Chapter 2

You will definitely shift," Bella assured me enthusiastically.

I wanted to hope, but each failed year flashed in my memory like a bad dream. What if it didn’t happen? My stomach flipped at the thought of being sold to those creepy middle-aged men my father called friends.

It was the day, and we were heading out to the woods. The Shifting Grounds were the highest land in the pack. It was where the Solstice full moon was the biggest and brightest, and where the Alpha would guide new shifters through their first shift. I just hoped I would be one of them this year.

I got dressed as Bella went on. “You have the best odds this year.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“You’re twenty-two this year. The Moon Goddess’s daughter was twenty-two when she shifted. They say she was a late shifter, but her wolf was the most powerful. Almost as powerful as the Moon Goddess herself.”

Bella adjusted her glasses as she continued to fill me in on the werewolf mythology she loved to read. Bella, my geeky friend, was the best thing that ever happened to me in this pack. My only friend.

“I’m not the Moon Goddess’s daughter,” I said lightly.

She wiggled her brows. “You never know.”

I chuckled despite my anxiety as we made our way toward the Shifting Grounds.

We walked side by side, her voice filling the silence as she talked about the Moon Goddess’s daughter. I tried to focus on her words, but my heart pounded louder with every step toward the Shifting Grounds. The weight of everyone’s eyes, waiting for me to fail again, made my skin crawl.

“You know,” Bella said suddenly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “we could take another way. It’s longer, but we can avoid all those stuck-up jerks staring you down.”

I hesitated, glancing ahead to where the rest of the pack was gathering. Bella was right—most of them would be watching, waiting for me to fail. Again.

“Let’s do it,” I agreed, relief washing over me.

Bella grinned, tugging me toward a bushier, overgrown path. The branches scratched at my skin as we moved deeper into the woods, but I didn’t care. Anything was better than the crushing judgment of the other prospective shifters.

“So, as I was saying,” Bella continued, “the Moon Goddess’s daughter had this incredible connection to…” She went on and on.

We walked a distance and could already hear the sounds of the ritual starting from afar. The Alpha, other high-ranking wolves, and their grown children would be present to coordinate the event. The thought of seeing them again filled me with dread.

I listened to Bella’s rambling in the background of my mind, but then her voice cut off suddenly, and I stopped in my tracks. “Bella?”

I turned to look at her, but she was gone. Panic surged through me. “Bella?” I called out, my voice trembling. I spun around, searching, but the only sound was the rustling of leaves.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my arm, yanking me backward. I gasped, struggling, but more hands grabbed me, pinning me to the ground. My heart raced as I looked up and saw them—Aaron, Jacob, Marcus, and the others from the night before.

“Well, well,” Aaron sneered, crouching down beside me. “What are the odds? The Beta’s little disgrace, all alone.”

“Where’s Bella?” I spat, fear and rage swirling inside me.

Jacob grinned, his hand pressing harder on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about her. She’s not the one we’re interested in.”

I kicked out, but Marcus grabbed my legs, holding me down. “Stay still,” he growled. “You wouldn’t want to make this worse for yourself, would you?”

“What do you want?” I demanded, my voice shaking with fear. I didn’t need to ask what they intended to do.

Aaron leaned in closer, his breath hot on my face. “We gotta have a taste before an old man gets to have it all. You’re going to fail anyway. So why don’t you just have some fun?”

Fear crashed over me in waves, my heart thundering in my chest as Aaron’s words sank in. They pushed me roughly into the dirt, my pulse hammering in my ears.

I screamed. “Help, he—” A hand slammed painfully over my mouth.

“Shut the fuck up!” I didn’t even know who spoke.

I could hear distant growling, a sign that the Winter Solstice ritual was beginning, but it felt miles away. I was stuck here, helpless, with no one coming to save me. Was Bella okay? What did they do to her?

“You really think you can run?” Jacob snarled, his fingers digging into my arm as I thrashed. “Just stop fighting. It’ll be easier.”

I kicked harder, my mind screaming for Bella. Where was she? Had they done something to her? Hot tears pricked my eyes, but I fought to keep them from falling. If I didn’t shift tonight, I’d lose everything—my chance, my freedom, my life. And these men would still destroy me.

“Let’s get this over with,” Aaron growled impatiently, his hand sliding down to my waist. “No one’s coming to save you.”

I clenched my fists, panic choking me as I heard the faint sound of skin tearing in the distance. The pack was shifting. It was happening now, and I was missing it. My chance was slipping away while I lay here, pinned down like prey.

Tears blurred my vision, my body trembling under their weight. ‘No. No, no, no!’ I couldn’t let this happen. Not like this. I heard the unbuckling of belts, and my heart sank.

Suddenly, I heard it—deep, guttural, primal. A voice inside me, growling with a rage I didn’t know I had.

“Fight back!” it growled. Then it dawned on me. It wasn’t me at all. It was my wolf.

A surge of power erupted within me, burning through my veins. The pain hit me all at once—tearing, ripping me apart from the inside. I screamed as my bones cracked, my muscles contorted, shifting, breaking free.

“What the hell?” Marcus shouted, scrambling back in the darkness. Off me.

“Get off her!” Aaron barked, but it was too late.

My wolf was awake. She had finally answered my call after five years.

I lunged, my teeth sinking into Aaron’s shoulder with a sickening crunch. He screamed, trying to shove me off, but I didn’t let go. My claws tore through Jacob’s leg as I spun, the force sending him crashing into the trees.

“Shift! Shift!” Marcus shouted at the others, but it was useless. My wolf was in control now—fast, deadly, and merciless.

I tore into them with a fury I didn’t know I had, their screams filling the night as my body fully shifted. The pain was agonizing, but I embraced it. My wolf craved and enjoyed their fear, their weakness, as they tried to fight back and failed.

They screamed in agony from my attacks, and the metallic scent of blood filled the air. Suddenly, it dawned on me—I would kill them if I didn’t stop.

I tried to rein in my wolf’s power and bloodlust, trying to channel some control. But nothing was working.

I needed to stop—but I couldn’t. My wolf craved more.

Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in my side. Teeth sank into my shoulder, and I was ripped off Jacob. A fierce growl echoed in my ear, and the force of the bite brought me to my knees.

I shifted back, gasping, my skin trembling as my wolf retreated. I blinked, the world coming back into focus. Blood covered my hands. My heart raced as I looked up.

Silas Morrigan stood there in his wolf form, towering over me, his golden eyes burning with anger. He shifted back, looming above me in human form. His voice was cold, biting.

“Get up,” he commanded.