While Meret might’ve been able to steer clear of Cassia’s claws for the rest of the school day, she’d almost forgotten the worst part of having a bully, was having one who lived with you.

After her father died, everything went to her uncle. The title. The position. The house.

And since he was often away handling Gamma duties, that meant Meret and Cassia were left alone in what used to be her home.

Today, Meret left school early, hoping to get back before Cassia did. Knowing Cassia, she’d probably want to strut around the mall hunting for an outfit that would kill—for the ceremony, and of course, for Ace’s birthday party.

Meret thought it would be the perfect window: just enough time to grab some snacks and sneak off to her favorite hiding spot—somewhere quiet, out of sight, where she could disappear until Cassia left for the party.

So imagine her surprise when she stepped through the door and found Cassia already lounging on the couch.

“You’re home late. Ace didn’t walk you back? Shame.”

Her syrupy tone couldn’t hide the venom beneath.

Meret didn’t answer. She just dropped her gaze and moved quickly toward the stairs, hoping to escape to her room before—

Thud.

Cassia moved with inhuman speed, slamming Meret against the wall hard enough to knock the air from her lungs.

Meret’s breath hitched as the wall met her spine. Pain bloomed down her side, but she didn’t cry out. That would’ve given Cassia too much satisfaction.

Cassia leaned in close, her breath warm and sour with whatever overpriced coffee she’d picked up on the way back.

“You think you’re clever, sneaking around like a little rat?” she hissed, her nails digging into Meret’s shoulder. “You think I don’t see the way you look at him?”

Meret stayed still, eyes fixed on a spot over Cassia’s shoulder—anywhere but her face. Responding would only make it worse.

Cassia’s hand shot out again, this time slamming her claws into Meret’s ribs—low, just above her hip. Not enough to leave a bruise that showed. But enough to make Meret’s knees buckle slightly.

“You think you stand a chance just because Ace takes pity on you?”

Another blow came—sharp, precise, right at the side of her thigh.

“Stay away from him, Meret,” Cassia hissed through gritted teeth. “Don’t even breathe near him. And don’t you dare show your face at the ceremony—especially not at his birthday.”

Her lips curled into a mocking smile. “Unless you’re ready to meet Daddy dearest a little early.”

Cassia’s phone rang, breaking the tension for just a moment. With an irritated scoff, she shoved Meret aside. Meret staggered but didn’t fall. She straightened slowly, wincing, still refusing to meet those venom-laced eyes.

Cassia rolled her own. “Pathetic,” she muttered, already brushing past her as she answered the call.

“Of course I’m going to be looking my best! I’m not letting Lisa steal my shine again. Tonight is going to be about me—”

The door slammed behind her, cutting the rest of her voice off mid-sentence. A heartbeat later, silence fell like a heavy curtain.

Meret waited. Just a few breaths. Just long enough to be sure she was really gone.

Then she exhaled, shaky and slow, one hand gripping the stair rail to keep herself upright.

“That went better than expected,” she thought wryly as she made her way to her room. Well… the guest room since Cassia took hers.

Meret opened her drawer and pulled out a stash of snacks she’d hidden in the false bottom. She began munching quietly, even as her stomach growled in protest—clearly unimpressed with her choice of food. But she paid it no mind. It was all she could get her hands on, and until Cassia left the house, the kitchen was off-limits.

When she’d eaten enough to quiet the worst of her hunger, Meret slid into bed without bothering to shower. The exhaustion was too heavy. Within minutes, she was asleep.

**

Meret woke drenched in sweat, her sheets clinging to her skin.

She had no idea how long she’d been out. A glance at the clock told her it was just past midnight.

The ceremony had started.

Which meant Cassia was gone.

She sat up quickly, ignoring the ache in her limbs, and slipped into the bathroom to freshen up. As she wiped her face, her eyes caught on the bruises along her side—faint, but still there. Still tender.

Healing slower than they should.

But that wasn’t surprising. Everyone else had their wolf to speed the process. She didn’t.

With a sigh, Meret grabbed a napkin and cleaned up as best she could. A shower would take too long—and hurt too much. Once dressed in a plain, comfortable outfit, she made her way to the kitchen.

The house was still. Cassia was definitely gone.

She grabbed a few snacks and tucked them into her bag, planning to hide them for later. Then, for the first time in days, she turned on the stove and cooked something real. Warm. Filling. Something that reminded her she was still here.

As the scent of food filled the air, a thought surfaced—quiet, persistent:

What if finding my mate is the key to unlocking my wolf?

Her wolf’s absence had always been a mystery. Her father had one. And her mother… well, she’d never known her. Her father only ever said she died giving birth. He never spoke more of it, and Meret never asked—at least, not before it was too late.

Her wolf hadn’t come when she turned of age. And by then, her father was gone too.

Taking his answers with him.

Still, she believed—deep down—that her mother had a wolf. So why didn’t she?

“You’ll feel her stir when the time is right,” her father used to whisper when she curled up beside him on cold nights, too old for stories but too young to stop needing comfort. She’d clung to those words for years, repeating them like a quiet promise.

