The White Wolf's Return

The crystal flute in my hand is shaking.

I stare at the pale golden liquid inside the glass. I try to will my fingers to be still. It is impossible. My heart is hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. It is a frantic rhythm that drowns out the heavy bass of the music thumping through the Silverclaw Pack house.

Five minutes.

That is all that remains of my childhood.

"Breathe, El," a deep voice rumbles beside me. "You look like you are going to pass out. Mom spent a fortune on that silk. Do not throw up on it."

I turn to see Jax. My older brother. He is grinning, but the expression does not reach his eyes. His jaw is tight. He is worried. Just like everyone else in this room.

"I am not going to throw up," I lie. My voice sounds thin to my own ears. "I am just... anticipating."

"Anticipating," Jax repeats. He takes a sip of his own drink. He scans the crowded ballroom. "That is a fancy word for terrified."

He is right.

Tonight is my eighteenth birthday. In the werewolf world, eighteen is the deadline. Most wolves shift for the first time around sixteen. The late bloomers manage it by seventeen. But eighteen? Eighteen is the cutoff.

If my bones do not break and reshape themselves when the clock strikes midnight, I am done. I will be declared Wolfless. A human defect born into a family of high-ranking predators.

"It will happen, Elara," Jax says softly. He squeezes my shoulder. His grip is warm and solid. "I can feel it. You have the spirit of a warrior. The biology just needs to catch up."

I want to believe him. I really do.

"And if it doesn't?" I ask. I keep my voice low. I do not want the pack elders nearby to hear my doubt. "What if I am just empty inside, Jax?"

"Then you are still my sister," he says firmly. "And anyone who has a problem with that answers to me."

I smile, but it feels fragile.

A hush ripples through the room near the grand entrance. The music seems to dip in volume. The crowd parts like the Red Sea.

Kael has arrived.

My breath hitches in my throat. I cannot help it. Even with the anxiety eating me alive, seeing him feels like a lightning strike.

Kael Silverclaw. The Alpha's son. My brother's best friend. The boy I have loved since I was six years old and scraped my knee chasing him through the woods.

He looks devastating tonight. He wears a dark, tailored suit that barely contains the raw power radiating off him. His shoulders are broad. His dark hair is perfectly messy. His jawline looks like it was carved from granite.

He walks with that arrogant, predatory grace that screams authority. He knows everyone is looking at him. He loves it.

He spots us. A smirk touches his lips.

He saunters over. The crowd gives him space, bowing their heads slightly as he passes. He is royalty here. Future Alpha.

"Jax," Kael says. He clasps my brother's hand. Then his amber eyes slide to me. "And the birthday girl."

My face heats up. "Hi, Kael."

He looks me up and down. It is not a lewd look. It is an appraisal. Like he is judging a horse at an auction. His gaze lingers on my bare arms. He is looking for the goosebumps that signal a pre-shift fever.

There are none.

"Still human, Elara?" he asks. His tone is light, but there is an edge to it. A hint of boredom.

"For four more minutes," I say. I lift my chin. I refuse to cower. "The night is young."

Kael chuckles. It is a dry sound. "Let's hope so. My father is already taking bets. It would be a shame if Jax's little sister turned out to be a dud. It reflects poorly on the bloodline."

Jax stiffens beside me. "Watch it, Kael."

Kael holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Just stating facts, brother. The pack needs strength. Weakness is... messy."

He winks at me. It is cruel. He knows how desperate I am.

"Enjoy the party, Elara," Kael says. "While you still have a place at it."

He turns and walks toward the stage where his father, Alpha Marcus, is waiting. I feel a sting of tears in my eyes, but I blink them away. I will not cry. Not tonight.

"He is just stressed," Jax mutters. He sounds like he is trying to convince himself. "The Games are coming up. The pressure is on him to lead."

"He is a jerk," I correct him. "But he is right. If I don't shift..."

"One minute!" someone shouts from the DJ booth.

The room erupts into cheers. The countdown has begun.

My stomach drops to the floor. This is it. The moment of truth.

I close my eyes. I reach deep inside myself. I search for the spark, the beast, the primal anger. Anything.

*Please,* I pray. *Please be there.*

Ten seconds.

Nine.

The crowd is chanting now.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

The clock tower outside tolls the hour. Midnight.

I wait for the pain. I wait for the cracking of bones. I wait for the scream to rip from my throat.

Nothing happens.

My body remains entirely, stubbornly human. My skin is cool. My heart is just a human heart.

A wave of nausea crashes over me. It is over. I am Wolfless.

But then, something else hits me.

