Chapter 1

Mia’s POV

“I’m sorry about your wolf…” The healer’s voice was soft, her fingers moved slowly over my shoulders, trying to soothe the tension knotted beneath my skin. “But you don’t have to live as though it’s the end of the world. You can do so many things aside from being a wolf.”

My jaw clenched. I sucked in my breath, then my eyes flew open. “Like what?” I fired, twisting around to face her, my heart already pounding with everything I had been holding inside. 

 “At least humans never had a wolf to begin with.” My voice cracked. “And i can’t even claim to be an Omega!. I am a freaking outcast!”

The healer’s hands gently gripped my hands. I could see the pity in her eyes and i hated it. I hated the way everyone looked at me now, as though I were something broken that needed to be handled carefully.

“And you promised me you could bring back my wolf with your stupid herbal supplements!” I shot up. My chest rose and fell rapidly as anger flooded through me.“I drank them diligently. Every single one. I attended all your sessions. I prayed to the Moon Goddess until my knees hurt. I did everything you asked me to do!” My voice echoed through the healer’s small room.

“And yet…” My voice faltered. “You still can’t bring back my wolf. You expect me to adjust just like that?”

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My feet touched the cold floor, and I immediately grabbed the sheet, clutching it against my chest while I searched around for my clothes.

Behind me, Mom sighed. “Mia… you need to calm down.”

I spun around. “Well, she shouldn’t have promised me something she couldn’t fulfill!”

The healer lowered her gaze before looking back at me. “Your case is rare, but it happens. Wolfsbane isn’t ordinary poison, Mia. It attacks the wolf essence itself. In severe cases, it can weaken the bond between a wolf and its human until the wolf becomes unreachable.”

My stomach twisted. I knew that. Infact, i’d heard it countless times. But hearing it again didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Your wolf wasn’t merely injured,” she continued. “The poison nearly severed your connection completely. Restoration is possible, but rare. Sometimes the wolf returns through healing. Sometimes through an overwhelming emotional trigger. And sometimes…”

She hesitated. “Sometimes the Moon Goddess chooses whether the bond can be restored.”

I swallowed hard. “The Moon Goddess?”

“Yes.” Her expression softened. “She grants wolves their spiritual essence. She chooses who carries powerful bloodlines, who receives certain gifts, and, in rare cases, who is given a second chance.”

My hands trembled around the clothes I’d gathered. “So you’re saying I just have to sit around and hope she feels sorry for me?”

“No. I’m saying there are things beyond even a healer’s control.”

I chuckled bitterly. “I’m done with your stupid pep talks.” I shoved my clothes against my chest. “I will restore my wolf.” I stared directly into her eyes. “And when I do, you will be the first person I visit.”

I stepped closer. “And you will rue that visit.”

Mom’s eyes widened. “Mia…”

But I was already turning away. I hurried into the inner room. My hands shook so badly that I struggled with my clothes. I wiped furiously at my cheeks when the first tear escaped, only for another to replace it.

I hated crying. I hated being weak. Most of all, I hated that my body felt so painfully empty.

Every werewolf was born with a wolf spirit. It wasn’t simply an animal living inside us. It was another consciousness bonded to our soul, a second instinct, a second voice, a part of ourselves that awakened during childhood.

Mine had been there for as long as I could remember. Until Wolfsbane took her away.

I finished dressing and walked back outside. I didn’t say goodbye. I simply walked out of the healer’s house.

I had no destination in mind. I just wanted to get away. Away from Mom’s worried eyes. Away from the healer’s pity. Away from everyone who might look at me and see what I’d become, Wolfless.

The word followed me like a shadow. I walked faster. Every person who passed me seemed to stare. Maybe they weren’t. Maybe it was all in my head. But every glance felt like a mockery.

I finally snapped.“What are you looking at?!”

The passerby flinched and hurried away. My breathing came faster. I kept walking. Then walking became running.

I left the busy street behind and followed a narrow pathway that disappeared between bushes. The sounds of the busy street gradually faded.

