Chapter 1

Seraphina pov

The sky was still a bruised purple when I woke, the kind of color that promised another long, unforgiving day. I lay on the narrow cot in the maid quarters for a moment longer than I should have, staring at the cracks in the wooden ceiling. Eighteen years old, adopted daughter of Alpha Magnus Ashwyn, and yet this cramped, dusty room with its thin blanket and single flickering lantern was where I slept. Not the main house and never the main house.

I pushed myself up, ignoring the ache in my shoulders from yesterday’s training, and pulled on the plain gray dress that marked me as little more than servant. The other maids were already stirring, but their whispers reached me before I even reached the corridor.

“Still no wolf,” one muttered. “Useless burden on the pack.”

“Wolfless disgrace,” another agreed. “Why the Alpha keeps her around is beyond me.”

I kept my head down and moved past them. Words like that had stopped cutting years ago. Or at least that’s what I told myself.

The morning passed in a blur of scrubbing floors until my knees were raw and carrying heavy buckets of water from the well. By the time the sun finally rose, my arms burned and my silver hair stuck to my neck in damp strands. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and headed toward the village market. The pack healer needed fresh herbs, and of course the task fell to me.

The moment I stepped into the park food square, the mood shifted. Heads turned. Eyes narrowed. A group of women near the bread stall leaned in together, their voices carrying on the breeze.

“There she is. The Alpha’s failed daughter.”

“Silver hair like some cursed omen. No wonder she can’t shift.”

I clenched my jaw and kept walking, basket clutched tightly in my hands. I approached the herb merchant, an older man with a permanent scowl. Before I could even speak, he snatched the list from my fingers.

“Get lost,” he growled. “I won’t sell to you. Wolfless girls bring nothing but bad luck to honest business.”

Heat rushed to my face.

“I just need…”

He grabbed my basket and tossed it aside. It clattered to the ground, herbs scattering. Laughter rippled through the nearby stalls. My chest tightened, but I refused to let the tears burning behind my eyes fall. Not here in front of them.

Before the situation could get worse, a quiet figure appeared at my side. Elena, the palace maid. She never spoke much, but she was always… there. Without a word, she bent down, gathered my scattered items, and placed a few coins into the merchant’s reluctant hand. The man grumbled but handed over the herbs.

I stared at her, embarrassment and anger twisting together in my stomach. “I didn’t ask for your help,” I said coldly, taking the basket from her. “I don’t need anyone’s pity, especially not yours.”

Elena’s warm amber eyes flickered with something pained, but she only gave a small nod and stepped back. I turned and walked away quickly, refusing to look at the way her shoulders curved inward.

By the time I returned to the pack mansion, my mood had soured even further. The training grounds were crowded with warriors and pack members, all cheering loudly. In the center stood Isabella, my adoptive sister. Her platinum blonde hair caught the sunlight as she shifted seamlessly into a sleek, powerful wolf. The transformation was flawless elegant and strong. The crowd erupted in applause.

Alpha Magnus my adoptive father stood tall with pride glowing on his face.

“That’s my daughter!” he boomed, clapping Isabella on her furry shoulder once she shifted back. Luna Vivienne beamed beside him, stroking Isabella’s hair with open affection. “Beautiful, darling. Simply perfect.”

I hovered at the edge of the grounds, invisible as always. Neither of them even glanced my way.

Then Alpha Magnus’s steel-gray eyes finally found me. His expression hardened. “Seraphina. Join the training. Today is the day you awaken your wolf. I will accept no more excuses.”

My stomach dropped, but I stepped forward. Hours blurred into pain. I followed every command meditating under the sun, running the obstacle course until my lungs screamed, pushing my body through the ritual postures designed to force a shift. Sweat poured down my back. My muscles shook. But nothing happened. No spark and no whisper of Selene, whoever or whatever she was supposed to be. Just exhaustion and the familiar sting of failure.

When I finally collapsed to my knees, panting, Luna Vivienne’s voice cut through the air like ice. “Disgrace. You embarrass this family every single day.”

Isabella smirked, flipping her hair. “Maybe you’re not even a real wolf, Seraphina. Just a pathetic human playing pretend.”

Only Elder Rosalind approached me afterward, her white hair shining softly in the fading light. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Do not lose hope, child,” she whispered. “Your time will come. I believe it with all my heart.”

I managed a weak smile for her.the only person who had ever shown me real kindness in this house before slipping away.

That evening, bruised and emotionally drained, I hid in the stables behind the mansion. The scent of hay and horses wrapped around me as I finally let the tears fall. Silent sobs shook my shoulders. Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I be enough?

Soft footsteps approached. Elena again.

She carried a small jar of salve, her expression full of quiet concern. “For your injuries,” she said gently, offering it to me.

I wiped my face roughly and stood. “I don’t need it. I don’t need your pity, Elena. Just… leave me alone.”

She lingered for a moment, eyes glistening, then turned and walked away. I saw her lift a hand to her face before she disappeared around the corner, but I told myself it didn’t matter. It couldn’t. Night had fully fallen when the sound of hooves echoed through the courtyard. A royal messenger, dressed in formal colors and bearing the crest of the Royal Werewolf Academy, dismounted in front of the mansion. The entire Ashwyn family gathered quickly, curiosity thick in the air. Isabella preened, already assuming the invitation was hers. The messenger cleared his throat and unrolled the parchment.

“I bring an official summons from the Royal Werewolf Academy. The academy requests the immediate attendance of… Seraphina Ashwyn.”

Silence crashed over the courtyard like a thunderclap. Isabella’s mouth fell open. Alpha Magnus stared, stunned. Luna Vivienne looked as though she had swallowed something sour. Even I froze, heart hammering wildly in my chest.

Me? The messenger continued, oblivious to the shock rippling through my so-called family.

“The term begins in one week. Transportation will be provided.”

As the reality settled over me, something fragile and terrifying sparked to life inside my chest. For the first time in eighteen years, the path ahead didn’t feel like endless punishment. It felt like escape.