- Ember - The Untamable Luna (Available exclusively on GALATEA July 9th!!!)

POV: Ember

I stared at my reflection, tilting my head as I perfected my winged eyeliner—sharp enough to kill. After blending the smoky eyeshadow, I admired the end result.

Perfect.

Exactly the way I wanted to look tonight.

Downstairs, the bass from the speakers vibrated through the house—the party already in full swing. My parents had been planning my 19th birthday for weeks.

My mother, practically glowing with excitement, was obsessed with the idea of me finding my mate. A whole year had passed, and my parents were getting impatient. That’s why they were throwing an even bigger party than last year, inviting every eligible Alpha they knew in hopes I’d find him tonight.

I rolled my eyes.

They couldn’t wait for me to be claimed.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get out. I had spent a year building my GPA and taking on extra credits, earning myself a full scholarship to Columbus.

College. New York. The dream.

It had been a battle convincing them to let me go—werewolves didn’t typically leave pack life. But I wanted more. I wanted a human college, city lights, and freedom. And with my straight-A record, I’d secured a full ride.

I was out.

Not that I had much of a place here anyway.

My father, Alpha Jayden, was powerful, respected—the leader of one of the most established mid-tier packs in the country. The pack thrived under him. But with no male heir, the question of who would take over after him always lingered in the background.

Not that it mattered. He was still young, nowhere near stepping down. And I had no interest in taking over. Even if, technically, I could. A female Alpha. It wasn’t unheard of. I had the bloodline—the strength.

But I wanted something else.

Pack life felt suffocating. The rules, the expectations, the constant spotlight…

My mother had been only eighteen when she met my father, became Luna, and gave up her dream of going to college, choosing healer training and motherhood instead.

I never understood why they didn’t have another pup. I wasn’t exactly the successor they needed...

Exhaling sharply, I set the eyeliner down.

Tonight wasn’t the night to dwell on that—nor on the past.

And yet, the memories crept in anyway.

This birthday—the music, the lights, the suffocating attention—it all felt too much like last year.

My 18th birthday.

The night everything had changed.

I bit my lip, forcing the emotions down before they could take hold. But the past had a way of rewinding itself, playing on a loop I could never quite escape.

Not tonight, Ember.

Please… Not tonight.

Unfortunately, any little thing—the color of a dress, the way I did my makeup, the beat of the music—could trigger the flashbacks.

And just like that, I was thrown back into it.

My heart clenched as I closed my eyes, letting the memory pull me under…

***

I had been so happy. So naïve. So stupid—

Giggling with my high school friends, planning every little detail of my 18th Birthday. Shopping for the perfect dress, obsessing over decorations, the band, and who to invite.

And, of course, Logan.

Logan.

Our stunningly handsome Alpha heir neighbor.

Our packs had always been allies, sharing good relationships between territories. And I had been ridiculously, hopelessly in love with him for as long as I could remember. Since childhood, really.

He was four years older than me—and he had never looked at me that way. Sure, he had teased me sometimes—playful, charming, effortlessly him. But I knew the truth.

I was a kid to him.

And then he left. Off to college. Far away from me. I was only fourteen and cried my eyes out. For years, I drove myself crazy, obsessing over his life from a distance. Watching him through social media, tracking his wild nights, his endless parties, the girls—God, the girls.

Yet, he never once looked back. It was as if he had forgotten I existed. It had been too much for me to bear.

That summer was supposed to be my chance—the moment I would finally see him again, finally get his attention, my 18th Birthday. He was supposed to come to my party, see me, and realize I was what he wanted all along...

Of course, my mother invited his family. She and Luna Ella, his mother, were best friends for life, and I knew exactly what they were thinking. Hoping. Plotting.

They wanted us to be mated.

And I had been fantasizing about it too—desperately, obsessively.

My mind was a whirlwind of what-ifs, my body catching up to the fantasies my heart clung to. I was hormonal, restless, and painfully naïve.

My body had been changing, and I had started discovering… things. New things. Things that made my skin tingle and my breath hitch when I let my mind wander to him.

I knew I looked stunning—my curved, lean body and long legs made heads turn wherever I went. I could have been a model at 16. I even had multiple offers from modeling agencies, but my father wouldn’t let me out into the human world like that—too afraid we’d be exposed somehow. Still, it was a good confidence boost.

And that night? That night was supposed to be perfect. My night. The night when Logan and I finally found out that we belonged together. That we were mated.

I had planned my first kiss with him. It had to be him. I had turned down every other advance, saving myself for my mate—even if he wasn’t doing the same. Even if he was sleeping around, I wanted all my firsts to belong to my fated mate.

I could feel it deep in my bones—it was Logan.

And that night, he would finally see me. Not as the little girl next door. Not as Alpha Connor’s little daughter but as a woman. His Woman. His mate.

The music was loud, the lights dim and glittering, the house packed with people.

My mother had gone all out—streamers, fairy lights, a cake so extravagant it belonged at a wedding. Everyone was there. Girls in sparkling dresses, guys leaning against walls in their best button-ups, flashing smirks, and holding drinks. Some of them flirted with me, but I barely noticed because I was waiting.

For him.

I’d been so sure Logan would come. My mother invited him in person, had practically begged Luna Ella to make sure he came.

It was a big deal—an 18th birthday. I would receive my wolf, and there would be a pack run in my honor. Logan needed to be there. I needed to know for sure if we were mated.

But as the night dragged on, he never showed up. At first, I told myself he was just late. He would come. Any minute now.

Then an hour passed.

And another.

People kept dancing, laughing, drinking. But I didn’t care. My eyes were stuck on the door, my heart hanging by a thread.

By midnight, that thread had snapped. I realized he wasn’t coming, and I had been utterly, completely shattered.

Didn’t I mean anything to him? Wasn’t he curious if I was his mate, at least?

I had spent weeks daydreaming about this moment, imagining how he’d walk in, see me in my perfect dress, and we would fall into each other’s arms.

I was so stupid.

I had never felt so humiliated.

So small.

I was standing lifeless in the middle of a crowded room, waiting for someone who didn’t even care about me, who probably had forgotten I existed.

When my father signaled for the pack to gather for the run, my chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe. Panic clawed up my throat.

I didn’t want to do this. Not without Logan... I couldn’t.

My mother tried to calm me, to coax me into calling my wolf forward—but there was nothing—just silence.

The disappointment. The heartbreak.

I could feel the eyes of every pack member fixed on me—questioning, judging.

It was all too much.

I couldn’t breathe.

Dark spots danced at the edges of my vision, and before I knew it—

Everything went black.