Chapter 1

Chapter One

Cammy POV

Present Day

Cammy’s eyes fluttered open as the first light of dawn crept through the darkness, chasing away the last remnants of night. It was still too early to rise, but excitement buzzed through her veins, making sleep impossible. She curled onto her side, burying her face into her pillow, her copper hair cascading over her cheeks like a silken veil. She willed herself to stay still, to savor the last few moments of quiet before the day truly began, but it was no use. A slow, eager grin spread across her face. Her strange reddish-gold eyes gleamed with delight. She was eighteen today.

Taking a deep breath, she sat up. A run would help burn off some of her nervous energy—maybe, just maybe, tonight she would find the one.

As much as she had friends, she’d always kept them at a distance, unknowingly shielding her heart. But with her mate, it would be different. No more barriers. No more secrets. She longed for that deep, unbreakable bond, the kind she had seen so many others experience. Love. Affection. A connection so fierce that it consumed you. She flushed at the thought of being touched by a man for the first time, warmth pooling beneath her skin.

Most of her friends had already found their mates, their souls irrevocably entwined. She had watched them for months, envying the way they were drawn together, barely able to keep their hands off each other. Wolves were created to love—fated to find their significant other. She knew she would find everything she yearned for in her mate. If only she could find him.

She pushed the thoughts away, slipped out of her pj's and through her window. She shifted effortlessly into her wolf form before taking off into the forest. The wind howled against her fur as she ran, allowing the rhythmic pounding of her paws against the earth to calm her restless mind.

Her ‘coming of age’ was a significant event for the Silver Moon Pack. Since her mother had died giving birth to her, never revealing the identity of her chosen mate, there had been no heir in the next generation to take over the pack. Many had assumed the Moon Goddess would select a leader from amoungst the strong males within their pack when her grandfather could no longer lead, but that day had never come.

Grandpa Gerald was the oldest known alpha still in power. Though he remained physically strong, there was an unspoken understanding among the pack—his time as leader was nearing its end. With Cammy now of mating age, all eyes were on her. Would she mate the next alpha? Surely, it had to be her. She could feel their stares wherever she went, particularly from the young, unmated males. The attention made her uneasy. Unlike most wolves, who thrived in the presence of their pack, she preferred the quiet. She was soft-spoken and socially awkward, traits she had inherited from her father.

Her father.

Cameron Allistar White had been a soldier in the American Civil War when he was mortally wounded and left for dead. A nomadic vampire, searching for an easy meal, had begun to drain him—only to be interrupted by a clean-up crew retrieving fallen soldiers. The vampire fled before he could finish, leaving behind a man who was neither dead nor fully human. His heart still beating when the venom flooded his veins.

Vampires were solitary creatures, rarely forming lasting bonds outside of mating. But Cameron had chosen her mother, and when vampires mated, it was for life. They had never expected her mother to conceive—vampires were supposedly incapable of reproduction. It was only after Cammy’s birth that they realized male vampires might be able to father children, while female vampires remained barren.

She had been named after her father. Cameron. It was the last word her mother had called out before her final breath, cradling her newborn daughter in weak arms. Mistakenly, it was assumed that her mother was naming the baby girl craddled gently in her arms.

The moment her grandparents learned the truth about her father, who had come looking for his mate and entered her home for the first, and last time, they had insisted she keep her mother’s surname. Even then, it had been too dangerous for Cameron to live among them. Instead, he settled nearby, meeting Cammy in secret at the meadow where he had once met her mother. Her grandfather had forbidden his pack members to enter the land, allowing her father to settle there and keeping the secret of her identity hidden on that secluded piece of land. Over the years, she had grown to look nearly his age—forever preserved at twenty-one, the age he had been when he was turned.

By the time she returned from her run, the sun had fully risen. Slowing as she neared the edge of the property, she leapt effortlessly through her open window, landing soundlessly on the wooden floor—a skill she had inherited from her father. Her copper hair clung to her damp skin, and her pale complexion bore a slight flush from exertion, though it still carried more warmth than her father’s. Proof that blood still ran through her veins.

A long shower later, she climbed back into bed, pulling a book from her nightstand. She read for a little over an hour as she waited for the rest of the household to wake.

Knock, knock.

“Come in!” Cammy called.

The door swung open, and before she could react, her grandparents burst into song.

Giggling, Cammy sat up as Granny Bella leaned in for a hug. “Happy birthday, my beautiful girl!” she said warmly.

“Thanks, Gran... Grandpa!” Cammy beamed as her grandfather leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead.

He set a breakfast tray on her lap—coffee and a chocolate chip croissants. Her favorite. Cammy inhaled the rich aroma, feeling a familiar sense of lightness and contentment as they sat together, chatting over breakfast. She adored her grandparents. They had raised her as their own. She shared an especially deep bond with her grandfather, who had always been her confidant and closest friend. To her, there was no wolf stronger, wiser, or more deserving of admiration. He was loved by all, always ready to share his wisdom or engage in playful banter with the pack.

Tonight, they were throwing her a birthday celebration, a grand event to honor her eighteenth year. It wasn’t just a pack gathering—alphas and representatives from surrounding packs, including the largest and most powerful in the country, had been invited.

All eager to see if the young she-wolf would find her mate tonight.