SCARLETT POV
I wake up feeling like death.
Every muscle in my body aches. My mouth tastes like I licked a rusty pipe. And my wolf—my beautiful silver wolf—feels distant and fuzzy, like she's trapped behind a thick wall of fog.
The pills. The stupid pills Margot forced down my throat.
I sit up slowly and my bedroom spins. Sunlight streams through my window, which means I slept the whole day away. The clock says 4 PM.
My destroyed room from last night is spotless now. Desk fixed. Lamp replaced. It's like my first shift never happened. Like Silas and Margot erased all evidence that I finally became a real werewolf.
Orphan. Thorne heir. More powerful than expected.
Margot's words from last night echo in my head. I've spent all day drifting in and out of sleep, those words haunting my dreams.
If I'm an orphan, who were my real parents? Why did Silas and Margot lie to me my whole life? And what does "Thorne heir" even mean?
Wake up, my wolf whispers weakly. Something's wrong. We need to run.
"I know," I whisper back. "But I'm too weak right now."
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I grab it and see Juniper's name flashing. Video call.
Juniper. My best friend since forever. The only person in my life who actually seems to like me.
I accept the call and her face fills my screen. She's grinning so wide her dimples show.
"SCARLETT! Finally! I've been calling you all day!" Juniper bounces excitedly. Her blonde hair is perfect as always. "Where have you been?"
"Sick," I lie. "Some kind of flu."
"Well, you need to get better FAST because I have the best news ever!" She squeals. "Dad's throwing the Summer Solstice celebration in two weeks and you're coming!"
My heart jumps. The Nightshade pack's Summer Solstice is legendary. Hundreds of werewolves from all over the East Coast come. It's basically the supernatural version of the Super Bowl.
But more importantly—Juniper's dad is Alpha Maverick Nightshade.
I've only met him a few times during my summer visits to Juniper's house. He's always been kind but distant, like I'm just another kid he has to be polite to. But there's something about him that makes my stomach flutter. Something intense and magnetic that I've never understood.
"I don't know," I say slowly. "My parents might not—"
"Already called them! Your mom said yes!" Juniper grins. "Come on, Scar. I need my best friend there. Dad's been so depressed since the divorce, and Mom's being awful, and I just... I need you."
The divorce. Three years ago, Juniper's mom Celestia destroyed Alpha Maverick. Stole half his territory. Turned Juniper against him with lies. I've watched my best friend struggle with hating a father who never actually hurt her.
"Please?" Juniper's eyes get big and pleading. "It's two whole weeks at the estate. Pool parties, forest runs, and the actual Solstice celebration under the full moon. It'll be epic."
My wolf suddenly surges to life inside me, no longer weak and distant. She's AWAKE and pushing against my mind with urgent excitement.
Yes, she growls. Say yes. We need to go. NOW.
"What's wrong with you?" I mutter to my wolf.
"Huh?" Juniper asks.
"Nothing! Sorry, still feeling weird from being sick." I take a breath. "Okay. Yes. I'll come."
"YES! Thank you thank you thank you!" Juniper squeals again. "I'll text you all the details. Love you, bestie!"
She hangs up before I can respond.
I sit there staring at my phone, my wolf pacing excitedly inside my mind. Why is she so eager to go to the Nightshade estate? We've been there before. It's just Juniper's house.
Different now, my wolf insists. Everything's different now. We're different now.
Because I shifted. Because I'm finally a real werewolf instead of the defective human girl.
A knock on my door makes me jump.
"Come in," I call.
Silas and Margot enter together. They look nervous. Scared, even. Silas carries my old duffel bag—the one I use for overnight trips.
"We heard Juniper's invitation," Margot says. Her voice is too cheerful. Fake. "We think you should go."
I blink. "Really? You're okay with it?"
"More than okay." Silas sets the duffel bag on my bed. "In fact, we think you should go early. Tonight."
"Tonight? But the celebration isn't for two weeks—"
"Juniper said you could come stay with her early, remember?" Margot interrupts. She's already opening my dresser drawers, pulling out clothes. "You need space. After last night. Time away from us to... adjust."
They want me gone. The realization hits like a slap.
"You're scared of me," I say quietly.
Silas flinches. "Don't be dramatic, Scarlett."
"You called someone last night. After you drugged me." I stand up, my wolf growling in support. "I heard you say 'Thorne heir.' What does that mean? Who am I really?"
Margot drops the shirt she's holding. Her face goes white.
"You were half-asleep from the pills," she says quickly. "You misheard."
"I didn't mishear. You said I'm an orphan. That I'm more powerful than you expected." My voice gets louder. Braver. "Tell me the truth! Who were my real parents?"
"Your real parents are dead," Silas snaps. "That's all you need to know. Now pack your bag. The Nightshades are expecting you tonight."
He walks out, ending the conversation.
Margot lingers for a moment, her eyes sad and guilty. "It's better if you don't know, Scarlett. Trust me. Some truths are dangerous."
Then she leaves too.
I stand alone in my perfect, spotless room with my duffel bag and a million questions.
Pack, my wolf urges. Leave this place. Find the truth somewhere else.
She's right. Maybe the Nightshade estate will have answers. Maybe getting away from Silas and Margot will help me figure out what "Thorne heir" means.
I start throwing clothes into my bag. T-shirts, jeans, my swimsuit for the pool. As I pack, my wolf keeps whispering one word over and over. A word that makes no sense.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
"What are you talking about?" I ask her. "Mate? I don't have a mate. I just shifted yesterday."
But my wolf just purrs with certainty.
He's waiting, she whispers. Our mate is waiting at the Nightshade estate. I can feel him already.
My hands freeze mid-pack.
A mate? At Juniper's house?
That's impossible. I know everyone in Juniper's family. Her older brother is mated already. Her cousins are either too young or total jerks. There's no one there who could possibly—
My phone buzzes with a text from Juniper: Dad just heard you're coming early! He said to tell you he's looking forward to seeing you again.
Alpha Maverick Nightshade.
My stomach does that weird flutter thing again. That magnetic pull I've never understood.
No. No no no. That's crazy. He's Juniper's DAD. He's like forty-something. He barely knows I exist.
But my wolf is practically howling with joy now.
Him, she says with absolute certainty. The Alpha is ours. Our fated mate. And in two hours, we'll finally meet him properly.
I drop my phone, my heart racing.
This can't be happening.