The marble floor of the Blood Moon packhouse was freezing against my bare knees. Today was my eighteenth birthday. For any other wolf, it was a day of absolute triumph. It was the day the Moon Goddess awakened your inner wolf, and if you were truly blessed, revealed your fated mate. For me, Elara Vance, the pack’s un-shifted punching bag, it was just another day of survival. My hands were blistered, the skin cracked and peeling from hours of plunging them into scalding, chemically treated water. I dragged the coarse bristle brush across the marble, feeling the grit of dirt give way to a smooth, slippery finish. The physical labor was a distraction from the heavy, suffocating scent of roasted venison, wild rosemary, and spiced wine wafting from the kitchens. The entire packhouse was a sensory overload of celebration, but down here on my hands and knees, all I could smell was the sharp, acidic bite of industrial bleach. My oversized, threadbare t-shirt clung to my sweat-drenc
Last Updated : 2026-03-25 Read more