Elara's POV
I threw up for the third time this morning.
My hands shook as I wiped my mouth with a cloth. Tonight was the moon celebration. The night every young wolf officially became an adult. The night that would change my life forever.
"Elara, you need to eat something," Mrs. Hartwell said from behind me. She was the only person who still cared about me after my family fell apart.
"I can't," I whispered. "My stomach feels like it's full of angry butterflies."
She sat down next to me on the small bed. "Child, you're burning up with heat. Are you sure you should go tonight?"
I touched my face. She was right. My skin felt hot and tingly all over. But I couldn't miss the ceremony. Alpha Kaelen had ordered me to be there.
"I have to go," I said.
Mrs. Hartwell looked worried. "Something's happening to you, isn't it? The change is starting early."
I didn't know what she meant, but I felt it too. Something inside me was waking up. Something strong and scary.
A loud knock made us both jump.
"Open up!" a rough voice yelled.
Mrs. Hartwell opened the door. Three of Kaelen's soldiers stood there. They looked mean and scary.
"The Alpha wants to see the girl," the biggest one said. "Now."
My heart stopped. "But the ceremony isn't until tonight."
"Now means now," he growled.
Mrs. Hartwell stepped in front of me. "She's not feeling well. Can't this wait?"
The fighter pushed her aside. Not hard, but enough to show he was serious. "The Alpha doesn't like to wait."
I stood up on shaky legs. "It's okay, Mrs. Hartwell. I'll go."
The fighters walked me through the pack grounds. People stopped what they were doing to stare. Some looked sorry for me. Others looked excited, like they were watching something interesting.
We reached the pack house. The biggest warrior opened the door to Kaelen's room.
"Go in," he said.
I stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind me.
Alpha Kaelen stood with his back to me, looking out the window. He was even bigger than I remembered. His shoulders were wide and strong. Power rolled off him like heat from a fire.
"You're late," he said without turning around.
"I... I didn't know you wanted to see me," I stammered.
He turned around slowly. His golden eyes locked onto mine. "I've been thinking about you all night, Elara Winterbane."
My face went red. The most powerful man in our world had been thinking about me?
"I don't understand," I said.
He walked toward me. Each step made my heart beat faster. "Tell me, little omega. Do you know what happens during a moon ceremony?"
I nodded. "We shift for the first time. We become full adults."
"And for omegas?" He was getting closer.
"We... we find out if we have a special gift."
He stopped right in front of me. So close I could smell his scent. It was like pine trees and rain storms. It made my head feel dizzy.
"Some omegas are ordinary," he said softly. "But some are special. Very special."
I couldn't breathe properly. "What makes them special?"
His eyes flashed gold. "Their smell. It calls to every alpha for miles around. It makes us lose our minds with need."
My knees felt weak. "You think I'm one of those omegas?"
Instead of answering, he leaned down close to my neck. I felt his nose brush against my skin. He took a deep breath.
His whole body went stiff. When he pulled back, his eyes were totally gold.
"Tonight," he said in a sound that was more growl than human, "you belong to me."
Before I could ask what he meant, he was gone. The door slammed shut and I was alone.
I stood there shaking. What had just happened? What did he mean I belonged to him?
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Mrs. Hartwell helped me get ready for the wedding. She brushed my hair and gave me a simple white dress to wear. All the young wolves wore white on ceremony night.
But I could barely focus on anything. My skin felt like it was on fire. Strange tingles ran up and down my arms. My stomach kept flipping over.
"It's starting," Mrs. Hartwell said sadly. "The change is beginning."
As the sun went down, pack members gathered in the clearing. All the young wolves who were turning eighteen stood in a circle. There were twelve of us total.
I tried to stand still, but my body wouldn't obey. The feeling was getting stronger. My skin felt too tight, like it might split open.
The full moon rose above the trees. It was huge and bright, casting silver light over everything.
That's when it happened.
A wave of heat burst through my body. I gasped and stumbled. Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire. But it wasn't painful fire. It was something else. Something that made every alpha in the clearing turn their heads toward me.
My smell hit the air like a bomb going off.
I heard gasps and growls from all around me. The alpha fathers who were watching started moving closer. Their eyes were sparkling in the moonlight.
"Back away!" Alpha Kaelen's voice boomed across the area. "She's mine!"
He pushed through the crowd of people. His eyes were wild and completely gold. He looked like he was barely hanging onto his human form.
But the other alphas weren't listening. They kept moving toward me. I could smell their need and hunger. It was frightening.
"Mine!" Kaelen roared. His voice was so loud it made the trees shake.
The smell pouring off me was getting stronger. I couldn't stop it. It was like my body had a mind of its own. Every alpha in the clearing was beginning to shift. Claws came out. Fangs showed. Eyes glowed.
They were going to fight over me.
"No," I whispered. "This isn't what I wanted."
But nobody was listening to me anymore. The alphas were circling me like hungry dogs. Their wives were screaming and trying to pull them back. The other young dogs were running away in fear.
Alpha Kaelen stepped into the group around me. "I claimed her first," he growled at the other alphas. "Challenge me if you dare."
The biggest boss, Marcus Ironwood, stepped forward. "The girl hasn't picked yet. She's free to pick any of us."
"She's mine!" Kaelen's claws expanded. "I'll kill anyone who touches her."
They were going to fight. Right here, right now. Because of me.
I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't work. The smell was too strong now. It was making me weak and dizzy. I fell to my knees in the grass.
That's when I saw him.
A man stood at the edge of the area. He was big and strong, but different from the other alphas. His eyes weren't gold with hunger. They were dark and sad. He was looking at me like I was the most valuable thing in the world.
And he was walking away.
"Wait!" I called out.
But he was already gone, disappeared into the dark forest.
Alpha Kaelen grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. "You're coming with me," he growled. "Now."
As he dragged me away from the chaos, I kept looking back at the trees. Something inside me was screaming to follow the strange man. Something that felt like my soul was being torn in half.
But Kaelen's grip was too strong. And I was too weak to fight him.
"Please," I whispered. "I don't want this."
Kaelen stopped and looked down at me. For just a second, his eyes looked almost human again.
"I'm sorry, little omega," he said quietly. "But you don't get to choose. Your scent has picked for you."
He lifted me up in his arms and carried me toward the pack house. Behind us, I could hear the other alphas still fighting and growling.
As we walked away, I realized my life as I knew it was over.
But who was the man in the forest? And why did every part of my being want to follow him instead?