Cold night air hit Ava's face the moment she stepped outside the pack house.
She walked blindly into the forest, unable to stop the tears that blurred her vision.
Rejection was more than emotional pain for a wolf.
It was a permanent wound.
The bond that should have lasted a lifetime had been shattered in front of the entire pack.
Ava pressed her hand against her chest.
The ache there refused to fade.
"Why?" she whispered to the empty forest.
She had never asked for power or status.
All she had wanted was a place where she belonged.
Branches snapped beneath her feet as she wandered deeper into the woods.
The Shadowfang territory stretched for miles, but Ava had no intention of returning.
She had no pack now.
No home.
Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her chest.
She collapsed to her knees as energy surged through her veins.
The moon above blazed brighter.
Silver light spilled across the forest floor.
A voice echoed faintly in her mind.
Child of the moon… awaken.
Ava's eyes snapped open.
For a brief moment, they glowed silver.