Finally, I was alone. I slowed down. My chest heaved as I bent forward, placing my hands on my knees. For the first time since leaving the healer’s house, I could breathe.

I lifted my face toward the sky. Five months, I’d returned to the pack five months ago. Five months since I’d left in search of a strong mate worthy of the wolf I carried.

I had been confident then. I had believed my wolf made me special, powerful, desirable. I had imagined finding a strong Alpha, forming a bond, and returning home with my head held high.

Instead, I’d returned wolfless. I’d gone from someone everyone admired to someone everyone whispered about. The healer had given me hope. She’d told me my wolf might still be somewhere inside me. That the bond might be damaged rather than completely destroyed.

So I’d swallowed every bitter herbal mixture she prepared. I’d endured every treatment. I’d prayed to the Moon Goddess. I waited, and waited, but nothing had changed.

I sank onto the damp ground. A sob tore from my throat. I covered my face with both hands as the tears finally came. I cried until my chest hurt, until my throat felt raw, until I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like myself.

Then I smelled something, an i froze. My hands slowly dropped from my face. The scent was sharp, wild, and feral.

I lifted my head. At first, I saw nothing but trees. Then two golden eyes appeared between the tall grass.

I froze, a wolf stood at the edge of the forest. It was enormous, its shoulders high and its dark fur bristling along its spine. Saliva hung from its bared teeth. Its chest rose and fell heavily. And its golden eyes were locked directly on me.

For several seconds, we simply stared at each other. My heart pounded so loudly that I could hear it in my ears. Then the wolf lowered its head, my stomach dropped. Its front paws scraped against the earth. He let out a  low growl.

I stumbled backward. The wolf’s lips curled farther, exposing more of its teeth.

I should have shifted, a survival instinct embedded in us, but I didn’t have that anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut and reached inward.

Desperately searching, there had always been a presence there. My wolf, my other half. A warm consciousness beneath my own thoughts. I reached for her the way I’d done thousands of times.

“Can you hear me?” I muttered, but I heard nothing. “Please…” I pressed a hand against my chest. “I know you’re still in there.”

Then, a vicious snarl ripped through the forest. My eyes flew open. The wolf lunged, it was coming straight for me.

I spun around and ran. Branches whipped across my face. Twigs snapped beneath my shoes as I tore through the dense pathway. My lungs began burning almost immediately, but fear drove me forward.

I could hear it behind me. Paws pounding against the earth. The faster I ran the closer it got. I risked a glance over my shoulder. The wolf was gaining.

I faced forward again and ran harder. I reached inward once more, forcing ng my body to shift, like it had always done.

Heat suddenly surged beneath my skin.

My fingers cramped. My bones seemed to tighten. A sharp pain shot down my spine.

I gasped, something stirred inside me.

My eyes widened, as hope exploded through my chest.

“Yes!” I almost laughed.

She was still there, I could feel her. I pushed harder.

“Come on!” I muttered with bated breath.

I expected claws to burst from my fingertips. Expected my bones to crack and reform as fur spread across my skin.

But… nothing happened, the sensation vanished. My body remained painfully, humiliatingly human. 

My heart sank. “No…” I stumbled. “No, no, no…”

A snarl erupted behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. It was almost upon me. Panic surged through me, and iran faster.

My shoe slipped against the damp earth. I crashed forward, catching myself before my face hit the ground.

“HELP!” I screamed.  “Somebody help me!”

It growled, Its paws thundered closer. I could almost feel its breath against my back.

Was this the end? My eyes burned with tears. I’d spent five months believing Wolfsbane hadn’t completely destroyed my wolf. I’d believed there was still something inside me. Something I could recover, if I found the right healer, the right medicine, the right ritual.

But now, with death charging toward me, all I could feel was emptiness. A frightened, helpless human.

“Please, Moon Goddess…” My voice trembled, tears blurring my vision. “Give me one more chance.”

I clasped my hands together as I ran. “I promise to be a good human. Just… don’t let this be my end!.

I could feel its paws thundering closer. I looked back one final time, it’s golden eyes narrowed, its body already coiled to strike. It leaped.

I screamed and threw my arms over my head.