Chapter 1

My Alpha, Damon, and I grew up together. Our fated mate bond ignited the second we stepped onto the grounds of the Wolf Elite Academy.

He looked at me, his eyes soft, and told me he had a surprise for me at the Academy’s New Moon Festival. He said I had to come on stage.

My heart raced as I walked toward him.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me tight. He told me to close my eyes and wait.

The next second, the lights flared to life.

I saw another Alpha’s daughter standing before me, a pair of silver scissors in her hand.

Snip.

My long hair had always been my pride. Now, it lay in ruined clumps on the ground.

The hall erupted in the excited howls of the pack.

His laugh was the loudest. The most cutting.

The next day, he found out I was dropping out of the Academy. A wave of his uncontrolled Alpha power slammed into me.

"You're leaving? Over a game?"

I turned away calmly. "Yes."

...

Damon waved at me from below the stage. I could feel his wolf calling to mine, desperate.

“Elena! Time for that surprise.”

The wolves around us howled, the energy of the New Moon Festival hitting its peak.

I was the MC for the festival, standing at the stage's edge.

The spotlight hit me, and my long golden hair rippled like liquid gold with every move.

I clutched my cue cards, gave him a small smile, and started down the steps.

He grabbed my wrist. The Alpha's strength was undeniable, searing hot against my skin.

"Not down. Up." He pulled me back onto the stage, his voice a low, magnetic growl. "The surprise is up here."

I was confused. "What surprise?"

"You'll see. Come on, we only have a few minutes between ceremonies."

Damon pushed me to the center of the stage before I could protest.

His handsome face was mesmerizing in the firelight. His Alpha scent was strong, intoxicating.

"Close your eyes," he whispered in my ear, his voice bewitching.

I obeyed, closing my eyes.

He hugged me from behind, his warm chest pressed against my back. His embrace felt warm and familiar.

"My little moon, are you ready?"

I nodded, hearing only a low murmur of excited whispers from the crowd.

A knot of unease tightened in my stomach. My palms began to sweat.

Suddenly, the stage lights blazed.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw a figure standing in front of me.

A stunning red silk dress. Curls like golden waves. She was beautiful, like a bloodthirsty pixie.

Chloe. The daughter of the Red Rock pack's Alpha.

And in her hand was a gleaming pair of silver scissors.

My body went rigid.

My heart dropped. What was this? Some kind of sick ritual?

A cruel joke?

I turned my head to ask Damon.

His arms tightened around me like a vise. Then the crushing weight of his Alpha command slammed down, pinning me in place. I couldn't move.

The smile on my face froze.

Chloe walked toward me, a sweet smile on her face.

She raised the silver scissors, flashing them in front of my eyes.

The crowd below erupted in excited howls and whistles.

"Damon, is this your surprise?" Chloe's voice echoed across the festival grounds. "You said you had an offering for me, to prove your commitment."

I felt the blood freeze in my veins.

I struggled, but Damon’s Alpha command held me fast.

His fingers dug into my arms like steel clamps.

"Damon, what are you doing!" My voice trembled.

He didn't answer. He just let out a low chuckle in my ear.

It was filled with pleasure, and a cruel edge I'd never heard before.

“I’ve always heard the Blackwood pack had a pretty Beta,” Chloe said, her voice dripping with poison as she ran her fingers through my hair. “Especially her golden hair.”

“But unfortunately for you… I don’t tolerate anyone blonder than me!”

An Alpha in the crowd roared, "Cut it! Cut it!"

Then more voices joined in, a chanting wave of sound. "Cut it! Cut it!"

I stared at Chloe, at the vicious smile on her face. I tried desperately to turn and see Damon's expression.

But I couldn't move.

Snip.

A sharp, crisp sound.

My heart shattered with it.

I watched the first lock of golden hair fall. It drifted past my face and landed on the polished floor, instantly turning dull and lifeless.

Then a second snip, and a third.

Snip. Snip. Snip.

Chloe was like a child with a new toy, methodically destroying my hair, one cut at a time.

Pieces of it fell on my shoulders and down my neck, tickling my skin.

A sudden chill hit the back of my neck as a large chunk of hair fell away, letting the cold night air rush in.

The crowd exploded with thunderous howls and applause.

I heard Damon, right behind me, start to laugh.

His chest vibrated with it. His laugh was louder than anyone's. More piercing.

It stabbed through my soul like a knife.

My wolf let out an uncontrollable whimper. A wave of pain washed over my entire body.

But I just stood there. Silent. Numb.

When the last strand was cut, Chloe stepped back, admiring her work.

The applause reached a crescendo.

"Well, Damon, I accept your commitment," she said with a grin. Then, like a queen taking a bow, she gathered her skirt and ran off the stage.

The pressure on my shoulders vanished. Damon let me go.

He leaned down, his hot lips pressing against the top of my head. Loose strands of hair rained down.

"So? Big enough surprise for you?" His tone was light and proud, like he'd just pulled off a fun prank. "Don't be mad, my little moon. Hair grows back."

I didn't look at him. I turned and walked, step by step, toward the stairs.

My hair felt so light. It was short and uneven, like it had been chewed on by a wild animal.

The laughter and howls from the crowd continued.

I walked off the stage and through the crowd, past all the smiling eyes that looked at me like I was a clown.

I didn't cry. Not a single tear.

I felt nothing. Just the cold certainty that my entire eighteen years had been a joke.

And I was the punchline.