Chapter 1

Samantha's POV

The mating festival, for someone like me, was a day of liberation. It was the day I’d meet my mate, the day the bullying would end because I’d finally have someone who would lay down his life to protect me. I couldn’t wait to experience that pull everyone always talked about, and that greater love the mated wolves felt for their other half.

The moon was full in the sky, casting its light on us. I’d heard shifting was going to be painful, but what made it worth it was the fact that we would get our mate—a perfect reward, I’d say.

I stood at the clearing along with other pack members who had come of age. Despite my excitement, a sting of pain hit my heart, seeing everyone with someone to support them during their shift. I had no one.

I was in this alone, but that soon turned into the least pain I would experience that night as my eyes searched for someone in the crowd and finally landed on him: my heart, my first love, my protector… Alpha Alaric.

He was amongst the crowd of people gathered, but he wasn’t just there as an Alpha to support his people. He was there for someone, the very girl who made my life miserable in this pack: Lily.

My breath came out shaky, and my eyes stung with tears as my chest constricted from the heartbreak. Alaric was standing behind her, whispering things to her ears. Tears streamed down my face as I watched them.

Maybe they’d end up as mates. If he loved her already, then the chances were high, as it was common knowledge to feel a pull towards one’s mate even before the snapping of bonds.

I had been so stupid to have even considered that Alaric felt a tiny bit of affection for me. I was even more insane to have once harbored the thought that the pull I felt towards him could mean we were mates.

But I was deceived; he loved someone else, and it hurt every bit of my soul. Still, I consoled myself, all the hurt. It was going to end tonight. I’d be free from loving him; I’d finally be happy.

I wiped my tears and decided to ignore them, but just then, his head tilted to the right, as if sensing that I was looking at him. I didn't look away; I wanted to see if he noticed me. But then, an unease settled on his face, like he knew exactly who was watching him and decided to ignore it.

It shattered my heart all over again, but this was for the best. I wouldn’t care about him once I found my mate.

The festival had commenced, and soon voices filled the air: growls of pain, howls of excitement, bone cracking, wailings, and words of encouragement, as families and friends helped their loved ones through their shifting process.

A wave of sadness hit me, but I was soon interrupted as I heard a voice I didn’t recognize.

“Go away from the circle,” it said. I turned sharply to see who had spoken, but there was no one around me, which scared me a bit. I would have assumed I didn’t hear right, but the voice was too clear for me to be mistaken.

“Who’s there?” I asked, still scanning my surroundings for a potential threat.

“It’s me, Ariana, your wolf.” I stayed frozen in the moment, hearing that voice speak again. Her voice was softer compared to the firmness it had when she gave me the instruction.

Something stirred in me, something I couldn’t quite understand.

“W-what?” I stuttered, feeling my legs grow wobbly from the realization that my wolf was speaking to me. So this was real.

“I’m in your head, Samantha. You can’t shift in front of everyone; it’s too dangerous,” she said again, and gradually, I could feel a binding growing between us. The emptiness I had felt earlier slowly disappeared. I was feeling less lonely, embraced by the warmth of another presence within me.

“What do you mean?” I asked, staying focused on her warning.

“You’ll find out once you shift. Just listen to me, Samantha,” she pleaded, but it was all too confusing to ignore. I wanted answers.

“But I… Ah!” I trailed off as my bones suddenly shifted. It was so damn painful, like someone was trying to tear my bones away from my body.

I felt a vibration within me, and it came to the surface. My senses began to heighten. I could hear the voices of over a hundred people in my ear, their words clear as if they were in front of me. My ears whistled so loudly, and I began to gnash my teeth as fluid seeped out of my mouth.

“Go into the woods now!” Ariana said, and I knew I had to listen. It had already begun; I was starting to shift, but even in the midst of a mind-blowing experience, my heart beat in longing for him. I found myself looking amongst the crowd to search for Alaric again, and I saw him, and it hurt me.

He was so focused on helping Lily in her transformation. He was a year older than us and had gotten his wolf earlier, so now nothing could shift his attention from his girlfriend.

I grieved the loss of my love for Alaric. I’d finally be rid of this forbidden feeling I had for him.

I ran into the woods, and my bones began to crack at every step, making me stop every second, but Ariana encouraged me to go deep into the woods. When she approved of a spot, I stopped and fell to my knees immediately.

I wailed in pain, feeling my bones crack and my form disfiguring, as bones popped up here and there. My fingernails gave way for beastly-looking claws to come out, and I began tearing away the piece of cloth I had on. The pain was so excruciating, unlike any physical pain I had ever experienced, but Ariana guided me all through.

“I can’t do this alone!” I cried, wishing there was an option to give up. I clawed at the earth beneath me as my form kept changing to something bigger.

“You are almost there,” Ariana said, and suddenly, the first pop of fur came through my hands. Sweat was dripping down my body, and then my entire arm was suddenly filled with a fur I found to be very strange. It was white, and not just white; my fur glittered like some precious jewel.

I let out the last agonizing pain of transformation and landed on all fours with my entire body covered in white glittering fur. Even my eyes, I could tell, glowed with the same glitter in them. My eyes were silver-like, and I was way too huge compared to the werewolves I had seen while growing up. But that wasn’t all: I started seeing a silver-like glow surrounding me and illuminating my surroundings, but I could feel a force suppressing it, and I knew who it was—it was my wolf, Ariana, like she didn’t want the entire place to be filled with my glow.

I was filled with a newfound strength. I felt so powerful that I could bring down every single tree in the woods. I felt so good, so in control, like a new being. It was the greatest feeling ever, but then a question pressed in me strongly.

“Why do we look like this?” I asked, but got silence in return. It made me feel uneasy.

“Ariana?” I called, feeling scared.

“Promise you’ll never tell anyone. You need to keep it a secret no matter what,” Ariana finally spoke, to my relief, but it raised more confusion in me.

“Why do I have to keep my wolf a secret?” I was met with another silence. “Will you tell me if I promise?” I had to try something to get her to talk.

“Yes, Samantha,” she replied.

“I promise,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure I’d follow through with it because I felt so beautiful and different to keep it hidden.

“You’re a silver wolf, Samantha,” she said, and I got even more confused. A silver wolf?

“What does that mean? I’ve never heard anything like it,” I said, hoping for more answers, but her silence was getting frustrating. “Why, Ariana?” She was utterly silent, and the fear of being alone engulfed me.

“Ariana. Don’t go, please,” I cried.

“I’m always here,” she said, easing my burdened heart. “We need to shift to our human form now, or they’ll come for you.” She said, but that was too quick. I had not even enjoyed my wolf form enough to be satisfied. I wanted to keep feeling this great, but what did she mean by they?

“Who are they?” I asked, but this time, I felt her genuinely silenced, though it didn’t feel lonely. I was about to say something else when I felt the familiar pain from earlier take over me again. Though not as bad as when I shifted, I found my bones retracting as my human form began to come back, but I wasn’t ready.

“Wait! I need to run.” I had no control of shifting back, as it happened without my consent. “No!” I cried as I finally lay on the floor, completely naked and back to my human form, with questions unanswered and a mystery I was yet to unravel