Chapter 1 - You're Alone

Lyra

The pack gathered in the streets, stars blinking into the dark indigo sky. It was the night of her 18th birthday and the village was alive with festivity. But no one celebrated her birth. 

They only  looked forward to her wolf awakening. Their pack was small, just short of 50 people. Every wolf brought increased prosperity. Every marriage promised children. And with her marriage to the Beta, Theron, she would no longer be an outsider.

Sitting on the fountain on the outskirts, Lyra dragged her fingers through the cold water and watched the ripples spread. Laughter and music buzzed around her like a distant dream.

As the moon rose, the town cheered. But not for the girl with the ebony mane tangled around her face, dirt on her cheeks, and eyes too full of loneliness to be seen. Her unfocused gaze drifted through the crowd, where Theron’s family partied the hardest. 

“Just my luck,” she muttered, splashing water droplets with a smack. “The full moon would rise on my 18th birthday.” Foreboding settled into the pit of her stomach. 

“Most would consider that a sign of luck.”

Lyra turned to see Aunt Maris offering her a plate of pastries. Her chestnut strands, streaked with grey, framed soft features tinged with quiet strength. 

Sitting beside Lyra, Maris chuckled softly. “The first full moon after your 18th birthday, the wolf awakens—it’s always been the way of things. Your time is now. It’s a gift.”

“I don’t know,” Lyra sighed, accepting the pastries but not eating. “A gift everyone expects me to use for them. For the pack. For him.” 

Lyra’s voice caught as she tried to swallow the gall rising in her throat but it wrapped around her speech. Through the crowd, she saw him, tall and broad-shouldered, acting as if this whole celebration was his. Copper streaks in his espresso hair mirrored the arrogance in his brown eyes.

“Theron?” Maris asked gently.

Watching him, her grip tightened around the porcelain. When his cousin whispered in his ear, he flashed that smile. That smile could soften anyone. Had charmed the most stoic elder. Everyone hung on Theron’s words. 

“He’s everything they want in a Beta,” Lyra muttered. “And me? I’m just the promise of something better. Waiting to be fulfilled.”

He would claim her once the wolf emerged. But did he even see her? When his eyes met hers, the world slowed. Her lips tugged upward reflexively. Could he see through the past that blinded everyone else to her?

The brief connection twisted in her chest as he turned away, back to his cousin with a toothy grin. It stung to realize his regard had never been for her. Lyra caught the traitor of a smile on her lips before it betrayed her. Her gaze dropped, shoulders stiffening.

Maris placed a comforting hand over Lyra’s. “The wolf is yours, Lyra. Not Theron’s. Not the pack’s. Yours. Don’t let anyone take that from you.”

Could Lyra believe her Aunt’s protective words? She longed for that reassurance. But what if the wolf wasn’t enough? What if she wasn’t enough?

“I’m surprised you even showed up, half-breed. How does it feel, waiting to become something you’re not?” Her stepsister’s voice sliced through her hope, bringing her back to the role she could never escape.

Maris’s face tightened slightly. Seraphina swayed closer with a mocking smile, chestnut curls forming a dark crown. Her green eyes glinted with malicious superiority. 

“You think the moon will make you a wolf? All I see is a girl, desperate to grow claws, too soft to scratch.” Seraphina tilted her head, her voice syrupy sweet. “It’s adorable, really. A little half-breed hoping one day she’ll wake up as a real wolf.”

Her friends’ giggles rang in Lyra’s ears like a bell tolling the doubts she always buried deep. She couldn’t look up.

“That’s enough,” Maris commanded.

Seraphina’s perfectly arched eyebrow lifted, her smile growing. 

“Oh, I didn’t realize she needed a babysitter.”

Gritting her teeth, Lyra desperately tried to hold on. Speaking would only make it worse. It always did. Just like Aunt Maris’s attempt to defend her.

Seraphina twirled a lock of hair, her slender yet curvy figure catching the light. Theron paused mid-sentence, openly admiring Seraphina. 

“You know, Lyra,” Seraphina pouted, "Even if the moon did awaken your wolf, it wouldn’t bring her back. You’re alone."

The words burned. She didn’t need her mother’s name spoken. Her absence had never healed. It never would.

"Your wolf won’t change who you are. Do you think that’s why she left?" Seraphina finished.

Pastries splattered as the dish shattered across the rough ground. Her thoughts spun. She couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t let them see her like this. She shoved herself to her feet, her breath shallow.

She pushed past people, their startled gasps blurring into a hum. Someone’s rough sleeve grazed her arm. The tang of spilled ale wafted past her nose. But none of it registered.

Father. This time, he’ll defend me. Maybe.