Elaria's POV.
The full moon had risen, casting a cold silver glow over Crescent Pack, and yet, I couldn't feel a single ounce of warmth.
I stood in front of the mirror, with my hands trembling and my breath shallow.
This was it.
Tonight, everything was supposed to change…my first shift, my true awakening…the moment the pack would finally see I was more than just a cursed name or a ghost of my father's sin.
So why did I feel like I was standing at the edge of something... wrong?
Why was I feeling so much uncertainty?
I have Kaelen, his family loves me and would welcome me amongst them so despite the uncertainty of it all, the fact that we love each other grounded me.
I stepped away from the mirror and moved toward the window, resting my hand on the wooden frame as I stared out into the night.
Across the clearing, young wolves were already shifting, bones snapping, fur bursting through skin, howls filling the air, some stumbled into the arms of their newly found mates, laughing and crying as they celebrated like they were part of something sacred.
And here I was, still waiting, silent and empty.
"Why haven't you stirred?" I whispered to my wolf. "What's wrong with me?"
There was no answer, just silence.
A soft knock broke through my thoughts and I turned quickly, heart leaping.
I rushed to the door and opened it…and froze, the Luna stood there, beautiful as ever, dressed in soft silver silk that shimmered like the moonlight itself. Her smile was gentle and full of warmth, she was the one who raised me, fed me, and brushed my hair as a child when my mother couldn't even remember I existed.
"My sweet girl," she said, brushing my cheek with her fingers. "It's time."
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My throat was too tight.
"You're nervous," she said softly as she pulled me into a hug.
The scent of jasmine and old scrolls wrapped around me, she always smelled like that.
"It's alright, Elaria, you've waited for this your whole life, and you're going to be just fine," she whispered. "We're with you, you hear me? All of us."
I nodded slowly against her shoulder, she smiled as she pulled back, brushing a stray curl behind my ear.
"Tonight, you'll show them who you are and I know you'll make us proud. You'll never be like your father," she added gently, her voice dipping low. "You're better than that, you're stronger."
I didn't know why, but her words chilled me a little, still, I forced a nod and followed her into the night.
The moment we stepped into the gathering ground, all eyes turned to us.
No... to me, whispers followed, some of them are familiar, way too familiar.
"Is she really going to shift?"
"Maybe the evil her father did will kill her first."
"I heard her wolf died before she was even born…"
I lifted my chin and kept walking, Kaelen was waiting near the center of the circle the flames of the ceremonial torches danced behind him, making his golden eyes glow.
He smiled and, without hesitation, walked up to me and kissed me, right there in front of everyone.
Gasps echoed, murmurs surged, and someone cursed.
Kaelen didn't care, his arms were around me, firm and possessive, as if he were already making a statement to the entire pack.
I stared up at him, stunned.
Was he…?
Would he truly be my mate?
I hoped so, Goddess, I felt connected to him…his scent, his gaze, everything about him, he's my all in all.
"Tonight," he whispered into my hair, "everything changes."
My heart stuttered.
I didn't notice the way his smile twitched at the corners, or how his eyes never fully crinkled, too polished and careful.
Still, I wanted to believe him, needed to believe him.
The Alpha and Luna stood nearby, watching, smiling too wide and almost too still.
"Good luck, Elaria," the Alpha said, nodding like he hadn't orchestrated every part of my life.
I swallowed and gave a small bow. "Thank you, Alpha."
They stepped back as the crowd closed in, forming the ancient shifting circle. I was led into the center... alone. The earth felt hot beneath my bare feet, and the full moon hung overhead…its light far too bright, too cold and I stood there, waiting for my wolf.
Murmurs began.
"She's not shifting."
"Maybe she's wolfless…"
"The Moon Goddess finally cursed the cursed one."
Each word sliced deeper than the last, I kept my head high, but my hands were clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms.
I'd waited for this my whole life…dreamed of it, begged for it and now, there was nothing, nothing but silence.
Was I truly broken?
My vision blurred with tears I refused to shed, I could hear them waiting... waiting for me to fail. My knees trembled…not from the shift, but from fear, if my wolf didn't come now… I would be nothing, I'll never be able to heal my mother, I'll be treated worse and I might lose Kaelen… goddess, please, don't do this to me.
Just as my legs were about to give way, I felt something stirred in me followed by…
"I'm here."
A voice, inside me, it was soft, fierce and familiar and my eyes widened.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she whispered, her voice low and growling. "But I'm here now, Elaria. I'm with you."
And then... everything changed.
My bones cracked, and my muscles tore and shifted, I screamed…a sound half-human, half-something else. My knees hit the earth as fire crawled through my veins, licking every nerve,my skin burned and stretched, and then...
Fur.
Silken, silver and threaded with gold and red slowly, I rose, towering and strong.
A massive white wolf stood where I had once been, bathed in moonlight, power rolled off me.
