She quickly settles in next to me, patting my arm. “You’re a good girl. You’ll do well.”
The conversation shifts as food is passed around, but I notice how the others defer to Lyra, seeking her opinions, respecting her wisdom. She must have been formidable in her prime—still is, judging by the sharpness of her mind and the strength evident in her movements despite her age.
Unfortunately, age has also brought with it a directness that doesn’t hold back.
“How are you settling into the bond, child?” Lyra asks. “The first heat often comes within the week for strong matches like yours.”
I blink, caught off guard. “The first… what?”
Lyra tilts her head, expression unreadable. “Heat. It’s nature’s way of reinforcing the bond—especially when the connection is deep and the pairing is powerful. Surely you know. It’s the calling of the wolf from one mate to the other. A female goes into sexual heat and the male must answer her call.”
My cheeks flush instantly, heat climbing my neck. “Oh. I—uh, that’s… unlikely, given I’ve never shifted.”
Lyra lifts one eyebrow, amused. “And why would that matter?”
“I don’t think it works the same for me. Nothing else ever has.”
“Mm.” Lyra leans back. “We’ll see.”
“You should join us for the full moon gathering,” Kaden suggests, changing the subject. He twirls the liquid in his cup with the lazy familiarity of someone used to nursing their drinks. “It’s three nights from now.”
“I’d be allowed?” In the Silvercrest Pack, I’d been prohibited from attending moon ceremonies, my human form considered an affront to sacred rituals.
“The pack runs together,” Zella says, touching my arm with gentle reassurance. “We hunt together. It’s tradition.” Her eyes sparkle with genuine excitement. “It’s magnificent, all of us under the moon. Even the pups attend. You’ll love it.”
“But I can’t?—“
“So you’ll watch,” Kaden shrugs, his easy smile returning. “From what I hear, you’re good at that.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
There’s a groan around the table, and my cheeks flush at his implication.
“Ow!” Kaden jumps, rubbing the back of his head. “Lyra!”
“Your parents should be ashamed of you,” she tells him primly.
“I’ll stay with you,” Zella offers. “I can guide you through the evening. No one should experience their first Shadowmist moon ceremony alone.”
“I’ve never been allowed to attend a run before,” I admit.
Lyra’s expression hardens. “Silvercrest always was a pack of nitwits.” She fixes me with a pointed look. “Everyone belongs at such gatherings, especially the Alpha Female.”
As the meal continues, I find myself relaxing. The conversation flows around me, sometimes including me, sometimes moving to pack matters beyond my knowledge. Iobserve the dynamics carefully, Elias’s quiet authority, Heath’s grudging participation, Kaden’s carefully crafted lightness that seems to mask a sharper intelligence than he first presents.
Zella proves especially attentive, ensuring my plate is never empty and skillfully steering the conversation toward topics that might provide me with an insight into my new pack. There’s something inherently likable about her, a genuine warmth that stands out among the more reserved Shadowmist wolves.
“You should join me on a perimeter walk sometime,” she suggests during a lull in the conversation. “I know all the best viewpoints in our territory. And it would give us a chance to talk more... privately.” She glances around the table with a conspiratorial smile. “Away from all this testosterone.”
Sara remains reserved but engaged, her historian’s mind evident in how she catalogs information and references past events. And Lyra, the elder, commands respect without demanding it, her perspectives carrying the weight of experience and trust.
I’m so absorbed in these observations that I nearly miss the new arrival until a shadow falls across our table. The conversations halt as a tall, imposing male approaches. His dark hair is pulled back from a face that is startlingly good-looking. Unlike the others, whose power feels contained, his radiates outward aggressively, demanding recognition.
Beta, my wolf whispers.Would-be Alpha.
“Levi,” Elias acknowledges, his tone carefully neutral.
I tense at the newcomer’s dominating presence, his energy so different from the others I’ve met.
“So the rumors are true,” the newcomer says, his eyes raking over me with undisguised assessment. “The Alpha has taken a human as mate.”
