What Happens Now?

Amira’s POV

I opened my eyes and stretched my arms above my head, a smile slowly spreading across my face as the morning sunlight spilled through my bedroom windows.

Today was the day. Finally. I had been waiting what seemed like forever for my eighteenth birthday, and now it was finally here.

I pushed the comforter aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. After slipping my feet into my fluffy slippers, I stood and stretched once more before making my way toward the window. The moment I pulled the curtains back, I squinted against the bright sunlight.

It was beautiful outside. The sky was clear, the trees were swaying gently in the breeze, and the May weather was surprisingly pleasant. Not too hot, not too cold. Just perfect.

I rested my hands against the windowsill and looked out over the grounds of the Dark Fang Pack.

Despite having lived here for seventeen years, I had never felt as though I truly belonged. There was always something about this place that made me feel like an outsider looking in, as if everyone else had been given a piece of a puzzle that I had somehow missed. Maybe it was because I didn't know where I came from.

When I was only a year old, warriors on patrol had found me in the woods outside the pack territory. According to the story I had been told countless times, I had been in terrible shape. My tiny body had been covered in blood, and I had suffered a deep gash across the right side of my face. The wound had been so severe that the warriors claimed they could see my skull beneath the torn flesh.

Nobody knew who I was or where I had come from. There had been no family searching for me, no relatives coming forward, and no explanation for how a baby had ended up alone in the woods in such a condition.

I had no memories of that day. How could I? I had been too young to remember anything beyond the life I had been given afterward.

Luna Carol had taken me in and raised me as her own daughter. She had never treated me as though I were less than the children she had brought into the world, and for that, I would always be grateful. She had given me a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place in the pack house.

For years, I had lived on the top floor of the pack house, surrounded by everything a child could possibly need. But having a place to sleep didn't mean everyone wanted me there.

Alpha Bernard had his own responsibilities as the leader of the Dark Fang Pack, and Luna Carol had always done her best to make sure I was cared for. Yet there were some things even she couldn't protect me from, especially when it came to her son.

Edward. His name alone was enough to sour my mood.

Edward and his friends had made my life miserable for as long as I could remember. Whether it was cruel comments whispered behind my back, belongings mysteriously disappearing, or outright humiliation in front of other pack members, they always found something new to torment me about.

And Edward wasn't the only one who enjoyed making my life miserable. Lena was even worse.

She was the daughter of Alpha Albert of the Rising Water Pack, a real Alpha's daughter by blood, and Edward's childhood friend. She had been visiting the Dark Fang Pack for years, and somehow, she always managed to make herself the center of attention.

Lena had spread rumors about me for as long as I could remember. Some were so ridiculous that I couldn't understand how anyone believed them, while others were deliberately designed to make people question my worth. Edward had never bothered to correct her. In fact, he often joined in.

Over time, the other pack members had learned to keep their distance from me. Nobody wanted to risk getting on Edward's bad side, especially with him being the future Alpha. It was easier for them to ignore me than to stand up for me, and so I had become something of a ghost in the pack house. Someone people knew existed but preferred not to acknowledge.

I released a slow breath and turned away from the window.

Today was supposed to be a happy occasion. It was my birthday, after all, and I had every right to be excited about turning eighteen. Unfortunately, the celebration had very little to do with me.

Edward was coming home. He had spent the last three months away at Alpha training, preparing for the responsibilities that came with inheriting his father's position. He had even turned eighteen while he was away, which meant his wolf would be able to identify his their mate.

Now he was returning to the pack, and Alpha Bernard had decided that the occasion would be marked with a formal ceremony. He intended to hand over leadership to his son, officially making Edward the new Alpha of the Dark Fang Pack.

The pack had been buzzing with excitement for days. Preparations were underway, decorations were being arranged, and everyone seemed determined to make sure Edward's return was nothing short of spectacular.

Meanwhile, I had been informed that I was expected to attend. Not invited. Expected. There was a difference, and everyone seemed determined to remind me of it.

I shook my head and walked toward the bathroom, deciding that I wasn't going to let Edward ruin my birthday before it had even properly begun. If I had to attend the ceremony, then I would attend. I would keep my head down, avoid his friends, and get through the day without giving anyone another reason to talk about me. Simple enough, right?

I stopped in front of the bathroom mirror and studied my reflection. My long, brown hair fell in loose waves around my shoulders, slightly tangled from sleep. I pushed it away from my face and examined the familiar scar that stretched across the right side of my face. It began just above my eyebrow, crossed the area around my eye, and continued beneath it, reaching down toward my cheekbone.

