The Dark Moon Pack was quiet that morning—too quiet.
Even the wolves that usually prowled the courtyard kept their distance, as though something unseen had already crossed the boundary line. The air carried a strange pressure, subtle but suffocating, the kind that made wolves restless and humans uneasy without knowing why.
Emma felt it in her bones.
Emma stood behind the tall window panes of her small chamber, watching the stone driveway below. The mountains loomed in the distance, wrapped in mist, and the ancient pines whispered under the morning wind. Her eyes were swollen and red. She had cried herself to sleep the night before, and the tears had not truly stopped since.
She rubbed her palms over her eyes again, though the sting only worsened.
Her wolf lay curled deep inside her chest, silent but aching, as if mourning something it had not yet lost. Emma did not understand it. She never did when that hollow ache appeared. She only knew it came whenever fate tightened its grip.
"Your eyes are already puffy, and you're making it worse," Brooklyn said gently, pulling Emma's hands down. "Emma, you are not alone. I'm here with you."
Brooklyn was Emma's childhood friend, another adopted wolf in the pack—but unlike Emma, Brooklyn had been cherished, protected, and loved as family.
Brooklyn smelled of warmth and safety—things Emma had learned to recognize but never claim. Even now, comfort clung naturally to her friend, while Emma felt like an unwanted shadow in her own pack.
"I'll go with you to his territory," Brooklyn continued firmly. "And I'll visit whenever I can. Remember, a temporary bond without a moon-witnessed mating ritual isn't recognized as a true mate bond. Until the legal and pack rites are completed, you can leave. He has no claim over you."
Emma swallowed hard.
"You just need to get away from this pack," Brooklyn added. "They've threatened you long enough."
Emma knew Brooklyn was right. The Dark Moon Pack had never been subtle about their resentment. A wolf without lineage, without visible strength, without backing—Emma had always been expendable.
Emma wiped her cheeks when the sound of an unfamiliar engine reached them. She leaned forward and froze.
A battered, two-door old wagon rolled into the Dark Moon Pack's courtyard.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"At least his car still moves," Brooklyn burst out laughing before she could stop herself.
Emma turned slowly to look at her, her eyes glassy and swollen. Brooklyn immediately slapped her palm over her mouth.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean—"
Emma turned back to the window.
Her wolf stirred uneasily. Not in fear. Not in anger.
In recognition.
Her heart pounded violently as she stared at the rattling vehicle. She waited, breath shallow, nerves stretched thin. Seconds passed. Then a full minute.
Why wasn't he coming out?
Suddenly, the driver's door jerked and stuck.
Brooklyn snorted before she could help herself.
The man inside wrestled with the door like it had personally offended him. He wound the window down with effort, stuck his head and one arm out, and fumbled blindly for the handle from the outside.
His hair was stark white—so were his brows. His skin looked pale, almost translucent, and his eyes were an unnerving light shade that reflected the morning sun.
"Is he… an albino wolf?" Brooklyn whispered, resting her hand on Emma's shoulder.
Emma couldn't answer. Her throat felt sealed.
Something about the man unsettled her. Not because he was strange—but because her mindlink could not read him at all. It was like staring into fog.
One of the Dark Moon guards—assigned to Alpha Daniel by Lunara herself—walked over and helped the man out of the car.
The man stumbled slightly, straightened, then flashed a wide grin at the guard and waved cheerfully.
Emma's knees buckled.
The man was old. Obese. His stomach sagged over his belt, his movements slow and awkward, his presence heavy. The realization crashed into her chest like a physical blow.
This was it.
This was what she was worth.
Every whispered insult, every ignored greeting, every silent dismissal suddenly made sense. This was the price of being unwanted.
Emma sank to the floor, her legs giving way as sobs tore out of her chest. Her wolf curled inward in humiliation and despair. All she could picture was herself dragged away from the pack, abandoned in a stranger's territory, her life reduced to survival.
Brooklyn knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around her. "Emma… please. Look at me. You're strong. You'll get through this."
But Emma could barely hear her.
Suddenly, she surged to her feet.
"No," Emma said hoarsely.
"I'm going rogue!"
The word tasted like blood and freedom all at once.
