Chapter One — The Gathering
The ballroom sparkled with candlelight and gold, but all I felt was exposed.
Tonight should’ve been magical—my first Clan Gathering as an adult. My first time attending without a chaperone. My first chance to shift. Maybe even meet my mate.
But while everyone else danced and drank like royalty, I stood near the edge of the room, clutching a glass I hadn’t touched and pretending not to notice the stares.
I was eighteen. I should have shifted months ago.
The daughters of Alphas don’t come of age without shifting. Ever.
Not unless something’s wrong.
I smoothed my dress and tried to smile, but the silk felt tight around my ribs. Too tight. Like I couldn’t breathe.
“Stop fidgeting,” Hannah hissed at my side. “You look beautiful. Powerful.”
I gave her a weak smile. She meant well. She always did.
Hannah had found her mate last month. Her aura practically glowed now, like her body knew she was complete. I couldn’t help but envy that feeling—being chosen, claimed, settled.
I wasn’t even close.
Across the room, future alphas laughed loudly, tossing back drinks like it meant something. Their energy was magnetic—dangerous and untouchable.
One of them looked straight at me. I dropped my gaze.
“I don’t belong here,” I whispered to myself.
Before Hannah could argue, the air changed.
I couldn’t explain how, but I felt it. Like the pressure in the room shifted, like something ancient stirred inside my blood.
Then I saw him.
Dark hair. Broad shoulders. Taller than the rest.
He stepped into the ballroom like he owned it—and maybe he did. Everyone else faded. His energy drowned the room in silence.
And then his eyes locked on mine.
Everything inside me stopped. My pulse. My breath. Time.
It was like being yanked forward without moving at all.
The mate pull.
I felt it. Stronger than I’d ever imagined. My skin buzzed, my chest ached, and for a heartbeat, I swore he felt it too.
But then he looked away. Just… looked away.
Cold. Dismissive.
Like I was nothing.
Something inside me cracked.
“Who is that?” I asked, barely able to get the words out.
Hannah followed my gaze, then stiffened. “Jason.”
The name hit like a slap.
Jason. The eldest son of the Alpha King. Next in line to rule the clans.
My supposed mate.
I turned away fast, heat crawling up my neck. My heart still thrashed like it hadn’t gotten the message—he wasn’t interested.
I was just a girl who hadn’t shifted. A disappointment. A problem.
But deep down, something else stirred.
Something wild. And old. And angry.
