Zander’s POVThe moment Rory dropped to her knees in the clearing, shaking, I thought my chest would split in two.Her face was pale, her breaths ragged, sweat dripping down her temples.“She’s about to shift,” I growled, panic biting at the edges of my voice.Rowan knelt on her other side, attempting to stay calm as ever. “It’s happening. Stay with her.”And then the pain took her.Her scream tore through the woods, raw and jagged, and my wolf Zee slammed into me so hard I nearly lost control. Ours. Protect her. She’s hurting!“I know,” I snarled back, my fists clenched as I held her shoulders steady. “We can’t stop it.”Rowan’s voice was steady, infuriatingly calm. “Don’t fight it, Aurora. Flow with it.”Her bones cracked, her skin split, white fur blooming across her arms. And then… there she was.Her wolf.I forgot how to breathe.She stood there on trembling legs, white as snow, the moon’s own light glinting off her fur. On her forehead, a crescent mark glowed faintly, ethereal a
Aurora’s POVBy the time we reached the tree line, I felt like my skin was on fire.Every breath burned. My legs trembled. My heart pounded so hard I thought it would break my ribs.I collapsed to my knees, clutching the earth like it might hold me together.Zander was beside me instantly, crouching low, his stormy eyes fierce. “Rory, listen to me. You’ve got this. Look at me.”I tried, but my vision blurred. My whole body shook. “I—I can’t—”Rowan was on my other side, calmer, his hand wrapping mine. His green eyes didn’t waver. “Yes, you can. It will hurt. It always happens the first time. But you are stronger than this pain.”Behind them, Ember hovered, pale with awe. The Shadow Fangs spread out like silent guards, their usual teasing replaced with solemn watchfulness.And inside me, the voice came again.Aurora. Let go.I gasped, my head snapping up. “Who—?”Me. I am you. I am your wolf. It is time.Tears burned my eyes. “I don’t know how.”Yes, you do. It’s in your blood. In your
Aurora’s POVWalking back into school this morning felt like stepping onto a stage I hadn’t auditioned for. Why might you ask?On my right, Zander’s hand curled firmly around mine, warm and possessive. On my left, Rowan’s hand was steady, his grip gentler but no less unyielding. Behind us, the Shadow Fangs prowled like shadows come to life — Xavier, Lilly, Ben, Trent, Derek. Ember and Liam brought up the rear, her grin so wide I thought it might split her face.And every single head in the hallway turned.Whispers rose immediately.“She’s really with both of them?”“Since when do Zander Blake and Rowan Rivers walk together without throwing punches?”“She’s holding their hands—both of them!”“Well duh didn’t you see them all at the party this weekend or are you blind?”Heat rushed up my neck, but I kept my chin high.Because for once, I wasn’t hiding.Zander’s smirk deepened at the gawking, his wolf pride practically radiating off him. Rowan’s expression didn’t change, but I felt the
Ember’s POVThere are few joys in life greater than watching Aurora Hayes try to hide behind a piece of toast.Especially when the only thing she really wanted to hide from was the fact that she almost hooked up with both of her mates in one night.She sat at the kitchen table like a small, mortified monarch, cheeks the color of a flushed apple, nibbling at the toast like if she chewed hard enough the whole embarrassing scene would dissolve into crumbs. Zander was brooding into his coffee like the world owed him something he hadn’t collected yet. Rowan sat upright across from him, hands wrapped around his mug, the kind of serene that made you want to punch him and hug him at the same time. Aurora—moon goddess, Aurora—looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.Honestly? It was hilarious.I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing out loud. I love Rory—don’t get me wrong—but the image of her trying to disappear behind toast? Iconic. I should have been symp
Aurora’s POVThe first thing I noticed when I woke up was the light stabbing me in the eyes.The second thing was my head — pounding, heavy, like someone had stuffed it with gravel.I groaned, rolling over on the couch. Ember was sprawled half in the chair and on the floor, her hair a wild mess, one leg draped over mine like we were kids at a sleepover again.She stirred, groaned too, then cracked one eye open. “We’re never drinking again.”I tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a cough. “Agreed.”We both flopped back against the pillows, groaning in unison. For a minute, we just lay there, breathing through the hangover haze, until Ember’s lips twitched.“We were hilarious last night,” she whispered.I peeked at her. “We were a disaster.”“A hilarious disaster,” she corrected, grinning despite the dark circles under her eyes. “You should’ve seen yourself trying to challenge Trent to a dance-off. I thought Zander was going to break his own jaw from grinding his teeth.”Heat cre
Aurora’s POVBy the time the last of the music faded and the crowd thinned, Zander’s house looked like a battlefield.Pizza boxes stacked on the counter, soda spilled on the floor, half-empty bottles abandoned everywhere. Ember and I had tried to help clean, but “tried” quickly turned into us collapsing in a fit of laughter because I tripped over a crumpled bag of chips. How does that even happen? Rowan hadn’t left after all. I noticed him still lingering in the kitchen, his green eyes scanning the room like he was cataloging every threat even though the only danger left was Ember raiding the fridge.When Zander muttered something about “you’re crashing here, right?” Ember practically squealed. “Sleepover!” So, we stayed of course.It started innocently. Ember pulled me into the kitchen where we unearthed a couple of bottles — definitely not soda. She poured us both glasses, clinking hers against mine.“To survival,” she grinned.“To bad ideas,” I countered.The first sip burned. Th