The midday sun cast dappled patterns on the grassy clearing where the pack had gathered for lunch, the mingling voices of wolves blending with the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. Tables were spread out under the shade of large oak trees, laden with platters of roasted meats, fresh bread, and vibrant fruits.
I tried to blend into the background, hovering near the edge of the gathering with a plate of food I had no intention of eating. My stomach was too twisted in knots to even consider it. I felt like an accessory rather than the reason for the celebration. Today was supposed to be about me—my 18th birthday, my chance to finally awaken my wolf—but I felt invisible, just as I always had.
The memory of my earlier encounter with Jason replayed in my mind, looping like a song I couldn’t turn off. That piercing glance he gave me… it couldn’t have been nothing, could it?
Earlier that morning, I had seen him on the training field, his every move sharp and deliberate as he sparred with another wolf. Jason was all raw power and precision, his dark hair falling across his forehead as sweat glistened on his skin. For one fleeting moment, his piercing blue eyes had found mine, and I could have sworn the world shifted.
He had even smiled—just a flicker, but enough to set my heart racing like a trapped bird. Jason was always so serious, so focused, his presence untouchable, like he existed on a higher plane than the rest of us. But in that single moment, he had made me feel like I wasn’t invisible. Like I mattered.
“You’ve got it bad,” Mia teased, snapping me out of my thoughts as she handed me a plate of food. Her curly red hair gleamed in the sunlight, her cheerful energy almost enough to make me smile. Almost.
I groaned, ducking my head to hide the warmth creeping up my neck. “It’s not like that,” I muttered, though the protest sounded weak even to my own ears.
Mia raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a knowing grin. “You turned into a tomato the second he looked at you. If he’s your mate, you’ll need to get that under control, or you’ll be the laughingstock of the pack.”
“Easy for you to say,” I shot back, trying to sound annoyed but failing. “You don’t freeze up every time your crush walks by.”
She laughed, tossing her curls over her shoulder with dramatic flair. “True. But that’s because I’m irresistible, unlike some people who shall remain nameless.”
Despite myself, I snorted, the tension in my chest easing slightly.
My eyes moved on their own, seeking him out like a moth drawn to a flame. And when I found him, it felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
Jason stood near the center of the gathering, surrounded by a group of pack members who hung on his every word. His confidence was effortless, the kind of magnetic presence that commanded attention without trying.
And then, his gaze shifted. For one fleeting moment, his eyes locked onto mine, and the world seemed to pause. My breath caught, my pulse thundering in my ears as his expression flickered with something unreadable. Hope bloomed in my chest, fragile but insistent. What if he really is my mate?
But before I could even process the thought, Jessica appeared. She slid up beside Jason, her perfectly manicured hand brushing his arm as she laughed at something he said. Her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her smile was bright and fake, like a polished weapon.
I forced myself to look away, the flicker of hope dimming as reality sank in. Jessica was relentless, a predator who always seemed to know exactly where to strike. And today, her target was me.
It wasn’t long before she cornered me, flanked by her usual entourage of perfectly groomed wolves.
“Don’t get your hopes up, wolfless wonder,” Jessica said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Even if Jason is your mate, he’d reject you faster than you can say ‘birthday cake.’”