Emma POV

‘Good morning, Emma.’ I turned towards the door to greet my brother, but nobody was standing there. I am alone. But whose voice was that?

‘It is me, silly. Your wolf.’ I flinched. Of course, it is my birthday. I got my wolf today. It is weird, though, to hear a voice inside my head.

‘You will get used to it.’ A voice said.

‘It will take some time.’ I responded.

‘We have all the time in the world.’ My wolf said.

‘What is your name?’ I asked her.

‘Eliza.’ ‘I like it.’ I told her.

‘I know you do, Emma. Now, get up and go spend the day with your brother.

Asher has already sensed my presence, and he can’t wait to meet me.’ She said.

I got up excited and full of energy. I can’t wait to see Eliza.

I brushed my teeth, showered, and put on sweats and a hoodie. Perfect for a lazy birthday day with my brother.

When I came downstairs, Andrew had already made pancakes. It was our traditional birthday breakfast.

“Happy birthday, Emma!” he yelled and gave me a big hug. “Asher sensed Eliza. He is so excited to finally meet his sister.”

“She can’t wait to meet him too.” I said and gave him a big smile.

I adore Asher. He is the best wolf there is.

“Come on, let’s eat.” he said and pulled me to the table.

After we were full, we went to the living room to start our first movie of the day. We always watched the Avenger series. Humans did a great job on those movies.

At around 1 pm, Andrew and I went to the kitchen to start making lunch.

On my birthday we have my favorite meal, lasagna. On his birthday, we have his favorite meal, pizza.

I started making the lasagna while Andrew sat down at the kitchen table.

“Maybe you will find your mate soon.” he said.

“Maybe.” I said, not looking up at him.

I don’t like talking to him about this. He is my brother, and talking about mating is weird. And I don’t want to leave him, ever. It will be really hard for me to leave with my mate.

“Maybe it will be Jacob.” he said.

I looked up at him. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Yes.” he said and shrugged. “He is one of our best warriors, so I know you would be safe with him. And I know you like him already. It would be easier for you to go with him.”

I walked over and sat beside him. “It won’t be easy for me to leave. No matter who my mate is. You are my family. I don’t want to leave you.”

“I know, Em.” he said and smiled. “I don’t want you to leave. But if you find your mate you will. And we will be okay.”

“Maybe I won’t find him.” I said and got back up. “You never did.”

“Yes.” he nodded. “But I have a pretty good feeling you will, and it will be Jacob.”

I smiled and rolled my eyes. “We will see.”

He got up and helped me finish our lunch. After we ate, we went back to the living room to watch another movie.

At around 7 pm, Andrew told me to go and get ready. We had to walk for about 20 minutes to reach the shifting site in the forest.

It is a small clearing in the middle of the forest where all wolves go for their first shift. It is special because it is the only place in the forest where the moon can shine on you completely. Our forest is so thick that moon can barely shine through the trees. The clearing is the only place it shines freely.

I put on my white dress, chosen especially for this night. It is tradition to wear white on the night of our first shift. I put on my shoes and went back downstairs.

Andrew was waiting for me at the door. He handed me my jacket and we left the house.

My heart was pounding in my chest. Andrew probably heard it because he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him.

“Don’t be scared, Emma.” he said quietly. “It will be amazing. And I will be there for you.”

“Thank you.” I said. “I love you.”

“I love you too, little one.” he said and gave me a side hug.

After about 20 minutes, we arrived at the clearing. My friends and Luna Gloria were already there, waiting for us.

Luna approached me first. “Happy birthday, sweetie. I can’t wait to meet your wolf.”

“Thank you, aunt Gloria. She is excited to meet you too.” I said with a big smile.

Amy and Jacob came towards me with big smiles on their faces.

“Happy birthday, Emmy.” Amy said and gave me a tight hug.

“Happy birthday, Emma.” Jake said and kissed my cheek. “Now, let’s meet your wolf. It is cold and I don’t want you to get sick.”

He is right. It is December and the only thing I am wearing is a dress. I do have a jacket, but it is not keeping me warm. The only reason I am not shivering is excitement.

“He is right, Emma.” Andrew said. “Give me your jacket and stand in the middle of the clearing.”

I did what he said and stood in the middle of the clearing. They all gave me an encouraging smile and turned around to give me some privacy to remove my clothes.

I carefully removed my dress, underwear, and shoes and folded them neatly into a pile. I stood back up and looked up at the moon.

‘Are you ready, Emma?’ My wolf said.

‘I am.’ I responded. ‘How do I do this?’ ‘Just let go. It will hurt. But don’t fight it. It will be over soon. Let go and give me control.’ She said.

I did what she said. I took a deep breath and let her take control of our mind and body. I started to feel my bones break. I let out a little scream and fell down on my knees.

“That’s right, Em.” I heard my brother’s voice. “It will be okay. Just let go.”

The pain was unbearable. It was like breaking all of your bones at the same time.

I fought the urge to throw up and focused on letting go of my control.

Emma POV

A few moments later, I was standing on all fours, my white fur shimmering under the moonlight. I took a deep breath and lifted my head proudly.

My friends and family turned around and gasped.

