Chapter 1

When I was twelve, Ethan was eighteen.

He was my brother Alex's best friend and the most powerful Alpha in the northern territories.

He was magnetic, commanding, with an aura that made every wolf in the pack lower their heads in respect.

I was completely obsessed with him.

This wasn't just a crush. When he was around, I felt my entire world shift on its axis.

I baked cookies for their pack meetings, the kind loaded with chocolate chips that Ethan always grabbed first.

I drew little pictures of wolves running under moonlight, pencil strokes filled with a longing I couldn't even name.

Every story about his victories in territorial disputes, I knew by heart.

My fifteenth birthday.

I was still in high school, my wolf hadn't emerged yet, but my dreams were full of shifting and finding my mate.

But that day, only Ethan mattered. Only the courage building in my chest like a wildfire.

After the pack celebration, Alex snuck me a small sip of the ceremonial wine.

It tasted like rebellion and bravery.

Enough bravery to seek out Ethan. He stood near the training grounds, his dark hair catching moonlight as he discussed border patrol schedules with his Beta.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

"Ethan?"

He turned, those piercing amber eyes settling on me.

"Hey, Sylvia. Happy birthday, little wolf."

The words tumbled out, clumsy but sincere: "I really like you, Ethan. I have for years."

Then, fueled by wine and years of pent-up hope, I leaned up and kissed him.

The kiss was brief, probably awkward.

He didn't push me away, but he didn't kiss back either.

When I pulled back, cheeks burning, he looked at me with a mixture of amusement and surprise.

He ruffled my hair, the gesture both gentle and dismissive.

"You're still just a pup, Sylvia."

My heart sank.

"But," he continued, his voice lazy and indulgent, tinged with the casual confidence of an Alpha, "when you turn eighteen and shift, if you're my mate, I'll mark you."

He said it so easily, almost like a joke.

But I clung to those words like a lifeline.

Eighteen. It sounded like a promise.

Three years.

Three years of high school, of waiting, of dreaming about my wolf awakening and the Moon Goddess pairing us together.

His "promise" became my secret timeline.

I counted down every full moon, every birthday, every pack gathering where I might catch his scent and feel that familiar flutter of hope.

I planned my eighteenth birthday with meticulous care.

This wasn't just a birthday. This was destiny knocking.

I even picked out a small carved wolf pendant as a gift, something to give him after we discovered our bond.

Eighteen.

The day finally came.

My birthday fell on a full moon, and I felt the stirring in my bones as evening approached.

The shifting came suddenly, powerfully, like lightning striking every nerve in my body.

Pain tore through me as my bones cracked and reformed, as my senses exploded into hyperdrive.

But when my wolf finally emerged, when I felt her wild joy singing in my blood, I caught a scent that made my heart soar.

Ethan. My mate.

The Moon Goddess had heard my prayers.

I didn't care about the lingering shift pain. I transformed back to human form, threw on clothes, grabbed the pendant, and ran toward the training grounds where his scent was strongest.

My bare feet flew over the forest floor, my newly awakened wolf senses guiding me straight to him.

But as I approached the clearing, I heard voices.

I slowed, staying hidden behind the treeline.

There was Ethan, and beside him stood Victoria, his Omega assistant.

She was pressed close to him, her hand on his chest.

And then I heard words that shattered my world.

"Who would be stupid enough to actually care about true mates?" Ethan's voice was urgent, passionate. "The bond between me and her is just the Moon Goddess's mistake. I only love you. I'll only mark you as my Luna."

My blood turned to ice.

Victoria's voice was soft, worried: "But what about Sylvia? She's been waiting for this day."

Ethan laughed, cold and cruel.

"That's easy. I'll just tell her you're pregnant. She'll run away fast enough then. No eighteen-year-old girl wants to compete with a pregnant woman for her 'mate's' attention."

Alex. My brother. His voice sounded uncomfortable, offering weak protest.

"Ethan, man, that's pretty harsh."

But he didn't push back. Probably for pack harmony. Or maybe he just didn't care.

The pendant slipped from my numb fingers.

It hit the forest floor with a soft thud that seemed to echo like thunder.

Everything I'd dreamed of, everything I'd waited for, crumbled in an instant.

I turned and ran, deeper into the woods, letting my wolf take over as tears streamed down my face.

My thoughts drifted back involuntarily, stupid and painful.

Years ago, during a territorial dispute near our borders. I was twelve, definitely too young to be wandering alone, but Alex and I had gotten into a fight and I'd stormed off into the woods.

The northern territories were dangerous then, with rogue wolves testing our boundaries.

Chaos erupted around me. Snarls echoed through the trees, the acrid scent of fear and aggression everywhere.

A pack of rogues had found me, their eyes gleaming with malicious hunger as they circled.

I was just a small, wolfless child. Easy prey.

Suddenly, a massive form crashed through the underbrush.

Ethan.

He'd shifted into his Alpha wolf, all black fur and lethal grace, his eyes blazing with protective fury.

The fight was swift and brutal. The rogues scattered after he'd torn into their leader.

"Are you hurt?" he asked after shifting back, his voice rough with concern.

I could only shake my head, heart pounding with terror and awe.

He pressed something into my small hand. A silver dagger, small but perfectly balanced.

"Learn to protect yourself, little wolf," he said, his amber eyes serious. "The world won't always be safe."

That was the moment. My childish admiration crystallized into something I thought was real, something worth waiting for.

That dagger. I kept it in a velvet box beside my bed.

Now, even that memory felt like a betrayal.

All those years.

The cookies I baked for pack meetings, the drawings I made of our future together, the nights I stayed awake dreaming of my eighteenth birthday.

I planned my entire life around his careless, probably forgotten promise.

Every choice I made, every dream I harbored, was colored by hope for him.

His words echoed: "Can't believe she's still hung up on that."

I'd become a burden. My love wasn't a gift but an annoyance to be dealt with through cruel lies.

I needed to find a new path. Away from him, away from all of this.

The mate bond pulsed between us like a wound that wouldn't heal, connecting me to someone who saw me as nothing more than an obstacle to his happiness.

I turned and melted back into the shadows of the forest, leaving behind the life I'd built around a promise that meant nothing.

I fumbled for my phone with stiff, cold fingers.

I needed to talk to Alex, to scream and demand answers, to make sense of all this.

But what was there to make sense of?

Alex had been sitting right there. He'd heard Ethan's plan. His silence in that clearing spoke louder than any words could.

He knew Ethan was serious about Victoria. He knew Ethan would break my heart, and he'd let it happen.

Maybe he even agreed with Ethan's approach. Maybe I was just the annoying little sister.