For one impossible second, everything else fell away.

The noise, the crowd, even Cassia—it all blurred like fog around the edges of a dream.

All Meret could see were his eyes.

Ace’s.

And the way they widened like something in him had clicked into place.

Her heart soared.

The one person who had always been there for her, who made her feel seen in a world that constantly looked away, was her mate. The one who offered comfort without asking for anything in return. Her best friend. The only person who ever made her feel like she belonged.

For the first time in a long while, Meret let herself believe that maybe things were about to change. That maybe she wasn’t alone after all. That maybe she could finally speak the words she had swallowed for years. Maybe she could finally tell him what Cassia had done, what she had endured in silence, without needing to fear the outcome because now… Ace was hers.

She took a step forward, her eyes locked on his, but before she could do anything else, Cassia’s voice cut through the moment like shattered glass.

“Mate?” Cassia asked, looking between the two of them. Her voice was too calm, too smooth, but there was a strain beneath it that betrayed her. Her eyes flicked from Ace to Meret and back again in disbelief and fear.

Meret didn’t flinch. Not this time. She stood tall and held Ace’s gaze, a quiet joy building in her chest. Maybe now Cassia would finally be forced to back off. Maybe now Ace would finally set the boundaries she never respected.

But then Ace spoke and everything inside Meret went still.

“Even if I did find my mate tonight,” he said, voice quiet but clear, “I could still choose you.”

The smile on Meret’s face faltered. Her lips froze mid-curve as confusion settled in.

She barely had time to process the words before Ace reached for Cassia.

And kissed her.

Right there—like Meret didn’t exist.

Something inside her broke.

She didn’t know if it was the bond. Or her trust. Or something deeper. Something she didn’t have a name for. All she knew was the weight in her chest, heavy and hollow, as she stood frozen in place.

She knew Ace had felt the pull like she had, so why?

“Ace—” Meret started to say after Ace pulled away from kissing a beaming Cassia. “We’re… we’re supposed to be mates. You can’t just—”

“For fuck’s sake,” Ace snapped.

The growl in his voice cut through her like a blade. It was loud—loud enough that nearby heads turned, drawing attention.

Meret flinched. He had never spoken to her like that before.

And somehow… that made it worse.

“I’m so sick and tired of your bullshit,” Ace snapped, his eyes cold, sharp. “Can you please stop making everything about you? I’ve put up with your crap long enough, but clearly, you don’t know when to stop.”

His words landed like slaps. But he wasn’t done.

“Tonight is my night—my chance to find love. So can you cut me some slack? I can’t keep pretending to be your mate or have your back. It’s not my damn fault you were born without a wolf!”

Meret froze. Her lungs felt too tight.

“Don’t drag me down with your misery, Meret,” he finished, his voice like ice. “I’m done.”

She stared at him, stunned. Her heart thundered in her ears, so loud she barely heard the murmurs building in the crowd. Her brows slowly drew together, but her brain couldn’t catch up. Couldn’t process the words he’d just thrown at her.

When she finally found her voice, just as she opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about—Cassia beat her to it.

“So you’re telling me she’s been using your friendship as leverage this whole time?” Cassia said, her voice laced with mock disbelief. “What a—”

“No!” Meret said quickly, the word bursting out of her before she could think. “That’s not true!” She turned to Ace, desperation creeping into her tone. “Ace, what are you doing?”

Ace let out a breath and dragged a hand down his face, like this was all some exhausting inconvenience. “She’s your cousin, Cassia. I didn’t want you to see her in a bad light… but I’m just tired of the drama. I thought we were done with it—at the café today. But then she shows up here after I told her how important tonight is?”

He shook his head, sighing. “She’s not a bad person, I guess. But maybe being wolfless is finally making her… desperate.”

Meret stared, her chest rising and falling with short, trembling breaths.

Cassia turned to him, gently cupping his cheek, her voice soft and syrupy. “Ace, darling, no. You don’t have to keep protecting her or putting up with this. You deserve real friends—people who respect you, who love you. Not someone who manipulates your kindness.”

“You’re not her pedestal,” she added sweetly. “You don’t exist so she can feel worthy.”

Meret barely heard the rest. The words bled together as the crowd thickened, voices rising—whispers turning to snickers, then to comments that cut like knives.

Her eyes scanned the sea of faces—classmates, strangers, peers—every one of them looking at her like a freak.

If this was one of those nightmares—the kind she had after school when the ache of loneliness was too loud to ignore—then now would’ve been the perfect time to wake up.

She raised a trembling hand, trying to pinch herself but the sharp sting of a slap cracked across her face before she could. The impact sent her stumbling to the ground, landing hard on her side.

Gasps rang out.

The burn across her cheek bloomed instantly, and the cold of the earth beneath her palms made one thing excruciatingly clear.

She wasn’t dreaming.

She held her cheek, blinking past the sting, and looked up.

Cassia stood over her, eyes burning. For a second, it looked like she was going to strike again—but Ace grabbed her arm, holding her back. Cassia relented, but only barely, and settled for words instead.

“Shame on you, Meret,” she spat, her voice sharp and cruel. “Shame on you!”

