One: The Cage of Expectations

Cara’s POV

I was sitting through yet another round of meditation, one of the many things I was required to do to help my predicament when a maid came to call me.

“Your father would like to see you, My lady.” She said with a curtsey and my nerves rattled immediately. Taking a deep breath, I rose and made my way to him, already dreading the meeting. He rarely requested my presence these days. He seldom smiled when he did see me. After all, what reason did he have to smile? I— once his pride and joy— was now the sole source of shame to our great pack and no matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do about it.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stood outside his study, fingers trembling on the brass handle. The heavy oak door loomed in front of me, a barrier between me and the inevitable disappointment that would be etched into my father’s face once I stepped in. I knew why he had summoned me. It was the same reason he always did. The wolf. My wolf—or rather, the lack of her. Eighteen years and I was still without a wolf. How shameful, especially considering my bloodline.

I steeled myself, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open. The familiar scent of leather-bound books, burning firewood, and the sharp tang of my father’s ever-present cigar greeted me as I entered. He was sitting behind his grand mahogany desk, eyes fixed on the paperwork before him, though I knew his focus wasn’t truly on the papers. It never was when I was in the room.

“Cara,” he said without looking up, his voice tight, anxious. “Close the door.”

I obeyed, shutting it softly behind me. The click of the door felt like the lock on a cage. Every time I was in here, I was reminded of the bars that held me—bars that weren’t forged from steel but from expectation, legacy, and failure.

“Sit.” His voice was clipped.

I took my usual seat, the chair that faced him directly across the desk, and folded my hands in my lap, trying to steady myself.

He finally looked up, his gray eyes sharp and assessing, the same way they always were when he examined me, as if searching for something that wasn’t there. His face, weathered by years of command and dominance, was a mirror of my future—or at least, it should have been.

“There’s no change,” I said before he could ask, my voice sounding thin and hollow even to my own ears.

Father’s jaw tightened, and he leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration. The movement exposed the deep lines etched into his skin, lines that I knew I’d put there, despite his every effort to hide it. He’d loved me once— maybe he still did— but worry and disappointment had eaten away all of that until now, there was barely anything left.

“Nothing at all?” His voice was quieter than I expected, but no less devastating.

“No,” I whispered, lowering my eyes to the floor. “I still can’t... I can’t shift.”

A tense silence fell over the room. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, but its warmth did nothing to melt the ice that had settled between us. I waited for the sharp reprimand, the cutting words that would remind me, once again, of my inadequacies. But instead, my father sighed heavily, his fingers drumming against the desk.

“I’ve had every witch in the territory come here, trying to figure out what’s wrong with you,” he muttered. “Year after year, each one more powerful than the last. Yet none of them have been able to bring out your wolf.”

I flinched at his words. Familiar as they were, it still hurt to hear them, especially from him. I was a Wylder; the last female of the ancient lineage blessed by the moon goddes herself. Immense power lay within my very veins, yet I was broken— weak, useless.

His disappointment was like a living, breathing thing, pressing down on me and choking the air from my lungs until it was almost impossible to breathe.

“Selene’s blessing skipped your mother and so I did not benefit of its powers, but a seer assured me that you would be next. Never has the golden wolf skipped two generations after all. You were meant to be the strongest of them all in fact.” he continued, his voice growing harder. “I was promised that even if I didn’t marry a golden Luna, I would father one— and now look at you. You can’t be even an ordinary Luna because you have no wolf!”

“I know,” I said softly. I knew the story by heart, it was my legacy after all. The legend of the Golden Luna, a she-wolf whose power was unparalleled and whose bloodlines had shaped the strength of our house. I’d grown up on those tales, always knowing that one day, I was supposed to fulfill them.

But that day had never come. My wolf had never come and now, it appeared my time was up.

“Give me a few more months, I can—”

“No.” Father said tersely, shutting me down immediately. “No more time. No more healers or witches or potions. No nothing.” He sighed again, deeply and tiredly and the sound of it cut to my very core. “I’ve done my best to hide your… condition. Made excuses as to why you cannot run with the pack. Staked my very reputation on your abilities all on the hope that you might find your wolf if I gave you enough time.” He shook his head “No more.”

