The crowd's murmurs faded to silence as Sterling stepped onto the stage. My heart hammered against my ribs, palms sweaty as I stood among the sea of Starlight Pack members and entertainment industry elites. Three years. Three years of hiding my true self, of suppressing my wolf, of loving him despite the whispers about my wolfless state.

Tonight was supposed to be our moment. The claiming ceremony I'd dreamed of since he first said he loved me.

"Thank you all for coming," Sterling's voice boomed across the rooftop venue, the Beverly Hills skyline glittering behind him like a constellation of witnesses. "Tonight is special. Tonight marks a new chapter for Starlight Pack."

I squeezed my hands together, fighting the urge to touch my neck where his claiming mark would soon be. The moon hung full and bright above us, bathing everything in silver light that made my skin prickle with anticipation.

"Some of you may have noticed Skylar Kennedy in our midst," Sterling continued, his gaze sweeping the crowd before landing on me with cold detachment that made my stomach drop.

The spotlight found me instantly, harsh and unforgiving. Hundreds of eyes turned my way, some curious, others pitying.

"For three years, I believed she was my mate." His voice hardened, taking on that Alpha tone that made even Betas flinch. "But I was wrong."

The words hit me like physical blows. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't process what was happening.

"Skylar Kennedy is not my mate," Sterling announced, his Alpha tone vibrating through the air, forcing submission from everyone around us. "She's a wolfless stalker who's been harassing me and dragging down my pack's reputation."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone behind me whispered, "I always knew there was something off about her."

"No!" I tried to shout, but my voice came out strangled and small. "Sterling, please—"

"You're nothing but a weak Omega who can't even find her wolf," he continued, cutting me off with a cruel slash of his hand. "You're delusional if you think you could ever be worthy of an Alpha like me."

My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall. Three years of love and devotion reduced to this public humiliation.

"But tonight," Sterling's voice softened as he gestured toward the wings of the stage, "I'm correcting that mistake."

A figure emerged from the shadows, and the crowd collectively gasped.

Aura Perez stepped into the spotlight, dripping in diamonds that caught the moonlight like captured stars. Her dark hair cascaded in perfect waves down her back, and her smile was radiant with triumph.

"This," Sterling announced proudly, taking her hand, "is Aura Perez, the true heir to the Kennedy Pack fortune and bloodline."

The crowd erupted in excited whispers. The Kennedy name carried weight in werewolf society—my family's legacy that I'd hidden to pursue my dreams.

"Aura has agreed to be my chosen mate," Sterling continued, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Together, we'll unite our packs and create the most powerful alliance in the entertainment industry."

Aura's gaze found mine in the crowd, her lips curving into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She knew. She knew I was the real Kennedy heir, and she was stealing my identity along with my mate.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Aura's voice dripped with false aristocratic grace as she addressed the crowd. "I'm honored to join forces with such a powerful Alpha."

She descended from the stage like a queen, parting the crowd as she moved directly toward me. My body felt frozen, unable to flee as she approached.

"So you're the little wolfless nobody who thought she could keep an Alpha?" Aura's voice was low enough that only those closest could hear, but her words cut deeper than any knife.

"Aura, please," I whispered, hating how desperate I sounded.

"Please what?" She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Please don't take what's mine? Please don't expose you for the pathetic, wolfless Omega you are?"

Her hand moved so fast I didn't see it coming. The crack of her palm against my cheek echoed in my ears as pain bloomed across my face.

"That's for trying to steal what belongs to a real she-wolf," Aura hissed, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

The crowd around us fell silent, watching the spectacle with morbid fascination. No one intervened. No one defended me.

"You're nothing," Aura continued, her voice rising with each word. "Nothing but a weak, pathetic excuse for a werewolf who couldn't even awaken her inner wolf."

Something inside me cracked—not just my heart, but something deeper, more primal. As Aura's words washed over me and the sting of her slap pulsed across my skin, I felt a stirring in the darkest corner of my soul.

A voice I hadn't heard in three years whispered through my consciousness, faint but growing stronger with each passing second.

*Wake up, Skylar. It's time.*

I stumbled away from the rooftop venue, my vision blurred by tears and humiliation. The crowd's whispers followed me like a pack of hungry wolves, feeding on my shame. Three years of love reduced to nothing. Three years of hiding who I really was, only to be rejected for being exactly what I'd pretended to be.

