CHAPTER ONE: THE AWAKENING
The moon hung low in the night sky, glowing like a silent witness over Shadow Moon Pack.
Aria Nightshade stood alone at the edge of the training field, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure someone could hear it.
Tonight was her eighteenth birthday.
The night every wolf waited for.
The night they met their wolf.
A cold breeze brushed against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. She tightened her grip on the wooden fence and stared at the silver moon above.
“Please,” she whispered softly, almost afraid of the silence. “Let me have a wolf.”
Most wolves in the pack had already awakened their wolves the moment they turned eighteen.
But Aria was different.
She had always been different.
While other wolves were strong and confident, she had spent most of her life being overlooked… ignored… sometimes even mocked.
A wolfless girl.
Useless.
Unworthy.
Her chest tightened at the memory of those whispers.
But tonight could change everything.
Suddenly—
A strange warmth spread through her chest.
Aria froze.
Her breath caught.
The warmth grew stronger… deeper… like something powerful stirring inside her very soul.
Her knees almost buckled.
“What… is happening?” she gasped.
Then she heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Ancient.
Female.
Hello… Aria.
Aria’s eyes widened in shock.
“W–who said that?”
A low, gentle laugh echoed inside her mind.
I have waited a long time to meet you.
Aria’s heart slammed against her ribs.
“My… wolf?” she whispered.
Yes.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
She wasn’t wolfless.
She never had been.
Relief crashed over her like a tidal wave.
“What’s your name?” Aria asked quietly.
There was a brief silence.
Then the voice answered.
Selene.
The name sent a strange ripple of power through her body.
Aria inhaled sharply.
“Selene…” she repeated softly.
But before she could say anything else, Selene spoke again.
This time her voice was different.
Serious.
Alert.
Do you feel that?
Aria frowned.
“Feel what?”
Selene’s voice dropped to a whisper.
Our mate.
Aria’s entire body froze.
Mate?
Her pulse began racing wildly.
“Where?” she asked.
Selene responded instantly.
Close.
At that exact moment, loud drums echoed across the pack grounds.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The Alpha Ceremony had begun.
Aria turned toward the massive pack hall glowing with torchlight in the distance.
Hundreds of wolves were gathering there tonight.
And somewhere among them…
Her mate.
Her stomach twisted with nerves.
“What if he rejects me?” she whispered.
Selene’s tone was calm but firm.
He will not.
Aria wasn’t so sure.
She slowly walked toward the brightly lit hall, her heart beating faster with every step.
The closer she got, the stronger the pull in her chest became.
Stronger.
Hotter.
Almost overwhelming.
By the time she reached the entrance, her breathing had become uneven.
Something inside her was pulling her forward.
Demanding she go inside.
The huge doors of the Alpha Hall were open.
Music echoed from within.
Warriors laughed.
Pack members talked excitedly.
At the far end of the hall stood the Alpha throne.
And seated on it—
Alpha Kael Stormfang.
Tall.
Powerful.
Feared by every wolf in the territory.
His dark hair fell slightly over sharp eyes that seemed capable of cutting through steel.
He looked every inch the Alpha.
Untouchable.
Dangerous.
Aria had always admired him from afar.
But she had never imagined—
Her breath suddenly caught.
The pull inside her chest exploded violently.
Her wolf stirred.
Then Selene spoke.
Slow.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
Aria…
Our mate…
Aria’s heart began pounding wildly.
Her gaze slowly lifted toward the throne.
Toward him.
Toward the Alpha.
Selene’s voice echoed again inside her mind.
This time like a thunderclap.
“Our mate is Alpha Kael.”
Aria’s world stopped.
Because at that exact moment—
Alpha Kael’s head snapped up.
And his dark eyes locked directly onto hers.
