Maya's POV
The hot bread slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor.
"Maya! That's the third loaf this morning!" Mrs. Henderson, the head baker, snapped at me. "What's gotten into you today?"
I dropped to my knees, picking up pieces of the ruined bread. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Henderson. I'll pay for it from my income."
She huffed and turned away, mumbling about clumsy omega girls. I swept up the crumbs, my heart beating so hard I thought everyone could hear it. Today was my eighteenth birthday. Tonight was the Coming of Age celebration. And I was scared.
"Don't mind her," whispered Sage, another omega who worked beside me. "She's just cranky because the Alpha's been acting strange lately."
I froze. "Strange how?"
Sage leaned closer, her voice falling to barely a whisper. "My sister works at the pack house. She says Alpha Damon hasn't been sleeping. He paces his office all night, screaming at anyone who comes near. And yesterday, he snapped at Beta Jake for no reason at all."
My stomach twisted. Everyone knew Alpha Damon Stone was the coldest, most dangerous boss our pack had ever had. The thought of him being even more on edge made my hands shake worse.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"Because tonight, you'll be in the same ceremony as every other unmated wolf in the pack," Sage said seriously. "Including him."
The mixing bowl slipped from my hand, clattering to the counter. "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you heard? Alpha Damon never found his mate. At thirty, he's still unmated. The elders are saying he has to join in tonight's ceremony too, in case his mate is among the new adults."
My knees felt weak. The Coming of Age ceremony was meant to be exciting - the night when eighteen-year-olds discovered their adult scent and possibly found their fated mate. But the idea of Alpha Damon being there, looking for his mate, made everything feel dangerous.
"Sage," I muttered, "what if... what if something goes wrong tonight?"
She gave me a strange look. "What could go wrong? You'll get your smell, maybe find a nice omega boy to settle down with, and live happily ever after."
But that's exactly what scared me. What if I didn't get a normal omega scent? What if something was different about me, like the weird dreams I'd been having lately? Dreams of silver light and howling dogs and eyes that glowed like stars.
"Maya, dear," came my mother's voice from behind us. "Come help me with the birthday bread."
I turned to see Mom holding a small loaf shaped like a crescent moon - the traditional birthday bread for wolves coming of age. Her smile was warm, but I could see worry in her eyes.
"Girls, give us a moment," Mom said to the other workers.
When we were alone, she pulled me to the corner of the bakery. "Maya, I need to tell you something important about tonight."
"What, Mom?"
She looked around uncomfortably, then leaned close. "Your grandma, before she died, she told me something about our bloodline. Something I've never told you."
My heart started racing again. "What kind of something?"
"We're not just regular omegas, Maya. Your great-great-grandmother was... special. She had a smell that could affect even Alphas. It brought her great joy, but also great danger."
I looked at her. "Are you saying I might be like her?"
"I don't know," Mom said, her voice shaking. "But if you are, you need to be very careful tonight. Stay in the back of the group. Don't draw attention to yourself. And whatever you do, don't let Alpha Damon notice you."
"Why? What would happen if he did?"
Mom's face went pale. "Because, sweetheart, everyone knows Alpha Damon's rule: he never sleeps with the same woman twice. But the stories about your great-great-grandmother say that when an Alpha finds an omega with her kind of smell, that rule doesn't matter anymore. He becomes... obsessed."
The kitchen suddenly felt too hot, too small. "Mom, you're scaring me."
"Good," she said firmly. "You should be scared. Promise me you'll stay invisible tonight."
"I promise," I whispered.
But even as I said it, something deep inside me stirred. A part of me that had always felt different, always felt like I was waiting for something to happen. What if tonight was the night everything changed?
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Other omega girls came into the bakery, laughing and talking about the ceremony. They wondered which boys might notice them, what their scents would smell like, whether they'd find their mates tonight.
"I hope mine smells like flowers," said one girl dreamily.
"I want mine to smell like the forest after rain," said another.
But I stayed quiet, making dough and trying not to think about what Mom had told me. Every time the bakery door opened, I jumped, half-expecting to see Alpha Damon's cold, scary face.
As the sun began to set, Mom walked me home to our tiny house. "Remember what I told you," she said, hugging me tight. "Stay invisible."
I nodded, but as I got ready for the event, putting on the simple white dress that all coming-of-age wolves wore, I caught myself in the mirror. For just a moment, my reflection looked different. My eyes seemed brighter, my face seemed to glow with an inner light.
I blinked, and I looked normal again. Just Maya Rivers, the quiet omega baker's daughter.
But as I walked toward the ceremony grounds, my heart pounding with each step, I couldn't shake the feeling that nothing would ever be normal again.
The sacred circle came into view, lit by torches and filled with pack members. At the center stood Elder Samuel, ready to perform the ancient ritual. And there, on a raised platform overlooking everything, stood Alpha Damon Stone.
Even from a distance, I could feel his power, his danger. His eyes swept over the crowd like a predator looking for prey.
I pressed myself against the back of the group, trying to become invisible just like Mom said. But as Elder Samuel began to call the first names, as the ceremony officially started, something strange happened.
The wind shifted, carrying my scent toward the platform.
And Alpha Damon's head snapped up, his glowing eyes searching the crowd with sudden, terrifying intensity.
He was looking for me.