Katie moved silently through the pine forest, careful where she placed her feet. The ground was damp from the afternoon rain, and the scent of earth and moss clung to the air. It should have calmed her. It used to. Tonight, it only reminded her how alone she was.
The hunt had ended hours ago.
She hadn't caught anything.
Again.
Her chest rose and fell slowly as she crouched low behind a fallen log, eyes scanning the darkness out of habit more than hope. Somewhere in the distance, the other wolves laughed. Their voices carried easily through the trees... confident, proud, alive.
She stayed hidden until the sounds faded.
Only then did she let herself breathe.
Another failure. Another reminder.
Useless.
Katie closed her eyes for a moment, pressing her palm against the damp bark. The insult didn't sting the way it once had. That had taken years. What hurt more was the silence inside her.
Most wolves met their wolf by sixteen. Some earlier. It was instinct. Natural. As natural as breathing.
But she was nearly eighteen.
And Rachel had never fully appeared.
Not in the waking world.
Only in dreams.
They will come for us if they see, Rachel had once said. The memory of that voice was soft and steady, nothing like the chaotic wolves she'd heard from others. And you are not ready.
Katie had stopped asking questions after that.
If Rachel wanted silence, she would give it.
It was safer that way.
Safer for everyone.
Katie stood, brushing dirt from her hands. The moon hung low above the treetops, silver and cold. It painted everything in soft shadows. Beautiful. Unforgiving.
She started walking back toward the pack house.
The closer she got, the louder the celebration became. Music. Laughter. The scent of roasted meat and wine. The Luna Festival was one of the biggest nights of the year, meant to honor the bond between wolves and the moon.
It had never felt like it belonged to her.
Instead of using the main entrance, Katie slipped around the side and entered through the servants' door. The warmth inside hit her instantly. So did the noise.
She kept her head down and moved quickly through the corridors.
Almost.
"Katie."
The voice was sweet enough to rot teeth.
She stopped.
Of course.... It just had to be her of all people.
Marissa leaned against the wall, perfectly composed as always. The Alpha's daughter looked like she had stepped out of a painting, dark hair in soft waves, lips painted, eyes sharp with amusement, and a body like a runway model. Ivy and Lila stood beside her, watching like loyal shadows.
Katie didn't speak. She had learned long ago that silence irritated Marissa more than anything.
Marissa tilted her head. "Still trying to sneak around like a little rat?"
"I was working," Katie said calmly.
A lie. But a little one.
Marissa smiled. "You don't hunt. You don't shift. I'm curious, what exactly do you do?"
Katie met her gaze for a fraction of a second before lowering it again. Not submission. Strategy.
Marissa's smile sharpened.
"Take a tray," she said, gesturing toward a passing servant. "If you can't be useful to the pack, you can at least serve it."
Katie took the tray without argument.
Every instinct in her told her to leave. To avoid the hall tonight. Something restless had been stirring beneath her skin all evening, making her nerves tight.
But drawing attention would only make things worse.
So she walked into the grand hall.
The world shifted the moment she crossed the threshold.
The scent hit her first.
Lavender. Pine. Clean and sharp and grounding all at once.
Her steps faltered.
Her pulse stuttered.
The tray in her hands trembled slightly before she steadied it.
"What was that?"
She lifted her head.
And met his gaze.
He stood on the second-floor balcony, looking down at the crowd with the stillness of someone used to being watched. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in dark clothing that seemed to absorb the candlelight.
The Lycan King.
Liam.
The noise of the hall faded. People moved, laughed, talked, but none of it reached her.
His eyes locked on hers.
They weren't like the other wolves' eyes.
They were sharper. Older. The kind that made you feel like prey.
Katie's breath caught.
Something inside her stirred.
Her fingers tightened around the tray.
He shouldn't be looking at her.
She looked away first.
But the connection didn't break.
If anything, it pulled tighter.
Across the hall, Liam went still.
Mate.
The word echoed through his mind, low and certain.
Kael.
Liam's jaw tightened.
No.
Yes.
The scent wrapped around him again.
Vanilla. Roses. Soft but strong beneath it.
His gaze followed her as she moved through the crowd. Small. Quiet. Invisible to most.
But not to him.
Not anymore.
Kael surged beneath his skin, restless but controlled.
She is ours.
Liam ignored him.
This was impossible.
The girl below him was clearly low-ranked. An omega. Weak. Untrained. Surrounded by enemies.
And yet, every instinct in his body focused on her.
When she stumbled slightly, Kael growled.
Soft. Dangerous.
Liam exhaled slowly.
Control.
He had learned that lesson long ago. The scar across his eye throbbed faintly, a reminder.
He would not make reckless decisions again.
But he would watch.
And he would protect.
Even if she never knew.
Katie forced herself to keep moving, even though every nerve felt alive.
The scent followed her.
Or maybe she followed it.
She wasn't sure.
She reached the far side of the hall and set the tray down, stepping outside onto the balcony for air.
The cool night wrapped around her skin instantly. The sounds of the celebration inside faded behind the closed doors, leaving only the quiet hum of crickets and the distant rustling of the forest.
Katie rested her hands on the stone railing and breathed in slowly.
Moments like this were rare.
Peaceful.
Quiet.
"Katie?"
She turned.
Ashton stood in the doorway.
The Beta's son looked as he always did — warm, calm, steady. The kind of person who somehow made a room feel safer just by being in it.
Relief softened her shoulders before she could stop it.
"You shouldn't be inside," he said quietly. "Marissa's in a mood tonight."
Katie huffed a small laugh.
"I noticed."
Ashton stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door gently behind him. The noise of the pack house faded even more.
For a moment they just stood there in the cool air.
"You disappeared pretty fast," he said.
"Hard not to when someone keeps glaring at you like you stole their favorite toy."
Ashton rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah… she does that."
Katie studied him for a second.
"You mean she does that because you're around me....friends with me."
His silence was answer enough.
Ashton cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
"I brought you something."
He held out a wrapped piece of bread and roasted meat.
Katie blinked in surprise.
Her chest tightened a little.
"You don't have to keep doing that."
"I want to."
His answer was simple. No hesitation.
Their fingers brushed as she took it.
The warmth of the bread seeped through the cloth into her hands.
"You're going to get in trouble one day," she said.
"Probably."
"And yet you keep doing it."
Ashton shrugged lightly.
"Someone has to make sure you actually eat during these things."
Katie unwrapped the cloth and took a small bite.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Okay… this is really good."
"See?" Ashton said with a quiet grin."Totally worth the risk."
She leaned against the railing beside him, chewing thoughtfully.
The moonlight caught in his dark hair as he looked out toward the forest.
"You ever think about leaving?" Katie asked suddenly.
He glanced at her.
"Leaving?"
"The pack. Everything."
Ashton was quiet for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"My place is here."
Katie looked down at the food in her hands.
"Must be nice knowing where you belong."
Ashton frowned slightly at that.
"Katie…"
She quickly forced a small smile.
"I'm joking."
But he didn't look convinced.
"You belong here," he said quietly.
She didn't answer right away.
Instead she looked out at the forest again.
Sometimes she felt like the trees understood her better than the pack did.
"You're a terrible liar," Ashton added after a moment.
That earned a real laugh from her.
"Thanks."
"I mean it," he said gently. "This pack would be worse off without you."
Katie glanced sideways at him.
"You're definitely the only one who thinks that."
Ashton gave a small shake of his head.
"Trust me. I'm not."
For a brief moment the quiet between them felt comfortable again.
Safe.
Then the doors behind them slammed open.
Katie didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
Marissa.
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