Sometimes, when I looked at it too closely, I wondered what had happened to me that day in the woods. What kind of accident could have left such a wound on a baby? Why had I been alone? And how had I survived when I had apparently lost so much blood?

I had asked questions growing up, of course. But nobody had answers. The warriors who found me had only been able to tell Luna Carol what they had seen, and whatever had happened before that remained a mystery.

I traced the scar gently with my fingertip.

It had faded over the years, but it had never disappeared. It was a permanent reminder that my life had begun with a tragedy I couldn't remember.

My emerald-green eyes stared back at me, the thin golden rings surrounding my irises catching the sunlight coming through the bathroom window. Luna Carol had once told me that my eyes were beautiful, unusual even, but I had never thought much about them. There were plenty of things about me that made me different. My eyes were simply one more thing people could comment on if they felt like being cruel.

I turned away from the mirror and reached for the shower handle. That was when I heard a voice. “Well, good morning, Amira."

I froze. My brows furrowed as I slowly turned toward the bathroom doorway. Nobody was there. I had left my bedroom door closed, and I was certain I hadn't heard anyone come inside.

"Hello?" I called cautiously, looking around the room.

Silence answered me. I frowned and glanced toward the bedroom again. Maybe I was more tired than I thought. I had been so excited about my birthday that I hadn't slept particularly well the night before.

Then a soft chuckle sounded inside my head. I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Silly girl," the voice said, laughing again.

My heart began pounding. I spun around, searching the bathroom and the bedroom beyond it, but there was absolutely nobody there.

"Who's there?" I demanded aloud.

Another chuckle echoed through my mind, sounding far too amused by my growing panic.

"Oh, you silly goose. You can't see me."

I stared at the empty room, wondering if I had finally lost my mind. “Then where are you?" I whispered.

"I'm right here, silly. I'm your wolf."

My mouth fell open. For several seconds, I couldn't move. I couldn't even think properly. I simply stood there, staring at nothing while the words repeated themselves inside my head. My wolf. I had a wolf? “But... that's impossible," I finally managed to whisper.

"Impossible? Whatever gave you that idea?"

I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart. “Because I'm eighteen today, and I haven't had a wolf. I've never heard you before. I've never felt you before. Nothing."

"Well, I'm talking to you now, aren't I?" Somehow, the casualness of her response was almost more shocking than the fact that she existed.

For years, I had listened to others talk about their first shifts, their first conversations with their wolf counterparts, and the incredible connection they shared. Most wolves awakened at sixteen. Some were a little earlier, but by sixteen, almost everyone had their wolf. Almost everyone except me.

When my sixteenth birthday had come and gone without a shift, I had convinced myself that my wolf was simply taking her time. When months passed and nothing changed, I had started to worry. Then Lena learned the truth, and she made certain the entire pack knew. According to her, I was wolfless.

The nickname had followed me everywhere. Some people said it to my face, while others whispered it whenever they thought I couldn't hear them. Edward had made plenty of jokes about it, too, often reminding me that someone without a wolf had no business living among werewolves.

I had endured two years of humiliation, wondering whether there was something wrong with me. And now, on my eighteenth birthday, a voice inside my head was telling me I had a wolf after all. I swallowed hard. “What's your name?" I asked, barely trusting my own voice.

"Aurelia." The name settled over me, unfamiliar yet strangely comforting. “I'm your wolf, Amira. And I've been waiting a very long time to speak to you."

I gripped the edge of the bathroom counter. “Why now? Why did you wait until today?"

"Because today is the day everything changes."

A strange warmth spread through my chest, reaching into places I hadn't known could ache. It wasn't painful, exactly. It felt more like something inside me was stretching after being trapped for far too long.

I pressed my palm against my sternum, breathing carefully as the sensation grew.

Aurelia's voice softened, losing the teasing edge it had carried moments earlier.

"There's so much you need to learn about yourself, Amira. So much you've never been told. But we don't have time to stand here questioning everything."

I stared at my reflection again, watching as my own wide eyes stared back at me.

For seventeen years, I had believed I was ordinary. An abandoned child with no family, no history, and no wolf. I had spent my life trying to find a place where I belonged, even when the people around me made it clear that they didn't want me there. Now, suddenly, everything I thought I knew was beginning to crumble. My hands trembled against the counter.

"What happens now?" I whispered.

Aurelia's answer came immediately. “Are you ready for your first shift?"