1. The Day It Begins
James
~October 26th
I woke up with a groan and a throbbing headache that only got worse when I shifted in bed. I kept my eyes closed for a moment, taking a slow breath and grounding myself in the familiar scent of my room—wood, clean linen, and something distinctly mine.
Pushing past the ache, I forced myself up and made my way to the bathroom. The tile was cool under my feet as I grabbed a cup from the counter and filled it with water. I downed it in one go before finally looking up at my reflection.
I looked a little rough, but not terrible. My mid-length black hair was a mess, sticking up in different directions, but my blue eyes were clear—too clear for how I felt.
“You’ll be fine. Just drink more water.”
I squinted at my reflection, then froze as the realization hit me.
That wasn’t me.
A slow grin spread across my face as I filled the cup again.
As I drank, I asked, “What should I call you?”
“My name is Bruno… but you can call me master.”
I choked. Water went straight down the wrong way, and I doubled over, coughing and gasping for air as it burned through my chest. I braced myself against the counter until I could breathe again, clearing my throat as I straightened.
“Oh, look, I made you choke. At least it was water.”
I stared at my reflection, unimpressed.
I knew exactly what he meant, and I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of a reaction.
What a jerk. Even if it was kind of funny.
“Seems someone has jokes,” I muttered, taking a slower breath this time.
“Yep. Think of me as payback for all the smartass things you’ve said over your lifetime.”
I huffed under my breath. “Great. I’m so fucked.”
His laughter echoed in my head, and despite myself, I smiled.
This… might actually be fun.
As long as he had a serious side when it mattered.
Shaking it off, I got dressed for the day and headed down to the dining hall. The smell of breakfast hit me before I even stepped inside—eggs, bacon, fresh bread, and something sweet—and my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten.
Mom and Dad were already at the table, sitting across from each other and halfway through their meal. I glanced around, frowning slightly when I didn’t see any of my younger siblings. That was… unusual.
I walked over and took a seat next to Dad, still scanning the room just to be sure.
“Good morning, James. Happy birthday!” Mom—Meredith—said with a bright smile.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Happy birthday. How are you feeling?” Dad—Duncan—asked, watching me closely as he took a bite of his eggs.
“Thanks. I’m alright. Headache’s finally going away.”
“That means you’ve talked with him,” Mom said, her smile widening.
I nodded, unable to stop my own grin from forming.
“Tell us about him,” Dad said, giving me his full attention.
“His name is Bruno, and he’s a total ass. Does Max ever mess with you like that? Act like a smartass?” I asked.
Dad immediately lost it.
He laughed hard, Mom joining in, and I just sat there, staring at them in disbelief as a plate of breakfast was set in front of me.
I didn’t understand what was so funny.
When Dad finally caught his breath, he looked at me with amusement still in his eyes.
“Did he say he was payback?”
I stared at him in disbelief and slowly nodded my head. Dad started laughing again, and this time it irritated me more than anything. I didn’t understand what was so funny or why this seemed like some kind of inside joke I wasn’t in on.
What the hell was going on here?
“Max did that too,” he said, still amused. “He still acts up, but not as much.”
I let out a breath of relief and picked up my fork, finally turning my attention to my food. The first bite of blueberry pancakes melted in my mouth, warm, sweet, and buttery, and I couldn’t help the quiet sigh that followed. It was exactly what I needed.
I had just swallowed when I was suddenly hit from the side and then the front, nearly knocked out of my chair by three smaller bodies.
There they are.
“Happy Birthday!” they all shouted at once, wrapping themselves around me as tightly as they could.
I laughed, bracing myself as I hugged them back. “Thank you.”
They pulled away just as quickly and slid into the seats beside me like nothing had happened. Alison claimed the spot closest, as usual. She was the only girl and completely aware of it, using it to her full advantage. Fourteen, almost fifteen, and already more than capable of getting her way when she wanted something. Clay dropped into the seat next to her, twelve years old and still holding onto some of his baby chub, which I knew bothered him more than he let on. He was a good pup, though—kind, easygoing. Leland climbed up last, only nine, still figuring himself out but already showing signs of being smarter than most gave him credit for.
We settled into breakfast, talking easily as we ate and waited for the rest of the family to arrive. The packhouse had a different kind of energy this morning, fuller, heavier with anticipation.
Today wasn’t just another birthday.
It meant something.
My dad was the Alpha of one of the two wolf packs in Texas, and my turning eighteen marked the beginning of a shift in more ways than one. I was of age now—old enough to fully step into my role, to shift for the first time, and to find my fated mate, my Luna. Dad had already talked to me about taking over more responsibility starting tomorrow. He was feeling the weight of leadership, and I could see it more clearly now that I stood on the edge of taking it on myself.
The thing was, I didn’t feel unready.
If anything, I felt steady.
After we finished breakfast, Dad went to his office like he always did, while the rest of us moved out to the front porch of the packhouse. The October air was cool but comfortable, carrying the scent of the forest that surrounded us. We didn’t have to wait long before Uncle Clayton and Aunt Jamie came through the front gates of the territory.
Uncle Clayton stepped out first, his presence immediately commanding even in a place as familiar as this. As Alpha of Hunters Moon, it was second nature to him. Aunt Jamie followed, and there was something about her that always felt different. Stronger. Like the world itself responded to her in ways the rest of us couldn’t quite understand. She wasn’t just my aunt—she was the Alpha Forest Wolf, a living goddess with the ability to manipulate plants and more. And somehow, she carried all of that power like it was nothing.
Their five pups piled out behind them, instantly filling the quiet with noise and movement. Eric, the oldest, wasn’t too far behind Alison in age, but it still left me as the oldest by a decent margin. Most of the time, it sucked. I didn’t have anyone close to my age at family gatherings, and even during the summers when we spent weeks together, I always felt like I was caught in between.
