"Secure the perimeter! They found us!"
My father's shout shattered the banquet hall's tension. The sudden panic, the overwhelming heat radiating from Riven, the feeling of utter helplessness—it all yanked me backward.
Back to the day my hatred for Riven Thorne cemented itself into my bones.
Back to the Awakening Ceremony.
I was thirteen years old.
"Are you nervous?" my mother asked, adjusting the silver collar of my ceremonial tunic.
"No," I lied.
"Good. A Voss does not show fear," my father stated. He stood tall, his broad shoulders blocking the wind. "Today, you show the Thorne family that our bloodline is just as powerful as theirs. We are high-ranking Alphas. You will shift into something magnificent."
"I know, Dad."
"Step up to the altar, Riven." Elder Thorne’s voice carried over the hushed courtyard.
Young Riven rolled his shoulders. He walked past me, intentionally knocking his elbow against mine.
"Pay attention, Voss," he whispered. "This is how a real leader does it."
"Just trip on the stairs and spare us the speech," I shot back.
He smirked, stepping into the center of the moonlit stone circle.
The entire academy watched. Hundreds of students, parents, and clan elders held their breath.
Riven closed his eyes.
The transformation hit him instantly. The harsh crack of bones realigning snapped through the quiet night. Black fur erupted along his spine. His limbs lengthened, muscles bulging as his human form gave way to the beast.
In mere seconds, a massive, midnight-black wolf stood on the altar.
Gasps ripped through the crowd.
"A pure black coat," my father murmured, his grip tightening on my shoulder. "We have not seen one in a century."
"He is a prodigy," my mother replied, her tone laced with awe.
The black wolf tossed its heavy head back and unleashed a deafening howl. The sound vibrated in my chest.
"The Thorne bloodline remains unmatched!" Elder Thorne yelled over the echoing howl. "Behold your future Alpha!"
The academy students erupted into cheers. They stomped their boots against the bleachers. Riven shifted back to his human form effortlessly. He grabbed a towel from an attendant, wiped his forehead, and stared directly at me.
"Your turn," he challenged loudly.
My father pushed me forward. "Go. Show them what a Voss can do."
"I will," I said.
"You have the blood of two high-ranking Alphas," my mother added, smoothing my collar again. "Everyone expects greatness from you. Do not hold back."
"I am ready."
I marched up the stone steps. The moonlight felt freezing against my bare arms. The cheering died down, replaced by heavy, expectant silence.
"Whenever you are ready, Elowen," Elder Thorne prompted.
I closed my eyes. I dug deep into my chest, searching for the spark. The wild animal that was supposed to be clawing to get out.
Nothing.
I clenched my fists. I strained my muscles. I begged the wolf to emerge.
"Come on," I whispered.
The wind rustled the pine trees. Seconds ticked by.
"Is she doing it?" a boy in the front row asked.
"She is just standing there," a girl replied.
Heat flooded my neck. I opened my eyes.
"Focus, Elowen!" my father barked from the sidelines.
"I am trying!" I yelled back.
"Try harder! You are a Voss!"
I shut my eyes again. I dug my fingernails into my palms until the skin broke. I pushed every ounce of energy I had toward the surface. Just a paw. Just a patch of fur. Anything to prove I belonged.
Still nothing. Just an empty, hollow quiet inside my chest.
I dropped my arms. My breathing grew ragged.
"I... I cannot do it," I stammered.
Whispers broke out instantly.
"Two elite Alphas," a woman muttered loudly. "And she cannot even summon a tail."
"Is she defective?"
"Maybe the bloodline skipped a generation."
I stared at the stone floor. Tears threatened to spill, but I blinked them away furiously. I was supposed to be a warrior. I was supposed to stand beside Riven as an equal. Instead, I stood there, trapped in a weak human shell.
Riven stepped forward. He leaned against a stone pillar, a cruel smile forming on his face.
"What is the holdup, Voss?" he asked.
"Shut up, Riven," I snapped.
"I am just curious," he continued, raising his voice so the entire academy could hear. "Everyone expects a fierce Alpha. But what if she isn't a late bloomer?"
"Silence," my father warned, though he did not step onto the altar to defend me.
Riven ignored him. He looked straight at me, his dark eyes gleaming with mockery. "What if she ends up presenting as an Omega?"
The word hung in the air.
Omega.
The caretakers. The submissives. For a family of elite warriors, it was an absolute death sentence to our reputation.
A few students snickered. Then, a full wave of laughter rolled through the courtyard.
"An Omega Voss!" someone shouted.
"She will be washing our armor!"
I looked at my parents. My mother covered her face with her hands. My father stared at me, his expression entirely blank. He turned his back to the altar.
That simple movement gutted me.
"Stop laughing!" I screamed.
No one listened. Riven's joke had caught fire.
I marched off the altar and walked straight up to him.
"Take it back," I demanded.
"Make me," he challenged, looking down at me.
I swung my fist at his jaw.
He caught my wrist mid-air. His grip was iron. He didn't even flinch.
"You are weak, Elowen," he whispered, stepping closer. "You have no wolf. You have no power. You are exactly what I said you are."
I yanked my arm away. The shame burned through my veins, hot and suffocating.
"I will never forgive you for this," I vowed.
"I do not need your forgiveness," he replied. "I am the Alpha."
I turned and ran. I sprinted past the laughing students, fleeing into the dark woods, carrying a deep, festering inferiority that would haunt me for years.
The memory snapped.
The deafening crash of the banquet hall doors brought me violently back to the present.
I was no longer thirteen. But as the chaos erupted around me, the same helpless feeling clawed at my throat.
"Get down!" Riven shouted, grabbing my shoulder.
"Do not touch me!" I yelled, shoving his hand away.
"This is not a game, Elowen! We are under attack!"
"I can see that!"
"Then stop fighting me and move!"
Glass shattered above us. The massive chandelier plunged toward the floor.
"Watch out!" he roared.
He tackled me to the stone floor just as the crystal fixture exploded into a thousand deadly shards.
Dust plumed into the air. Screams echoed from the clan elders. The festive banquet had turned into a slaughterhouse in seconds.
I pushed myself up onto my elbows, coughing. Riven knelt beside me, his eyes scanning the smoke-filled room. The intense, burning heat between us flared
