THE UNCHOSEN

Chapter One

Part One

Lura Night felt nothing on the morning her life was supposed to begin.

She sat at the end of the dining table, dragging the tip of her spoon through a bowl of oatmeal she had no intention of eating.

Across from her, Tina hadn't stopped talking for twenty-three minutes.

Lura knew because she had been counting.

"I heard the males from the Northern packs are huge."

Twenty-four.

"And apparently there are more ranked males attending this year than last year."

Twenty-five.

"Do you think that's true?"

Lura lifted a spoonful of oatmeal and watched it slowly slide back into the bowl.

"I don't know."

Tina sighed.

"You could at least pretend to be interested."

"I am pretending."

"You're terrible at it."

Lura looked up.

Tina Night sat across from her, smiling despite the insult.

Her golden-brown hair fell loosely around her shoulders, and she was wearing a new pale blue dress that Lura hadn't seen before.

Lura looked at the dress.

Then at Tina.

"Is that new?"

Tina immediately brightened.

"Yes. Mother bought it yesterday."

"Hmm."

"That's all you're going to say?"

"What else should I say?"

"That you like it?"

"Do you need me to?"

Tina frowned.

Lura returned to her oatmeal.

"You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

"Father used to say that."

The spoon stopped.

Silence settled between them.

Tina's smile disappeared.

"I didn't mean-"

"It's fine."

"Lura."

"I said it's fine."

She continued stirring her oatmeal.

It wasn't Tina's fault.

Three years had passed.

People were allowed to speak about Rowan Night.

Laugh about him.

Remember him.

Tell stories about him.

Lura simply preferred when they didn't.

Remembering hurt.

And Lura had become very good at avoiding things that hurt.

"So," Tina said carefully, "are you excited?"

"No."

"At all?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

Lura looked at her.

"You've asked me that three times."

"I thought your answer might change."

"It didn't."

Tina sighed dramatically.

"The Mating Gathering only happens once in our lives."

"Hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"I don't want to go twice."

"You technically should have already gone once."

Lura's spoon stopped again.

Tina immediately looked down.

"Sorry."

Lura stared at her.

Tina had a remarkable talent for stepping directly onto subjects everyone else carefully avoided.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I don't know."

"Then stop."

Tina looked back up.

"You really don't care that you're going a year late?"

"No."

"You don't care what people might say?"

"No."

"You don't care that everyone else your age has already attended?"

"No."

Tina stared at her.

"Do you care about anything?"

Lura considered the question.

"My oatmeal is getting cold."

Tina laughed.

A real laugh.

Lura's mouth almost moved.

Almost.

Then footsteps entered the dining room.

The sound disappeared.

Marissa Night crossed the room.

Lura's stepmother looked exactly as she always did.

Perfect.

Her dark blonde hair was pinned neatly away from her face. Her dress didn't have a single wrinkle, and even her expression seemed carefully arranged.

She sat at the head of the table.

Her father's chair.

Lura looked away.

Three years.

She still couldn't watch someone else sit there.

"Have you both eaten?" Marissa asked.

"Yes," Tina answered.

"No," Lura said.

Marissa looked at her bowl.

"You have food."

"I didn't say I wasn't given food."

Tina lowered her head.

Lura caught the movement of her shoulders.

"Something amusing?" Marissa asked.

Tina immediately stopped.

"No, Mother."

Marissa turned toward Lura.

"And you?"

"Nothing."

"Good."

Lura returned to her oatmeal.

Twenty-seven minutes.

A new record.

Usually, Marissa found something wrong with her before twenty.

"The Gathering lasts thirty days," Marissa said.

"We know," Tina answered.

"You will need clothing appropriate for every occasion."

Tina's eyes brightened.

Lura's did not.

"There are formal dinners, ceremonies, competitions, dances, and the final Choosing."

"I know."

Marissa ignored Lura.

"You will be representing the Night family."

Lura lifted her spoon.

"You mean Father's family."

The room went quiet.

Marissa's expression tightened.

"I mean this family."