But the time never came.

And now…

What if the time is now?

The question hit like a lightning strike.

What if my mate is the trigger? What if he’s what brings her out?

It sounded foolish. Desperate.

But not impossible.

She stood still for a moment, letting the idea take root.

If there was even the smallest chance…

She had to try.

Her thoughts twisted suddenly—sharpened by memory.

Cassia’s voice rang in her head, cruel and clear:

“Don’t you dare show your face at the ceremony—especially not at his birthday. Unless you’re ready to meet Daddy dearest a little early.”

It wasn’t the first threat. But this one had felt… final.

Meret had no doubt she meant it.

She finished her food in silence, letting the hush of the kitchen wrap around her like a blanket. For the first time all day, there were no footsteps, no snarled insults, no tension coiling down her spine.

She looked down at her hands. The faint scars across her knuckles caught the kitchen light—reminders of past moments she’d tried to forget.

The only reason Cassia ever had this much power over me… is because of her wolf.

Not just the strength or speed.

It was the presence. The certainty. The belonging.

And Meret?

Meret had nothing.

No wolf. No voice.

No one to stand with.

But maybe… that could change.

Her stomach knotted—not from fear, but from something sharper.

Hope.

If finding her mate was the missing piece, then hiding here while the entire pack gathered at the ceremony felt like surrender.

She didn’t need to be bold. She didn’t need to be seen. She just needed to look.

She wouldn’t go near the party. Knowing fully well that Cassia would be there and all around Ace.

But the ceremony grounds? People would be moving, distracted. If she stayed in the shadows, on the edges, maybe…

Maybe she’d feel something.

A tug. A spark. A shift.

She stood slowly and rinsed her plate with practiced silence. The house remained still.

She was certain that by now they should have left for Ace’s party. That meant she had time to look around.

She made a silent promise to herself that if she didn't find anything or anyone within five or ten minutes of being there she would return back immediately.

At least she’d know she tried.

And if Cassia somehow found out she went… Well, eventually, every wolf met their end.

If risking hers meant finally finding herself and her wolf, then so be it.

With that thought, Meret hurried to her room and reached for the one outfit she’d never worn—the one her father gave her for her birthday the year he died.

“Well,” she whispered, holding it up against the moonlight, “guess it’s now or never.”

***

Meret arrived at the party half expecting the place to be nearly empty—it was past 3 a.m., after all. But to her surprise, it looked like things were only just getting started.

She shrank further into the hoodie she’d brought, pulling it low over her face as she scanned the sea of bodies. Music thumped through the ground like a second heartbeat, and laughter—drunken, wild—spilled from every corner of the clearing.

This didn’t look like a sacred ceremony meant to unite fated souls. It looked like a rave in the woods.

The annual mating ceremony was always held at midnight, marking the end of the year and the beginning of the next. Everyone who had turned eighteen that year—or who hadn’t been lucky the year before—was allowed to attend. It was meant to be a quiet, spiritual thing. A rare moment of connection.

Apparently, someone forgot to tell this crowd.

Someone brushed past her shoulder, jolting her from her thoughts.

Meret turned automatically, ready to mumble an apology until she saw who it was.

Lisa Blackwood.

Daughter of the headmaster of Lunaris Academy.

Lisa turned just slightly, casting a cool glance over her shoulder. “Watch it,” she said simply, then disappeared into the crowd.

Meret tensed but didn’t say anything. Lisa wasn’t exactly a threat. She wasn’t friends with Cassia either, they were more like frenemies.

But Lisa being here meant other students from Lunaris Academy could still be lingering nearby.

And that made Meret nervous.

She began to wonder if this had been a mistake. If she should just turn around and leave before anyone else noticed her.

Then it hit her.

A scent.

Strong. Clean. Sharp and intoxicating in a way she didn’t have words for.

“Oh god,” she breathed, eyes widening.

She hadn’t expected it to happen—not tonight. Not ever, really. She had half-joked to herself that it wouldn’t. That she’d sneak in, confirm nothing had changed, and go back home.

But this… this scent was undeniable.

Her feet moved before her brain could catch up, drawn forward like a tide pulled by gravity itself. Her heart pounded, fast and wild, until it felt like it might leap out of her throat.

She followed the scent—rich, electric, undeniably hers—through the crowd like a bloodhound chasing an invisible thread.

Until she stopped.

Until she was standing just a few feet behind him.

He had his back to her, but she recognized the tousled blonde hair. Ace.

And she wasn’t oblivious to the girl by his side—Cassia.

The sight of her sent a cold shiver crawling up Meret’s spine. Every part of her screamed to turn around, to disappear. But the pull… the bond… it was stronger than fear.

It anchored her to the spot.

Ace stiffened.

His voice halted mid-sentence. His body went still—like a string had snapped inside him.

He turned slowly, deliberately, like he already knew what he would see.

Their eyes met.

His lips parted.

One word, soft as breath, hit her like a roar in her chest.

“Mate.”