Prologue

|FIVE YEARS AGO|

The shifting ceremony.

It was a ritual that went back thousands of years, a custom my pack members took seriously and a duty to young wolves...or were-teens as we were fondly called.

Young teenagers of shifting age would assemble in a large clearing close to the pack house, and once the moon was at its highest peak, our true forms would come out and we would officially become true wolves.  It was a ceremony for both pride and bravery, to show off our strength and courage so others could see that we did not need to be ashamed of our true forms.

I was excited as any normal she-wolf would have been on the day of my shifting ceremony. A young wolf, ready to shift for the first time- an opportunity I knew I would never get again. 

"Will I have to go naked?" I asked my sister for the umpteenth time, my excited eyes meeting hers through the mirror.

 My sister, who was only four times older than me but still looked like a teenager in her short black dress and long silver hair.  She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, 

"No." She said simply. Her voice was laced with humor, we had discussed this particular topic several times, yet  I still thought it was necessary to ask. Like her answer might change in one minute.

"You'll only strip down to your underwear, nobody wants to see your boobs," She tickled my side playfully, making me squeal loudly, "But yeah, if you want to go bare, just take off all your clothing.

"No way!" I laughed, pushing her away from me, trying to regain control over my giggles.

She returned to styling my hair, humming to herself as she did. As she worked her fingers through my thick blonde hair, I ran over the things I would do once I shifted. My best friend, Judy, and a few other wolves had already made plans to run past the forbidden cliffs, stopping just short of the borders. It was supposed to be our biggest adventure ever, even though everyone knew there were too many dangerous things lurking beyond the edge of the forest. But it was our only chance to do something wild, something exciting and unadulterated by fear or guilt. Something to remember the moment forever...a reminder of tonight.

"I want to have your color of wolf," I said aloud, watching my sister's reaction through the mirror. 

She scrunched her nose, a sign that showed she didn't appreciate my choice, "That's not a very beautiful color." She dropped the hairbrush on the table, spinning me so I was facing her.

As I stared into her blue eyes, a shade identical to mine, I finally realized what Judy meant when she said that Dahlia and I were two peas in a pod. We looked too similar, from the color of our hair to the shape of our noses, even our facial structure was the same. The only thing you could use to tell us apart were the moles on the side of Dahlia's nose.

While we took pleasure in pranking our pack members, I sometimes found it annoying that they always saw us as a mirror image and often compared her to me. Sure, Dahlia was stronger, faster, and more graceful than I was. It didn't mean that I was no better, either.

"I hope you get Mom's color." She whispered, her hand stroking the side of my head, "Maybe a lighter shade of grey would do. It would look absolutely beautiful."

I nodded in agreement, opening my mouth to ask her why she didn't like her wolf's color since everyone, including myself, found it attractive.  

"Why don't-"

The door flew open, revealing our father with a large toolbox in hand, "What are you girls still doing here? The ceremony is about to start!"He shouted impatiently.

I shot up from the stool, my gaze wide in surprise, "But it's not supposed to start until another hour or two."

He scoffed, switching the large box to his other hand, "The moon has almost risen, Em. Chop, chop, go before you miss it!"

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my jacket and wrapping it around myself like a cape, before following my father out the doorway.

"Good luck, Em," Dahlia said softly as I stepped outside.

The wind whipped my cheeks, bringing fresh tears to my eyes, and I blinked them quickly to keep them at bay before running to catch up with my father. The sky was completely dark,  stars were visible only through the clouds. The moon itself was bright, it was nearly full phase, and there would soon be a light glow, casting down on the new shifters. It made me shiver just thinking about it.

When we arrived at the clearing, I was surprised to see that half of the pack had already gathered there. I could even spot my mother standing in the front row, along with Luna Maya and her son, George. I discreetly waved at her and she shot me a warm smile. I returned my gaze to the circle, which was really a large circle drawn onto the ground with coal.

Inside it, people stood, waiting patiently. I recognized several familiar faces, such as Kade and Judy. 

My father placed a hand on my shoulder and I paused, raising my head to look at him. He simply stared at me for a few moments, his hard brown eyes accessing, until he spoke, "Good luck."

I watched quietly as he walked away, going to stand over beside the Alpha, his position as the Beta of the pack meant that he was the Alpha's, right-hand man. Sighing, I went over to join my peers inside the circle, my heart pounding in excitement. I quickly shrugged off my clothes just like the rest had done, leaving me in only my black bralette and my shorts. Judy nudged me with her elbow, and gave me a questioning look, 

"Where have you been?" She whispered.

"Dahlia was fixing my hair," I whispered back.

"You know your hair won't matter once you shift right." She whispered again, pointing to her own messy updo.

I muffled my laughter,  covering my mouth with a hand, "Shut up, Judy." She snorted, shaking her head slightly. 

When I returned my gaze to the crowd, I saw that the Luna was already looking in our direction, and she had a disapproving glare fixed on me. I tried not to fidget under her stare but felt my heart skip a beat.

After a few minutes of waiting, the Alpha's voice boomed across the clearing, 

 "Welcome everyone, the time has come yet again for our young wolves to fully come into themselves. This is the final night of their lives as humans, and they must now learn how to properly transform into their true animal forms." His loud voice echoed through the air as everyone listened intently, "Tonight is their turning. They will have to face their true forms, something every young wolf fears for their entire lives. Their first shift is a life-changing moment, an instant of vulnerability when their true nature begins to surface. To let loose of their humanity and become the natural beasts that they truly are." 

