I stared at myself in the mirror, a luxury my mother had given me to brighten this tiny little box of a room. The glass was cracked at the corner, warped enough to twist my reflection if I leaned too far. But still, it was mine.
This room wasn't really part of anything. Not the drudge dorms, not the sprawling royal suites the Alpha's real children enjoyed. Just tucked between, like me.
I'd been ten when they moved me here. Before that, I slept curled beside my mother on a straw mat. When I got too big, I was shifted into the communal pile of prey-born kids near the kitchen hearth. There was something oddly comforting about the tangle of limbs and whispered dreams. Even if the nights were cold and the days colder. But all that ended when the Alpha's mourning period passed and he claimed me publicly, as his.
It was supposed to be a good thing. And in some ways, it was. I had a room. My own bed. Even a private bath. I never had to haul water, and that alone felt like magic. But solitude was its own kind of burden. Especially now.
My fingers fumbled through my hair, weaving braid after braid with a kind of frantic purpose. It helped me think. Or not think.
Tonight was the First Shift ceremony. And I'd be representing the Alpha, whether I wanted to or not, his last child to face the Moon Goddess. Predator or prey, fate would finally speak.
I twisted half my braids into a knot at the crown of my head, letting the rest fall down my back. My jaw looked too sharp like this, too stubborn. My eyes, gold-flecked and wide, held something unreadable. Fear? Hope? It didn't matter. The answer would come soon enough.
The dress waited for me, draped like starlight over the back of my only chair. Midnight blue velvet, threaded with crystals so fine they caught even the dim lantern light and turned it to magic. It had to have been custom made. Which meant, maybe Father picked it himself.
A dangerous hope.
I slid it over my skin, soft as a sigh, and thought of the first time I was presented to the village. The look Reena had given me could've peeled paint. She'd spat on me, eyes full of hate, and I didn't even blame her. Her mother had just died, and suddenly the Alpha unveiled the bastard child of a prey-born servant, nearly a decade old.
She hadn't taken it well. No one did.
That day had been the first and only time I saw the Alpha strike one of his own. His signet ring left a scar high on Reena's cheekbone, and she never touched me again. But Killian? Killian never needed a reason.
Still, I never said a word. I couldn't. I wouldn't be the cause of another scar.
I finished lacing the side of my dress, grateful it didn't require a corset. I needed freedom tonight, not restraint.
One last look in the mirror. The velvet glowed against my sunkissed skin, my eyes alight with something fierce. I looked regal, almost. Dangerous.
I pulled on my boots and threw my cloak around my shoulders, hood low. The halls of the castle were alive, buzzing with energy. Predators from across the village had arrived for the Feast of First Shift. Drinking deep, laughing loud, and parading their pampered pups like prize hounds.
And me? I slipped through them like smoke, ignored and unseen.
The ceremony wouldn't begin until the Wolf Moon crowned the night sky, but the village was already alive with celebration. I picked my way to the gates, heart pounding louder than it had any right to. My friends were waiting.
"Cass!" Indra's voice cut through the din, bright as always. She stood with Kristian and a knot of other prey-born shifters, all jittery with anticipation.
I waved, forcing a smile as I closed the distance between us. "You two look like you're about to jump out of your skin."
"Because we are!" Kristian grinned. "Did you hear? The Lycan King is here. Showed up unannounced. The Lord Alpha didn't even know."
My brows rose. "No, I hadn't heard. You know they don't exactly drop royal gossip off at my door."
"It's all anyone's talking about," Indra added, pulling me close. "Cass, what if he's here for something big? Something important?"
"What if he's here for someone?" Kristian teased, eyes twinkling.
I rolled my eyes, though a strange chill worked its way down my spine. The Lycan King never traveled without purpose.
But I didn't have time to unravel that mystery. Not tonight.
The gates groaned open, ancient hinges singing low and deep as the crowd surged forward. Indra clutched my hand tightly. "Ready to make history?"
I shook my head. "Not even close." But I stepped forward anyway.
My feet moved. My heart hammered in my chest. The Temple waited.