“So… what are you going to do? Expose me?” My lips trembled and I bit them, doing my best not to cry. He let out a humorless laugh.

“If I did that, I would be humiliated as well. And shunned by the rest of the Alphas for lying for so long. Do you know how many of them have asked for your hand in hopes that they may get the golden luna?”

I paled, remembering the many suitors whose interest in me would disappear the moment they learned the truth. And father… he had been so patient until now but it looked like his patience had worn out.

“I’ve accepted Darius Wrent’s proposal.”

The words hit me like a blow and I gaped at him, shock reverberating down my body. “What?”

“The Lycan King, Darius Wrent. He’s one of the many who asked for your hand in marriage, and I’ve accepted his offer.”

I swallowed hard, blinking back tears of horror as the reality of his words hit me. Darius Wrent. The Lycan King, the most powerful Alpha in the territories. He was a terrifying man if the rumors about him were to be believed. Considering his reputation, he’d be the last person I’d want to trick into being my mate and I doubt he’d accept a wolfless Luna willingly.

“Is he aware of my… condition?” Father didn’t like me to voice my wolflessness and even now, his lips tightened. “No.” Was all he said and I stared.

“Father, Alpha Darius won’t—”

He waved off my hesitation with an impatient flick of his hand. “There’s no need for him to know. He’s the strongest possible match any female can get and he’s been after your hand for years now. If anyone can awaken your wolf, it’s him.”

“But what if it doesn’t work?” I asked, my chest tightening. “What if... what if my wolf never comes? What if—”

“It will,” he interrupted, his voice firm. “The bonding ceremony with an Alpha like Darius will bring your wolf to the surface. No one would ever have to know you were… wolfless in the first place.”

I shook my head, panic rising like a tide inside me. “Father, I think this is a bad idea. From what I’ve heard, Alpha Darius—”

“A solution to our problem,” my father said coldly. “Wake up Cara. I’m done protecting your secret. You will wed Darius Wrent or figure out your own life away from our pack. Once you are bonded to him, your wolf should be restored. And if it doesn't… well, you can guess what awaits you at his hand.”

I couldn’t believe my father was saying this. The tears I’d been holding back since I stepped in the room gathered in my eyes.

“Once your secret is revealed, you will not be accepted by any other Alpha. You’ll be cast aside. Incable of bringing value to anyone. I won’t stand for it Cara.”

His words stung, but they weren’t new. I knew the fate of a wolfless wolf. Rejection. Isolation. A life of insignificance, away from pack life. Away from everything I’d ever known.

“This is a chance, Cara,” he pressed, leaning forward. “Your last chance. You either succeed in bonding with Darius and awaken your wolf, or you’re nothing. Do you understand?”

I stared at him, unable to find words. He was asking me to place my fate in the hands of a man I didn’t know, a man whose cruelty was known throughout the territories. But what other option did I have? If I said no, I’d be rejected from the pack, from the only life I’d ever known. If I said yes… Darius would certainly kill me once he found out what I was.

“I... I understand,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Good.” He leaned back in his chair, satisfied. “Your bridegroom will arrive tomorrow as will all the surrounding Alpha’s to bear witness to your union. You’ll be ready.”

Tomorrow. The word echoed in my mind like a death knell. Tomorrow, my fate would be sealed. I stood, my legs feeling like lead, and turned toward the door.

“Cara.” He called and I paused, my hand on the handle.

“Don’t fail me,” he said quietly.

I nodded, though I didn’t look back. I left the study then, breaking into a run once the door was shut. Tears streamed down my face, my heart neigh bursting with misery as I fled. My chest was so tight I could hardly breathe.

Why wouldn't she come, My wolf? I’d waited for her my entire life, through every full moon and every whispered promise, but she had never come. She'd abandoned me, just like everyone else.

Now, I was expected to bind myself to a man like Darius Wrent in hopes that his power could force her out of hiding.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to stop this. My mind whirled furiously yet I couldn’t find the answer. I didn't stop until I got to my room, flinging myself atop my bed and wept. My already bleak life was about to turn for the worst, and there was nothing I could do about it.