Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Lyric POV

My alarm goes off at 5am sharp as usual. I groan before rolling over and turning it off.

“You’re so cranky in the mornings,” my wolf Nova snickers in my mind.

I climb out of my bed and make my way to the shower.

“I hope you’re ready for a week of chaos,” my best friend Winter links me. Winter is the youngest pup of our Alpha and Luna.

“What do you mean?” I link back.

“Seriously Lyric, besides the fact that the pack will be crawling with visiting packs soon for the ball on Saturday,” she links.

How could I forget? Our future alpha Mason Lane, who is Winter’s older brother, and my older brother Hunter, who is the future beta, both turn 18 this week. Hunter’s birthday is on Thursday and Mason’s birthday is today, and even though the mating ball is Saturday, he can scent his mate today even if she isn’t 18.

“Don’t remind me, but what does that have to do with me?” I link as I climb in the shower.

“Well Summer already walks around the pack like she is our future Luna and now today we will find out,” she links back.

Summer is my twin sister and I say twin loosely because we are on two opposite ends of the genetics spectrum. I’m 5’0 tall with caramel skin, curvy and thick no matter how much I train, with copper red hair and green eyes. Summer has olive skin like my mother with pale blue eyes and she is also 5’7 and slim.

Total opposites, I know.

That makes me an easy target for the pack’s so-called future Luna.

In public she’s sweet and perfect, but behind closed doors where there are no eyes on her, she finds any way to make my life hell.

No matter how many times I tried to fight back, it always ended up worse for me. When I was ten, I told my mom Summer shoved me down a flight of stairs. Two days later, one of the omega girls who helped me get to the hospital was beaten so badly she missed school for a week. Summer never admitted to anything, but she didn’t have to. She cornered me afterward and thanked me for proving her point. I never told on her again.

“Please tell me you’re almost ready. Training starts in 15 minutes,” Winter links me.

“Getting dressed now,” I link her back as I put on my leggings and sneakers.

I just throw on a sports bra and cropped tank. My hair does what it wants so I put it in the best version of a bun.

“You’re trying too hard,” Nova says in amusement.

I ignore her and walk out of my room.

“Meet me in the dining room,” I link Winter.

I head downstairs to the dining hall from the beta floor.

As I walk into the kitchen, I spot Mason sitting at a table with Hunter, Lucas and Micah, the future gamma and delta.

His eyes are locked on me the moment I step into the dining hall.

My stomach flips.

I hate that my body still reacts to him. It always has. Ever since we were kids and he followed me around calling me sunflower like it was my actual name.

I walk away before I think too much about what it means.

“Good morning, Mary,” I say to the head omega.

“Good morning, sweetheart. How are you today?” she asks, checking me over.

“I’m fine. Need help with anything?” I ask.

“No sweet girl, I will see you after training,” she says.

I walk out and find Winter waiting by the door.

“Finally, we are already late,” she says as soon as she sees me.

“I’m sorry, let’s go,” I say.

When we get to the training grounds, I get a link from Delta Sam.

“Lyric, the Alpha and I would like to use you for a demonstration today,” he says.

“Why me?” I link back.

“Because you are the only one who knows how to do the move properly,” he links back.

“Fine,” I say.

“What was that about?” Winter asks.

“I’m being used for a demonstration,” I say, annoyed.

“It’s going to be okay,” Nova says.

“I would rather stay in the back where I belong until I can get out of here,” I say to her.

“You are not meant to be in the back, Lyric,” she says softly.

“Tell that to Summer,” I murmur.

Being noticed has never worked out well for me. Every compliment, every birthday gift, every moment someone chooses me over her always seems to come with a price later.

“Good morning everyone,” Delta Sam says, getting everyone’s attention.

“Today we will be practicing offensive moves that can be useful while fighting a wolf in human or wolf form,” he adds.

“We will have a demonstration before we pair off to practice.”

“Our gamma will be demonstrating with Lyric,” he says.

All eyes turn to me—including Mason’s and Summer’s.

Great.

I walk over to where Delta Sam and Gamma Jake stand.

“Okay, Lyric will be on offense, and Gamma Jake will be on defense. He’ll attack you in his human form first, then his wolf form.”

My heart pounds in my chest.

I know I can handle this, but all this attention?

Not my favorite thing.

He yells, “Begin!”

I drop into a fighting stance, waiting for Jake to make the first move.

He swings out, aiming for my ribs.

I sidestep and land my own punch right there, solid against his side.

He staggers back and tries a leg sweep.

I hop back just in time, avoiding the trip.

Then he lunges, grabbing me around the waist.

I twist with his momentum, wrapping my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck.

In a quick spin, I’m on his back like a backpack from hell.

Before he can shake me off, I drive my elbow into the back of his head.

Delta Sam calls, “Time!”

I leap down from Jake’s back, breathing hard, a huge grin splitting my face.

When I look up, Mason’s eyes are locked on me, intense with some emotion I can’t quite read—but it sends chills racing down my spine.

Then I make the mistake of looking past him. Summer is staring too. Her face is smiling for the crowd, but her eyes aren’t. My stomach immediately sinks. Whatever pride I felt from the demonstration disappears. Because if history has taught me anything, it’s that Summer hates being outshined.