Nova's wolf stood in the ring — glowing, breathing hard. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire.
She put her head down, taking control back from her wolf.
She saw their faces.
Her classmates. Her teacher. The warriors.
Eyes wide. Frozen. Uncertain.
Afraid.
Nova's took one shaky step back.
Then another.
She looked toward Aeron again — his face pale, mouth parted, eyes locked on her with something like recognition.
Nova thought to her wolf.
Nova: Do they think I'm a monster?
Her wolf responded.
Seraphine: Let them.
Panic clawed through her ribs. Her wolf took over her mind and she didn't remember the moment she turned to run — only the blur of trees as she sprinted from the ring, snow exploding beneath her paws.
Voices called after her.
She didn't hear them.
She crashed into the forest, leaping over roots, weaving through trees. Her wolf didn't hesitate — it ran with the speed of an Alpha, body low, tail streaming behind like a ribbon of white fire.
She didn't know where she was going.
Only that she had to get away.
From the stares. From the silence. From the truth she couldn't control. From the disappointment. She'd let Aeron down.
Nova: Were they afraid?
Her wolf whimpered deep in her throat — a raw, wounded sound.
She ran faster. Snow whipped past her, branches scratched her glowing fur and catching some of the blood already on her shoulder, but she didn't stop. Her paws slammed the earth.
Nova: Am I the monster they all said I was?
She didn't know how far she ran.
Only that she was alone. Her shoulder was on fire but she ignored it.
And even in the quiet hush of the forest, the sound of their silence still chased her.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Fin was seated across from Princess Meredith at a high table overlooking the east training field, half-listening as she described the various renovations she wanted when she moved into his castle.
Her voice was droning — entitled, nasal, painfully uninteresting.
His gaze had drifted again to the window. He could feel some of her emotions through the mate bond, but he couldn't get a full view of what was happening, until now.
And then… the light hit.
Not sunlight. Not magic. Not even fire.
White. Glowing. Radiant. Alive.
A wolf had shifted. Not just any wolf. A white wolf.
He blinked once. Then again.
No one in his pack had a white wolf. No one he'd ever met had a white wolf. That wasn't just beyond rare. It was considered sacred. They were thought to be a myth by most.
A white wolf was a sign of the Moon Goddess herself — her touch, her mark, her claim. And there was one that just exploded into being in the middle of his training field.
His throat went dry. His heart stopped.
Across from him, the Princess was still talking — some rant about how she wanted the west wing "redecorated in crimson and ivory like her mother's throne hall."
He stood abruptly.
"Excuse me," he said flatly.
"What? We're not done—"
"Apologies Princess. I have something urgent that I need to attend to."
He didn't wait for her permission.
Didn't look back.
He was already halfway down the corridor, one hand pressing to his temple as his mindlink flared to life. He had a horrible feeling in his chest. Something was wrong.
His mindlink hit four people, jolting all of them: Draven, Aeron, Cael, and Jax.
Fin: What the hell just happened?
The replies came quickly.
Cael: Just saw a girl shift into a white wolf. She's gone. Took off into the forest.
Jax: She ran like she was being hunted. I was trying to get to her.
Aeron: You felt that, didn't you? That wasn't just any shift.
Draven: Alpha, I will talk to the student and handle this. She was attacked when her back was turned after she won the match. I don't even know how she knew in time to shift, but… thank the gods she did.
Aeron: Why was the match not called when the giant woman shifted? Why was she fighting in human form when a trained warrior was in wolf form? Shifting, using aura, or any abilities is an automatic win for the opponent.
Draven: Brutus wanted to vet her as an early recruit. We thought Helga was testing her.>
Fin: You're telling me, one of my trained warriors…Our pack's elite attacked an unsuspecting student in human form… from the back after a match was already called in front everyone?
Finric stopped walking.
This was almost unbelievable. No way a trained warrior would be that stupid… right?
The rage rose so quickly it felt cold.
Someone attacked her from behind. After the match. After she'd won. He breathed in once. Slowly.
Fin: Is the attacker alive?
Draven: Yes. Brutus is furious and she will be punished.
Fin: Immediate arrest of that warrior. Have Elias run a blood test as well. Aeron, check for traces of dark magic or performance altering substances. Alpha's order.
Cael: On it Alpha.
Aeron: I walked by her a minute ago and no dark magic.
Fin: Who is the student?
Fin already knew the answer.
Jax: Nova. I'm going after her.
His fingers curled into a fist.
He didn't say don't. But he didn't say go either.
He just walked faster, cape flaring behind him as he reached the stairwell that would take him outside.
White wolf.
Why now?
Why here?
Why her?
His wolf stirred deep inside him, not snarling or growling — but whispering one word again and again, like a thread pulling taut in his chest.
Mate. Mine.