Chapter 7

The Initiation (Vera’s POV)

My wolf reacted to the moonstone necklace as it pulsed against my chest, its cool glow humming with Starfang’s ancient magic.

The initiation hall buzzed with pack energy—cedar-scented air, the low growl of wolves mingling, and the clink of glasses raised to my eighteenth birthday.

Tonight, I’m no longer the naive pup who fell for Lana’s schemes. I’m the heir of Starfang Pack, reborn by the moon goddess’s grace, and I’m ready to turn my cousin’s trap against her.

The video of Lana’s alley disgrace sits in my email, a blade sharper than any claw, waiting to strike. But as I adjust my starlight gown, my wolf’s senses sharpen—a faint rogue scent wafts through the hall. Is Lana’s betrayal already in motion?

The Starfang stronghold, its stone walls draped in silver banners, feels alive under the full moon’s gaze. I stand at the edge of the grand staircase, the moonstone necklace—Grandpa Gideon’s gift, a relic of our pack’s power warming against my skin.

Its crescent moon and star pulse in rhythm with my heartbeat, stirring my wolf’s latent alpha strength. I’m not the broken she-wolf from the rogue lair, silver chains searing my wrists.

I’m something new, something fierce, and tonight’s initiation will prove it. The pack below—elders, betas, and young wolves—watched me with a mix of pride and curiosity. They see the heir, not the disgrace Lana branded me six years ago with her staged photos in the other life.

Mom’s cold gaze cuts through the crowd, her elegant frame poised near the banquet table. She’s a shadow of the mother I crave. Her icy nature stung, but I shove it down. I can’t afford distraction—not when Lana’s AI-faked photos are set to play on the hall’s screen, meant to shame me again.

She doesn’t know I’ve swapped them with her alley video, her own torment captured by the rogues she hired. My wolf purrs, claws itching to see her fall.

Grandpa Gideon stands at the hall’s center, his alpha aura a storm of warmth and strength. His silver hair gleams under the chandeliers, but his eyes—sharp, like the warrior who raised me—lock on mine with unspoken trust. “Vera, my pup,” he mind-links, his voice a low rumble in my skull. “Show them who you are.” My throat tightens, memories of his poisoned, skeletal form flashing from my past life.

I failed him once, bound to Damon’s false mate bond, letting Lana steal our moonstone. Not tonight. I nod, my wolf’s resolve hardening like steel.

The hall hummed with anticipation as I descended, my gown shimmering like liquid moonlight. Cee, flour-dusted apron swapped for a velvet dress, beams from the sidelines, her seer aura flickering with pride. “The stars are watching,” she’d said.

Her warnings about Lana saved me this time—I listened, unlike my past life when her throat was slit for it. My wolf whines, guilt clawing at me. I owe her everything, and I’ll protect her, no matter the cost.

Lana enters, late as always, her amber eyes glinting with fake sweetness. Her scarlet dress clings to her rogue-born frame, a calculated bid to outshine me.

The pack murmured, some charmed by her act, but my wolf snarled, sensing the venom beneath her smile. She thinks her AI photos will ruin me tonight, just like six years ago when her staged scandal drove me to Damon. My fingers brush the moonstone, its pulse steadying me. She’s walking into my trap, and her disgrace will light up the screen.

“Vera, you look… radiant,” Lana says, her voice syrupy as she approaches. Her claws twitch, barely hidden, and my wolf growls low, catching the faint scent of rogue musk on her—too faint for the pack, but not for me.

Did she meet her hired wolves before coming here? My heart raced, suspicion coiling tight. The video’s ready, but what else is she planning? I force a smile, playing the naive cousin she expects. “Thanks, Lana. You always know how to make an entrance.”

Her eyes narrow, searching for a crack in my acting, but I keep my gaze soft, my wolf’s hatred buried deep. She clinks her glass against mine, unaware of what I had in mind for her.

Tonight, I’ll switch her victory for defeat. “To family,” she says, her smirk sharp. I nod, sipping my wine, my wolf purring with dark satisfaction. She’ll taste her own poison soon.

The pack gathered for the initiation rite, Gideon’s voice booming as he called me forward. “Tonight, Vera takes her place as Starfang’s heir,” he declares, his alpha power rippling through the hall. Cheers erupt, but Mom’s lips tighten.

I step to the dais, the moonstone’s glow intensifying, my wolf stirring with a strength I’ve never felt. Is this the alpha blood Gideon swore ran in me? The pack’s eyes lock on me, and for a moment, I feel invincible—until Gabriel’s face flashes in my mind.

His blue eyes, his vow in the flames—“I’ll never leave you alone again.” His scent in the alley, pine and blood, still lingers, tugging at the mate bond I can’t trust.

Nightmoor’s alpha is a dangerous man, his pack a viper’s den. Why was he there that night, risking himself for me? My wolf whines, torn between longing and fear. I shove it down. Starfang comes first—Gideon, Cee, Dad, Mom. I won’t lose them again.

The screen behind Gideon flickered, signaling the growth video meant to honor my initiation.

My pulse spikes, my wolf’s claws scraping my soul. Lana’s AI photos are queued, but my hack ensures her alley video plays instead. I glance at her, her smug smile faltering as she senses the crowd’s shift.

My lips curve, a predator’s grin. This is it—her downfall begins now.

But then, a sharp scent cuts through the cedar and wine—rogue musk, stronger now, seeping from the hall’s edges. My wolf snarls, hackles rising. The pack doesn’t notice, lost in the ceremony, but my eyes dart to the shadowed windows.

A figure moves outside, too swift for human eyes. Lana’s allies, here already? Or is it Nightmoor, Gabriel’s pack, circling closer?

Does she have something else in mind?