Chapter 1I ran into my parents at a mating ceremony shoot - ten years since I'd last heard their howls.
They were laughing with some other wolves when their eyes landed on me.
Their smiles died.
After the bonding, they stormed into the backstage dressing den. No greeting. No "how've you been."
Just -
"Ten years. Not one damn howl. We thought you were dead, you ungrateful pup!"
Mom's eyes were bloodshot, her wolf flashing gold. She stared at me like I owed her my next breath.
I didn't look up. Just kept wiping down my lens.
Then she lunged. Her hand clamped around my wrist. Her nails lengthened - half-shift sharp - digging in.
"Alora!" Her voice cracked, raw and desperate. "We're still your mother and father! Your Alpha and Luna! We raised you in this pack for eighteen years! How can you be this cold?!"
I frowned and finally met her eyes.
I didn't get why she was so worked up.
They were the ones who told me to leave. To never show my face again.
I did exactly what they asked.
So what the hell were they upset about now?
Besides - didn't they always call me their adopted pup?
...
Dad stood behind her. Alpha Lucas Cavendish. His wolf paced just under his skin, eyes flickering gold. His gaze jumped between my face and the camera, hunting for an opening.
Finally, he cleared his throat.
"Alora... that camera rig must've cost a fortune, huh?"
"A lone she-wolf doing this kind of work... it's gotta be rough, right?"
His voice was careful. Probing.
I didn't answer. Just screwed the lens cap back on.
When I still didn't respond, Mom's grip tightened. Her voice climbed.
"Alora! Are you even listening?!"
"Ten years! Ten years gone! Is your heart made of stone?!"
"We raised you for eighteen years, and you can't show a shred of gratitude?"
I stared at her twisted, desperate face. My wrist throbbed where her nails dug in.
Ten years later, and they still loved throwing accusations at me.
I finally looked up. Flat. Steady.
"Luna Cavendish, please let go. I have work to do."
"Luna Cavendish?"
She flinched like I'd slapped her. Her hand flew off my wrist. She stumbled back, face draining of color.
"You called me Luna Cavendish?! I'm your mother!"
"Enough!"
Dad stepped forward, catching her trembling shoulders. His eyes found mine, heavy with exhaustion and reproach.
"Alora, how can you talk to your mother like that?"
"We know back then... maybe there were misunderstandings. But your mother - she's thought about you every single day for ten years. She - "
"There's no misunderstanding."
I cut him off quietly, crouching to pack my camera into its case.
"I just followed your orders. You told me to get out. To never show my face again."
"I did what you asked."
I met their gazes. Didn't flinch.
"Ten years of staying out of your way, just like you wished. And now... what exactly are you trying to do?"
Both of them froze. Faces shifting pale, then flushed.
Mom's lips trembled. She wanted to say something, but Dad pressed down on her shoulder.
He took a deep breath, forcing his expression softer.
"Alora... what happened back then - that was our fault. We... we're still family. Still your pack."
"Your sister's mating ceremony is next month. You should... come see her. Even if it's just as the photographer?"
That last part came out strained. Almost pleading.
I stared at them. It all felt so goddamn ridiculous.
"Sorry. My schedule's full."
"And I won't crash her ceremony. Tell her congrats."
I turned and pushed open the door.
Behind me, Mom's voice cracked into a sob - then a raw, broken howl. Dad murmured something useless, trying to comfort her.
I walked straight to the elevator without looking back.
It wasn't until the doors slid shut that I finally let out a breath.
I leaned against the cold metal wall. The back of my head throbbed faintly.
A leftover symptom from the moon fever I'd had all those years ago. It always flared up when it rained.
Back at my temporary den, I finally felt my pulse slow down.
My phone buzzed. Rachel, my business partner.
"Alora, the final payment for today's mating ceremony just came through."
"Oh, and those older wolves who cornered you earlier... you okay? They looked pretty shaken."
"I'm fine." I kept my voice steady. "Just my adoptive parents."
Rachel went quiet for a second. Then -
"Alora, we just got a mandatory pack contract. From Cavendish Pack Holdings."
"They specifically requested you for an important mating ceremony shoot."
Cavendish Pack Holdings. My father Alpha Lucas Cavendish's company.
My stomach dropped.