My feet carried me blindly through the glittering streets of Beverly Hills until I found myself in a narrow alleyway, hidden from the main thoroughfare. The moonlight filtered between tall buildings, casting long shadows across the concrete. My chest heaved with sobs I could no longer contain.

"That's for trying to steal what belongs to a real she-wolf."

Aura's words echoed in my mind, each syllable a fresh wound. The sting of her slap still burned across my cheek.

"Get out of here," I whispered to myself, pressing my back against the cool brick wall. "Just disappear."

But something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Heat flooded my veins, turning my blood to molten lava. My bones began to ache, then crack. I slid down the wall, collapsing onto the dirty pavement.

"What's happening?" I gasped, clutching at my chest as the pain intensified.

*Let go, Skylar. Stop fighting it.*

The voice was clearer now, stronger. My wolf—the part of me I'd suppressed for three years—was forcing her way to the surface.

"No," I whimpered, though the denial was half-hearted. "It's too late."

*It's never too late to be who you truly are.*

The pain exploded into white-hot agony. I screamed as my spine arched unnaturally. My skin rippled and stretched, bones breaking and reforming with sickening cracks. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood, trying to stay conscious through the transformation.

Three years of suppression had made my first shift excruciating. The mental walls I'd built crumbled one by one as my wolf clawed her way free.

"Stop fighting it," I gasped, surrendering to the inevitable. "Just... let it happen."

The change took me in waves of agony and ecstasy. Fur erupted across my skin, golden-brown and thicker than I'd imagined. My face elongated into a muzzle, teeth sharpening into deadly points. Claws tore from my fingertips, digging into the concrete beneath me.

When the transformation finally completed, I stood on four legs, my senses sharper than I'd ever experienced. Scents bombarded me—garbage, exhaust, perfume lingering on the wind from passersby. Sounds came from blocks away: conversations, music, the hum of electricity in wires overhead.

I caught my reflection in a discarded piece of metal. My wolf was massive, easily twice the size of an ordinary werewolf, with vibrant golden eyes that blazed with fury. Three years of disrespect, of hiding, of enduring Sterling's gradual coldness—it all burned in those eyes.

"We are Alpha," my wolf growled in my mind. "We are Kennedy."

---

The apartment felt smaller when I returned, my human form restored but fundamentally changed. Power thrummed beneath my skin—raw, untamed Alpha energy that I'd suppressed for too long.

I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My eyes still held a hint of gold, and my posture had shifted subtly. Shoulders straighter, chin higher. The weakness I'd cultivated was gone.

"I can't do this anymore," I whispered to my reflection. "I won't."

The entertainment industry pack system was toxic. Sterling was worthless. And Aura—Aura was a fraud who'd stolen everything from me.

I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling as I activated the long-distance mind-link that connected me to my father. Three years of silence stretched between us.

"Dad," I whispered into the link, my voice breaking.

The response was immediate, his presence flooding my mind with warmth and authority.

"Skylar?" Alpha Morgan's voice rumbled through the connection. "My daughter?"

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, the words pouring out. "I should have listened. I should have come home."

"Tell me what happened." His tone was gentle but carried an undercurrent of growing anger.

I told him everything—Sterling's betrayal, Aura's identity theft, the public humiliation and rejection. With each word, I felt my father's fury building like a gathering storm.

"And he rejected you as his mate?" Alpha Morgan's voice was dangerously soft.

"Yes," I whispered. "In front of everyone."

A growl rumbled through the mind-link, so powerful I felt the apartment walls vibrate. The glass in the windows trembled.

"He will pay for this," my father promised, his Alpha tone making my knees weak even through the link. "All of them will pay."

"I want to come home," I said, though part of me knew I couldn't run away this time.

"No," Alpha Morgan replied firmly. "You're staying right there. I'm coming to you."

"Coming here?" I repeated, stunned.

"Mobilize my elite warriors," I heard him bark to someone nearby. "We leave in an hour."

"Dad, the territory laws—"

"Mean nothing when my daughter has been dishonored," he interrupted. "We'll be there by nightfall."

As the mind-link faded, I stared at my reflection again. The woman looking back at me wasn't the same one who'd left home three years ago. She was stronger now. And she had an army coming.

