Chapter 1

Ersa

“What is this about, Ersa?” Denise’s voice rang out as she appeared in a flowing white dress. Her eyes widened the moment she saw the Beta leading me up the path toward the Alpha’s lone mansion on the mountain peak.

I didn’t answer. My gaze searched the crowd instead, desperate for a familiar face. Was she paired with Conan already? But no matter how hard I looked, he wasn’t there.

“Ersa Soltharic has been chosen as a candidate for the Second Calling,” the Beta announced firmly, his voice carrying over the murmurs. “Along with Lyanna Averith, Seraphine Jamal, and Everine Thorne, who are already waiting at the mansion. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

Gasps and whispers followed as he pulled me through the crowd. The words pricked at my ears, rumors about the Alpha finally holding the ceremony to choose his Luna, questions about why I was chosen, but none of them mattered. Not when Conan was nowhere in sight.

Where are you, Conan?

The Beta’s voice cut into my thoughts as we approached the stone-paved path leading to the looming mansion. “Once we arrive, there will be no briefing, so listen carefully. The Second Calling is mandatory. From this moment until the Choosing Day, which is one hundred and fifty moons from now, you will remain within the Alpha’s domain.”

My breath hitched, but I stayed silent.

“You will face three trials,” he continued. “The Wolf’s Fang. The Wolf’s Eye. The Wolf’s Heart. Each trial has been personally designed by the Alpha, and between them there will be tests meant to reveal your worth. Each interval lasts forty-nine moons. Do you understand?”

Everything about it felt overwhelming, terrifying even. Still, I forced myself to nod.

“You are to meet the other candidates tomorrow at breakfast.”

At last, we reached the gate. It opened on its own, revealing a vast garden that stretched so far I couldn’t even see the mansion hidden beyond it.

A carriage stood waiting, and we climbed inside. It carried us across the grounds until we finally stopped before towering double doors.

Our pack, the Dewcrest, might not be the strongest, but it was the largest and wealthiest of them all.

“One of the servants will take you to your room. Rest well, Ersa,” the Beta said before leaving me at the entrance, where rows of servants stood silently on either side.

One of them stepped forward and gave a small bow. “This way, ma’am.” She turned toward the grand staircase, her steps graceful and practiced.

“Wait,” I said quickly, following after her. “I didn’t bring my belongings. Is that… part of the trials?”

The truth was, I knew very little about the Second Calling. I had never lived long enough to see one with my own eyes. For all I knew, we were expected to sew our own clothes or prove ourselves in ways I couldn’t imagine.

“It is already provided, ma’am. Carefully chosen by the servants based on your profiles.”

“Profiles?” I echoed, unsure if I liked the sound of being researched.

“Yes,” she continued without hesitation. “I was tasked to learn about you, Ma’am. Ersa Soltharic, named after Erza Soltharic, the daughter of the renowned Beta Gaven. You are said to descend from the Soltharics—the strongest bloodline in the history of werewolves. You stayed in the home of the Stormbanes until the age of ten, then lived alone in a small hut deep within the Eastern forest for eleven years. There, you honed survival skills—hunting, weather-reading, and other practices that would be deemed fitting for a Luna.”

Her mouth carried on like a running stream as she led me upstairs.

I was left in awe of everything she had uncovered. Most of it could have been pieced together by asking locals, yet hearing it strung so neatly unsettled me.

“You are in love with Conan Stormbane, ever since you were young,” she added bluntly, “though I doubt it is love—more like a sense of deep debt owed to their family. You have no friends and—”

“Enough.” The word slipped sharper than intended as my hand shot up, covering her mouth. My eyes widened when I realized what I had done. “I-I apologize.”

I exhaled a shaky breath, then asked quietly, “Did you really report all of that to the Alpha?”

She pressed her lips together, then nodded.

The rest of the walk stretched in silence. Perhaps my response earlier had been harsh, but at least she was perceptive enough to hold her tongue now.

When we finally stopped, she bowed her head slightly and opened the door. “We’re here, ma’am.”

I hesitated on the threshold, my hand hovering at the frame. “Is there truly no escaping this?” I whispered.

The servant shook her head and slipped a folded piece of parchment from her apron. “According to the rules set by the First Alpha, escaping is equal to death.”

“Alright.” The word left me in a whisper. There was nothing more to say.

“If you need anything, ma’am, simply ring the bell beside your bed,” she added before disappearing down the endless hallways.

I turned to the room she had left me with. A soft double bed. A walk-in closet. Furniture polished to perfection. It was everything a woman could dream of—everything I never asked for.

I let myself fall onto the bed, staring at the high ceiling, and as sleep slowly pulled me under, all I could think of was Conan.

“Here, as pretty as you are, Erie. I bet you’ll grow even more beautiful than whoever the Luna turns out to be.” His boyish grin flashed in my memory.

I had laughed, lowering my head just enough for him to place the crown of wildflowers he had woven for me. “You’re exaggerating again, Con,” I had said.

When I raised my head, his hand had found my cheek, warm and tender. His smile had faded into something more serious, his face leaning closer, closer—

“It’s time to wake up, ma’am!”

My eyes flew open. The dream crumbled, replaced by the servant from yesterday, standing by my bedside.

“You’re late for breakfast,” she scolded gently. “Even Lady Seraphine is already there. That won’t do, Ma’am Ersa. I’m rooting for you, after all.”

I rubbed at my eyes, guilt creeping in. “I apologize. I usually wake much earlier.”

“Oh, I know.” Her smile was bright, almost knowing, and it startled me enough to silence my reply.

“Now, chop-chop! We need to dress you.”

“R-right.”

As she sorted through gowns, I learned her name properly—Rose. She told me, almost proudly, that she had once been a rogue until the Alpha had taken her in, given her work and a purpose.

She chose a simple blue dress for me, its hem grazing just above my knees. My heart raced as she helped me into it; I was not used to such finery, nor to being displayed like this.

Together, we walked toward the garden where the other candidates waited.

I told myself to hope, to believe I might form friendships here.

But the moment I reached the long table, that fragile thought dissolved.