"Hmm."

"Lura."

"Yes?"

"Must you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That."

Lura looked at Tina.

Tina shrugged.

Lura looked back at Marissa.

"Very helpful."

"Your attitude will not serve you well at the Gathering."

"I wasn't aware I was bringing it."

Tina choked.

Marissa's eyes snapped toward her.

Tina grabbed her water.

"Wrong pipe."

Lura watched her drink.

"Tragic."

"Lura."

She looked back at Marissa.

"Yes?"

"You're nineteen."

"I noticed."

"You should have attended last year."

There it was.

Lura set down her spoon.

"Should I have?"

"You know you should have."

"Interesting."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Say what you mean."

Lura tilted her head.

"All right."

Tina immediately looked worried.

"The payment wasn't sent."

Marissa's jaw tightened.

"An unfortunate mistake."

"The application disappeared."

"Another mistake."

"The replacement application also disappeared."

"Lura."

"And somehow everything worked perfectly this year."

Silence.

Lura looked at Tina.

"Convenient."

"Leave me out of this," Tina muttered.

"For once, we agree."

Marissa placed both hands on the table.

"You should be grateful you're attending at all."

"Grateful to whom?"

"To me."

Lura stared at her.

Then she laughed.

It surprised everyone.

Especially Lura.

The sound was short.

Quiet.

Empty.

But it was a laugh.

Marissa's face hardened.

"Is something amusing?"

"No."

"You laughed."

"I surprised myself too."

Tina covered her mouth.

Lura looked at her.

"Wrong pipe again?"

Tina nodded quickly.

Marissa stood.

"Enough."

The room became silent.

Lura's wolf shifted somewhere deep inside her.

Not angry.

Not afraid.

Simply awake.

Watching.

"You will both behave appropriately today," Marissa said.

Tina blinked.

"Today?"

"Yes."

"What's happening today?"

"We're going shopping."

Tina jumped from her chair.

"Shopping?"

Lura winced.

Apparently, Tina had discovered a frequency only wolves could hear.

"For the Gathering," Marissa continued.

Tina's excitement became immediate.

"Can we go to Bellamy's?"

"Yes."

"And Marlowe House?"

"If we have time."

"And the new boutique beside the jewelers?"

"Tina."

"Sorry."

Lura picked up her spoon again.

Marissa looked at her.

"You'll need enough clothing for the entire month."

"I have clothes."

"Not appropriate ones."

"They cover my body."

"That is not the only purpose of clothing."

"It should be."

Marissa sighed.

"For once in your life, could you make something easy?"

Lura thought about it.

"No."

"Get dressed."

"I am dressed."

"Properly."

Lura looked down at herself.

Black shirt.

Black pants.

Black boots.

She looked back at Marissa.

"What exactly is the problem?"

"You look like you're attending a funeral."

Lura's expression went still.

Marissa seemed to realize her mistake.

Too late.

Lura pushed her chair away from the table.

The wooden legs scraped against the floor.

"Lura-"

"Don't."

She stood.

Tina watched her.

Marissa said nothing.

Lura walked toward the doorway.

"Be ready in twenty minutes," Marissa finally said.

Lura stopped.

She didn't turn around.

"With Father's money?"

Silence.

That was answer enough.

Lura continued toward the stairs.

Behind her, Tina started talking excitedly about dresses again.

Marissa answered.

Lura climbed the stairs alone.

Thirty days.

One isolated island.

Hundreds of unmated shifters.

A month spent hoping someone powerful decided you were worth choosing.

Lura opened her bedroom door.

Her father's old bag sat in the corner.

Waiting.

She stared at it.

"I have a feeling this is going to be terrible."

Her wolf stirred.

Lura waited.

As usual, she received no answer.

She sighed."Glad we agree."

Downstairs, Tina shouted that they were leaving.

Lura grabbed her jacket.

She had no idea that by the time she returned home that evening, one dress would be hanging inside her bedroom.

One dress Marissa Night never intended to buy.

And by morning-

someone would be waiting outside.