==Lila==
The candles flickered like they were laughing at me.
Eighteen of them sat crooked in the thick red velvet cake I had baked that morning. Extra cream cheese frosting, because it was my day and I refused to apologize for wanting more.
The whole Crescent Pack filled the clearing. Lanterns swung from the cypress trees. The air hung heavy with grilled shrimp, cayenne pepper, and the thick green smell of the bayou.
My yellow sundress clung to every curve. It stretched tight across my full breasts and soft belly. My hips felt wide and heavy. My thighs rubbed together when I shifted my weight. I had told myself I looked pretty tonight. For once I was not hiding.
That was a mistake.
I sucked in a shaky breath. Every generous inch of me felt on display. The pack girls with their slim legs and flat stomachs smirked behind their hands. I heard the whispers already. "Lil's got the cakes at least."
Remy Laurent stood right in front. Arms crossed. Dark hair falling into those steel gray eyes. New Alpha at twenty one. All sharp jaw and quiet power. I had crushed on him for years. Served him pie at every gathering. Watched him from the edges like a fool.
Tonight the moon hung low and red. It pulled at something deep in my bones. My skin itched. My wolf was waking up. For one stupid second I let myself hope he might finally see me.
"Make a wish, Lila," Mama called. Her voice sounded too bright.
I closed my eyes and blew.
The flames died. Cheers exploded around me. Someone shoved a paper plate into my hands with a huge slice. I laughed nervously and took a bite. It tasted like nothing.
Then the fire hit.
Real fire. It ripped down my spine. Bones cracked. Pain flooded every inch of me. I dropped the plate. It shattered on the ground. My knees slammed into the damp grass. My dress tore at the seams with a loud rip.
"Oh God," I gasped. But it came out as a growl.
The shift slammed into me hard. Fur burst along my arms. Thick silver gray. My hips widened even more. My thighs thickened with muscle. My chest barreled out until I felt massive. Solid. Unstoppable. Sweat poured down my back and mixed with the humid night air.
The clearing went dead quiet.
I lifted my head on shaking legs. My wolf body felt huge. Broad shoulders. Heavy flanks. A belly that still curved soft under the fur. Not sleek. Not pretty like the other girls. I was a lot. Too much.
And they were staring.
Remy's face turned to stone. His nostrils flared as he caught my scent. Those gray eyes flicked over my new form. Slow. Assessing.
"No," he said. His voice was low and flat.
My wolf whimpered inside me.
He took one step back. Jaw tight. "This can't be right."
Whispers exploded like gunfire.
"Is that Lila Moreau?"
"Jesus, look at her. She's even bigger shifted."
"Those hips. That belly. She looks like she could sit on someone and end them."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. Sharp. Mean. The kind that sticks under your skin.
Heat flooded my face. Hotter than the shift pain. Tears burned behind my eyes but I blinked them back hard. My thick paws dug into the mud. Claws sank deep. The torn yellow dress still tangled around one leg like a sad flag.
Remy's voice rose. Cold and final. It carried across the entire clearing. "Lila Moreau, the moon made a mistake. I, Remy Laurent, Alpha of the Crescent Pack, reject you as my fated mate."
The words hit like a slap.
My wolf howled inside me. Raw. Broken. The bond that had just sparked snapped back hard. It left a hollow ache in my chest. Public. On my birthday. In front of everyone who had ever smiled at my baking and talked behind my back.
I couldn't breathe.
Someone snickered. "Guess even the moon has standards."
That broke me.
I turned and bolted.
Branches whipped my face as I crashed into the bayou. Mud sucked at my paws. Thick and cold. My heavy body barreled through palmetto and hanging moss.
My heart hammered so loud it drowned out everything else. Every soft curve bounced with each stride. Breasts. Belly. Thighs.
Reminding me exactly why they laughed. Sweat stung my eyes. My breath came in ragged pants.
Why me? Why wake the wolf just to let him spit in my face?
I ran harder. Lungs burning. Until the music faded and only night sounds remained. Frogs. Cicadas. The distant splash of something big in the water. My wolf wanted to scream. I clamped it down until it felt like swallowing glass.
Pain flared again in my bones. Half shifted agony. Fur receded in patches. Skin burned where it pulled back. I stumbled. Fell hard onto all fours. Then knees. Then I curled up against a cypress root. Naked. Shaking. Mud caked my thick thighs and soft stomach. The torn dress scrap was long gone.
I pressed my forehead to the damp ground. Hot ugly sobs tore out of me. My whole body shook.
A second pulse stirred deep inside. Older. Not mine. Like the bayou itself waking up in my blood. Grandmother's old stories flickered through the pain. The second howl. The one that came when the first was not enough.
My throat tightened.
Then it ripped out of me.
Not a normal howl. This one was ancient. Deep. Resonant. It vibrated through the trees and mud and water like it carried centuries. It was not just mine. Something else rode it. Something hungry and powerful that made the night go still.
Footsteps crunched behind me.
I jerked my head up. Heart slamming against my ribs.
Remy stepped out from between the trees. Moonlight cut across his sharp face. His eyes were not cold anymore. They were wide. Wide with something raw that looked a hell of a lot like fear.
He stared at me. Chest rising fast. Like the second howl had shaken him to the bone.
"Lila..." His voice cracked. Barely above a whisper.
The ancient echo still hung in the air between us.
And for the first time tonight, the Alpha looked like he had no idea what the hell to do next.