Rachel's voice was laced with concern.
"This one... I don't think we can turn it down."
I gripped the phone so tight my knuckles went white.
Ten years. I thought I'd flown far enough. Far enough to escape their shadow.
But in the end, all it took was a flick of their wrist to tear apart everything I'd built.
"Got it." My voice came out hoarse. "Send me the details."
Rachel hesitated. Then -
"Okay."
A few minutes later, she sent over the full mating ceremony schedule.
When I saw the intended mate's name - Declan Winters - the tears I'd been holding back for so long finally fell.
Chapter 2
Declan Winters was my first love. The only warm thing in my darkest years as a young wolf.
Rachel's next message lit up my phone:
[Alora, you okay? Want me to come over?]
I breathed in deep, wiped my face, and typed back:
[I'm fine. Just pull the client's requirements. We'll meet in the morning.]
[Got it.] She replied fast. [Alora, whatever you decide, I've got your back.]
I put the phone down and walked to the window. Night wind cut across my face, sharp as claws. It cleared my head a little.
Declan used to be the wolf I leaned on most.
He lived in the den next door. When I was small, every time Mom and Dad snapped at me, every time Dorothy left me out of the pup games and I ended up whining alone by the fence -
He'd hop the low stone wall between our dens and pull candy from his pocket like magic.
"Alora, don't cry. Here. Have some candy."
"Alora, when we grow up, I'll get you out of here. We'll see the whole world."
"Alora, let's both get into Moonveil University. We'll be together forever."
He was the only wolf in that den who said my name like it mattered.
When the whole pack made me feel like a stray, he'd look me dead in the eye and say, "Alora, you're good. Really. You're good."
Now he's Dorothy's intended mate.
The memories hit me like a rogue wave.
Before my seventh moon, I was the happiest pup in the pack.
When I was five, I got into a scrap at pup school over the swing line. Bit some boy's arm so hard my teeth left a ring in his skin.
After class, I panicked and hid under the slide in the play yard. Dad found me first.
He wasn't even mad. He crouched down and whispered pointers on how to win the next scrap.
That night, when Mom found out, she made us both stand nose-to-corner as punishment.
Dad snuck me a wink when she wasn't looking.
I thought those warm days would last forever.
Then Dorothy came home. I was seven.
One day I was the pack's little treasure. The next, I was just the adopted pup.
Dorothy was three years older. Rogue traders took her when she was three.
Her return hit our den like a boulder in still water. It cracked my whole world open.
Mom and Dad had never told me I was adopted. But they were scared Dorothy would spiral, so they told her first.
So one afternoon, Dorothy planted herself in front of me. Her voice was little-girl sweet and ice-cold.
"Alora, guess what? You're not Mom and Dad's real pup."
"They adopted you because I was gone and they missed me too much. You were just my stand-in."
"So they're my mom and dad. Not yours."
It felt like lightning down my spine. My wolf whimpered and tucked her tail. I froze. Then I ran to Mom and Dad, begging them to say she was lying.
I wanted them to hold me. To growl at her. To say:
"Alora, don't listen to your sister. You're our favorite little pup."
But Mom wouldn't meet my eyes.
Dad went quiet. For a long, awful minute. Then he spoke, voice rough:
"Alora... it's true. We took you in because we missed your sister so much... but we love you too."
Love? That word tasted like poison.
From that day on, my world went dark.
The loud, messy, happy little pup named Alora disappeared.
I got quiet. Careful. Small.
I didn't dare laugh too loud. Didn't dare ask for seconds. At dinner, I only reached for whatever was closest.
I trained like my life depended on it. Brought home hunt badges, moon-run ribbons, every pack merit I could earn. Because I'd heard good pups don't get abandoned.
I learned to please them. To please Dorothy.
I gave her the pretty moonstone hair clips Mom bought me. I handed over the carved bone charms Dad brought back from alpha summits.
But Dorothy's eyes stayed cold. Always judging. Always pushing me out.
No matter what I did, she acted like I'd stolen her birthright.
And Mom and Dad? Every ounce of attention, every warm nuzzle, every scrap of love - it all went to their long-lost biological daughter.
They were scared she'd overthink. Scared she'd feel insecure. Scared she'd think they were neglecting her.
