I am not entirely sure how I ended up here, but suddenly I am standing unclothed, drenched in sweat, at the edge of a cliff. My chest rises and falls in sharp, panicked breaths. I must have run off after the ceremony, though I have no memory of leaving. The world feels hazy, unreal, as if wrapped in fog.

  The roar of rushing water far below pulls my attention downward, and that is when I feel it.

  A presence behind me.

  Dark.

  Heavy.

  Ancient.

  I am too terrified to turn around.

  Every hair on my body stands on end. A shiver runs up my spine so violently it nearly steals my legs from beneath me. I feel exposed, vulnerable, unbearably alone.

  I try to scream for help.

  Nothing comes out.

  My throat is locked tight.

  Run, I tell myself. Just run.

  Do not turn around. Do not look. Do not breathe.

  But my body will not listen. My legs remain rooted in place, carved from stone.

  Which leaves only one option.

  Face it.

  Face the shadow that has haunted my dreams for as long as I can remember.

  The wind whips past my ears, carrying a faint whisper that curls around my name.

  “Lirian.”

  The voice is deep. Familiar. Wrong.

  My heart pounds so hard it rattles my ribs. I try to steady my breathing, but my lungs refuse to obey. As I begin to turn, slow and trembling, I hear footsteps behind me. Heavy. Measured. Drawing closer.

  I do not even get the chance to see its face.

  A powerful force pushes me forward.

  I fall.

  My body plummets through open air, the wind tearing a scream from my throat at last. The water rushes toward me in a blur. I curl inward instinctively, bracing for an impact I know will shatter bone.

  The icy surface slams into me.

  I gasp awake.

  I am sitting upright in my bed, drenched in sweat, my heart racing so fast I feel dizzy. My room is dark. Safe. Familiar. And yet my body trembles uncontrollably.

  Another dream.

  The most vivid one yet.

  Who is this figure that stalks me?

  Why does it want me dead?

  A metallic clatter jolts me from my thoughts. Then another. Too loud. Too sharp. My senses feel strange, painfully clear.

  A scent hits me next, startling in its strength.

  Rosemary.

  Thyme.

  Lemon.

  Butter.

  As if someone is cooking directly beneath my nose.

  Then a voice, muffled but close. Sounding as if just outside my door.

  “We need to make sure she stays in the dark. If she knew, she would never agree. Keep her on track today and make sure there are no mistakes.”

  My blood turns cold.

  Luna Marienne?

  It sounds like her.

  But who is she? Does she mean me?

  And why hide something from me?

  If she intended for me to hear it, she would not have whispered.

  I push aside the soaked sheets and swing my legs out of bed. My night clothing cling damply to my skin, irritating and uncomfortable. But something else catches my eye.

  My skin.

  It glimmers faintly in the lingering moonlight.

  I lift my arm, tilting it back and forth.

  Sweat… or shimmer?

  It looks like fine glitter tracing the surface of my skin, catching silver light.

  Too tired to untangle what it means, I move to the washroom and splash warm water over my face. I reach for the towel, then freeze when I lift my gaze to the mirror.

  My eyes are changing.

  Crystal blue.

  Deep ocean.

  Bright, leaf-green.

  Back to blue.

  Green again.

  “Wow,” I whisper to my reflection. “This transformation is really affecting me.”

  I rub my eyes, trying to force them still.

  They do not stop.

  My spirits lift the moment I step outside. The ceremony grounds look like something pulled from a fairytale. White flower garlands drape between the trees, beaded lights glow against the early morning shadows, and thin strands of gold ribbon flutter softly in the breeze. Every breathtaking detail has been crafted for me.

  I walk along the village path, greeting pack members already awake and beginning their day. They offer warm smiles, soft congratulations, nods of respect. For a moment, my nerves loosen beneath their kindness.

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  Two male wolves round the corner and greet me with polite smiles. But when the wind shifts and my scent reaches them, their expressions darken. A subtle but harsh snarl rips from one throat, followed quickly by the other.

  I freeze.

  Did I do something wrong?

  Their gazes track me for a beat too long, sharp and unsettled, before I force myself to continue walking, my heart pounding.

  I am still shaken when I nearly collide with a small girl. She is delicate, with snowy white hair, bright blue eyes, and bare feet dusted with morning dew. She holds a pale moonflower cupped gently in her tiny hands.

  “This is for you, Lirian.” She beams up at me as if offering a treasure.

  I smile and accept it carefully. “Thank you. That is so kind of…”

  The flower wilts instantly.

  The petals sag.

  The stem bends.

  The bloom collapses in my palm.

  I blink.

  That is…not normal.

  Maybe it is the magic of the moon. Or my shifting body. Or something else entirely. I pat her head gently, thank her again, and turn away.

  I walk straight into Kellan’s chest.

  “There you are.” He gives me that warm, dazzling smile that melts half the pack. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We have a full day planned, and you, my love, are the belle of the ball.”

  He looks painfully handsome in the early light, his golden hair catching every glint of sunrise. There is something almost boyish about the way he grins at me.

  “Are you hungry?” he asks as he falls into step beside me. “On the day of my first shift, I was starving. I swear I could have eaten a whole cow.”

