Chapter One – 2026
The alarm buzzed like a dying insect, rattling against the chipped nightstand. I groaned, slapping it silent, and lay there for a moment staring at the ceiling. The cracks in the plaster looked like veins, branching out in jagged lines, a reminder of how fragile everything in my life felt.
"Mom!" Elias's voice carried from the kitchen, high and impatient. "We're out of cereal again!"
Dragging myself up, I rubbed sleep from my eyes. Six years of motherhood had taught me that mornings were battles fought with half‑closed eyes and endless lists of things I couldn't afford.
The apartment was small, barely holding together. The walls smelled faintly of damp, the window blinds rattled with every gust of wind. But Elias didn't seem to care. He was perched on a chair, swinging his legs, his dark hair sticking up in every direction. His storm‑grey eyes — so much like mine, yet sharper, older somehow — watched me with a mix of impatience and affection.
"I'll pick up groceries after work," I said, forcing cheer into my voice. "Toast today, champ."
He sighed dramatically, but grinned when I ruffled his hair.
"Toast isn't cereal," he muttered, but his grin widened when I slid the plate in front of him.
I leaned against the counter, watching him eat. Six years. Six years since that night. Since Orion.
I never said his name aloud. Not to Elias, not to anyone. It was a secret I carried like a wound that never healed. He didn't know. He couldn't know. And I had convinced myself it was better that way.
My wolf had been silent ever since. Dormant. As if she had curled up inside me and refused to wake. Maybe she knew I wasn't ready. Maybe she knew the truth would destroy me.
"Mom," Elias said suddenly, mouth full of toast, "are you going to be late again tonight?"
I winced. "I'll try not to be."
"You always say that." His voice was soft, but the words cut.
I crouched down beside him, brushing crumbs from his cheek. "I'm doing my best, Eli. I promise."
He studied me for a moment, too serious for a six‑year‑old. Then he nodded, as if granting me mercy. "Okay. But you owe me ice cream this weekend."
I laughed, though my chest tightened. "Deal."
We hurried through the morning routine — Elias pulling on his worn sneakers, me tying my hair back into a messy bun. The city outside was already alive, neon signs flickering even in daylight, traffic snarling like restless beasts.
At the bus stop, Elias clutched my hand, his backpack bouncing against his side. "Mom," he whispered, "do you ever feel… different?"
The question startled me. "Different how?"
"Like… like you're supposed to be something else. But you're not." His storm‑grey eyes searched mine, too knowing, too sharp.
My throat tightened. "Sometimes," I admitted. "But different doesn't mean broken. It just means we're not like everyone else."
He nodded slowly, as if filing the answer away.
When the bus arrived, he climbed aboard, turning back to wave. I waved too, forcing a smile until the bus disappeared down the street.
Alone, I exhaled, the weight of silence pressing in. Six years of hiding, six years of pretending I was just human. But the city had a way of pulling secrets into the light.
Work was a blur of paperwork and polite smiles. My desk was tucked in the corner of a crowded office, the hum of computers and the murmur of voices filling the air.
"Morning, Selene," called Marcy, the receptionist, her red nails tapping against the counter. "You look tired."
I forced a smile. "Single mom life."
She smirked. "I don't know how you do it. I can barely keep my cat alive."
I laughed softly, though my chest tightened.
Later, in the break room, I poured myself coffee and found myself beside Darren, one of the junior analysts. He was friendly, always quick with a joke.
"First week treating you okay?" he asked.
"It's… overwhelming," I admitted.
He grinned. "Welcome to corporate life. Endless spreadsheets, endless caffeine. You'll get used to it."
I chuckled. "I hope so."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Word is, the Draven brothers are back in town. Big meeting next week."
The name hit me like a blow. My pulse stuttered, memories clawing at the edges of my mind. Orion's smirk, his tattoos, his voice whispering You're fire. And I want to burn.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. "Draven?"
"Yeah. Kael runs the business side, Orion… well, he's the wild one. Mafia rumors, you know." Darren shrugged. "But hey, they're legends around here."
I forced a nod, my hands trembling around the coffee cup.
That evening, Elias curled against me on the couch, his head heavy on my shoulder.
"Mom," he murmured sleepily, "do you think we'll ever be… normal?"
I kissed his hair, my throat tight. "We already are. Our kind of normal."
But as I held him, the memory of Orion's eyes burned in my mind, and the silence of my wolf pressed in like a weight.
Normal was the one thing we could never have.