“She is white.” Luna Gloria said.

I looked at her and cocked my wolf head. Is that something special?

‘We are a pure white wolf, Emma. Nobody is a pure white wolf.’ Eliza said.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked her. ‘There are white wolves. I have seen them before.’ ‘Yes. But none of them are pure white.’ She said proudly. ‘They all have a spot in a different color, or their paws are different. We are all white.’ “What does that mean?” Amy asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” my brother said, not taking his eyes off of my wolf. “But she is beautiful.”

“She is.” Jacob said quietly.

I looked at him and immediately felt disappointed. No sparks. No connection. He is not my mate.

‘We are not his.’ Eliza said. ‘We belong to somebody else.’ ‘What do you mean, Eliza?’ I asked, surprised. ‘Do you know who our mate is?’ ‘I do.’ She said. ‘You will know soon.’ ‘Who is he?’ I asked. ‘How do you know?’ It isn’t common for a wolf to know who his or hers mate is. They only know when they see them. But not before. What is going on?

‘I am not talking to you about it.’ Eliza said. ‘Now, stop thinking about this and focus on your friends and family. Andrew is trying to mind-link you.’ I pulled my focus away from our conversation and focused on my brother’s voice inside my head. Now that I shifted, I can mind-link the entire pack.

Emma? He called me. Emma, can you hear me?

Yes. I responded. Sorry, I was talking to Eliza.

You are beautiful, Emma. He said proudly. Do you want to go for a run?

Yes! I said with excitement in my voice.

My brother told the rest of the group to shift, and we all went for a run.

Eliza met all the wolves, and I could tell she loved them all. And they loved her. Especially Asher. He was attentive and careful with Eliza, just like Andrew is with me.

When I had enough, I mind-linked Andrew to tell him to go back. All the excitement and nervousness got to me, and I was tired.

We got back to the clearing and took our clothes into our mouths. We all went behind a tree to shift and change.

Shifting back hurt as well, but not like the first time.

‘Each time we do this, it will be easier.’ Eliza said. ‘After a while, it won’t hurt at all.’ I walked back to the clearing, and my friends and family were already there.

They hugged me and gave me a lot of kisses. They are proud of me and happy that I finally have my wolf. Nobody mentioned that I am a pure white again, so I just decided to forget about it. It is nothing special. I am nothing special.

Luna Gloria left first. We stayed at the clearing for a while, just chatting and laughing. After a few minutes, we started walking back.

Jacob walked beside me, and Andrew and Amy were in front of us.

“So, we are not mates.” he said with sadness in his voice.

“I guess not.” I responded, not looking up at him.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t be.” he said. “I would choose you as my mate.

I love you, Emma.”

I looked up at him, surprised. But before I could say anything, my brother interfered.

“Jacob, no.” he said strictly. “At least not yet. I know you love my sister, but she is only 18 and there is a chance she will meet her true mate. If she doesn’t in a few years, and if you don’t find your mate by then, you can make her your chosen mate. If she wants to get a chosen mate. But not before she has had a chance to find her true mate.”

I looked between Andrew and Jacob.

Jacob wanted to fight, but he knew my brother was right. I love Jake, but I deserve a chance to find my true mate.

After a few seconds of Andrew and Jake just glaring at each other, Jacob nodded and lowered his head.

“You are right.” he said quietly. “But I will wait for her.”

“I am sorry, Jake.” I said and took his hand in mine.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” he said and gave me a small smile.

Amy was quiet the whole time, but I could tell she was sad. She really hoped Jake and I would be mates.

We continued our walk through the forest, and soon we were back at our house. Jake and Amy said their goodbyes and went home.

Andrew and I went back inside the house, and I looked at my watch. It was 10 pm.

“Hey, do you want to watch another movie? It is not too late.” Andrew asked and took my jacket to put it away.

“I would, but I am so tired.” I said.

He smiled. “Yeah. The first shift will do that to you.”

“I will just go to bed.” I said. “Thank you for today. I loved it.”

“I loved it too, little one.” he said with a big smile. “Asher and I love your wolf.”

“We love you too.” I said and smiled.

I walked upstairs, and Andrew went to the living room.

I hopped in the shower and put on my pajamas. I got under the covers and closed my eyes immediately.

I don’t think I slept long when I was awoken by a loud knock on our front door.

Emma POV

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 11 pm. Who was here this late?

I removed the covers and went toward my bedroom door. I opened them in time to hear my brother’s voice.

“Logan?” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“Where is she? Where is Emma?” Logan asked nervously.

His voice was the most amazing sound I have ever heard. It was like music to my ears. What was wrong with me? It never sounded like that before. It must have been because I was tired.

But he sounded cold, rushed. I didn’t know why he was asking for me, but I had a feeling that I was in trouble. But I didn’t do anything wrong.

“Emma?” my brother asked. “She is sleeping. Why?”

I could hear surprise and confusion in his voice.

I started walking toward the stairs and was instantly hit with the most amazing smell, pine needles and snow. It smelled like a winter forest.

‘Mate!’ Eliza screamed in my head.

‘What?!’ I asked and froze.

