The Silver Fang Pack’s high school graduation ball was supposed to be a night of celebration. A night where every graduating wolf stepped into adulthood, a night of unity and honor.

For me, it was a battlefield.

I stood outside the grand pack hall, staring at the towering doors draped in gold and silver banners. Laughter and music spilled from inside, mingling with the scent of fine wine and freshly grilled meats. This was the pinnacle of our youth, the moment where we all moved forward into the next stage of our lives.

But I already knew what was waiting for me inside.

Mockery. Ridicule. Cruelty dressed in silk gowns and crisp tuxedos.

I should have stayed in the basement.

I almost turned around, but then I saw him.

Jaxon Hale.

He stood near the entrance, his suit tailored perfectly to his broad frame, his dark hair tousled like he had just stepped out of a dream. Girls fawned over him, their delicate hands brushing against his arm, their laughter melodic and sweet.

But he wasn’t looking at them.

For a moment—just a fleeting second—our eyes met.

And I thought, Maybe... maybe tonight will be different.

Steeling myself, I stepped forward, my heart hammering against my ribs. I had borrowed a dress, a simple blue gown that was slightly too loose on me, but it was the best I had. My hair was pinned back, and I had even attempted a touch of makeup, though my hands had trembled the entire time.

I wasn’t beautiful like the others, but I had wanted to try.

For him.

The moment I crossed the threshold, conversations dulled. Eyes flicked toward me, first in surprise, then in amusement. Whispers curled through the air, sharp and cruel.

I swallowed hard, keeping my chin high, forcing myself to walk toward the center of the room.

Then came the voice I dreaded the most.

“Oh. My. Goddess.”

Seraphina Monroe’s laughter rang out like a bell, clear and taunting. I turned just in time to see her strut toward me, her crimson dress clinging to her perfect form. Her lips curled into a smirk, eyes glinting with malice.

“You actually showed up.” She circled me like a predator, her pack of sycophants trailing behind her. “And here I thought you’d be in the basement scrubbing floors.”

A few chuckles rippled through the crowd.

I clenched my fists. “I have just as much right to be here as anyone else.”

Seraphina tilted her head, pretending to consider my words. “Hmm. That’s where you’re wrong, Aria. This ball is for real wolves.”

Laughter.

My nails dug into my palms, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of reacting.

But she wasn’t done.

With a sly smile, she reached out, her fingers plucking at the fabric of my dress. “And what is this? Did you sew it yourself? Oh, wait—who am I kidding? You can barely wash a dress, let alone make one.”

More laughter.

Heat burned behind my eyes, but I held my ground. I would not cry. Not in front of them.

Then she turned to the crowd, her voice sickeningly sweet. “You know, I was thinking. Since we’re all stepping into adulthood tonight, why don’t we settle something once and for all?”

My stomach clenched.

“Jaxon,” she called over her shoulder. “Come here.”

The world tilted as Jaxon strolled forward, his expression unreadable.

Seraphina’s grin widened. “Since our dear Aria seems to believe she belongs here, I think it’s only fair to hear from the future Alpha himself.” She turned to face him, eyes glittering with something sinister. “Tell us, Jaxon. What do you think of our little stray?”

Silence fell over the hall.

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

Jaxon’s gaze locked onto mine.

And for a moment, I saw something there. A flicker of hesitation. A war within himself.

Then, his lips curled into a smirk.

“I think…” He let the words hang in the air, then chuckled. “I think Seraphina has a point.”

The room erupted in laughter.

The world around me blurred, voices distorting into cruel echoes.

Jaxon Hale, the boy who had once whispered stories to me in the darkness, the boy who had held my hand when I cried—he had just thrown me to the wolves.

A sharp, painful lump formed in my throat, but I refused to let them see my tears.

Seraphina beamed. “See? Even Jaxon agrees. So tell me, Aria—do you still think you belong here?”

I turned on my heel and ran.

The laughter chased me through the grand hall, past the golden chandeliers and silk-draped tables. My lungs burned, my vision blurred. I burst through the doors and into the cool night air, gasping for breath.

I didn’t stop running until I reached the edge of the forest. The scent of pine and damp earth surrounded me, the only comfort I had left.

I sucked in deep breaths, my chest rising and falling rapidly. The night was silent except for the distant music and my own ragged breathing.

Then, a voice.

“Aria.”

I stiffened.

Slowly, I turned.

Jaxon stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, his hands shoved into his pockets. His tuxedo was flawless, his posture effortless. The perfect future Alpha.

The boy I had loved.

For a brief moment, something flickered across his face. Regret? Guilt?

I swallowed hard. “Why did you do that?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

Jaxon’s jaw tensed. He looked away, staring at the trees like they held all the answers.

Then, he did the worst thing he could have done.

He said nothing.

No apology. No explanation.

Just silence.

The house was silent that night. Not the kind of silence that brought peace, but the kind that thickened the air, pressing down on my chest. The kind that felt like a storm brewing just beyond the horizon.

