The pack training grounds were louder than usual that morning.
Laughter echoed across the clearing—sharp, mocking laughter that curled around my chest and squeezed until it hurt. I stood at the edge of the field, fingers clenched tightly around the hem of my worn sweater, pretending not to hear them.
Pretending not to care.
"Careful," one of them said loudly. "She might trip over her own shadow again."
More laughter followed.
I didn't need to look to know who it was.
The Alpha's sons.
They had made my life miserable for as long as I could remember. Three of them—strong, admired, untouchable. And me? I was nothing more than the weak girl with no wolf, no parents, and no place in this pack.
At least, that's what they made sure everyone believed.
I kept my head down and continued sweeping the edge of the grounds, doing the chores I had been assigned since dawn. Today of all days, I wanted to disappear. I didn't want attention. I didn't want their voices in my head.
I just wanted to survive until nightfall.
Because tonight, I would turn eighteen.
For years, I had clung to that number like a lifeline. Eighteen meant awakening. Eighteen meant freedom. Eighteen meant I wouldn't be weak anymore.
Or so I had hoped.
"Hey."
My shoulders stiffened.
I slowly looked up and met the eyes of the one standing closest to me. His gaze was sharp, unreadable—nothing like the playful cruelty the others wore so easily. He had always been different from the rest, quieter, more controlled.
That didn't make him any kinder.
"What do you want?" I asked softly.
His jaw tightened, as if my voice alone annoyed him. "You shouldn't be here."
"I was told to clean," I replied, forcing myself not to shrink back.
He scoffed. "Figures."
Before I could respond, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. My broom slipped from my fingers as heat rushed through my body, sharp and sudden, like fire racing beneath my skin.
I gasped.
The world tilted.
"What's wrong with her?" someone muttered.
I staggered back, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs. The air around me felt thick—charged. Every sound grew louder. Every scent sharper.
Something inside me stirred.
No… not now.
Pain bloomed in my chest, deep and overwhelming. I dropped to my knees, clutching at my shirt as if I could rip the sensation out of me.
Gasps rippled through the clearing.
"She's—"
"Is she awakening?"
I squeezed my eyes shut as the truth crashed into me.
My wolf.
She was here.
Power surged through my veins, raw and untamed. Images flashed behind my eyes—moonlight, forests, freedom. A low growl vibrated in my chest, unfamiliar yet comforting.
I wasn't weak.
I never had been.
When I opened my eyes, the world looked different.
Clearer.
And then it happened.
A sharp pull yanked at something deep within me—so strong it stole the air from my lungs. My gaze snapped up, locking onto three figures standing a few feet away.
The Alpha's sons.
My heart stumbled.
One by one, their expressions changed. Confusion flickered across their faces… then shock. Then something darker. Something almost afraid.
I felt it.
The bond.
Threads of invisible energy stretched between us, tight and unbreakable. My wolf surged forward, howling in recognition.
Mates.
My stomach dropped.
No. No, no, no. This had to be a mistake. The Moon Goddess wouldn't be this cruel.
Their scents hit me all at once—warm, powerful, intoxicating. It made my head spin. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, heat pooling low in my belly, my pulse racing.
I hated it.
One of them took a step toward me, his eyes glowing faintly. "This isn't possible," he muttered.
Another clenched his fists, jaw tight, as if fighting something inside himself. "She's lying. She has to be."
"I'm not," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I feel it too."
Silence slammed down between us.
The bond pulsed again—stronger this time. I whimpered, pressing a hand to my chest. My wolf pushed against me, eager, curious, furious.
I stood slowly, my legs trembling but steady.
"You don't get to look at me like that," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. "You don't get to be confused now. You made my life hell."
Regret flickered across one face.
Guilt across another.
And something dangerous—desire—burned in the third.
"I don't care what the Moon Goddess decided," I continued, swallowing the ache in my throat. "I won't beg. I won't chase. And I won't forget."
The bond hummed in response, as if mocking me.
I turned away before they could say anything else. My heart was pounding, my wolf restless, my future suddenly uncertain.
I had waited my whole life for freedom.
Instead, fate had bound me to the very men who once broke me.
And somehow, I knew—
this was only the beginning.