Chapter One

I stared at my reflection, fingers tracing the gold necklace that felt like a lifeline. The smooth metal warmed against my skin, grounding me in its familiar weight.

This necklace was the only thing my birth parents left behind.

I was just a day old when Alpha Xander found me at Silvermoon’s borders, wrapped in a thin, weathered blanket. Cold. Silent. Alone. The necklace had been tucked beneath my chin, as if it mattered more than anything else.

No note. No explanation. No apology. Just abandonment.

Late at night, when the pack house was quiet and everyone else slept peacefully, I let myself wonder about them. Did they argue about leaving me? Did my mother cry when she set me down? Did my father hesitate before turning away?

But the truth was simple and brutal: they didn’t keep me for even a full day. That alone told me everything I needed to know.

Alpha Xander brought me back to Silvermoon himself. I’d heard the story so many times that I could practically picture it—him standing at the border, scenting something wrong in the air, finding a newborn where no child should have been.

His beta, Aaron, took me in that same night.

Aaron and his wife, Jennifer, raised me as their own without hesitation. They didn’t ask questions or demand answers. They just loved me. They were my parents in every way that mattered—my home, my safety, my family.

Blood didn’t define love. They did.

Still, I didn’t look like them. My long dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes were nothing like theirs. Even as a child, it was obvious I didn’t belong to them biologically. But I never cared. Not once. When people asked, I proudly said they were my parents. End of discussion.

They also had a son—Alexander.

My brother in every way that mattered. My protector. My constant.

Alexander was two years older than me, built like he’d been born to fight—broad shoulders, confident stride, a presence that demanded respect without ever trying. He would one day be the beta of the pack, sworn in beside the future Alpha.

And then there was Roman.

Roman had been part of my life for as long as I could remember. Before I understood what pack hierarchy meant. Before I knew what mates were. Before I knew what heartbreak felt like.

He, Alexander, and I grew up tangled together—training in the fields, racing through the woods, sneaking food from the kitchens, laughing until our sides hurt. Roman was Alpha Xander’s son, the future Alpha of Silvermoon. But to me, he was just Roman.

The boy who shared his food with me when I forgot mine. The boy who stayed beside me when I scraped my knees. The boy who looked at me like I mattered.

And somewhere along the way, that changed.

I didn’t fall for him all at once. There was no dramatic moment, no lightning strike. It crept in quietly—late-night conversations, stolen glances, the way his voice softened when he said my name.

I loved him long before I realized what love was.

But everything shifted when Roman turned eighteen.

When he didn’t find his mate, something in him broke that day. Whatever shattered inside him took me with it.

He tried to hide it, but I saw it. The way his shoulders stiffened. The way his smile didn’t reach his eyes anymore. He became reckless. Distant. Cold.

And then he started sleeping around.

At first, I told myself it didn’t matter. That it was none of my business. That it didn’t hurt. But watching him touch other girls—girls who laughed too loudly, who clung to his arm like trophies—felt like something sharp carving into my chest.

Eventually, I lost him.

Lost Alexander too, in a way. He didn’t disappear, but his life shifted toward pack duties and responsibility. Roman became someone else entirely.

And I was left alone.

Until Lucy.

Lucy—the first real friend I ever made outside my family—was blonde, brilliant, and refreshingly uninterested in pack politics. She didn’t look at me like I was something to compete with. She just… liked me.

Alexander always said the other girls avoided me because they were jealous.

“Beta’s daughter,” he’d say. “Best friends with the future Alpha. They’re intimidated.”

I didn’t see it that way.

I wasn’t flashy or bold like them. I didn’t tan easily. I didn’t wear much makeup. My hair was a frizzy disaster unless I straightened it. I preferred training clothes to dresses, books to gossip.

I didn’t think I was ugly.

But beautiful? I wasn’t sure I’d ever call myself that.

And somehow, despite growing up together, despite sharing nearly everything, I had never caught Roman’s attention.

Yet there was always that strange feeling between us. A pull I couldn’t explain. Sometimes he answered questions I never spoke out loud. Sometimes I knew what he was thinking before he said a word.

My mom used to joke that we had a twin bond without being twins.

Now, when I saw him, all I felt was sadness.

And something dangerously close to resentment.

I felt bad for the girl who would one day be his mate—especially after he’d slept with half the females in Silvermoon.

But today, I refused to let Roman ruin anything.

In two days, I would turn eighteen.

For the past week, my wolf had been restless—pacing inside me like she was trapped, clawing at my chest, demanding something I didn’t understand. She refused to settle. She refused to sleep.

So I trained.

Harder than ever.

I pushed myself until my muscles burned and my legs shook, until my lungs screamed for air. I trained until I could barely walk back to the house, like I was running from something invisible.

Our home had been chaos since Monday. Pack members and vendors constantly in and out, decorating, setting up tables, stringing lights. My mom kept calling it the party of the year.

Privacy was nonexistent.

The only upside was that Roman was there every afternoon, overseeing the preparations.

Seeing him every day was torture.

Alpha Xander had put Roman in charge of the event. With his swearing-in only a month away, he was already stepping fully into his role. He handled it with ease, like leadership was etched into his bones.

Wednesday morning came too fast.

I grabbed my bag and headed toward the door, already tired even though the day had barely begun. Alexander was waiting in his truck, leaning casually against the hood.

“Ready, El?” he asked, a teasing smile on his face.

I nodded and climbed in.

He pulled out of the driveway, glancing at me with that knowing smile. “So. Two more days.”

I groaned. “Please don’t.”

He laughed, the sound light and carefree. “Nervous?”

“A little,” I admitted, my chest tightening. “It’s all anyone talks about.”

He nodded, his expression turning serious. “You never know. You could find your mate.”

I looked out the window, my heart racing. “That’s not exactly comforting.”

“The pack hasn’t had a party this big since Roman and I turned eighteen,” he added, trying to lighten the mood.

I sighed. “Guess that’s what happens when you’re the beta’s daughter.”

Alexander reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “Whatever happens, I’ve got you.”

I smiled, grateful for him.

I didn’t know yet that everything was about to change.

I didn’t know that my wolf’s restlessness wasn’t anxiety.

It was anticipation.