LOGINHe turned his head and shot me a quick glance. Surprise flickered through his green eyes—along with something else.
Hope?
“Just wolves,” he said carefully. “We’re born this way. It’s bloodline, not magic. Not a curse.” He slowed his speech deliberately, like someone trying not to spook a frightened animal. “We can’t become anything else.
A low, miserable groan echoed through my mind before I even opened my eyes.The sensation lingered—clinging to the edges of consciousness like fog that refused to lift.Falling.No—floating.Weight dissolving. Touch vanishing. The world peeling away layer by layer until there was nothing but suspension in an endless, soundless void.And then—Softness.Cool, living softness.Grass.Real grass.Its blades brushed against the back of my hands, against my neck, against my cheek. The texture was vivid enough to be painful. Every individual strand seemed sharpened by unnatural c
“—And so in the end, the White Wolf chose to abolish the kingdom and the monarchy, establishing instead the pack system—the hierarchy we still live under today.”Ethan’s voice was low and steady. In the dark, it carried with unusual clarity, as if the night itself had grown still to listen.“On one condition—every other pack would report to the White Wolf. In that way, they continued to rule all of werewolf society in everything but name.”The Alpha of Alphas.The title surfaced in my mind, heavy with near-mythic weight. It felt ancient, carved from stone and blood and memory.“When the White Alpha founded their own pack,” Ethan continued, “they commanded the Scroll Guardians to travel as far as possible, to
We lie facing each other in Ethan’s bed.Close enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath brush faintly across my lips.Close enough to notice the subtle rise and fall of his chest.And yet—There is still that deliberate inch of space between us.A boundary neither of us crosses.It’s strange. We technically “went to bed,” but neither of us has closed our eyes. Neither of us is pretending to sleep.I didn’t truly think about accepting his offer when he held out his hand and said,Come with me.I didn’t weigh the implications.Didn’t analyze the optics.
I wake from the nightmare with a violent gasp, my hand flying to my throat as if something is still there—still pressing, still choking.My skin is slick with sweat.Even in sleep, I must have been fighting. My arms ache faintly, as though I had been thrashing against something solid and unyielding. The dream was too vivid—too close to reality. It mirrored what happened last week with cruel precision.For a split second, I don’t know where I am.My eyes dart around the darkness in panic.The narrow alley—The damp brick walls—The smell of alcohol and sweat—The sound of mocking laughter—
Today, Alex was officially appointed as the new Beta of the pack.And beside him, Melissa inherited the title of Female Beta.The ceremony was everything it was meant to be—solemn, powerful, steeped in tradition older than any of us. The air carried the scent of pine, earth, and anticipation. Wolves gathered in a wide circle beneath the open sky, the late afternoon sun filtering through the trees like molten gold.Pride pulsed through the bond of the pack.Through everyone—Except me.I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.Lying even more if I claimed I felt no resentment toward my own life.But I stood there anyway.
I close my fist around the necklace until the thin chain bites into my palm.Then I loosen my grip.Then I tighten it again.The metal is small and delicate, far too fragile to belong in the hand of an Alpha. A heart-shaped pendant rests against my skin, its edges smooth from years of wear. It is simple—elegant in the quiet way she always preferred.And I stole it.From Sarah’s room.Even thinking the word makes something dark twist inside me.I was not raised to take what is not mine. I was raised to command. To protect. To provide. An Alpha does not sneak into a room like a thief and pocket trinkets like some desperate omega clinging to scraps of scent.







