Chapter 1
The Last Lone Wolf
The hallways of Silver Ridge High didn’t smell like floor wax and old lockers. They smelled like attachment. To anyone else, it was the scent of pine, musk, and rain, but to seventeen-year-old Selene, it was the suffocating stench of the “Mating Fever.” Everywhere she looked, couples were pressed against lockers, their scents intertwined in that perfect, nauseating harmony that meant they had found their fated halves.
In a community where 90% of the students found their mates by junior year, Selene was a ghost. A “Unclaimed.”
“Still nothing?” a voice chirped.
Selene didn’t need to look up to know it was her best friend, Maya. Maya smelled like jasmine and cedar—the scent of her mate, a Beta-class enforcer named Jax.
“My nose is fine, Maya,” Selene muttered, shoving a heavy history textbook into her bag. “The moon just forgot my address. I’ve accepted it. I’ll be a lone wolf, living in a cabin, scaring hikers. It’ll be a vibe.”
“Don’t say that. You’re high-ranking blood, Selene. Your parents were Alphas of the fallen Crescent Moon pack. Your mate is out there. He’s probably just... running late.”
“He’s three years late,” Selene reminded her. “The ceremony starts in ten minutes. The ‘Final Sorting.’ If the Moon Goddess doesn’t spark the bond today, I’m officially labeled an Omega for the social season.”
The Final Sorting was the high school’s cruelest tradition. The seniors who remained unmatched were paraded into the gym, while the Alphas from the surrounding territories watched, looking for potential recruits—or easy targets.
As they walked toward the gym, the air suddenly changed.
It wasn’t the usual smell of the student body. It was something heavy, electric, and terrifyingly cold. The chatter in the hallway died instantly. Students peeled back against the walls, heads bowing instinctively.
“He’s here,” Maya whispered, her grip tightening on Selene’s arm.
At the end of the hall stood a group of men who didn’t look like high schoolers. They looked like soldiers. In the center was Kaelen Vane. He was the Alpha-heir to the North Ridge Pack, the most ruthless territory in the hemisphere. He was twenty-one, far beyond high school age, and he was only here to oversee the “Sorting” as a representative of the Council. He was beautiful in a way that hurt to look at—sharp jawline, eyes the color of a winter storm, and an aura of pure, unadulterated power.
Kaelen strode down the hallway, his boots echoing like a heartbeat. He didn’t look at anyone. He didn’t have to.
As he drew level with Selene, the world tilted.
The air didn’t just smell like pine anymore. It smelled like burning ozone and dark chocolate. It was a scent so thick it felt like it was coating the inside of Selene’s lungs. Her heart gave a violent, painful thud against her ribs.
No, she thought, her breath catching. Not him. Anyone but him.
Kaelen stopped dead in his tracks.
The Alpha-heir, who was known for never showing emotion, slowly turned his head. His grey eyes narrowed, scanning the crowd until they locked onto Selene’s wide, amber eyes.
The silence was absolute. Then, a low, guttural growl vibrated from Kaelen’s chest—a sound of pure possession that shook the lockers.
