"Aria," he said softly. "Today is your birthday."
It wasn't a question, but I nodded nevertheless.
"The moon is full tonight," he added, his voice quiet. "You will attend the ceremony."
"Of course, Elder," I replied, puzzled. All eighteen-year-olds attended the ceremony. It was essential.
He leaned in, smelling gently. "You already feel it, don't you? "The change."
My heartbeat skipped. "What change?"
Elder Malin's eyes narrowed. "Interesting. "Very interesting." He reached inside his pocket and retrieved a little pouch. "Wear this tonight."
I accepted it hesitantly. Inside was a simple moonstone pendant with a leather cord.
"But this is for—"
"Wear it," he interjected. "Hide it under your clothes if you must, but wear it."
Moonstones were precious. They aided our connection to the Moon Goddess during ceremonies. However, they were only given to wolves from influential families (Alphas and Betas). Not Omegas like me.
"Why?" I questioned.
Elder Malin glanced at Mira before returning his attention to me. "Because someone is harboring secrets about you, child. And tonight, those secrets may be revealed."

~

I never mattered in our pack. Omegas like me serve, submit, and survive. We don't dream of love. We don't dream of power.

She was the future Luna. I was just the girl who watched from the shadows.

But everything changed on my 18th birthday.

I felt the bond. I met my mate.

One of the Alpha's sons.

But the Alpha has triplets, and I felt the mate bond with all three and it seems the three of them felt it too — three perfect warriors, three powerful Alphas, three secrets buried beneath the surface.

One of them is my destiny.

One of them is lying.

And one of them might be the death of me.

The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes... but this time, I think she might've given me too much to handle.

Pain tore through my body as I fell to my knees. It felt like my bones were breaking, rearranging.


"What's happening to her?" someone yelled.


The full moon shone straight overhead as chaos erupted in the clearing. My father and the Shadow Alpha circled each other, both partly shifted into monstrous forms. The triplets fought against their captors. Elder Malin watched me with hungry eyes.


But I barely noticed any of it. The change was coming—my first full shift—and I couldn't stop it.


"She's shifting!" Mira cried. "Everyone back away!"


I'd never shifted before. Omegas generally shifted early, around fifteen or sixteen. But I'd been different—broken, everyone thought. For years, I'd felt the pull of the moon but never answered it.


My skin burned as fur pushed through. My face stretched into a mouth. Paws replaced hands. The pain was unbearable, but something else drove me forward—power, pure and wild, rushing through my blood.


Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: The Alpha Awakens