Meret turned her gaze to Ace, her eyes wide with disbelief. This couldn’t be the same boy who used to tell her being wolfless didn’t matter. Who told her she was smart, brave, beautiful. The same Ace who had begged her to come to the ceremony, to celebrate with him.

He left Cassia’s side and walked over to where Meret still sat on the ground, stunned. He bent slightly, offering her his hand.

But his next words were quieter. Meant for her alone.

“We can never be mates,” he murmured. “I reject you, Meret Anderson.”

Meret felt something in her awaken. She wasn't sure how to phrase the feeling, but she couldn't process it long enough when the pain of rejection suddenly slipped in.

She stared at his outstretched hand for a moment… and then pushed it away.

Without another word, Meret got to her feet and ran.

She didn’t look back. Not at the crowd. Not at Ace. Not at the place where her entire world had just cracked in half. She didn’t stop—not when her lungs began to burn, not when her legs screamed in protest. She just ran. Into the forest. Into the dark. Away from the stares, the whispers, the shame.

Away from everything.

There was nothing left for her there anyway.

No friends.

No wolf.

No family.

No mate.

Her foot caught on a hidden root, and she hit the ground hard. Pain exploded in her ankle as she tried to push herself back up, only to crumple again.

She pulled her knees to her chest, clutching her injured leg as pain lanced up through her. Her breath came in shallow, broken gasps. She didn’t have a phone. No one to call. No one who’d come looking for her.

“Dad…” she whispered, her voice cracking as tears slipped down her cheeks. “Please… come take me with you.”

“Please…” she choked again, curling tighter into herself. “I can’t do this anymore.”

And the woods, usually so full of life, offered her nothing but silence.

After Meret cried until there were no more tears left, she stopped. Just like that. Her body gave up where her heart hadn’t yet, and she rested her head against her shoulder, letting the silence press in around her like fog. The cold damp earth soaked through her gown, but she didn't care.

She sat still, empty.

And then something struck her head.

It wasn’t hard enough to knock her out, but it made her wince. She blinked, startled, and looked down to find a shoe—mud-caked, clearly expensive, and completely out of place.

Her gaze slowly lifted, her body tense. Panic stirred in her chest as the question formed—had she stumbled into something worse than heartbreak? Her eyes scanned upward.

That’s when she saw him.

A figure slumped over a thick tree branch just above her. His body looked like it could fall at any moment, one arm barely keeping him balanced. The other hand was clamped over his mouth, his eyes wide, staring directly at her. Frantic. Warning.

His lips didn’t move, but the message in his eyes was crystal clear: Don’t move.

But Meret didn’t listen.

She scrambled back from the tree, her palms scraping against dirt and bark. Her heart thundered in her chest, frantic and wild.

How long had he been up there? Had he seen her crying? Had he just watched?

Her eyes didn’t leave him—afraid he’d leap down the moment she looked away.

But then… she heard it.

A rustle. The thud of paws against earth.

Low snarls.

She turned slowly.

And froze.

They were already there. A full circle of rogue wolves. Feral. Marked. Eyes glinting with something darker than hunger.

Her hand went instinctively to her hoodie, searching for something—anything—to defend herself. But she had nothing.

Her lungs tightened. Her legs refused to move.

She was trapped.

She backed toward the tree again, eyes flicking to the boy still clinging to the branch above. He hadn’t moved. Was he one of them? Or just another victim?

She didn’t get the chance to find out.

One of the wolves lunged.

Everything slowed.

Jaws open. Claws flashing.

She opened her mouth to scream—but what came out wasn’t a scream.

It was a growl.

The wolves were slammed back midair, as if something invisible had struck them. Bodies flew into trees, crashed into stone. Yelps echoed around her. And then—

Silence.

They didn’t try again. They scrambled to their feet and fled, vanishing into the trees.

Meret stood in the center of the clearing, shaking. Her chest heaved with every breath.

She had growled.

Her. The girl with no wolf.

She stared down at her hands, her body humming with something raw and unfamiliar. Something had been inside her all along. Something real.

But the awe cracked the moment she remembered—someone had been watching.

She looked up.

The boy in the tree was gone.

Panic jumped in her throat. She shifted, trying to crawl and see where he’d gone, but pain lanced through her leg again.

Then came a groan.

Meret turned her head sharply—and there he was, sprawled near the base of the tree. He was no longer clinging to branches but crouched low, one arm hanging limp at his side. With a wince, he reached up and snapped it back into place with a sickening crack.

“Some growl you’ve got there,” he muttered, rising to his feet.

He moved with an effortless, almost arrogant grace—bloodied, bruised, but still standing tall, like he was built to endure worse. Meret wanted to take him in fully, but the edges of her vision started to blur.

Her head swam.

He took a step toward her.

“Lady?” His voice was clearer now, a bit closer. “Lady, are you alright?”

She tried to answer.

She didn’t get the chance.

She blinked hard, trying to focus, but everything was slipping sideways. She tried to shift her weight, but her limbs felt heavy, disconnected.

‘Had her growl affected her too?’ She wondered. ‘Or did her father finally grant her wish to be with him?’

She didn’t have time to decide which it was as darkness took over her vision.