‘It is Logan, Emma. He is our mate. Go to him.’ Eliza said, excited.

Logan? The Alpha? He is my mate? I am a Luna?

I had a million questions in my head. My feet started moving against my will. It was like something was pulling me downstairs. Well, not something.

The mate bond.

“Wake her up.” Logan growled. “Now.”

He sounded mad. Why was he mad?

“I am awake.” I said and started walking down the stairs.

I stopped in the middle to look at Logan.

Everything shifted when I looked into his eyes. He was now the center of my world. He was everything. I felt this incredible need to touch him, to be in his arms.

I wanted to run to him, but I stopped myself when I saw how cold his stare was. What was going on?

“Logan?” my brother called him.

“She is my mate.” Logan said through his teeth.

My brother gasped and looked up at me. I nodded and looked back at Logan. He was standing there looking at me with a cold expression on his face. His fists were clenched, and his posture was rigid.

He didn’t want me. That’s why he was so angry. I was not good enough to be his Luna.

“Emma.” Andrew called my name. “Go to your room. Now.”

He must have seen how angry Logan was and wanted to talk to him about this. I turned away and walked back upstairs.

But there was no way I was going back into my room. I wanted to hear what Logan would say. I had a feeling I knew, though.

I heard them walking to the kitchen, and I sat at the top of the stairs. I would be able to hear them talk and, hopefully, they would be focused on their conversation and would not be able to hear or sense me. I just had to be very quiet.

I hugged my knees and waited.

“Talk.” my brother said coldly. “How did you know before you even saw her?”

“I don’t know.” Logan sighed. “I could sense and smell her. It happened about an hour ago. At first, I thought I was going crazy, but then I decided to follow that smell. I knew for sure when I came closer to your house.

Leon started going crazy.”

“That is weird.” my brother said. “Mates usually know when they see each other. They can’t sense it before.”

“I know. But I did.” Logan growled.

My brother sighed. “Why are you angry?”

“She can’t be my Luna, Andrew.” Logan said.

My heart broke. I hugged my knees even tighter. I felt warm tears running down my cheeks. Nothing hurts like your mate’s rejection.

“What? Why?” my brother asked angrily.

“She is a child.” Logan said. “She is not strong enough to be a Luna. I need someone stronger.”

“You are kidding me, right?” my brother yelled. “You are going to throw away Goddess’ gift because you don’t think she is strong enough?!”

“It is for the pack.” Logan said calmly. “You know our pack needs strong leadership. Especially now that rogues are attacking even more frequently.”

“Alpha is always stronger when he has his Luna by his side.” my brother growled.

“He is. And I will have my Luna.” Logan said. “I am thinking about taking Sienna as my chosen mate.”

My heart stopped beating. He was choosing another she-wolf instead of me.

And not just any wolf. Sienna. She wanted to get rid of me. And she will.

She will become a Luna and she will exile me from my pack. Maybe she will even kill me when she finds out I am Logan’s true mate.

“Why didn’t you already do that if you think she will be a great Luna?” my brother asked angrily.

“I wanted to wait for my true mate.” Logan answered. “To see if I was gifted with a strong she-wolf. But now that I see that is not the case, I can freely choose somebody else.”

“I can’t believe this.” my brother said quietly.

“You know I am right, Andrew.” Logan said. “You know that you, me, and Sienna will be great leaders, and the pack will benefit greatly from our leadership. We can’t do that with your sister. She is only 18.”

My brother said nothing, and I think he agreed with Logan. He thought that I was not strong. I didn’t think my heart could break even more.

I’ve heard enough. I got up and walked to my room.

My heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces. I didn’t think that I would ever be able to put it back together. And he hasn’t officially rejected me yet.

I didn’t know how I would survive when he does.

Mates can reject each other. It doesn’t break the bond, though. Nothing does. It is only words. But it lets you know that your mate doesn’t want you, and it is horrible. The bond is alive, but you can’t do anything about it.

Being exiled by Sienna and becoming a rogue suddenly didn’t sound so bad. It was better than staying here, watching them together. It would kill me slowly.

‘Eliza?’ I called my wolf. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘No, Emma.’ She whined. ‘I am in pain.’ ‘I know.’ I said. ‘I am sorry.’ ‘His wolf wants us.’ She whined. ‘Leon wants us. It is Logan who is fighting the bond.’ I didn’t respond and I felt her going further back in my mind. I didn’t think I would hear from her again tonight. She needed to heal.

I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t see my brother. I couldn’t see him.

I quickly put on my tights, a hoodie, and sneakers. I grabbed a jacket from my wardrobe and opened my window.

My room was on the second floor, but there was a roof just underneath it. I always sneaked out this way when my brother forbade me from going out with Amy. He never caught me. I hoped that tonight would be the same.

I carefully climbed out onto the roof and made my way down. I had to be really careful not to make any noise. I was in a house with an Alpha and a Beta werewolf. Their hearing is even better than other werewolves’. I just hoped they were still talking and focused on their conversation.

I climbed down and started walking toward the forest. There was a cave nearby where Amy, Jake, and I always went to hang out when we wanted to be alone. I needed to go there and think.