I sat on the edge of my tiny mattress, the springs digging into my skin through the thin fabric. My dress from the ball lay crumpled on the floor, a reminder of the humiliation I had endured just hours ago. My fingers traced the bruises forming where I had clenched my fists too tightly, as if trying to hold my heart together while it shattered.

Jaxon’s silence.

His cold eyes.

The way he had walked away like I was nothing.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the memories clawed their way in, refusing to be buried. I had always known I was unwanted, an outcast, but some foolish part of me had hoped. Had believed.

That part of me was dead now.

A knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts. Before I could answer, the door creaked open, and my parents stepped inside.

My mother’s face was pale, her lips pressed into a tight line. My father’s eyes held something I hadn’t seen before—something raw.

Pity.

I hated it.

I straightened my back, bracing myself. “I’m fine,” I said before they could speak. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

My father sighed, stepping closer. “Aria…”

“No.” My voice cracked. “Just leave it.”

Silence stretched between us, thick with things unsaid. Then my mother moved toward me, kneeling so we were eye level. Her hands, calloused from years of work, reached for mine.

“We’re leaving,” she said softly.

The words didn’t register at first.

I blinked. “What?”

“We’re leaving this pack,” my father repeated. “We’ve made arrangements with another Alpha. We’re moving to a new home.”

My chest tightened. “You can’t be serious.”

My mother squeezed my hands. “We are.”

Panic surged through me. “But this is our home. We’ve been here my whole life. You’ve been loyal to this pack for years!”

My father’s jaw tensed. “And what have they ever given us in return?”

I flinched.

He ran a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. “You think we don’t see what they do to you? The way they treat you like dirt beneath their feet? How they—” His voice wavered. “How they humiliated you tonight?”

I looked away. I didn’t want to talk about it.

“We should have done this sooner,” my mother said, pain in her voice. “We stayed because we thought things would change. We thought Jaxon—”

I ripped my hands from hers. “Don’t.”

Saying his name hurt too much.

My mother’s eyes filled with unshed tears, but she nodded. “We can’t let you keep suffering here, sweetheart. This pack will never accept you. We need to go somewhere you can have a fresh start.”

Fresh start.

The words rattled in my skull, but all I could feel was the crushing weight of rejection. Leaving meant giving up, didn’t it? It meant letting Seraphina win. Letting Jaxon walk away without a second thought.

But staying meant more of the same. More cold stares, more whispered insults, more isolation.

I thought about the future—what it would mean if I remained here. Would I spend the rest of my life in the packhouse basement, cleaning up after wolves who didn’t see me as one of their own? Would I always be the girl without a wolf, the pariah, the misfit?

Would Jaxon ever look at me with anything other than regret?

No.

I knew the answer.

The realization hit me with a force so strong I almost gasped.

This pack would never love me.

This pack would never be my home.

I forced myself to meet my parents’ eyes, my throat burning. “When do we leave?”

A look of relief washed over my mother’s face. “Tomorrow. At dawn.”

Tomorrow.

That was it. One more night in this prison.

One more night in a place that never wanted me.

I turned my gaze to the small window above my bed, staring at the moon.

I had spent my whole life waiting to belong.

Maybe it was time to stop waiting.

The journey to the Blackwood Pack was long and silent. My parents sat in the front of the car, murmuring to each other in hushed voices while I stared out the window. The forests blurred together, dark and endless, as if swallowing me whole.

I should have been relieved to leave the place that had tormented me my entire life, but an odd hollowness gnawed at my chest. This wasn’t just a goodbye to the pack—it was a goodbye to Jaxon. To the foolish girl who had once believed in love, in fate, in mates.

I clenched my fists. No more hoping. No more dreaming.

From now on, I would only believe in what I could control.

The car slowed as we reached towering iron gates. Blackwood Pack territory. A shiver ran down my spine. This was nothing like the Silver Fang Pack. The air felt heavier, thick with an energy I couldn’t place.

The gates creaked open, revealing a massive estate in the distance. The packhouse was enormous, built of dark stone, looming over the land like a fortress. Wolves moved around the property, their eyes sharp and calculating as they watched our car roll in.

I swallowed hard.

We parked near the entrance, and before I could fully prepare myself, the doors opened. Two men stepped out.

One of them was tall and broad, his presence dominating even from afar. His black hair was slightly tousled, as if he had just run his fingers through it in frustration. His sharp jawline was rigid, his piercing silver eyes like shards of ice.

I didn’t need to be told who he was.

Alpha Lucian Blackwood.

The other man was slightly shorter but still powerful in build. His honey-blond hair framed his face in soft waves, and his green eyes held warmth—a stark contrast to the Alpha beside him. He looked… kind.

I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

My father stepped forward, bowing his head. “Alpha Lucian, Beta Elias. Thank you for allowing us into your pack.”

Lucian’s gaze swept over my parents before landing on me. His expression remained unreadable, his silver eyes cold and calculating.

I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

“This is your daughter?” he asked, his deep voice smooth yet devoid of warmth.

I met his gaze, my throat tightening. There was something about him—something unsettling.

“Yes, Alpha,” my father confirmed. “This is Aria.”

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line. “She’s wolf-less.”