We greeted them with the usual mix of hugs, overlapping conversations, and birthday wishes. It didn’t take long before Mom pulled Aunt Jamie and Uncle Clayton inside to see Dad. Clay and Leland quickly led the younger cousins toward the game room, leaving me on the porch with Alison and Eric.
I stayed where I was, watching the drive as I waited.
Uncle Sean was the Alpha of Midnight Forest, the newest pack. Being the fourth Alpha in his family had pushed him to go out and build something of his own, and he had done it without hesitation. The oldest of Dad’s siblings wasn’t talked about much. He had gone mad and killed my grandparents and his own mate the night of Dad’s eighteenth birthday, and that kind of history didn’t just disappear. It lingered, even when no one spoke about it.
The sound of another vehicle pulling up broke through my thoughts. We all turned as it came through the gates and parked near the packhouse. The engine shut off, and a moment later, Uncle Sean stepped out with a smile already on his face.
But he was alone.
I felt a small flicker of unease settle in my chest as I looked past him, expecting to see Aunt Paris and their two sons, Carter and Ezra, and their daughter Hazel, following behind.
“Hi, Uncle Sean,” Alison said as she rushed forward and wrapped him in a hug.
“Hey, bug,” he said as he squeezed her.
When she pulled back, I stepped forward and hugged him next before looking over his shoulder again. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Back at home,” he said, his smile still in place, though something about it felt slightly off. “Sick and in bed.”
Uncle Sean hugged Eric as we kept talking.
“Oh, that sucks. I’ll call Aunt Paris later,” I told him.
“She would like that. She wanted to be here today and tomorrow night.”
I smiled at him before we all went inside. Alison and Eric went to the game room while Uncle Sean and I went into Dad’s office. Dad was behind his desk talking with his Beta, Freddie, Aunt Jamie, and Uncle Clayton. Everyone greeted Uncle Sean before we sat down to talk.
“So tomorrow you take over the pack?” Aunt Jamie asked.
“Yes, ma’am. The old man looks a bit too weathered, so I figured I’d give him a break and look for my Beta to give the other old man a break,” I told her with a mischievous grin.
I looked at Dad and Freddie. They were both scowling at me, and I had to fight the urge to laugh.
“And you wonder what Bruno is paying you back for?” Dad asked.
I laughed. “Oh, I already know, but that’s not going to stop me.”
Aunt Jamie laughed before saying, “It’s way more fun when they go along with your mischief.”
I smiled at her, then listened as Uncle Clayton asked, “So you don’t have a problem with having over half a year of high school left while taking over?”
“No, sir. Dad did it. I can too,” I answered with a shrug.
He nodded and smiled at me. We all sat there and talked for a good portion of the morning before I left to go see everyone else in the game room. It was loud in there, and the younger pups were going crazy. I shook my head before spending some time with them. Eventually, I had to take a break to make a few calls.
My first call was to Aunt Paris. I talked with her for a while as she explained what was going on and how she was feeling. She apologized for not being here, and I told her that it was okay. If she didn’t feel well, she wouldn’t be able to enjoy this, and it wasn’t her fault.
After talking with her, I called Uncle Mason and Aunt Calla. Mason was the youngest of all of my dad’s siblings and happened to be a half-sibling, but he was still close family. He and his mate couldn’t make it today because of work at Ruby Chandra, but they promised to come see us soon. I could live with that.
Soon, it was the end of the day. Mom and Willow, Beta Freddie’s mate, had set up a big birthday party for me and invited the entire pack. The future Alpha’s eighteenth birthday was a big deal, and everyone wanted to see my wolf.
The party was great. I got to hang out with family and friends, voices overlapping with laughter and music as I made my rounds to say hello to everyone. While I did, all the girls who were of age or getting ready to be of age tried desperately to get my attention. It was honestly annoying, even if they were cute.
I made sure to say hello to Micah, Freddie, and Willow’s oldest pup. He was now thirteen and a good friend. If I had to wait for him to turn eighteen to be my Beta, I would.
Dad pulled me aside during the party to ask me how things were going. I let him know that things were good, but I felt like my mate wasn’t here in our pack. I would need to visit other packs to possibly find her. He nodded and said that I would find her when I was meant to.
Once the sun had gone down, everyone gathered to watch me shift and let Bruno out. I stood there ready, knowing my clothes would be torn apart. I was just wearing a simple blue T-shirt and black athletic shorts. It didn’t matter if they got ripped.
Everyone went quiet, listening for the first bone to break, as was tradition at Trinity Forest. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes while connecting with Bruno.
“Everyone is here to see you, so it’s time to show off,” I told him.
“Easy enough. Just relax as much as possible and don’t fight me. Let me have control,” he said calmly.
“You got it.”
I relaxed just as he instructed and let the shift take over my human form. It happened quickly, with more than one bone breaking at a time. I grimaced at the pain and gritted my teeth, trying to silence my cry. More bones broke as my skin stretched and fur began to grow, my muscles pulling and lengthening to impossible limits, tightening and reshaping under the strain. I heard my clothes rip apart and fall from my body. The searing pain finally forced a cry from me before, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
Finally, it was done. I looked down to see pure black fur covering my wolf’s body, the ground cool beneath my paws. I lifted my head and looked over at Dad, finding him standing there with a blissful smile on his face. I had never seen him look like that before, and something about it settled deep in my chest.
Dad quickly shifted, letting his wolf, Max, out for a father-and-son run. We took off into the woods together, just like he had done before with pack members, the wind rushing past and the forest opening around us. This one felt different, though. It meant more.
The next time I shifted would be tomorrow night, when the whole pack would run with me as I stepped into my role as their new Alpha.
