"Do you think it is acceptable to keep everyone waiting?" Vexton snarled. "Do you think the pack has nothing better to do than stand here, freezing, waiting for an evil, cursed thing like you to finally show her face?"
What the hell is he talking about? Nevaeh thought, a flash of frantic confusion cutting through her fear. The ceremony hadn't even started. Dormants were still arriving with their parents. Still, he singled her out, loudly branding her as the reason for a delay that didn't exist, as if the entire ceremony hung on her arrival.
Her voice trembled, barely audible. "I am sorry, Alpha Vexton. I did not mean to..."
"Save the useless, cursed apology," he snapped, his eyes flashing with venom.
"Father, the Zeta says it is time."
Axel's bored, melodic voice interrupted the onslaught. He stepped forward, coming to stand at his father's side. "The ceremony is about to begin," he said, his tone flat. "Let's not waste more time."
Nevaeh stole a glance; for a fraction of a second, his eyes met hers. Was that concern flickering in the blue? Impossible. Before she could be sure, the look was gone. His face smoothed into a mask of total indifference, his gaze sliding past her.
"Get out of my sight," Alpha Vexton said sharply.
Nevaeh moved at once, relief loosening the tight knot in her chest. She slipped away toward the other teenagers without looking back.
The ring of stone slabs waited ahead, set into the ground in a wide arc around the elevated ritual stone. Other Dormants were already lining up, clustered in small, nervous circles. As Nevaeh stepped into the line, the teens on either side of her shifted back in unison. It was deliberate and unmistakable. They created a pocket of empty space around her—a bubble of isolation—as if she carried a scent of decay that no one wanted to breathe. She kept her eyes fixed forward; it was a feeling she had lived with for eighteen years.
But it will all end tonight once she finally proves her worth to everyone. Tonight she's getting her wolf; every eighteen-year-old Dormant crosses into true packhood tonight. In a world where strength was the only currency that mattered, she was finally about to receive her inheritance.
Being born into the richest and most powerful pack in the region was a privilege most took for granted. For Nevaeh, awakening a high-class wolf meant more than just status and authority; it meant a future where she wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder, a future she gets to claim as her own, standing tall as an equal rather than a shadow. Deep in her chest, a warmth stirred once again, and she smiled secretly to herself.
It was finally her turn to be accepted.
Just wait, she thought, her heart racing. When my wolf surfaces, everything will change.
Nevaeh glanced around at the other waiting Dormants, their faces tight with anxiety. She could almost see the shock on them when her wolf finally appeared. She had no reason to doubt herself; the stirring had started two weeks ago, exactly as Zeta had described during their preparations.
In their society, the Awakening determined everything. Worth. Power. Rank. When the wolf rose, the color of its coat sealed a person's fate. Umbra wolves stood at the top with coats of pure black; they carried an overwhelming presence and natural authority. They were the spine of the pack. Below them were the Earthen wolves, the steel-gray and deep-brown protectors who made up the backbone of the military. At the bottom were the Ashen-class—white, ivory, and cream. Their awakenings were met with quiet disappointment; they were the laborers, the ones with weak instincts and no dominance.
A flicker of unease brushed Nevaeh's thoughts, but she shoved it aside. If fate somehow twisted cruelly enough to give her an Ashen wolf, the pack would tear her apart. Thank the Goddess that won't happen, she exhaled in relief.
Her gaze drifted, heart aching with a familiar, hollow longing. She wished Willow were standing here, shoulder to shoulder with her. There was no doubt in Nevaeh's mind that Willow would have awakened as a magnificent Umbra wolf—she was born with natural dominance. I wish she were here to witness my rise, she thought, drawing a steadying breath to ground herself. I will awaken for both of us.
"I still do not understand why this disgusting, cursed thing is allowed to participate in something sacred," Ash muttered nearby, his voice thick with disdain.
"Maybe to show us what an awakened cursed wolf will look like," Ember whispered, loud enough for those nearby to hear. The other Dormants let out stifled, jagged chuckles.
"Or maybe she's here to shift into a furless wolf," Ash added. The laughter rippled through the line, sharper and more mocking.
Nevaeh didn't spare them a glance. Laugh all you want. I will be the one laughing last.
The line of Dormants suddenly fell silent and straightened as a figure stepped onto the elevated ritual stone. Zeta Aurora. Tall and severe, the Zeta's silver hair was braided tightly down her back. Her pale gray eyes missed nothing as she surveyed the line. As Aurora raised her hands, the clearing fell into a deathly hush.
"It is time."
Aurora's gaze paused momentarily on Nevaeh, sharp and measuring. Then, she turned to the ritual stone and began to chant in a strange, ancient language that seemed to vibrate in the very marrow of Nevaeh's bones.
"Lunara vel thren. Sah'kai moruun ethae. Velis caern, velis blede. Awaken, by moon and bone."
The symbols carved into the stone began to glow, pale lines spreading across the rock like veins of liquid light. They pulsed with a steady, rhythmic throb that matched the quickening beat of Nevaeh's heart. A low hum filled the air. When Aurora's chant finally tapered off, she turned fully to face the line of teenagers.
"The Awakening will now begin," Aurora announced. "When your name is called, step forward onto the ritual stone. I will bind your blood to the Vicious Fangs Pack. Then you will call to your wolf."
Every Dormant listened in absolute silence.
"No matter what you awaken," Aurora continued, her tone grounding the electric tension in the clearing, "Umbra, Earthen, or Ashen. You are children of the Moon Goddess before you are children of the Vicious Fangs. There is no shame in her answer."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle over them.
"Be strong. The moon sees your heart." Her eyes dropped to the stone. "Ember Brooks."