Elara Moon stared at the cup cake with just one candle on top. She danced with the small flame in her dark bedroom, making shadows on the walls of her run-down cabin on the edge of Blackwood Pack territory.
"Happy birthday to me," she said in a low voice that resounded through the empty room.18 years old.
Today she turned eighteen, but no one seemed to care. It was never done.
Elara closed her eyes and said, "Please let something change." This was her daily wish.
I want to be more than just an omega.
In the Blackwood Pack, being an omega meant being at the bottom. Omegas had the worst jobs, the smallest homes, and were looked down upon the most. They were the weaklings, the nobodies.
She blew out the light, and darkness swallowed her room. Elara sighed, flicking on her lamp. Her tiny cabin was clean but bare—just a bed, a small table, and a bookshelf filled with worn fantasy works.
Books were her getaway from pack life. Her phone buzzed. Probably her boss at the pack diner telling her not to be late for her shift tomorrow. Elara dismissed it and dragged herself to the bathroom mirror.
A girl with tired green eyes stared back. Her dark brown hair fell in messy waves past her shoulders. She wasn't ugly—just regular. Nothing special. Nothing that would ever catch anyone's attention in a pack that values strength and power above all else.
"Another thrilling year as the pack nobody," she muttered, splashing cold water on her face. Her stomach growled. The cupcake was her only birthday treat, and she hadn't eaten dinner yet.
The small fridge in her kitchen held half a sandwich and some juice. Not much of a birthday feast, but she was used to making do with less.
As she ate, Elara thought about tomorrow.
Another day at Blackwood High, where she'd be unseen to most and a target for others—especially Celeste Rivers. Just thinking about Celeste made Elara's appetite disappear.
The Beta's daughter had everything: beauty, money, power, and the promise of becoming Luna when she finally mated with one of Alpha Marcus Blackwood's sons.
Everyone knew she had her eyes on Kael, the eldest triplet and future Alpha.
The twins.
Everyone in the pack feared and respected them. Kael, Ronan, and Darian Blackwood were powerful, beautiful, and totally out of reach for someone like Elara.
They rarely even looked at omegas. A loud bang on her door made Elara jump.
"Open up, omega!" a familiar voice called. Elara's heart sank.
Celeste.
And she wasn't alone—Elara could hear laughing outside. She considered claiming she wasn't home, but the lights were on.
Celeste would just make tomorrow worse if Elara ignored her. Taking a deep breath, Elara opened the door. Celeste stood on her porch, surrounded by two of her friends.
All three girls wore expensive clothes that made Elara's worn pants and faded t-shirt look even shabbier.
"Happy birthday, loser," Celeste said with a sweet smile that didn't reach her cold blue eyes.
She held out a small box wrapped in shiny paper. "We brought you a present." Elara didn't move.
Last year's "present" had been a dead mouse. "Take it," Celeste pushed the box forward.
"Don't be rude." Carefully, Elara accepted the box. It was surprisingly heavy.
"Open it," urged one of Celeste's friends, barely containing her laughs.
Elara slowly removed the wrapping paper. Inside was a smooth wooden box with strange symbols cut into the lid. Despite herself, Elara was curious.
She lifted the lid—and screamed. A huge spider lunged at her face.
Elara dropped the box and stumbled backwards as the girls erupted in laughing.
"It's fake, you idiot," Celeste snorted, pointing at the plastic spider now lying on Elara's porch.
"You should have seen your face!" "Leave me alone, Celeste," Elara said, her cheeks burning with shame.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Celeste's smile disappeared. She stepped forward, power radiating from her in waves that made Elara's omega wolf want to shrink.
"Listen carefully, omega," Celeste hissed.
"You're nothing. You'll always be nothing. Tomorrow at school, you're going to stay away from the east hallway during lunch."
"Why?" Elara asked, quickly regretting opening her mouth.
"Because I'm meeting with the Alpha's sons to discuss the upcoming Moon Festival, and I don't want your stink ruining it." Celeste flipped her beautiful blonde hair.
"The Luna-to-be needs to make a good impression."
"You're not Luna yet," Elara mumbled. Celeste's hand shot out, grabbing Elara's throat. Her blue eyes flashed wolf-gold as she squeezed just enough to make breathing difficult.
"What did you say?" she growled.
"Nothing," Elara gasped. "I didn't say anything."
Celeste held on for another few seconds before releasing her. "That's what I thought. Happy birthday, omega. Enjoy another year of being useless."
The girls laughed as they walked away, leaving Elara trembling in her doorway. She slammed the door shut and slid down to the floor, hot tears stinging her eyes.
She refused to let them fall. Crying never solved anything in the wolf world.
"I hate this," she whispered, her throat sore from Celeste's grip. "I hate being an omega."
Being an omega meant having the weakest wolf, the least connection to pack magic, and no chance at a good future. Omegas mated other omegas or stayed alone.
They did the worst jobs in the pack and lived in the poorest conditions. And they definitely, totally never became Luna.
Elara dragged herself to bed, not stopping to change clothes. As she lay staring at the ceiling, she felt a strange tingling feeling in her chest—like something pulling at her from the inside.
She rubbed the spot, frowning. Maybe she was getting sick. That's all she needed—to miss work and get fired from the only job ready to hire an omega.
The feeling grew stronger as the night darkened. Elara tossed and turned, unable to sleep despite her tiredness. The pull was becoming uncomfortable, almost painful.
At midnight, she sat up with a gasp as sharp heat flashed through her body. For a second, her vision blurred, and she could have sworn her plain bedroom was bathed in silver light. Then it was gone, leaving her panting and confused.
"What was that?" she whispered to the empty room. An owl hooted outside her window, making her jump.
Elara got up and moved to look outside. The bush behind her cabin was bathed in moonlight. The full moon hung low and huge in the sky, casting everything in silver.
As Elara watched, a figure emerged from between the trees. Her heart jumped to her throat. It was a man—tall and strong, moving with the grace of a predator. Even from this distance, she could tell he wasn't just any wolf.
He stopped at the edge of the forest, as if sensing her eyes. Slowly, he turned and looked directly at her window. Elara froze. She couldn't see his face clearly, but she felt his stare like a physical touch.
The pulling feeling in her chest exploded into a storm of heat and electricity. Her legs buckled, and she grabbed the windowsill to stay upright.
What was happening to her? The figure raised his hand, almost like a greeting—or a call. Before she could think, Elara found herself moving toward her door. Something was calling her into the forest. Something—or someone—was waiting for her there.
Her hand reached for the key. This is crazy, her mind screamed. You don't go into the forest at night. Especially not when strange wolves are waiting there. But the pull was too strong to refuse. Her body moved without her permission, opening the door, stepping onto the porch.
The cool night air hit her face, bringing a scent that made her gasp—pine, smoke, and something wild that called to her omega wolf like nothing ever had before.
The figure at the forest edge called again. Elara took one step forward, then another. The logical part of her brain was screaming warnings, but her wolf was pushing her forward, desperate to answer the call.
As she reached the end of her small yard, the moon seemed to grow brighter. The stranger's face became clear for just a moment. Elara's heart stopped.
It was Kael Blackwood—the Alpha's oldest son, the future pack leader. And he was looking right at her with eyes that glowed not gold like a normal wolf's, but bright, impossible silver.
Just like her eyes felt right now. What is happening to me? Elara thought as her feet carried her toward the future Alpha of the Blackwood Pack and a fate she couldn't begin to imagine.