4

With my wolf awake inside me, every move I made was quicker, smoother, like I was gliding through the kitchen. My senses were sharper too—I could hear the low murmur of conversations from the dining hall, not just the usual yells or loud laughter that used to be all I could pick up.

I carried the breakfast trays out, keeping my eyes down as I set plates in front of the pack members. Adrian wasn’t there, but I placed his and Katrina’s plates anyway, then turned to grab the rest from the kitchen. When I came back, trays balanced carefully in my hands, I saw them coming down the stairs together, hand in hand. My breath caught in my throat, like someone had punched me in the chest. I froze, staring at Adrian as he yanked his hand away from Katrina’s, like her touch had burned him.

He started walking toward me, slow and deliberate, the air between us growing heavy, thick with something I couldn’t name. For a split second, I saw it—his wolf, rising to the surface, his eyes flashing with something wild. He was fighting it, trying to push it down. Inside my head, Alexa’s voice chanted, *Mate, mate, mate*, over and over, her excitement ringing through me. But I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, rooted to the spot as he closed the distance.

He stopped just a few inches away, close enough that I could feel the heat coming off him. His eyes locked onto mine, blazing with a mix of fire and hunger, like he was seeing me for the first time. But then, just as quick, that fire turned to anger, his jaw tightening. I braced myself, expecting a outburst, a cruel word, something to cut me down. Instead, he opened his mouth, then closed it, not saying a single word.

He brushed past me, his shoulder grazing mine, and kept walking, not even glancing at the table where the others were eating. Katrina’s head snapped toward me, her eyes shooting daggers as she stormed after him. “What the hell is going on?” she yelled, her voice sharp enough to slice through the room, her glare accusing me of something I hadn’t even said out loud.

I stood there, heart pounding, Alexa whimpering in my head. *He’s going to reject us,* I said to her, my stomach twisting at the thought. Her soft whines echoed my own hurt, the way he’d just walked out without a word stinging more than I wanted to admit. I forced myself to move, setting the rest of the plates down and retreating to the kitchen, my hands shaking as I gripped the edge of the counter.

The rest of the day dragged by, and I didn’t see Adrian again. Not once. But Katrina showed up, of course. She planted herself in the kitchen doorway, just standing there, staring at me for what felt like forever. Her eyes were cold, calculating, like she was piecing together some kind of plan in her head. Had he told her? I wondered, my mind racing.

Did she know what Alexa had sensed, what I was too afraid to say out loud? I didn’t speak to her—what was there to say? Start explaining that I didn’t plan this, that I didn’t want her man? No way. Besides, every part of me burned at the thought of her near Adrian, my mate. I wanted to tear her away from him, to claim what was mine. But then the question hit me, loud and heavy: Was he really my mate? Was he worth fighting for if he could look at me like that, with anger instead of anything else, and then walk away without a word?

I kept my head down, chopping vegetables, stirring pots, anything to keep my hands busy while my thoughts spun. Truth was, I didn’t know if Adrian was worth it. If he found out I was his mate and his first reaction anger and then stormed off without a word, what did that say about him? About us? I wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d pick me over Katrina, his chosen Luna, the one he’d been with for years. The one who fit into his world, his pack, his life. While i was just the orphan, the servant, the girl they all looked down on.

Night came fast, and I was still wrestling with the plan I’d had for so long—to run the second I turned eighteen. That was the deal, right? Get my wolf, get out, leave Iron Fang and all its poison behind. But now, with Alexa in my head, it wasn’t so simple. She was quiet all day, her usual spark dimmed, and I knew this was hitting her harder than it was hitting me. My wolf was tied to Adrian and the idea of leaving him behind was tearing her up. I could feel it, like an ache deep in my bones.

*We should wait till tomorrow,* Alexa finally said, her voice soft, breaking the silence that had settled between us. *He might accept us.* I didn’t know how to respond. Part of me wanted to believe her, to hold onto that tiny shred of hope. But another part—the part that had spent years being pushed around, ignored, and humiliated—wanted to tell her she was wrong. That Adrian wasn’t going to come around, that he’d made his choice long before I got my wolf. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her.

I hauled my bucket of water up to my attic room, same as every night, and took a quick bath, splashing cold water over my skin. No fancy soaps, no long soak—just enough to wash off the day. I slipped into one of my worn t-shirts the fabric soft from too many washes. Then I crawled into my narrow bed, pulling the thin blanket over me. I stared at the ceiling, willing sleep to come, but my mind wouldn’t quit. Adrian’s face kept flashing in my head—those burning eyes, the way he’d stopped himself from speaking, the anger that had taken over. And Katrina’s glare, like she already knew something I was too scared to admit.

I wanted to run. To hell with all of them—Adrian, Katrina, the whole pack. I could leave, start over somewhere new, just me and Alexa. But my wolf wasn’t making it easy. She was holding on, clinging to the idea of our mate, and I didn’t know how to fight that. So I lay there, eyes heavy, heart heavier, waiting for sleep to pull me under.