Chapter 1 - The Ceremony

Beatrice pov 

"Get up, you worthless girl." Selene's voice cut through my sleep. "Today's your big day."

I rolled off the thin mattress on the floor, my back aching from the hard wood underneath. The servant's quarters had no real beds, just old blankets and whatever comfort we could scrape together. At twenty, I was the oldest unmated wolf in Silvermist Pack, and today would finally change that.

Or so I hoped.

"I'm awake," I said, pushing my messy brown curls out of my face.

Selene stood in the doorway, perfect as always in her silk nightgown. Her blonde hair caught the morning light streaming through my tiny window. "Father wants you in the kitchen in ten minutes. The ceremony preparations won't handle themselves."

She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Bea?" The nickname dripped with mockery. "Don't get your hopes up about today. What would want a servant for a mate?"

The door slammed behind her, rattling the thin walls. I pressed my palms against my eyes, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill. Today was my first shift ceremony. Every werewolf experienced their first transformation between eighteen and twenty, and with it came the ability to sense their fated mate.

I'd waited two years longer than most. The pack whispered that something was wrong with me, that I was defective. Maybe they were right.

I pulled on my worn dress—a hand-me-down from Selene that had seen better days—and braided my hair back. In the cracked mirror above my washbasin, as my eyes stared back at me. Sometimes I swore they glowed in moonlight, but that was probably wishful thinking.

The kitchen buzzed with activity when I arrived. The cook barely glanced at me. "About time. Start on the bread. We need fifty loaves for tonight's feast."

I worked in silence, kneading dough until my arms burned. Around me, other servants prepared for the ceremony that would change everything. Pack members would gather under the full moon to witness my first shift. If I was lucky, I'd finally meet my wolf and discover my mate bond.

If I was unlucky, I'd shift into something weak and pathetic, confirming what everyone already believed about me.

"Nervous?" Liora appeared at my elbow. She was visiting from Ashthorn Pack with their delegation, but somehow she always found time to check on me during inter-pack gatherings.

I glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "Terrified," I admitted quietly.

Liora bumped my shoulder. "Hey, whatever happens tonight, you're stronger than they think. I can tell."

Her words warmed something cold inside my chest. "Thanks."

"Besides," she grinned, "if your wolf is half as stubborn as you are, she'll be magnificent."

The day passed in a blur of cooking and cleaning. As evening approached, pack members began gathering in the ceremonial clearing. I watched through the kitchen window as families arrived in their finest clothes, children running between the adults with excitement.

I wouldn't have family there to support me. The Alpha and Luna of Silvermist had taken me in as an infant, but they'd never adopted me officially. I was more like a charity case they kept around for good karma.

"Time to get ready." Cook handed me a simple white dress—the traditional garment for shift ceremonies. It was plain cotton, nothing like the elaborate gowns the pack daughters wore, but it was clean and it fit.

I changed in my tiny room, then stared at my reflection. The white dress made my skin look paler, my eyes more pronounced. For just a moment, I let myself imagine I was beautiful enough to catch an alpha's attention.

The clearing filled with bright moonlight as I made my way outside. Pack members formed a circle around the sacred space where I would transform. Alpha Riven stood at the head with his Luna, their son Eamon beside them in his finest clothes.

Eamon was everything an alpha heir should be—tall, strong, confident. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and his blue eyes surveyed the crowd with easy authority. Every unmated female in the pack had dreamed of catching his attention, but he'd never shown interest in anyone.

I took my place in the center of the circle, my heart hammering against my ribs. The moonlight felt different tonight, more intense, like it was calling to something deep inside me.

"Beatrice," Alpha Riven's voice boomed across the clearing. "Tonight you will meet your wolf for the first time. Let the moon guide your transformation."

The pack began chanting the ancient words, their voices rising and falling with the rhythm of the ceremony. I closed my eyes and reached for the power I'd been told lived inside every werewolf.

At first, nothing happened. Panic fluttered in my chest. What if I couldn't shift? What if I really was broken?

Then pain exploded through my body. Not the comfortable stretching I'd expected, but agony that dropped me to my knees. My bones cracked and reformed, muscles tearing and rebuilding. I bit my lip to keep from screaming.

Through the haze of transformation, I heard the pack's chanting stop. Gasps echoed around the circle.

When the pain finally ended, I looked down at myself and froze. White paws, pure as snow, extended from my legs. I caught my reflection in a nearby puddle and nearly stumbled backward.

My wolf was massive, larger than any female wolf I'd ever seen. Her fur gleamed like the moonlight, and her eyes—my eyes—glowed with an otherworldly light.

Hello, little sister. The voice came from inside my head, warm and ancient. I am Lunaa and we have been waiting a long time for this moment.

Around me, the pack stared in shocked silence. This wasn't the weak, pathetic wolf they'd expected. Even I could feel the power radiating from Luna's form.

Alpha Riven stepped forward, his face pale. "Impossible," he whispered.

But it was Luna who answered him, my voice coming out as a low growl that sent shivers through the watching pack. Nothing is impossible under the moon's light, Alpha. Some wolves are born to serve. Others are born to rule.

That's when I caught the scent that would change everything. My head snapped toward the crowd, searching for the source.

There, standing with the Ashthorn delegation, a young man with auburn hair stared at me with forest-green eyes wide with recognition. He took a step forward, his hand pressed against his chest like he'd been struck.

But it wasn't his reaction that made my heart stop.

It was Eamon's.

The alpha heir's face had gone white as snow, and he was staring at me with horror and disbelief written across his features. His hand clutched his throat, and I could see his wolf fighting to break free.

Mate. The word whispered through my mind, but I couldn't tell if it came from Luna or from the devastating realization that was about to destroy my world.