And for the first time... the pack went silent.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, I turned slowly, surveying the sea of wide eyes and parted lips. Warriors stared, elders clutched their chests, I felt... powerful, whole and seen.
I stood tall in my new form, light pouring off my fur, for a single breath in time, I felt like I belonged…like the Moon Goddess herself was watching and saying, "I see you."
A sweet scent caught my nose immediately and I turned only to see Kaelen already shifting.
His wolf…a lean, brown form…circled me once, low and slow, then he threw back his head and howled.
"Mate!"
The word struck the sky and from deep inside me, my wolf howled back.
"Mate!"
The crowd gasped, some even stumbled, murmurs of awe, envy... and fear.
"Let's shift back… please." I mumbled and my wolf hummed in approval, I shifted back, my skin tingling and breath ragged, servants rushed in, wrapping me in a cloak and offering a white dress, I barely felt it. Kaelen shifted too, dressed quickly, and his eyes never left mine.
Before I could speak, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me.
"You're mine," he whispered, lips brushing my forehead. "And I'll protect you always."
My heart skipped.
Was this real?
Was I finally chosen?
"I... I can't believe this," I breathed.
"Believe it," he said softly. "I want to show you something, something only the future Luna gets to see."
He pulled me gently from the crowd, ignoring the curious stares and the whispers, everything was happening fast now but I followed, of course I did.
Because in that moment, he was everything and still everything to me,I was grateful to the moon for answering my prayers.
We walked deep into the woods, far from the torches and cheers, until we reached a grove lit with flickering candles, runes glowed across the ground, and the air pulsed with something old... something not entirely kind and I hesitated.
"What is this place?" I asked, staring at the strange circle of light and symbols.
"A sacred tradition," he said, his voice deep and reverent. "A ritual only those chosen for greatness undergo. For us and our bond."
He moved to the center and lifted a silver bowl, placing it among artifacts I didn't recognize…crystal shards, carved bones, jagged stones etched with unfamiliar symbols.
"I've never heard of this," I murmured as the unease grew in me.
"It's not for everyone," he replied. "Only for powerful wolves, wolves like you."
I hesitated, something twisted in my gut.
But then... he stepped forward and kissed my hand.
"I believe in you, Elaria," he said, his eyes too shiny in the candlelight. "Do you trust me?"
I swallowed my fear. Why wouldn't I? He and his family had stood by me when the rest of the pack only saw a shadow of my father's name, they raised me, protected me... loved me.
"Yes," I whispered.
"Will you do this ritual with all of you?" he asked again, voice softer now, coaxing.
I nodded with a smile, too full of hope to notice the way the shadows danced too close to the light.
He smiled, then lifted a blade.
Before I could process it, cool metal met my palm, I winced as he sliced gently, and blood bloomed across my skin, it dripped… slow and steady… into the bowl.
"Say the words I taught you yesterday, Elaria," he whispered. "With your whole heart."
"Lunaris vincra.
Vel tharyn aestra.
Kael'thun moren da.
Tira solven drae."
The moment the final syllable passed my lips, the runes flared beneath the bowl, the blood hissed like it was alive and then…
A blast of ancient energy slammed into me, I flew back, my body twisting in the air before crashing against the earth, my lungs seized and limbs convulsed, pain carved into every inch of me like I was being ripped apart and reformed all over again.
Kaelen rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside me, his hands held me gently, and yet... something about his touch now felt foreign.
"Elaria! Are you okay?" he asked, pulling me into his arms.
But I couldn't answer, it was like my power had been stripped clean from my bones, I could barely breathe.
"I didn't know it would be that strong," he said after a moment, his voice laced with something unreadable. "But I understand now. You just... undid a curse that was never meant to break."
My chest tightened as my head spun.
"What... curse?" I gasped, the word barely leaving my lips.
He pressed his forehead to mine, his breath brushed across my cheek and then, softly, so cruelly soft I heard the truth.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It's all your father's fault, besides... you were never meant to last."
The pain came before the realization, a cold, sharp pressure sank into my gut and my eyes widened.
I looked down and saw a blade buried deep in my stomach.
I blinked, unable to comprehend it, for a second, my mind tried to convince me this was still part of the ritual, that there was some deeper purpose, some hidden meaning.
But then the warmth of blood soaked through my dress and I knew, he really did it.
Kaelen... stabbed me.
My mouth opened in disbelief, but only a breath escaped, my fingers trembled as I pressed against his chest, searching for answers in his face.
He didn't flinch or explain, he simply let me fall.
My back hit the dirt, and a gasp ripped from my lungs as pain flared everywhere, the earth beneath me felt colder now. My vision blurred with tears and blood as I stared up at the man who once held me like I was his world.
Now, he stared down at me like I was nothing.
"I loved you," I whispered, my voice barely audible but his silence was louder than anything he could have said.
I tried to scream, to cry or fight.
But the sound never came, it stayed trapped behind my lips, just like the girl I used to be.
Above me, the sky rumbled whether it mourned me or mocked me, I would never know.