Chapter 2: The Crash

My phone buzzed against the cafeteria table like a warning shot.

Alpha Dominic. My father never called me first. Ever. Our communication consisted of him grunting in my direction at dinner and me existing quietly in the background.

I answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Come home immediately." The line went dead.

No explanation. No "how are you." Just a command barked into the phone. I stared at the screen for five seconds.

Across the table, Anna stopped mid bite. "What happened?"

"I have to go."

"Serious?"

I hesitated. "I don't know."

But I did know. Something was wrong. The kind of wrong that sits in your chest like a cold stone.

***

The drive to Moonfang territory felt endless.

Every red light was a personal attack. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my nails dug into my palms. The familiar trees blurred past the windows.

The Moonfang gates appeared. Two guards stood on either side, faces carved from stone. They opened the gates before I even slowed down. Usually they made me wait. Usually they checked my ID like I was a stranger.

Tonight, they just let me through.

Black SUVs lined the front of the manor. Six of them. Pack vehicles. The kind that only moved when something terrible happened.

***

I did not walk inside. I ran.

Servants rushed through the halls carrying bandages. Voices echoed from upstairs. Somewhere, glass shattered.

Then I heard my father shout. "He could have died!"

My blood turned to ice. The fear was never for me. It was always for Lucien.

I grabbed the nearest doctor by the arm and yanked him backward. "What happened?"

His eyes were wide. "Your brother. Car accident. The highway."

Everything inside me melted.

"Where is he?"

"Second floor."

I ran.

***

The hallway outside Lucien's room stretched forever. Two guards stood at attention. They did not stop me. I pushed the door open and froze.

Lucien was on the bed. He looked wrong. His face was swollen on one side, bruised in colors that should never exist on human skin. Bandages wrapped around his chest, stained red. His arm sat in a brace at an unnatural angle. Machines beeped beside him.

My brother looked weak. Lucien Vale had never looked weak a day in his life. Not when he shifted early and I did not. Not when he won every competition and I watched from the sidelines.

Now he lay there like a broken doll.

Selene sat beside the bed, clutching Lucien's hand. She looked up. Relief flooded her face. "He is alive," she whispered.

I moved closer. "What happened?"

No one answered right away. Dominic stood across the room with several pack elders. They were all looking at me like I was a problem.

Finally, an elder spoke. "The brakes failed."

I frowned. "That does not make sense. Lucien checks his car constantly. He once refused to drive because a warning light flickered for two seconds. Since when does Lucien forget to maintain his car?"

The elders exchanged glances. The kind that meant they knew something I did not.

Dominic's expression darkened. "This is not the time for questions."

"No," I said. The word came out sharp. "Now is exactly the time for questions. Something feels wrong here. Not unlucky. Wrong."

Another elder stepped forward nervously. "The sponsors already know about the accident. The championship begins in two weeks. If Lucien cannot play..."

I turned to my brother. His eyes were open now. Barely.

"What happened?" I asked softer.

Lucien's bruised face tried to smile. It did not work. "The car lost control."

"That is not an answer."

He looked away. That hesitation. I knew it too well. Lucien was hiding something.

"You remember something."

"No. I do not."

I knew he was lying. Before I could push further, pain twisted across his face. The monitors beeped faster. A doctor rushed over.

"He needs rest."

Lucien grabbed my wrist. His grip was weak. Desperate. His eyes found mine. "Don't let him do it," he whispered.

I frowned. "Do what?"

But Lucien was already fading. His eyes fluttered closed. The doctor pulled me back gently.

"You should leave."

Don't let him do it. The words stayed trapped in my head long after I left the room.

***

The next morning, Dominic called me into his study.

The door shut behind me with a sound like a coffin closing.

Dominic stood near his desk holding several papers. Contracts. Sponsorship documents. He did not look at me right away.

"The doctors confirmed Lucien cannot play," he said.

"Okay."

"The championship cannot proceed without Moonfang's captain."

"And?"

Dominic finally looked directly at me. "You will take his place."

The room went silent. I thought I misheard him. Then I realized he was serious.

"No."

"You and Lucien are identical. No one outside the pack even knows you exist. Which makes this possible."

That one hurt. He said it so casually. Like me hiding my entire life was just convenient now.

"I barely know hockey."

"You trained beside Lucien growing up. You remember enough."

I shook my head slowly. "This is insane."

Dominic stepped closer. "If Moonfang loses this sponsorship, rival packs will tear through our borders within months."

"And somehow that becomes my problem?"

"You are part of this pack whether you like it or not."

My anger rose fast. Funny how Moonfang only remembered I belonged to them when they needed something.

"You ignored me for seventeen years," I said quietly. "Now suddenly I am useful?"

Dominic's face hardened. Before he could answer, the study door opened violently.

Lucien stood there, breathing hard. He should not have been out of bed. One hand pressed against his ribs. "You cannot force him," Lucien said.

Dominic looked irritated. "You should be resting."

"I said no."

I stared at my brother. Lucien never challenged our father openly. Ever.

Dominic's expression hardened. "Moonfang needs stability."

"Then find another solution."

"There is no other solution."

Lucien looked at me suddenly. For the first time since the accident, I saw real panic in his eyes. Not fear of losing hockey. Something worse.

"You do not understand," Lucien said quietly.

Dominic's voice cut through the room. "You were supposed to secure Moonfang's future. Now your brother will do it instead."

The tension snapped. Lucien went pale. His breathing changed. And suddenly I understood something terrifying.

This was never just about hockey.

I looked between them slowly. "What are you not telling me?"

No one answered.

Dominic stayed silent. Lucien looked away.

That silence told me everything. Something had been hidden from me my entire life. And whatever it was, my brother had just gotten nearly killed over it.

The clouds outside the window began to open. Silver light poured through the glass.

And I realized I did not know my family at all.