Chapter 1

"Mom?" I pressed the phone to my ear, already bracing myself.

"How many times did you look at him today?" Her voice came out sharp, accusing.

I sat up, careful not to wake Lyra in the next room. "What?"

"Kael. The Alpha's son. How many times did you make eye contact with him today?"

My brain struggled to catch up. "Mom, he's my husband. We've been married for six years. We have a daughter together."

"That's not what I asked." Her breathing sounded ragged, panicked. "Once you awaken, once your wolf can sense a Fated Mate, everything changes. You need to tell me—do you feel drawn to him differently? Has anything shifted?"

I rubbed my eyes, fighting the urge to hang up. "We literally live in the same house. Of course I look at him."

"Don't play games with me, Neve." Her voice cracked. "I checked your father's schedule. He came by your house today, didn't he? For how long? What did you talk about?"

"He dropped off groceries. For twenty minutes. Like he does every week."

"Twenty minutes," she repeated, like I'd just confessed to a crime. "And you let Lyra sit on his lap, didn't you? I saw it through the window."

Ice crawled down my spine. "You were watching my house?"

"Answer the question."

"She's five years old. She was showing him a drawing." I kept my voice low, controlled. "That's what grandchildren do with their grandfathers."

Seren laughed, high and bitter. "There's no such thing as 'just' affection in our world. Not once you awaken. Not when you can sense who's really meant for you."

"Mom, it's two in the morning—"

"Your awakening ceremony is in three days. Three days, Neve. And then you'll be able to feel it. The pull. The bond." She was spiraling now, words tumbling over each other. "What if it's him? What if you awaken and realize your father is your Fated Mate? What then? What about me?"

The absurdity of it hit me like a slap. "Are you seriously suggesting—"

"I've been his Chosen Mate for seventy-six years! Seventy-six years of wondering if he settled for me because he never found his Fated Match. And now you're going to awaken and prove I was right to worry."

"You're not making any sense."

"I'm making perfect sense." Her voice dropped to something darker. "You need to cancel the ceremony. Or better yet, delay it. Another year won't hurt. You've already waited this long."

I glanced at Kael, who was now fully awake and watching me with concern.

"The healers said my wolf is finally strong enough," I said carefully. "After everything that happened when I was younger, this might be my only chance."

"Then maybe it's not meant to be." The coldness in her tone made my stomach clench. "Maybe you're better off never awakening at all."

I ended the call.

Kael pulled me back down beside him. "She's getting worse."

"I know."

"We could talk to your father—"

"And say what? That his wife is having a breakdown because she thinks I'm going to steal him from her?" I pressed my face against his chest. "God, even saying it out loud sounds insane."

"Because it is insane." He kissed the top of my head. "Try to sleep. We'll figure it out in the morning."

But sleep didn't come. I lay there listening to his heartbeat, thinking about silver collars and childhood scars that never quite healed.

Morning brought Lyra bouncing on our bed, her golden eyes bright with excitement.

"Mommy, Mommy! Can we make pancakes?"

I caught her mid-bounce, tickling her sides until she shrieked with laughter. "Only if you help."

Kael had already left for pack duties. Lyra chattered non-stop while I mixed batter, telling me about the dream she'd had about running through the forest as a wolf.

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be the fastest wolf ever," she announced, stealing a chocolate chip. "Faster than you, even."

"I don't doubt it, baby."

The knock on the door came at nine. I knew before opening it.

Seren stood on my porch looking like she hadn't slept. Her eyes were red-rimmed, makeup smudged. She pushed past me without waiting for an invitation.

"We need to talk."

"Mom, I have Lyra—"

"This is about Lyra." She spun to face me, and I saw something wild in her expression. "I saw it yesterday. The way she was with Rowan. Sitting on his lap, touching his face, calling him her favorite person."

"She's five. That's what kids do."

"No." Seren stepped closer. "That's what you're training her to do. You're using your own daughter to test if your father is your Fated Mate."

The accusation was so absurd I actually laughed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Her voice rose. "Is it? In three days, you'll awaken. And what happens when you realize that 'normal' father-daughter bond you're using Lyra to practice is something else entirely? Something fated——"

"Stop." I held up a hand. "Just stop. Dad and I have a normal father-daughter relationship. That's it. That's all it's ever been."

"There's no such thing as 'normal' in our world!" She was yelling now. "Once you can sense Fated Mates, everything becomes a threat. Every woman. Every connection. Don't you understand? I've spent seventy-six years wondering if I was enough, if he chose me because he wanted me or because he couldn't find better."

"That's not my problem."

The words came out harsher than I intended. Seren's face crumpled, then hardened.

"You're right. It's not." She straightened her shoulders. "Which is why I have a solution."

Something in her tone made my skin prickle.

"There's a way to make sure you never have to face the confusion of a Fated Mate," she continued. "A way to spare you the pain of choosing between destiny and commitment."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know someone. A witch. She can seal your wolf permanently." Seren said it like she was offering me a gift. "You'd never awaken. Never sense a Fated Mate. You could stay with Kael and Lyra without any cosmic interference."

I stared at her. "You want me to give up my wolf?"

"I want you to be happy." But her eyes told a different story. "Think about it, Neve. No awakening ceremony. No risk of discovering something that would destroy your family. Isn't that worth it?"

"Get out."

"Neve—"

"I said get out!" My voice cracked. "You don't get to ask me to mutilate myself because you're insecure about your own choices."

Lyra appeared in the doorway, clutching her stuffed wolf. "Mommy? Why are you yelling?"

Seren looked at her granddaughter with something that wasn't quite love. "Because your mother is being selfish. She's choosing her own desires over her family's safety."

"That's enough." I moved between them. "Leave. Now."

For a moment, I thought she might refuse. Then she turned and walked to the door.

"You'll regret this," she said without looking back. "When you awaken and feel that pull toward someone who isn't your husband, you'll wish you'd listened to me."

The door closed behind her with a soft click that felt like a threat.