Chapter 1

Reya

“Stand tall, Reya. You look like a hunchback when you stand next to your sister,” My mother, Eleanor, hisses in my ear.

She might’ve been speaking to me, but she was looking at my little sister, Bernice. She’s preening in front of a massive mirror, looking the perfect way that our mother desires. I sigh as I shift my shoulders back a fraction of an inch, “I am standing straight, Mother; perhaps you just see the weight of your insane expectations bending my spine.”

Eleanor sharply inhales, her face turning a light shade of pink; her forehead crinkles with her anger as she snaps, “Do not use that tone with me, young lady. This is the most important night of our lives. Your sister is a pure white wolf.” She puts emphasis on those last three words. Idolizing my sister ever since she discovered what she is. She breathes out, “She represents the future of the Oakwood Pack, and you exist to help make her look flawless.”

I open my mouth to argue, but it’s no use. Arguing with my mother is like talking to a brick wall, a complete waste of energy and breath. I turn away, ending this conversation, and I catch my own reflection in the long glass panels that show off the landscape of our pack. My dress is a simple dark green dress that is borderline black. The fabric is cheap, the cut is basic and doesn’t highlight my figure. It was designed to make sure I’d blend into the background, and everyone would focus on Bernice - the golden child - the pure white wolf.

At twenty-one years old, I am the backup plan for the family. 

Bernice looks gorgeous and like she is made of money. She’s nineteen; her golden curls fall perfectly down her back; her white silk gown must cost more than the pack’s entire winter food budget. But that doesn’t matter. She is the family prize, all because she shifted into a pure white wolf. 

Bernice turned from the mirror, a smirk on her face and her eyes on me. That can’t be good. She has a knack for our mother’s wickedness. She tells me, “Look at that, Reya, the Southern Valley delegation just arrived at the main gates! Alpha Skylar Raver is here. He’s wealthy, handsome, and oh! Completely out of your league. Don’t even think of looking in his direction tonight.”

I lean against the wall, crossing my arms, “Don’t fret, Bernice, I wouldn’t want to strain my eyes looking at a guy who clearly spends more time on his hair than managing his pack’s borders. He looks like a massive narcissist.”

Bernice’s blue eyes narrow as she snaps, “You’re just an envious loser. You’re jealous because I get all the attention while you are forced to the background to help manage our ledgers.”

“Quit bickering now,” our father, Alpha Thomas, commands as he walks into the room. He adjusts his heavy gold cuffs and checks his fancy watch. “The ballroom doors are opening. We need to go down right now. The Fated Solstice is not a game; the Moon Goddess watches us all tonight.”

We follow Father down the grand stone staircase and enter the main ballroom. It is packed with hundreds of high-ranking wolves from different territories. The air is thick with the scents of expensive perfumes, alcohol, and dominant alpha auras. 

I hate crowds and being around so many people. But even more, I hate the hidden pressure building within my chest. There’s a massive secret that my family doesn’t know. When I turned eighteen, I didn’t shift into a normal wolf. I discovered that I have a rare, ancient magic that sleeps in my bones. I can control shadows, but even worse, I can instinctively suppress the dominant, suffocating auras of the other Alphas. I kept this power locked down tight. If my greedy parents ever found out I could neutralize an Alpha, they would sell me to the highest bidder as a political weapon. 

Bernice nudges me aggressively as she whispers in excitement and awe, “Look at him! That’s Skylar. He’s so hot.”

I look to the main entrance, and a golden aura erupts in the room. It’s bright and loud and impossible to ignore. Alpha Skylar Raver walks in. He has short blonde hair and cold hazel eyes; he wears polished leather armor that screams old money; and he carries himself with an annoying amount of pride.

A spark lights up in the dead center of my chest, where my usual cold shadow magic resides. But this is different. It burns; it’s a violently sweet pull that tears through my entire being. My heart beats so hard against my ribs that it causes me to gasp from the surprising pain. 

I stumble backward, clutching my chest, pressing down on my heart, hoping to slow it.

Skylar freezes in the middle of the room. His hazel eyes sweep across the crowd, ignoring all the high-ranking members and daughters who are vying for his attention. His gaze even passes Bernice, who is waving at him and is dressed in that beautiful white silk, showcasing that she is the pure white wolf that everyone wants. 

His eyes lock directly onto me.

Mate.

The word is like a loud alarm in my brain. It’s a divine decree from the Moon Goddess herself. 

The entire ballroom seems to stop, caught up in what’s going on with this high-ranking Alpha. Skylar pushes past his own guards and marches straight across the polished dance floor. His chest heaves, his eyes are wide. 

This wealthy, highly successful ruler of the Southern Valley walks straight to me, the invisible sister that no one was supposed to notice.

Out of nowhere, there are nails pinching into my arms, and my Mother hisses in my ear, “Reya, move! He is coming to talk to Bernice.”

Even if I wanted to obey, I couldn’t move. My feet are stuck in place, and Skylar stops directly in front of me. A slow, captivating smile spreads across his handsome face.

He ignores my mother and doesn’t even look at my sister and her horrified expression. He bows deeply as he holds his hand out to me.

His voice is low, like a secret meant just for me: “I believe the goddess has saved the most exquisite secret for me. Will you honor me with this dance, my beautiful mate?”

I stare at his open palm. For a second, I look at the stunned and pale faces of my parents and my sister. Finally, after all this time, I have won my freedom from their cruelty.

I reach out, placing my hand in his, the sparks of our fated bond exploding across my skin and sending a flurry of butterflies through my stomach.