Chapter 1

SELENE'S POV

The entire auditorium erupted in cheers when the first name appeared on the Moonstone Scanner.

I watched a girl near the front of the line throw both hands over her mouth as golden letters formed above the crystal platform.

AMELIA CROSS.

WOLF STATUS: SILVER WOLF.

STRENGTH: 87%.

RANK POTENTIAL: WARRIOR ELITE.

Her friends screamed in excitement.

Amelia burst into tears before her friends surrounded her, hugging and congratulating her as though she had just won the lottery.

Maybe, in our world, she had.

At Mooncrest Alpha Academy, a wolf was more than an animal living beneath your skin. 

It was your identity. 

It could determine whether you would become a warrior, healer, Beta, Alpha, or nothing important at all.

I had spent years watching other students discover theirs.

Today was my turn.

Or, at least, that was what I had told myself when I woke up that morning.

I sat among the other senior students, twisting my fingers together as another name appeared on the screen.

LUCAS HALE.

WOLF STATUS: GOLDEN WOLF.

STRENGTH: 91%.

RANK POTENTIAL: ALPHA.

The auditorium exploded.

Lucas stood proudly beneath the screen while his friends patted his back, and his parents, who were seated among the academy's distinguished guests, looked at him with obvious pride.

Inside, my stomach churned.

The annual Wolf Evaluation was the first official event of every academic year at Mooncrest Alpha Academy. 

Every student was scanned by the Headmaster using the ancient Moonstone Scanner, a magical artifact capable of revealing a werewolf's wolf status, strength, lineage markers, and potential rank.

For most students, it was exciting.

For me, it was terrifying.

Because there was one possibility I had spent years praying wouldn't appear on that screen.

The possibility that had already followed me through every year of my education.

The Headmaster, Alpha Dominic Hale, stared at the screen for a moment longer before looking down at me.

"Selene Calloway, please step forward."

The auditorium went strangely quiet.

My legs felt heavier than they should have as I walked toward the platform.

I could already hear the whispers.

"Isn't she the wolfless girl?"

"She's still here? I thought wolfless students weren't allowed to continue into senior year."

"What do you expect? She's the Beta's daughter. Such a family disgrace."

Someone snickered behind me.

Another student whispered, "Maybe her wolf is embarrassed to be associated with her."

A few people laughed.

I kept walking.

The Headmaster gave me an encouraging smile.

"Place your hand on the scanner, Selene."

The crystal was cold against my palm.

A strange tingling sensation moved through my arm.

For one tiny, ridiculous moment, hope bloomed inside my chest.

Maybe my wolf had finally awakened.

Maybe all those nights of wondering what was wrong with me were finally over.

I closed my eyes.

Please, Moon Goddess, help me.

The scanner remained silent for several seconds.

I held my breath.

Nothing happened.

Then the crystal flashed.

The enormous screen above us changed.

My heart stopped.

SELENE CALLOWAY

WOLF STATUS: WOLFLESS

STRENGTH: 0%

RANK POTENTIAL: UNDETERMINED

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Then someone laughed.

"Undetermined?"

Another voice came from the middle rows.

"There's nothing to determine!”

The auditorium erupted.

My face burned.

I stared at the floor, wishing I could somehow become invisible.

"She's twenty-two! Senior year and still wolfless! Isn't everyone supposed to shift at eighteen?”

"Maybe she should just give up, imagine being Beta's daughter and having zero wolf strength, that's embarrassing."

I swallowed hard.

I had heard those words before, hundreds of times.

But somehow, hearing them on the first day of my final year hurt more than it ever had before.

I had promised myself this year would be different.

I had promised myself I wouldn't care what anyone thought.

Apparently, I had lied to myself.

A boy near the front laughed loudly.

"Maybe the Moon Goddess forgot to give her a wolf."

Another student answered, "No. She probably saw her and decided one wasn't worth wasting."

The laughter that followed was cruel.

I felt my eyes sting.

Then someone added, "At least she has something to compensate for it."

His friends laughed.

"What?"

"Look at her. She has enough body for two wolves, she's the fattest girl in this school!”

Before I could stop the tears from gathering in my eyes, a chair scraped violently against the floor.

"Say that again."

Everything went quiet.

Ethan.

My brother stood several rows behind me, his jaw clenched and his fists already tightening at his sides.

He was eighteen months older than me, a senior in the academy's Elite Alpha Track, and one of the strongest young wolves in our generation.

His wolf had manifested at sixteen.

A rare Crimson Direwolf.

His evaluation had been one of the most impressive the academy had recorded in years.

His rank potential was equally remarkable.

Everyone expected Ethan Calloway to become the next Beta of Blood Moon Pack.

And everyone knew better than to mess with his little sister.

The boy's smile disappeared.

"I was just joking."

Ethan stopped in front of him.

"Then tell me what was funny."

The boy looked around, suddenly uncomfortable beneath the attention of the entire auditorium.

"I didn't mean anything by it.”

"Ethan, that's enough”

The Headmaster's voice was stern.

My brother didn't look away from the boy.

"You don't get to stand in front of hundreds of people and humiliate my sister because you're insecure about your own pathetic life.”

The boy's face reddened.

"She's the one who…”

"She's the one who what?"

Ethan's voice dropped dangerously.

The boy swallowed, but his pride apparently wouldn't let him back down in front of everyone.

"She's the one embarrassing her family. If she can't even shift, maybe she shouldn't be here."

A few students laughed nervously.

That was all it took.

Ethan's fist connected with his jaw.

The crack of the punch echoed through the auditorium.

The boy stumbled backward and crashed into one of the chairs, clutching his mouth as blood immediately appeared at the corner of his lips.

The entire auditorium fell silent.

I stared at my brother in shock.

"Ethan!"

He stood over the boy, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"You don't ever talk about my sister like that again."

The boy slowly looked up at him, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You hit me!”

Ethan didn't even look sorry.

"You should be grateful I stopped at one."

"Ethan Calloway!"

The Headmaster's voice thundered across the auditorium.

My brother finally turned.

Alpha Dominic Hale looked furious.

"You have just assaulted another student in the middle of an official academy evaluation."

"He insulted my sister."

"That does not give you the right to strike him."

"He knew exactly what he was doing."

The Headmaster's jaw tightened.

"Ethan, enough. You are hereby suspended from the academy for two weeks, effective immediately. You will also be removed from all hockey activities during your suspension."

Ethan's expression didn't change.

"I don't fucking care."

A collective gasp swept through the auditorium.

The Headmaster stared at him in disbelief.

Ethan pointed toward the boy he'd punched.

"Maybe instead of suspending me, you should warn your students that humiliating people for things they can't control has consequences."

My heart pounded.

I'd never heard my brother speak to the Headmaster like that before.

Alpha Dominic's expression hardened.

"Leave my auditorium before I make the punishment longer."

Ethan didn't argue.

He looked toward me, walked over, grabbed my hand, and pulled me gently toward the exit.

"Let's get the hell out of here."