Chapter One: The Girl They Forgot
I wasn't hated.
I think that's important to clarify.
Being hated would have meant people cared enough to feel something about me. Anger. Jealousy. Disgust. Anything.
But most days, I was simply… there.
Present, but never really seen.
Technically, I belonged to the Silvercrest Pack, one of the larger wolf packs hidden among humans in North America. We lived quietly, scattered throughout a small town surrounded by forests and mountains. To humans, we were ordinary families, business owners, students, neighbors.
But behind closed doors, we were wolves.
The Silvercrest Pack was proud of its bloodlines. Proud of its warriors, its ranked wolves, its heirs, and its history. Our pack was filled with strong alphas, skilled warriors, gifted healers, and wolves whose eyes seemed to glow brighter than everyone else's when they shifted.
And then there was me.
Elara Hale.
Twenty-three years old.
Unmarked.
Unmated.
And barely acknowledged.
I wasn't bullied.
I wasn't beaten.
No one went out of their way to make my life miserable.
Honestly, that would've been easier to understand.
Instead, people simply forgot I existed.
I wasn't assigned to warrior training. I wasn't considered useful enough for the omega duties. I wasn't invited to join the younger wolves during their runs under the full moon.
When pack announcements were made, my name was rarely included.
When gatherings happened, no one noticed if I was missing.
And when someone needed something done quickly, quietly, and without complaint, somehow they always remembered me.
I suppose that was my special talent.
Being remembered when someone needed an extra pair of hands.
Still…
I smiled.
I don't know why.
Maybe I was stubborn.
Maybe I was stupid.
Or maybe there was still some small, ridiculous part of me that believed things could change.
Every morning, I woke before dawn.
It had become a habit long ago.
While the rest of the pack slept, I would slip out of the small cabin that had been given to me years ago. Calling it a cabin was being generous. It was really one room with a tiny kitchen, a narrow bathroom, and a bed pushed against the wall.
The other members of Silvercrest lived in large houses scattered throughout the woods. Some had fireplaces, spacious yards, garages, and enough rooms to comfortably house an entire family.
My cabin sat behind the old storage shed.
Half-hidden by trees.
Far enough from the others that no one bothered coming by unless they needed something.
I didn't mind.
At least, that's what I told myself.
It was quiet.
Peaceful.
And when no one was around, I didn't have to pretend that being forgotten didn't hurt.
I pulled my jacket tighter around myself as I stepped outside that morning.
The cold immediately bit through the fabric.
My boots crunched against the fallen pine needles as I followed the narrow dirt path toward the training grounds.
The sky was still dark, the first hint of dawn barely visible beyond the trees.
I liked this part of the morning.
Everything felt different before everyone woke up.
The forest was quiet.
The air smelled like pine, damp earth, and the faint scent of the river somewhere beyond the trees.
And for a few precious minutes, Silvercrest belonged to no one.
Not the Alpha.
Not the ranked wolves.
Not the warriors.
Not the families who believed they were more important than everyone else.
Just me.
I reached the training grounds and found them empty, exactly as I'd expected.
No one had ever officially told me I wasn't allowed to use them.
They simply hadn't invited me.
There was a difference.
I picked up one of the wooden training staffs and tested its weight in my hand.
Then I swung.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
My movements weren't perfect.
They never had been.
But I'd practiced enough to become decent.
I had taught myself how to fight by watching the warriors from a distance. I'd memorized their movements, copied their footwork, and practiced until my muscles ached.
No one had trained me.
No one had encouraged me.
So I'd trained myself.
"You're here again?"
The voice behind me made me stop.
I turned.
Rowan stood at the edge of the training grounds, a low-ranking scout with messy brown hair and a permanently confused expression.
He stared at me like he couldn't understand why I kept showing up.
I smiled.
"As long as no one's using the grounds, I don't think it's a problem."
He looked at the staff in my hands.
Then at me.
For a second, I thought he might argue.
Instead, he shrugged.
"Whatever."
And then he walked away.
I watched him disappear between the trees.
That was usually how things went.
People noticed me.
Then they decided I wasn't important enough to keep noticing.
I returned to practicing.
By mid-morning, the training grounds had filled with warriors, so I left without being asked.
I had other things to do.
There were medical supplies waiting in the infirmary.
I found three boxes stacked against the wall, completely disorganized.
So I fixed them.
No one had asked me to.
But if I didn't, someone eventually would complain about them.