She grabbed the worn travel bag from the edge of her bed and stormed toward the door, fury burning through her tears.
Brooklyn rushed after her, reaching out. "Emma, wait, please."
"No, Brooklyn!"
Alpha Daniel's voice thundered through the hall.
"Emma!"
Emma halted at the edge of the grand foyer and slowly turned her head. The Alpha fixed his aging, sharp eyes on her, his expression unreadable.
"Meet your suitor's brother," he ordered. "And show him you were raised properly. Do you understand?"
The command slammed down on her like a chain.
Emma handed her worn travel bag to Brooklyn.
"Please wait outside," she whispered. "I'll join you later."
Then she walked toward the lounge, each step heavy and measured.
"Sit!" Alpha Daniel barked, as though she were deaf.
Emma obeyed, lowering herself onto one of the sofas. Her gaze lifted reluctantly to the old he-wolf seated opposite her. He looked to be in his sixties, his presence oddly calm in contrast to the tension choking the room.
"Mr. Richard," Alpha Daniel said curtly, "continue."
The old wolf cleared his throat. "I am here on behalf of my brother. He is unwell and unable to travel. I am to take Emma to him. If she approves of him, they may proceed with either a pack-recognized union or a civil bond."
"Approval?" Alpha Daniel scoffed. "She has no choice. Tell your brother to do whatever he wishes. Emma is his mate now. I wish him swift recovery. And do not invite us to the ceremony. We will not attend according to the pack's rules."
With that, Alpha Daniel stood and turned away.
The dismissal was final. Emma was no longer a wolf—she was currency.
Mr. Richard turned back to Emma, smiling kindly. "You have a choice, little wolf. And you owe no one anymore."
He extended his hand. "Shall we?"
"No," Emma shook her head.
"Emma, listen to me. All the wolves in this region don't know who you are. But my brother does. He knows you very well."
Emma's heart skipped and she frowned.
A strange warmth flickered beneath her ribs, sharp and fleeting, as though something inside her had reacted to his words.
"For your safety," he added, "you are meant to live within a pack. Not alone. Not as a rogue."
"Who am I?" Emma asked.
Richard met her gaze. "If you want that answer, you must come with me now that you have the opportunity."
The words struck something deep inside her.
She had always felt a restless pull, a buried strength, something waiting beneath her skin. She had never spoken of it, never dared to name it. But now, standing before this strange he-wolf, it surged.
The pull was not fear.
It was recognition.
Elara's words echoed in her mind. Make sure you go with whoever they choose for you.
Emma rose slowly. They moved toward the entrance.
"Brooklyn," Emma whispered as they passed, "please take my bag. I'll come for it later."
Brooklyn frowned. "Are you really going with him?"
"He says his brother knows who I am," Emma whispered into her friend's ear. "And that I shouldn't be a rogue."
They both glanced at Richard struggling with the old wagon's door.
"If they're lying…" Brooklyn whispered.
"If they are," Emma replied quietly, "then I'll go rogue."
Luna Theresa's voice sliced through the moment.
"Emma, are you aware Lunara's royal mating ceremony is scheduled for December?"
Emma turned. "No."
"You weren't told because you are not needed," Theresa said coolly. "Lunara made it clear you are not her sister. Focus on your own mating."
"Then why tell me?"
"You need to know you are not invited," Theresa replied.
"Those words sealed Emma's place in the pack. Nowhere."
"Thank the Moon!" Richard suddenly exclaimed as the car door finally opened. He gestured toward the passenger seat.
Brooklyn waved, tears streaking her face. Emma waved back and climbed into the car.
The wagon rolled away from Dark Moon Pack, swallowed by the dense mountain forests.
"How did he know me?" Emma asked.
"I don't know," Richard responded with a chuckle.
"How old is he?" Emma asked after a long silence.
Richard smiled faintly. "Old enough to protect what matters."
"Is he like you?"
"No."
Emma leaned back against the seat, staring at the endless trees.
The farther they drove, the heavier the air became, as though the forest itself was closing ranks around her. Somewhere deep within, her wolf stirred—not in fear, but anticipation.
Whatever she was…
Whatever had been hidden from her…
She was finally going to find out.