Chapter 2

Lyra tugged on my shirt. "Is Grandma mad at us?"

I picked her up, holding her tight. "Grandma's just confused, baby. It's not your fault."

But as I carried her back to the kitchen, I couldn't shake the look in my mother's eyes. The desperate, wild look of someone who'd already made a decision.

Whatever she was planning, it wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

I found my father at the pack's training grounds that afternoon. He was running drills with the younger wolves, his movements still sharp despite his age. When he saw me approaching, he called for a break.

"Neve." He pulled me into a hug. "Excited for the ceremony?"

I waited until we were away from curious ears. "We need to talk about Mom."

His smile faded. "What happened?"

"She came by this morning. Suggested I cancel the awakening." I kept my voice steady. "Actually, she suggested more than that. She wants me to find a witch who'll seal my wolf permanently."

Rowan's jaw tightened. "She said that?"

"She thinks once I awaken, I'll be able to sense Fated Mates. And she's convinced you're mine."

He went very still. "That's absurd."

"I know that. You know that." I crossed my arms. "But she's spiraling, Dad. Last night she called at two in the morning asking how many times I made eye contact with Kael. She's been watching our house. She accused me of using Lyra to test some kind of bond with you."

"Your mother worries." But I heard the uncertainty in his voice. "Twenty-four is unusually late for an awakening. She's probably just anxious about the risks."

"This isn't anxiety." Frustration bled into my words. "This is paranoia. She looked at Lyra like she was a threat. Her own granddaughter."

Rowan rubbed his face. "I'll talk to her."

"Will you?" The question came out sharper than intended. "Because you've been saying that for years. Every time she has one of her episodes, you promise to handle it, and then nothing changes."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it?" I met his eyes. "When I was sixteen, she locked me in the house for a week because you complimented my dress. When I was nineteen, she tried to convince me not to marry Kael because what if I found my Fated Mate later and regretted it. And now she wants me to mutilate my wolf because she can't handle the possibility that I might be happy."

The words hung between us. Rowan looked older suddenly, tired in a way that had nothing to do with physical age.

"I know your mother has her struggles," he said quietly. "But she loves you, Neve. In her own way."

"Does she?" My throat tightened. "Because from where I'm standing, it feels like she's been competing with me my entire life."

"I'll keep you safe." He gripped my shoulders. "You and Lyra. Whatever your mother is going through, I won't let it affect your awakening. I promise."

I wanted to believe him. But promises only worked if people kept them.

The next two days passed in a blur of preparation. Kael helped me through the pre-ceremony rituals—fasting, meditation, connecting with my long-dormant wolf. At night, I'd lie awake feeling the pull of the approaching full moon, my wolf stirring beneath my skin like something finally waking up.

Seren didn't call. Didn't visit. The silence should've been a relief.

Instead, it felt like the calm before something shattered.

The ceremony was held in the sacred grove, a clearing ringed by ancient trees where moonlight pooled like liquid silver. The entire pack gathered—over two hundred wolves, all dressed in ceremonial whites. Kael stood beside me, his hand warm in mine. Lyra sat with the other children, waving excitedly.

Alpha Theron began the ritual, his voice carrying through the grove. "We gather tonight to welcome Neve Thornwood into her full awakening. Though her path has been delayed, her wolf has proven its strength through patience."

Other late-bloomers stood with me—three others whose awakenings had been postponed by illness or injury. But I was the oldest. The most unusual case.

The elders anointed us with moon-blessed oils. The pack began their chant, a low humming that resonated in my bones. I felt my wolf rising, eager and ready after years of suppression.

The moon reached its peak. Power flooded through me, electric and ancient.

And then the screaming started.

Seren burst through the ring of wolves, her hair wild, her eyes wilder. She was still in her nightgown, feet bare and bleeding from running through the forest.

"Stop!" Her voice cracked across the ceremony. "You have to stop this!"

Theron raised a hand, halting the ritual. "Seren, this is sacred ground—"

"She's doing this on purpose!" Seren pointed at me with a shaking finger. "All of you are fools if you can't see it. She's been planning this for years."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Kael's hand tightened on mine.

"Mom, please—" I started.

"Don't 'Mom' me!" She lurched forward, and two wolves moved to restrain her. "Look at how he watches her! Look at Rowan's face right now!"

Everyone turned to my father. He stood frozen, horror and shame warring in his expression.

"The way he looks at her isn't fatherly," Seren continued, her voice rising to a shriek. "It's the look of recognition. Of destiny. They're Fated Mates, and they know it. They're just waiting for her to awaken so they can confirm it and throw me away like garbage!"

"That's enough." Theron's voice carried authority, but Seren was beyond hearing.

"She has a husband!" Seren gestured wildly at Kael. "A child! And she's still trying to steal mine! My mate! The only thing I have!"

The accusations kept coming, each one more unhinged than the last. How I'd supposedly orchestrated delays in my awakening to build tension. How I'd married Kael as a cover. How I'd been grooming my own daughter to manipulate Rowan.

The pack watched in stunned silence. Some looked at me with confusion, others with pity. A few—a very few—looked speculative, as if wondering if there might be truth in the madness.

"Seren." Rowan finally found his voice. "Stop this. You're embarrassing yourself."

"Embarrassing myself?" She laughed, high and broken. "I'm exposing the truth! And when she awakens tonight, when she feels that pull toward you, everyone will know I was right!"

"Remove her from the grove," Theron commanded.

It took four wolves to drag her away, and she fought every step. Her screams echoed through the trees long after she disappeared from sight.

"I'm calling her a slut! A home-wrecker! She's destroying our family!"

The silence that followed felt heavy enough to crush.

Theron turned to me. "Neve, I'm sorry. We can resume—"

"No." The word came out hollow. "Not tonight."

"Your wolf is ready. The moon is at its peak."

"I said no." I pulled away from Kael's grip. "I need to go home."