Chapter 2

Nadia's POV

Glass showers around us. Dylan throws his body over mine, shielding me. "Stay down," he growls.

Through the destroyed window, three massive wolves leap into the room. Red eyes. Crimson Lake wolves.

Dylan shifts instantly, his wolf emerging. Midnight black fur, magnificent. He positions himself between me and the intruders.

The largest wolf, scarred, shifts back to human form. "We've come for the girl," he says calmly.

Dylan shifts back. "She's under my protection."

The man laughs. "You rejected her, Alpha Winters. She has no claim to your protection."

"That's where you're wrong." Dylan's voice is deadly quiet. "She's mine."

"Your sources say you rejected her five years ago. Mated another female."

"I lied." The words hang in the air. "Nadia Thomas is my true mate. Always has been. And anyone who tries to take her will have to go through me."

The scarred man smiles. "Irrelevant. She carries Alpha blood. She belongs with her real family. Your father wants to meet you. You're his only heir, Nadia. The future Alpha of Crimson Lake."

"Where was my real family when I was treated like dirt for being an omega's daughter?" I find my voice.

"We failed you. But we're here now. Come with us willingly, and no one gets hurt."

"She's not going anywhere with you, Marcus." Beta James appears with Silver Moon warriors.

"The rejection was never completed." Dylan says to Marcus. "I rejected her with words, but I never accepted her rejection in return. The bond was damaged but not severed. She's still mine."

The room erupts. Marcus's wolves attack. Dylan meets them head-on.

I press myself against the wall, watching in horror. A gray wolf breaks away, lunging for me. Dylan intercepts, his jaws clamping down on the attacker's throat.

Marcus shifts back to wolf form. He and Dylan circle each other. They're evenly matched, two alphas ready to fight.

Marcus's claws rake across Dylan's flank. Dylan retaliates. They roll across the floor.

Dylan pins Marcus, going for his throat. Then Marcus shifts just his hand back and drives a hidden blade into Dylan's side.

"No!" The scream tears from my throat.

Dylan stumbles, blood pouring out. Marcus rises.

Something inside me snaps.

Heat floods my body, power I've never felt before. My wolf emerges without my conscious control. I'm huge. Pure white fur that seems to glow with inner light. Power radiates from me in waves.

Everyone in the room freezes.

"Impossible," Marcus breathes. "The White Wolf. You're the White Wolf."

I attack Marcus with a fury I didn't know I possessed. My teeth find his throat.

When Marcus falls, his remaining wolves flee. I shift back, rushing to Dylan who's still in wolf form, blood pooling beneath him.

"Dylan, please. Change back. Let me help you."

He shifts slowly, painfully. The wound is deep. I press my hands against it.

"Nadia," he whispers. "You're the White Wolf. I should have known."

"Then why?"

"My father... he discovered your heritage. Crimson Lake's alpha had an affair with your mother years ago. He said he'd kill you if I didn't reject you publicly and mate with Veronica. I thought... if you hated me, you'd stay away. Stay safe."

"You stupid, noble idiot."

Power surges through me again. My hands begin to glow with white light. I press them to Dylan's wound. Light explodes, flooding into him. The wound begins to close. His heart starts beating again.

Dylan gasps, his eyes flying open. "You saved me."

"I... I don't know how I did that."

"Then let me fix that mistake." He pulls me closer, our foreheads touching. "I, Dylan Winters, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, renounce my rejection. You are my mate, my equal, my everything. If you'll have me."

Before I can answer, James bursts through the door. "Alpha! The council is here. All of them. They've heard about the White Wolf."

Dylan stands, pulling me up with him. "Whatever happens, we face it together."

Heavy footsteps echo in the hallway.

The eldest, a woman with silver hair, speaks first.

"The White Wolf has risen. The prophecy begins."

"What prophecy?" I demand.

"The prophecy that says you will either unite all werewolf kind... or destroy us all."

"And we're here," the elder continues, "to make sure you choose correctly. By any means necessary."

I'm the White Wolf, and apparently, the fate of every werewolf now rests in my hands.

No pressure.