers, brushing a hand over her daughter’s forehead. “You need your strength.”

Asha’s eyes flutter closed, her breathing evens out as she slips into sleep. Not into dreams this time, but into deep, healing rest, the kind she hasn’t had since before the cliff, before the prophecy stirred in her bones.

The next morning, the door swings open, and the thundering footsteps of Jason and George echo down the hall.

George nearly sends a nurse flying when Jason catches her, moving her out of the way. They lock eyes, and he stares at her for a moment. It’s the pack doctor’s daughter, and he thinks, has she always been so, beautiful?

George screams, “She’s really awake?!” Jason snaps out of it, let’s go of the girl, and runs in the room alongside George. “Move, I need to see her!”

Mom turns just in time to see both boys rushing in, older, broader, stronger, nearly men now. George stands tall, power practically rolling off him. Jason’s frame has filled out too, his usual easy grin now mixed with raw emotion.

“What the…?”

Jason’s grin is instant.

“Oh my goddess, Ash! You’re awake!”

He’s beside her in a second, taking her hand gently but not letting go, tears pooling in his eyes.

“You scared the shit out of us.”

George moves slower, but his gaze is bright with relief and something more, joy. He pulls up a chair, glancing at Jason.

“Give her room, or she’ll pass out just looking at your ugly face.”

Jason snorts, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

Asha manages to let out a weak laugh, voice soft.

“You guys… got big.”

“We had to,” Jason says proudly. “You’ve been asleep forever.”

George and Jason sit forward, Jason rolling up his sleeve, George pulling down his shirt.

“And things changed.”

Jason turns his arm revealing a mark, a branch full of leaves. And on George’s chest, once a bare tree, is now in full bloom, leaves in shades of burnished gold and deep green.

Her eyes go wide.

“You’re the Gamma now?! How did that happen? And George, your mark…”

George grins, not even trying to hide the pride in his voice.

“Fully grown. The pack’s preparing the ceremony.”

“In three days, Ned steps down. I become Alpha.”

Jason elbows him.

“Tell her the best part.”

George’s eyes gleam.

“The Lycan King is coming.”

A shiver crawls up her spine, she hides it by adjusting her sheets and just blinks. “You said what?”

George nods.

“He’s blessing the transition. That never happens for smaller packs, he usually only appears for the major northern or coastal territories. But we were chosen.”

“He’s coming to Miravael,” Jason adds.

This time, she feels a warmth pulse from within her. Asha’s body reacting to the news of the Lycan Kings pending arrival.

“That means something. Alphas are already traveling here from the borderlands with some of their packs. Everyone wants to witness it.”

George leans back, gaze steady on Asha.

“When the king blesses a new Alpha, the bond between the pack and the realm strengthens. Our territory, our power, our protections, they all strengthen, grow.”

“We offer blood to the moon: me, Ned, and the Lycan King. When they light it, the smoke rises to the moon, carrying our vow. When it’s done, my reign begins.”

There’s no fear in George’s voice, no hesitation. Just reverence, excitement, and awe.

She tries to take it all in, Jason’s glowing face, George’s confident calm, the weight of all that has changed while she slept.

“You’re ready,” she says in a low tone.

George nods once.

While George and Jason talk loud and fast, overlapping each other with excitement, Asha leans back against my pillow, letting their voices blur slightly into the background.

“Farah doesn’t play. She had George running drills at dawn even before her wolf surfaced.”

“I’m telling you, she made Ned apologize to the training squad for letting George slack off before.”

Their laughter echoes, full and easy, but her chest feels tight at the sight.

They’ve changed, grown.

Jason’s broader, sharper at the edges now, more sure of himself. George’s posture carries himself in a way she’d never seen before. The command, the aura of leaders of a pack, earned and worn like a second skin. Even the way they speak feels… different.

They moved forward while she stayed frozen.

Her gaze drifts to George’s mark, still visible beneath curve of his collar. The leaves shimmer faintly in the light, as if alive.

You’re ready.

She had meant it when she said it, but it didn’t stop the ache. Time had gone on without her, the pack had grown, wolves had shifted for the first time. Farah had come and left her mark on George, on their circle, on everything.

Then there was Rowan…

The thought of him twists in her gut, but not the way she expected. There’s pain yes but, deeper than that is a strange, almost weightless feeling.