  I open my mouth to respond, but he notices my silence first.

  “Hey It’s gonna be okay.” He stops and pulls me gently into his arms. His touch is warm, familiar. He brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear and presses his lips softly to mine.

  The kiss deepens. Slow at first, then hungrier.

  His arms tighten around my waist, tugging me closer until there is barely any space between us.

  I could disappear into him. Let go of everything.

  But his grip grows firmer. His hands roam, squeezing, pulling. His breath turns uneven, and a low, rumbling growl vibrates from his chest as he presses me harder against him.

  “Kellan,” I whisper between breaths. “We only have to wait until tonight. We are making a scene.”

  He does not stop.

  His fingers slide behind my neck, gripping tighter than before. The growl deepens. His hold becomes almost desperate. Too tight.

  “Kellan, stop. I can’t breathe.”

  He keeps kissing me, pressing harder. His lips roam my neck, my shoulders.

  “Kellan, stop!”

  The word snaps him out of it.

  He pulls back abruptly, breathing hard, his eyes unfocused for a moment, like he is waking from a trance. Wild and hungry.

  “I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “Lirian, I am so sorry. I do not know what came over me. I just… wanted you. More than I ever have. It was like I wasn’t in control of my own body.”

  “Yeah,” I say quietly. “Well, you scared me.”

  He winces. “I know. It must be your scent. It spikes around the full moon, but during a first shift they intensify. I have never smelled anything like that before. I didn’t feel like myself. I felt…ferral.”

  His voice lowers.

  “Like the only thing that mattered was having you. Claiming you.” He pauses briefly.

  “And making sure no one else ever could.”

  I force a light smile as we begin walking again. “And who would the great Kellan Vale possibly worry about claiming me?” I tease.

  The laugh barely leaves me before my body stiffens.

  A cold shiver tears up my spine, sharper than before. My fingertips tingle so intensely it nearly steals my breath. The sensation borders on pleasurable, warmth spreading beneath my skin, tangled with something darker.

  The awareness of eyes on me.

  Of being watched.

  Hunted.

  Wanted.

  “Do you feel that?” I whisper, gripping Kellan’s arm.

  He glances around. “Feel what?”

  “That. The air feels strange. Like something’s out there. Someone.” I nod toward the treeline. “Watching.”

  Kellan scoffs, but his confidence sounds forced. “There is no one. No rogue would dare step foot on Vale ground.”

  We continue toward the grand house, though my skin keeps prickling as if something still trails behind us.

  Alpha Kennan and Luna Marienne wait at the entrance, regal and composed. But the closer I get, the more the Alpha’s eyes sharpen on me. His nostrils flare. His throat works as he swallows.

  For a fraction of a second, Alpha Kennan Vale looks disturbed.

  His fingers curl at his sides.

  His jaw tightens.

  Then he looks away.

  Unease coils in my gut.

  “Did you two enjoy your stroll?” Luna Marienne asks.

  “We did,” I answer. “The fresh air feels amazing. My whole body is buzzing.”

  She studies me longer than she should.

  “Have you noticed any changes in your…symptoms?” Alpha Kennan asks, his voice calm despite his dilated pupils.

  “Well… yes. Isn’t that normal?”

  “To an extent,” he murmurs. “But first shifters still have limits.”

  I blurt without thinking, “Maybe I am just on edge because people keep talking about the rogue in the woods. Azrael Black. What if…”

  My parents appear so abruptly it makes me jump.

  “There you are,” my mother says quickly. “We need to get Lirian cleaned up for the ritual steps.”

  Alpha Kennan gives a tight nod, still unsettled.

  As my parents guide me toward the stairs, I glance back. Luna Marienne leans into Kellan, her voice low and urgent, but I hear her.

  “Do not take your eyes off her.”

  The warning chills me.

  As we climb, pressure coils in my chest. Luna Marienne’s words echo.

  Do not take your eyes off her.

  Then something tugs at the back of my mind. Soft at first. A whisper brushing against my thoughts.

  My steps falter.

  The world tilts.

  Dizziness crashes over me, sudden and violent. Heat surges beneath my skin. It is too early for this. My shift is meant to begin at moonrise.

  My breath hitches.

  “Lirian?” my mother’s voice sounds distant. “Are you alright?”

  I cannot answer.

  My senses sharpen, narrowing on the treeline.

  A pull.

  A scent.

  A presence.

  The air vibrates.

  Then I hear it.

  Not with my ears, but inside me.

  Deep.

  Dark.

  Claiming.

  “You’re mine.”

  The voice strikes like lightning. My spine arches. A jolt rips through every bone. My wolf slams against my ribs, frantic and wild, desperate to surface.

  A cry tears from my throat.

  Not yet. It is too soon.

  My vision fractures into gold and red.

  The ground trembles.

  My nails sharpen.

  My skin burns.

  I am slipping. Breaking. Changing.

  “Lirian, stay with me!” my father shouts, gripping my shoulders.

  But I cannot hear him anymore.

  All I hear is that voice.

  Calling me.

  Pulling me.

  Claiming me.

  “Mine.”

  My knees give out, and darkness creeps in.

  The last thing I see is the treeline and the faint outline of something massive moving between the shadows.

  And it is coming for me.