It is not a shift. It is a scent.

It slams into me like a physical blow. It smells of cedar, rain, and dark chocolate. It is the most intoxicating thing I have ever smelled. It wraps around my senses, drowning out the perfume and the sweat of the crowded room.

My inner world tilts on its axis.

*Mate.*

The word echoes in my mind. Ancient. Undeniable.

My eyes snap open. I gasp, clutching my chest. The pull is magnetic. It drags my gaze across the room, straight to the stage.

To Kael.

He has frozen mid-step. His back is to me, but I see his shoulders tense. He drops his glass. It shatters on the wooden floor, the sound sharp and violent.

The room goes quiet.

Kael turns around slowly. His amber eyes find mine across the sea of people. The connection is instant. It is a golden thread snapping tight between our souls.

Joy explodes in my chest. It is brighter than the sun. I did not shift, but I am not nothing. I am the mate of the future Alpha.

"Kael!" I breathe his name. I can't help myself. I take a step forward.

He does not move. He does not run to me.

He stares at me. And then, his face twists.

It is not a look of love. It is not a look of wonder.

It is a look of absolute, unadulterated disgust.

My smile falters. The coldness in his eyes stops me dead in my tracks.

The crowd senses the shift in the air. They look between us, confused. They can smell the bond too. It is powerful. It is leaking out of us, filling the room with the scent of ozone and destiny.

Kael steps off the stage. He stalks toward me. He does not look like a lover coming to claim his bride. He looks like an executioner.

"No," he says. His voice is a low growl that vibrates through the silent room.

"Kael?" I whisper. My hands tremble.

He stops three feet away from me. He towers over me. The bond is screaming at me to touch him, to soothe him, but his aura is jagged and hostile.

"Is this a joke?" Kael spits the words. He looks around the room, as if looking for someone to blame. "The Moon Goddess has a sick sense of humor."

Jax steps between us. "Kael. Calm down. The bond just snapped. You're in shock."

"Shock?" Kael laughs. It is a harsh, barking sound. He shoves Jax aside with effortless strength. "I am not in shock, Jax. I am insulted."

He turns his glare back to me. "Look at her."

He gestures to me with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It is five minutes past midnight. Where is your wolf, Elara?"

The silence in the room is suffocating. Everyone is watching. My parents are pale in the corner.

"I... I don't know," I stammer. "It didn't come. But the bond... we are mates, Kael. The Goddess chose us."

"The Goddess made a mistake," Kael sneers. "Or maybe she is testing me. Testing my resolve to put the pack first."

He steps closer. He leans down, his face inches from mine. I can smell his rage. It burns my nose.

"The Werewolf Games are in six months," Kael says softly, so only I and the nearest hundred people can hear. "I need a warrior beside me. I need a Luna who can defend this territory. Who can bear strong heirs."

He looks at my stomach, then back at my eyes. His lip curls.

"You are a genetic dead end, Elara. You are a defect. If I mate with you, I weaken my entire bloodline. I will be the laughingstock of the region."

Tears spill over my lashes. I cannot stop them. "Kael, please. I love you. We can make it work. I am strong in other ways."

"Love?" He scoffs. "This isn't a fairy tale. This is survival. And you? You are a liability."

He straightens up. He turns to the crowd. He raises his voice, projecting it to the back of the hall.

"I, Kael Silverclaw, future Alpha of this pack, make my choice!"

My heart stops. "Kael, don't."

He ignores me. He does not even look at me as he delivers the killing blow.

"I reject Elara Vance as my mate."

The words possess power. Real, magical power. They slam into my chest like a sledgehammer.

I gasp, doubling over. A sharp, tearing pain rips through my soul. It feels like a limb is being hacked off without anesthesia. The golden thread snaps, leaving a bleeding, raw end flapping in the wind.

I fall to my knees. My silk dress pools around me on the floor.

"You are unworthy," Kael says to the top of my head. His voice is devoid of emotion now. He is just... done. "Do not expect special treatment because of what almost happened. As of tonight, you are just another mouth to feed."

He steps around me as if I am a piece of furniture.

"Music!" he barks at the DJ. "The party isn't over just because of a little disappointment."

The music starts again, hesitant at first, then louder.

I stay on the floor. I am shaking. I can't breathe.

I look up through my blurry vision. I see the backs of my packmates. They are turning away. They are following their future Alpha. They are awkward, embarrassed to look at the girl who was just destroyed in front of everyone.

I see Jax trying to get to me, fighting through the crowd, shouting Kael's name in fury.

But it doesn't matter.

The bond is broken.

And so am I.