Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Rejection

WREN'S POV

The hallway at Ravenhollow Academy was already full by the time I got there, packed with wolves who never let me forget I wasn't quite one of them. I kept my eyes down, my grip tight on my books, and told myself if I just made it to my locker without incident, the day could still turn out fine.

It didn't.

The moment I opened my locker, someone knocked the stack right out of my arms. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Ivy.

She stood over the mess with her arms crossed, that same practiced smile on her face, the one that made my stomach twist every single time. "Oops," she said, drawing the word out like it tasted good.

I crouched to gather my books, but she stepped on one before I could reach it, grinding her heel into the cover.

"Really?" I asked, keeping my voice flat.

She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest like I'd wounded her. "Oh, look, the wolfless girl found her voice." A laugh slipped out, sharp and delighted. "Come talk to me when you can actually shift. Until then, I don't really see the point."

The words landed the way they always did, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of showing it. I'd had eighteen years of practice.

Then a familiar voice cut through the noise.

"That's enough, Ivy."

My chest did something complicated. I looked up to find Julian crouched beside me, gathering the rest of my books like it was nothing.

Ivy's whole demeanor shifted in an instant, her smile turning syrupy sweet. "Sorry, Alpha Julian. You know I'm only teasing." She let her fingers trail along his arm, lingering there far longer than necessary.

I gritted my teeth and looked away, feeling invisible all over again in front of the one person who was supposed to make me feel like I mattered.

Julian sighed, clearly unbothered by her hand on him. "I'm not Alpha yet. Not until the ascension ceremony tonight."

Ivy finally pulled her hand back, tossing her hair over one shoulder before turning her attention to me. "See you tonight, then," she said, voice dripping with false warmth, before sauntering off with her friends trailing behind her, laughter echoing down the corridor.

I clenched my jaw hard enough to ache. I hated the way she looked at me, like I was something beneath her notice, something that had wandered into a world I didn't belong in. But I wasn't going to let her see how deep that cut went. Not again.

Julian straightened, holding my books out to me, his expression unreadable for a moment before it softened. "Happy birthday, Wren."

He leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to my forehead, and despite everything, despite Ivy, despite the eighteen years of being told I was broken, my heart still did that same stupid, hopeful flutter it always did around him.

I'd loved Julian for as long as I could remember. He was my mate. That was supposed to mean something, no matter how hard Ivy tried to wedge herself between us.

"Thank you," I said quietly, forcing a smile.

"Eighteen's off to a great start, clearly," I added, unable to keep the dryness out of my voice.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Tonight will be different. I promise you that, as the future Alpha."

I hugged him then, breathing in the familiar scent of him, letting myself believe, just for a moment, that tonight might actually be the night everything finally fell into place. That my wolf might finally come. That Julian and I might finally become official in front of the whole pack.

I need this to be enough, I thought. Please let tonight be enough.

The packhouse hall was packed by the time I arrived that evening, lit up gold and warm, familiar faces filling every corner. The room went quiet the second I stepped inside, every set of eyes sweeping over me, and for one terrible second I thought something was wrong with my dress.

Before I could check, a girl I barely recognized stepped forward, beaming a little too wide. "There's the birthday girl! We've been looking everywhere for you."

Something about her tone didn't sit right.

"Have you seen Julian?" I asked, scanning the crowd for him.

Another girl giggled behind her hand. "Don't worry, he has a surprise for you. A really special one. But first..."

Before I could ask what she meant, hands closed around my wrists, pulling me toward one of the side rooms. Every instinct in me screamed to pull away, but I didn't want to make a scene at my own birthday party, so I let them guide me through the door into the dark.

Then the lights came on.

"Happy birthday, wolfless Wren."

The laughter hit before I even understood what was happening. Something cold hit me a half second later, drenching my hair, my dress, running down my collar in thick, sour smelling streaks. Spoiled milk. The stench filled my throat and made my eyes water even before the tears started.

Camera flashes went off around me, one after another, capturing every second of it, my hair plastered to my face, my dress ruined, my humiliation frozen forever in a dozen phones.

I couldn't breathe.

I shoved past the nearest bodies and ran, not caring who I knocked into on the way out, my only thought finding Julian, finding someone who could make it stop. He had to still be here. He had to.

I threw open door after door down the back hallway, my vision blurring with tears, until I reached the last one at the very end.

I pushed it open.

And everything in me went still.

Julian was on the bed.

With her.

Ivy's arms were wrapped around his neck, her mouth against his, his hands moving over her like she was something he already knew by heart. Neither of them noticed me standing there, frozen in the doorway, dripping and shaking and completely invisible.

Until Ivy opened her eyes and saw me over his shoulder.

Her lips curled into a smile against his mouth.

Julian pulled back a moment later, and when his gaze landed on me, something flickered across his face before it settled into something almost amused.

They both laughed.

At me.

Julian sat up slowly, dragging a hand through his hair, his expression shifting between something like guilt and something closer to irritation. "Wren. This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

My throat felt like it was closing. "Find out what, Julian?”