I carried the boxes into storage, sorted the medicine by type, checked the expiration dates, and reorganized the shelves.
After that, I found a broken wooden crate near the weapons room.
I repaired it.
Then I noticed several damaged training blades.
I sharpened the ones that could still be used and separated the rest.
It wasn't glamorous work.
But I didn't care.
At least it made me useful.
Or that's what I told myself.
"You should've seen her face!"
A burst of laughter drifted into the storage room.
I paused.
Two she-wolves walked past the open doorway, talking about the upcoming Blood Moon Gathering.
I lowered my gaze and continued arranging the supplies.
"Do you think the Moon Goddess will reveal the rest of the fated pairs this year?" one of them asked.
"I hope so," the other replied. "I don't want to get stuck with someone awful."
They laughed.
I smiled faintly.
The Blood Moon Gathering.
Everyone had been talking about it for weeks.
It was one of the most important events in our world. Packs from nearby territories would gather, and wolves who had not yet found their mates would have another chance to feel the pull of their fated bond.
The Moon Goddess had her own plans.
At least, that's what everyone believed.
I believed it too.
Mostly.
"Hopefully someone good," the first girl said. "I don't want to end up like… her."
Her voice lowered.
Her friend giggled.
I didn't have to look up to know who they were talking about.
Me.
My fingers tightened around the box I was holding.
For a moment, something inside me twisted.
Then I breathed in.
Slowly.
I continued organizing the shelves.
I'd heard worse.
Much worse.
At twenty-three, I should have been marked years ago.
Most wolves found their mates around eighteen or nineteen.
Some found them earlier.
Some later.
But twenty-three?
That was old enough for people to start wondering what was wrong with me.
The whispers had started years ago.
Maybe the Moon Goddess had forgotten her.
Maybe she wasn't meant to have a mate.
Maybe there was something wrong with her blood.
Maybe she was cursed.
I had heard every version.
I didn't believe any of them.
The Moon Goddess wouldn't forget me.
She couldn't.
At least, that was what I told myself.
I had faith.
Stubborn, foolish faith.
Maybe that was the only thing keeping me from becoming bitter.
By the time the sun began sinking behind the trees, I left the main part of the territory.
I followed the trail toward the ridge.
It was my favorite place.
The path was steep, but I knew it well enough to climb it without thinking.
When I reached the top, I stopped.
The view always took my breath away.
Below me, the town was beginning to glow.
Small lights flickered through the trees, scattered across the valley like stars that had fallen from the sky.
The lake stretched beyond the town, reflecting the colors of the setting sun.
Orange.
Gold.
Pink.
Then purple.
I sat on a fallen log and pulled my knees toward my chest.
For a while, I said nothing.
The wind moved through my hair.
My wolf stirred quietly inside me.
She had always been small.
Quiet.
Nothing like the powerful wolves I heard about in stories.
She never pushed forward aggressively.
Never demanded control.
Most of the time, she simply listened.
I closed my eyes.
Maybe tomorrow will be different.
The thought came quietly.
Almost embarrassingly hopeful.
Maybe we'll get more done.
My wolf stirred.
A warm sensation spread through my chest.
Maybe someone will need us.
She answered with a gentle pulse of warmth.
I smiled.
"You're still here, aren't you?"
The answer wasn't words.
It didn't need to be.
I could feel her.
A small, steady presence.
The only person—or wolf—I could always count on.
I looked toward the horizon.
Everyone else seemed to have something.
A family.
A position.
A purpose.
A mate.
A place.
I had none of those things.
Not yet.
But I had hope.
And maybe hope was enough.
For now.
The wind shifted suddenly.
I lifted my head.
For the briefest moment, I thought I caught a strange scent carried through the trees.
Something unfamiliar.
Something that didn't belong to Silvercrest.
My wolf went still.
I frowned.
"What is it?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she seemed to retreat deeper into me, listening.
Waiting.
I stood slowly.
The forest below remained quiet.
Nothing moved.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing.
I shook my head.
"Probably nothing."
I looked back toward the town.
The Blood Moon Gathering was only days away.
Maybe something would change.
Maybe the Moon Goddess really had remembered me after all.
I didn't know it then, but the life I had spent quietly accepting was already beginning to crack.
The girl everyone had forgotten was standing at the edge of something none of us could see coming.
And for the first time in twenty-three years, my wolf wasn't simply listening.
She was waiting.
So was I.
Because somewhere beyond those trees, fate had finally begun to move.
And this time…
It was coming for me.