With those words, the Alpha lowered himself slowly down into a crouching position in front of us, a small wooden box in his hands. Opening it gently, he pulled out a small beautiful dagger, holding it in front of him. His expression was serious, his eyes trained on us, he continued talking, 

"With my blood, shall you rise." 

His voice rang out clear and strong, echoing throughout the clearing and reaching even the furthest edges of the forest. And then, he thrust the blade forward in a slow arch, slicing his flesh open. Blood seeped down the length of his arm, coating his skin in scarlet drops. 

He moved back, raising his arms towards the sky, his head thrown back and eyes closed, "Moon Goddess, bless your children with your gift."

Everyone chanted after him and I felt it, a tingling sensation creeping through my body. My legs began to shake beneath me and I held my breath as my body became engulfed in a white light. I gasped for breath, my eyes squeezed shut, my ears filled with a low ringing sound, the sound of rushing blood through my veins. My whole body ached, my joints protesting the movement as I stretched my limbs and tried to move.  My muscles twitched and burned, begging me to lie down. 

I fell to my knees, a loud groan ripping through my throat.

My body convulsed violently, my legs jerked, and all I heard was a high-pitched whine. My vision blurred and black spots appeared in my vision, causing my breathing to quicken uncontrollably. It was so bad, I couldn't even breathe properly anymore. A burning pain consumed my entire lower half and I couldn't help the scream that escaped me, 

Dahlia lied to me. My mother lied to me. They'd told me that when I transformed, it would only be a stinging pain. This was much worse, I felt like I was being torn into two.

My fingernails throbbed painfully and my teeth started to elongate and sharpen, growing longer and sharper. To stop the pain, my fingers began digging into the dirt with a desperate need for relief, my nails cutting deeply into the earth and leaving small indents as the blood poured out of the cuts I made.

My back arched and I threw my head backward, a grotesque howl erupting from my throat and I collapsed onto the dirt. All at once, everything stopped, leaving me in total silence. For a moment, I couldn't hear or feel anything. It felt like my body and mind had turned silent.

I heard someone call my name. I heard several shouts of panic and I wondered if I had shifted. I wondered what color my wolf would be.

My eyes fluttered open, staring at a dull gray sky. My body shook and I whimpered in agony. Every part of my body hurt and every inch of it was covered with a thick layer of sand. It seemed that I'd spent most of my life buried alive.

My eyes began to adjust to the darkness and the first thing I saw was a large grey wolf in front of me, I groaned, turning to the side, 

My eyes widened when instead of fur, I was met with my bare skin.  My chest heaved and I took in deep breaths to try and calm down. My body was trembling so much that I couldn't even sit properly, I couldn't seem to control my limbs.

I brought my hands forward and sure enough, long sharp claws extended from my fingertips. I brought a clawed finger up to touch the sharp tip of one of my canines, wincing at the feeling. As I dragged my finger over my bottom lip, a sharp sting pierced my tongue. I bit down on it trying to soothe the painful feeling as I sat up slowly.

"No." My tone was filled with dismay. Around me, each of my peers had shifted fully into their animal forms, their fur shining with the silvery moonlight. Everyone had completed their transformation. Everyone except me.

My eyes met my father's in the crowd, his face gave nothing sway but I knew I had disappointed him. Heavy murmurs  swept through the crowd as the Alpha stepped forward, 

"Shift." He said in a commanding tone and a surge of energy passed through my veins.

My legs gave out under me and my knees crashed to the ground, I felt my bones snapping and twisting, my spine arched and I screamed in pain. However, the pain stopped just as quickly as it came, replaced by cold numbness. I raised my head to look at my Alpha, my face pale, my mouth opened and no noise left my lips.

His eyes left mine and went to the sky, I followed his line of sight. My heart dropped when I saw it. The moon had completely disappeared from the sky, which meant the ritual was over. 

"No," My voice shook and my eyes stung in the process.

The Alpha simply shook his head dejectedly, "It's too late."

"No! You have to do something!" I yelled, my frantic eyes begging my father to intervene.

But he didn't even glance my way. He merely turned on his heel and walked away.

"Disgrace!" I heard someone shout.

"Abomination." Another yelled. 

My throat bobbed up and down rapidly, my lips were parted as hot tears flowed freely down my cheeks. How could this have happened? 

My family line had never experienced this before so why had this happened to me? 

A half-shifter. A she-wolf with no wolf. My father had told me that wolves like that were better off dead. Now, I was handed that same fate. 

My eyes looked towards the sky, the dull lighting of the moon was barely visible through the dark clouds. It was almost as if the Moon Goddess was mocking me, handing me a fate that was worse than death.

"Take her away." 

I barely acknowledged the voice until I felt arms grab both my upper arms, pulling me forcefully. I didn't fight them, I was aware of where they were taking me to. But I kept my eyes trained on the ground, my heart clenched even tighter when I heard the loud howls of my mates. The sounds cut through me and I broke down sobbing.

 "Emma!"

I jolted at the sound of my name, immediately lifting my head to meet the gaze of my sister. She smiled sadly at me, but I refused to return the expression, still unable to believe it myself. That I had lost my chance forever. I had failed them. The thought made me feel even more despondent, a wave of sadness washing over me. Tears spilled over my already wet cheeks and I turned my face away.

As we walked into the tunnel, I gulped nervously.

I would make it up to them. My father was a reasonable man, he would know that this wasn't my fault and he would find a cure. He always had a solution for everything.

But first, I had to survive tonight.