He pushed so hard, always there waiting, wanting, and when she couldn’t give it… he gave up.

Her throat tightens, not with heartbreak, but with the bittersweet sting of relief.

It’s not her fault. It never had been.

She turns her head to look at the window. A breeze stirs the curtains slightly, carrying the scent of pine and fresh dew.

The woods are still out there, the cliffs, the sea, and her. The goddess.

Her time is just beginning.

She closes her eyes briefly, just breathing.

When she opens them again, George is mock-pouting as Jason teases him about getting “alpha-dragged” by Farah.

And for the first time since she woke up, Asha smiles.

George finally groans and stretches, rubbing the back of his neck. “I have to meet Ned and Farah for a briefing before the next drill. You good here?” He eyes Jason and Asha meaningfully.

Jason nods. “I’ve got her.”

George’s hand lingers briefly on Asha’s shoulder before he turns to leave. “I’ll be back later. Try not to stress her out, Jace.”

The door shuts behind him, and for a moment the room settles again, quiet but not heavy. Just… still.

Asha glances at Jason, he’s watching her in that quiet way he’s always done. Thoughtful, like he’s weighing what to say next. His size and strength may have changed, but the gentleness in his eyes hasn’t.

“What is it Jason?”

Jason shifts on the edge of the bed, fingers tapping lightly against his thigh. “There’s one more thing.”

That tone, that hesitant Jason tone, sets her on edge more than anything.

He exhales and finally says, “George’s coronation… it’s happening on the full moon. Next full moon.”

She nods slowly. “Makes sense, symbolic.”

Jason gives a small smile. “Yeah, big deal and all that.” He hesitates again, then meets her gaze. “That’s also… your birthday.”

A single chill runs up her spine. My eighteenth.

The day she has been waiting for all her life. To see if she finally has a wolf and becomes a normal member of this pack.

“But Jason, what if I don’t shift? What if I really am human? And what if I don’t feel the bond with Rowan?”

Jason looks at her sternly and says “Then nothing changes, you will still be one of the best soldiers and my best friend, nothing is going to change that. And screw Rowan, he let one of the loosest girls in the pack have him, I say good riddance, and that just proves it wasn’t a real bond.”

Asha winces at his words, they’re true, but it still stings. He hugs her and rubs her back, soothing her ever swirling emotions.

“Look Ash, you will be able to go home the night before your birthday and we will all be there for you, just keep resting. I will have Farah visit and bring you your dress for coronation night, she had a feeling you would wake up before then and got it same day it was announced.”

He gives her a quick peck on her forehead and walks out of the room. Leaving her with her thoughts on what in the world she just woke up to.

Days later, the air in Asha’s room was thick with anticipation, warm lamplight flickering over pale walls and hopeful faces. Farah sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, braiding strands of Asha’s dark hair out of habit, while Jason paced back and forth with restless energy. George leaned against the dresser, arms crossed, casting glances toward the clock on the wall.

“Twenty minutes,” Jason said, his voice low, like speaking louder might scare off fate itself.

Asha sat on the edge of her bed, staring down at her bare toes brushing the rug, nerves coiling in her gut. “It’s stupid, isn’t it?” she murmured. “Waiting around like the moon’s gonna suddenly decide I’m worthy.”

“It’s not stupid,” George said firmly. “If there’s even a chance your wolf appears tonight, we’re staying up.”

“And we’ll be there if it does, or doesn’t happen,” Farah added softly, giving her a reassuring squeeze on the knee.

They talked to fill the silence, about the coronation tomorrow, about the out-of-town Alphas and elders arriving in waves, about how George and Farah were already being referred to as Alpha and Luna even though it hadn’t been made official yet. When talk of the Lycan King attending began, it made the room buzz with nerves again.

Then, a few minutes before midnight, George looked at the clock and straightened. “Let’s go outside, just in case.”

They made their way to the yard, the moonlight diffused by clouds, casting a gray sheen across the grass. The pack house was quiet except for the distant murmurs of guards rotating shifts. They all look up and there was the last person she thought would show.

He was standing near the edge of the patio, his hands shoved into his coat pockets, back straight but tense. His dark hair was slightly windswept, like he’d been pacing or debating whether to even show up. When he saw her, a flicker of something crossed his face, hope, guilt, maybe desperation. Rowan.