Chapter 1:

Sage's POV

Today is my birthday. I am Sage Holton from the Grey Wolf Pack. I will turn twenty today. I am incredibly happy because I am entering a new phase of my life, a more mature phase. Today, my wolf will appear. Everyone in the pack had their wolf appear at an early age, like sixteen or fifteen, and those who were late had it at seventeen. But I have been delayed so much that everyone thought I would never transform.

Some doubted the purity of my lineage, thinking I might not be a pure werewolf and that my blood was mixed, which caused me a lot of pain. But the pack priest and the elder assured me that when the Moon Goddess delays the appearance of my wolf, she is rewarding me, and I might be the most special. They confirmed that today is the day my wolf will appear after checking my horoscope.

Ella used to tease me and flaunt her wolf in front of me, boasting that she had won a treasure. I am the most beautiful, with green eyes and fair skin, and my lips are like cherries, while she is nothing in comparison. Despite this, everyone favors her. Yet, she is my only friend who accepted to accompany me among the girls of the pack. They think I am a hybrid wolf and stay away.

But I will look at the brighter side—what surprise will my boyfriend bring? He certainly remembers today and might surprise me with a wonderful gift. I promised him that today I would give him my virginity and be his. I would belong to him alone. I have postponed this for a long time, and he has waited for me even longer.

Of course, I must wait until I am sure he is my mate before giving him my virginity because giving it to someone other than my mate is a curse. According to pack rules, girls who do this are considered harlots and are expelled from the pack without mercy. Jack is my boyfriend. The pack leader gave me an early leave today. Everyone will celebrate the appearance of my wolf, so I won't have to work much. This is a special event for me.

I finally returned to surprise Jack. I took a red rose and turned the key in the apartment door, eager to hug him and get his congratulations. But as soon as I entered, I heard moans coming from Jack's bedroom.

My body trembled, and I couldn’t walk. The sound was loud, and the closer I got, the louder the moaning became. All I could hear was, "Ah... ah... ah..."

This must be a dream. I walked softly to avoid making any noise and headed towards the room with the ajar door, only to find my dear Jack on the bed, naked, with Ella underneath him!

Ella, my friend, with my boyfriend—the sight was disgusting. Ella was naked, with her knees spread, and Jack was thrusting into her amid her screams of pleasure and moans.

I can’t believe it's Jack, the one I loved. My tears fell in pain, and I screamed, "Jack, you traitor! And you too, Ella."

I spoke my words as I left the apartment, my heart breaking from my boyfriend’s betrayal. Even Ella, perhaps I could expect betrayal from her. She always wants to show me that everyone desires her and pursues her, including Jack. But I never expected treachery and deceit from Jack!

How! How can you love me, Jack, and then have sex with someone else? I thought you were… you were faithful… that you loved only me.

My birthday turned into the worst day of my life. “Moon Goddess, please don’t let this jerk Jack be my mate.”

After what happened, I looked at the clock on my wrist. It was time for the pack elder to read the oaths and for the priest to perform the ceremony for my wolf's appearance in the clearing. Everyone, including that jerk and the traitor, would attend. I mustn’t let them find me weak and crying, even though I truly feel like crying. They mustn’t know of my weakness.

I headed straight to the clearing and stood directly under the moonlight, with the two traitors, Ella and Jack, on either side of me. After half an hour of ceremonies, drum beating, and some Omega dancing, along with music to soothe the werewolf during the transformation, which is an ancient tradition of ours, I felt the time had come for my transformation. I felt pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart from the betrayal. As everyone turned to give me space to transform, I felt the change.

A few minutes later, everyone turned to me, truly astonished. I hadn’t seen my wolf yet, and this piqued my curiosity. Was their astonishment because my wolf was impressive or weak? I moved to look into the water pool a meter away. When I saw my reflection, I was also surprised. My wolf was enormous, much larger than the others, pure white, and on my right thigh was the mark of the Grey Wolf, with a crown above it.

The priest approached and blessed me, saying, “I told you, you are lucky. Now everyone is sure you have pure blood from the original Grey Wolf lineage, the first created wolf.”

The pack elder smiled and came toward me as well, saying, “But your golden eyes are uncommon among us. We thought they had perhaps disappeared with the original lineage.”

All this made me feel proud, especially when I looked at my unique eyes, my white fur, and my enormous size, which indicated my immense strength. Everyone began to cheer and present gifts in celebration of me, including even the girls who used to ignore and avoid me.

Then it was the turn of that wretch, Ella, to present her gift. Her fate was now tied to mine. She already had a mate and was committing infidelity. According to pack laws, she would be expelled. She seemed genuinely afraid and was trembling with fear.

She approached, drawing a fake smile, and tried to hug me as she handed over her gift: “Sage, I wish you a happy birthday and hope you find your mate soon.”

It felt like she slapped me in the face while still smiling. I would definitely expose her actions and make sure she left. This would be my revenge. So, I raised my eyebrow and responded sarcastically, “Unfortunately, when I find my mate, you won’t be here to see us together.”

I saw her face turn red with anger, her eyes burning as she walked away, dragging Jack with her. That pathetic fool still followed her.

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Ella dragged Jack away from everyone to a secluded area and exploded with anger and frustration.

“What the hell, Jack! Let her go!” Ella shouted in fury.

“I love Sage. I love her and won’t leave her,” Jack replied.

“Do you really think she’ll come back to you after seeing you having sex with her friend on her birthday?” she asked mockingly.

“I’ll do anything… anything to make her forgive me. This was all a mistake. It wasn’t supposed to happen!” Jack justified painfully.

“Having sex with me was a mistake?” Ella asked, hurt and angry.

“Yes, Ella, it was a lustful desire I fulfilled with you. But Sage… I love her. It’s not just a passing desire,” Jack explained sorrowfully.

“You… you’re a fool, Jack. Do you think Sage will let us both off after what we did? She’s only a few steps away from telling everyone,” Ella warned.

“Leave, Ella. I don’t want to see you, nor do I want anything to do with you. Let Sage do whatever she wants if it makes her happy,” Jack answered with despair.

Ella screamed in anger, “Do you think this is over? Don’t think for a second that I’ll leave her alone. I’ll be expelled from my pack because of that bitch.”

Jack walked away, not wanting to hear another word about Sage. He regretted his actions; he should have supported her and been with her, but today, he had betrayed her and caused her pain. Meanwhile, Ella plotted how to make Sage leave the pack before she could say a word. Surely, she would leave and never return.