So I - the adopted pup - became a ghost in my own den.
The whole den turned tense and strange.
I never stood nose-to-corner with Dad again. I didn't dare make a single mistake.
I became a skittish pup. Flinching at raised voices. Terrified of being thrown out again.
Then I turned twelve.
And the thing I feared most finally happened.
Chapter 3
That day, I came back to the den from pup school and caught Dorothy digging through my journal.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I lunged for it.
She sidestepped easy. A smug little smirk curled her lips.
"Just seeing what my dear little sister scribbles about all day."
"‘I wish I could go back to when I was a pup... Why don't Mom and Dad love me anymore... I feel so wronged.'"
"Give it back!" My voice shook.
That journal held every raw, secret piece of me. My wolf's first howl. My fears. All of it.
She stood and held it over her head like a trophy.
"Let's show Mom and Dad what their ungrateful adopted pup cries about every night!"
Then she bolted.
"Dorothy!" I chased her. Desperate. My wolf was already clawing under my skin, begging to shift.
But in the chaos, she tripped. And then -
She went down the stairs.
"Ahhh - "
Her scream ripped through the whole den.
Mom and Dad burst out of the study together.
"Dorothy!"
Mom got to her first. Stared at her twisted right leg. Her voice shook.
Dorothy sobbed, hysterical. Her finger jabbed straight at me - still frozen at the top of the stairs.
"She pushed me... she wrote in her journal that she hates me for stealing Mom and Dad's love, so she pushed me down..."
"No! That's not - " I tried. "I didn't - "
"Enough!" Dad yelled. First time ever. Loud. Furious. His wolf flashed in his eyes.
Mom looked at me. Her eyes went cold in a way that made my wolf want to drop and bare her belly.
"What journal?"
"She was snooping through my journal..." I tried to tell the truth.
"So you pushed her?" Mom cut me off. "Alora, how could you be so vicious?"
"I didn't push her!" Tears finally spilled. "She fell on her own!"
"Still lying!"
Mom's hand flew. Cracked me hard across the face.
The sting burned my cheek. But the pain in my chest was worse.
Dad stood behind her. His eyes full of disappointment. His wolf pacing behind them. I could feel it.
"Alora, we always thought you were a good pup."
"Even though you're not our blood, we never treated you poorly. But you..."
"I told you it wasn't me!" I was nearly screaming. "Why won't you ever believe me?"
"Believe you?" Mom scoffed. "Believe a liar?"
The pack healers came.
They carried Dorothy out on a stretcher. She was still sobbing.
"Mom, I'm so scared... does she hate me that much..."
"Don't be scared, baby. Mommy's here."
Mom held her hand tight. Didn't look at me once.
That night, Mom and Dad came back from the healer's den late.
I heard their footsteps stop outside my door.
"Pack your things." Mom pushed the door open. Her voice was terrifyingly calm. "You're moving to the old den tomorrow."
I froze. Then I dropped to my knees.
"No! Please, Mom, Dad, don't make me leave! I'll be good, I promise. I'll listen to everything you say - "
Mom stared down at me. Cold.
"Your sister needs to heal. Seeing you makes her feel unsafe."
"I won't bother her! I swear!" I sobbed. Grabbed onto her leg. "I can sleep in the storage room. I can wait until you're all asleep before I come home. Please don't give up on me..."
Dad let out a heavy sigh.
"Alora, this is for your own good. And for the pack."
"I'm not leaving! This is my den!" I was crying so hard I could barely breathe.
Mom pried my hands off. Forced.
"The housekeeper will come by every day to cook. We'll send money on time."
"I don't want money! I want my mom and dad!" I turned to Dad. Clutched his shirt. "Dad, you used to love me most. You said you'd always protect me..."
Dad turned his face away. His voice cracked. Just a little.
"Be good, Alora. Once your sister's stable..."
"She'll never be stable!" I shouted. Broken. "She's lying! Why won't you believe me?!"
"Alora!" Mom snapped. "If you keep this up, you can leave right now!"
I knelt there. Staring up at their cold, indifferent faces.
And suddenly, I understood what despair really felt like.
No matter how much I begged - my wolf could howl, my tail could tuck, my belly could bare - they didn't want me anymore.