Morning light filtered through the blinds of my apartment, casting thin stripes across the floor. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me. Golden flecks still danced in my irises—evidence of my wolf's awakening. Three years of suppression had ended in a single night of agony and transformation.

"We are Alpha," my wolf whispered in my mind. "Never forget that again."

I squared my shoulders and headed for the door. The talent agency was expecting me, and I had a feeling today would change everything.

---

The chrome and glass tower of Elite Talent Agency loomed over the sidewalk. I pushed through the revolving doors, nodding at the security guard who barely glanced up from his magazine. Three years of coming here had made me invisible—just another wolfless Omega trying to make it in the entertainment industry.

"Skylar Kennedy," Beta Mckenzie Wilson's voice cut through the reception area before I even reached her office. "My office. Now."

I followed the sound of her voice down the hallway, past assistants who averted their eyes. News traveled fast in pack circles. Everyone knew what had happened last night.

Mckenzie's office was immaculate as always—minimalist furniture, awards displayed on walls, and the faint scent of expensive perfume. She didn't look up when I entered, her manicured fingers continuing to tap on her keyboard.

"You're late," she said, though I was actually five minutes early.

"I'm sorry," I said automatically, then caught myself. My wolf bristled at the apology.

Mckenzie finally looked up, her eyes narrowing as she took in my appearance. "You look terrible. Did you even try to cover up those bags under your eyes?"

"I—"

"Save it." She cut me off with a dismissive wave. "I've had three calls this morning. Three. All asking about the pathetic wolfless Omega who got publicly rejected by Sterling Bishop."

She stood up, circling her desk to face me directly. Her Beta aura flared, pressing down on me with uncomfortable pressure.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she hissed. "Sterling Bishop is one of our biggest clients. Starlight Pack controls half the entertainment industry werewolf talent in this city."

"I didn't ask him to reject me," I said quietly.

"No, you just couldn't keep an Alpha satisfied." Mckenzie's lips curled into a sneer. "What use is a wolfless Omega who can't even hold onto her mate?"

My wolf growled, pushing against my consciousness. *Let me out. Let me show her what we are.*

"Not yet," I whispered under my breath.

Mckenzie misunderstood my response, her face twisting with disgust. "Not yet? You think there's still a chance? Sterling's already moved on to the Kennedy heir."

"Aura's not—" I stopped myself before revealing the truth.

"Save your excuses." Mckenzie turned back to her desk, pulling out a folder. "You've got one chance to fix this mess you've created."

She thrust a glossy invitation toward me. "VIP networking event tonight. Every major player in the entertainment industry will be there."

"I'm not sure I should—"

"You should what? Hide away in shame?" Mckenzie laughed harshly. "You need to make yourself useful again. Entertain the guests, make yourself indispensable. Or I'll blacklist you so thoroughly you'll never work in this city again."

My stomach tightened. "Entertain?"

"Don't act innocent." Her eyes gleamed with malice. "You know what these events involve. Powerful wolves expect certain... accommodations."

For three years, I'd avoided these types of events, using my relationship with Sterling as protection.

"If you refuse," Mckenzie continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I'll make sure everyone knows you're nothing but a rejected, wolfless nobody. No pack will touch you."

---

I left the agency with the invitation clutched in my hand, my mind racing. Three years ago, this threat would have devastated me. Now, it merely crystallized my resolve.

"Tonight," I whispered to my reflection in the elevator's mirrored wall, "everything changes."

Back in my apartment, I stood before my closet, surveying the meek, submissive clothing I'd worn as a disguised Omega. Pastel colors, modest cuts, nothing that would draw attention.

I pulled out a simple black dress with a high neckline and tossed it aside. Then another, and another, until the bed was covered with discarded options.

My fingers brushed against something at the back of the closet—a garment bag I hadn't opened in three years.

Inside was a crimson dress, fitted and daring, that I'd brought from home but never had the courage to wear. It screamed power and confidence—everything an Omega was supposed to avoid.

"Perfect," I murmured, running my fingers over the silky fabric.

As I held it against my body, I caught my reflection in the mirror—straight-backed, chin lifted, eyes blazing with golden flecks. The woman staring back at me wasn't hiding anymore.

"We're going hunting tonight," my wolf purred approvingly.

I smiled, feeling my canines lengthen slightly. "Yes, we are."

The VIP event would be the perfect stage for my revenge—and the beginning of my return to power.