Chapter 1 Failed Awakening

I am a half-wolf.

Today is my awakening ceremony-my last chance.

If my wolf refuses to come, what will become of me?

Mom always said that no matter what, I would always be her treasure. But to raise me in the pack, she endured too much.

As for my human father? A ghost no one even remembers.

***

Mom isn't here today.

Is it truly a coincidence... or did she not want to witness my failure?

I downed the awakening potion in one gulp and knelt before the Moon Goddess's altar, silent among the murmuring crowd, awaiting my fate.

Silence.

The torches on the walls flickered as a faint breeze swept through.

Then-

A surge of unfamiliar power rushed through me. In the darkness of my mind, a shadowy crimson wolf took shape-

But it stopped.

An invisible force bound it, dragging it back, tearing it away.

It let out a guttural, enraged snarl, its claws raking violently against the abyss. Its glowing green eyes locked onto mine, burning with fury, frustration, and pain.

No!

"Don't go!" I lunged forward, trying to grasp it, but my fingers closed around nothing but cold emptiness.

In the next heartbeat, it vanished. As if it had never existed.

"Awakening failed."

The elder's voice was cold, final. My last shred of hope shattered

"You really are something. The only Ravencroft in history who couldn't awaken."

Aunt Clare's heels clicked sharply against the stone floor, each step landing like a nail driven into my heart. She looked at me as if I were filth.

"And you still have the nerve to stand here?"

***

BANG-

The doors to the hall were thrown open.

A silver gown shimmered under the candlelight as Vivian strode in.

Her gaze, cold and arrogant, swept past me as if I were invisible. To her, only the strong were worth acknowledging. And I-I was nothing.

She was my cousin, born the same day as me, yet hailed as the prodigy of the Ravencroft family.

The elder offered her the awakening potion. She rejected it with a proud scoff and merely turned before closing her eyes.

And then-

A massive gray wolf tore through the void and emerged before everyone. The air surged outward, and the ladies in the front row instinctively held down their skirts.

It opened its crimson eyes, surveying the hall with quiet arrogance-just like Vivian.

The werewolves around us lowered their heads.

The elders sprang to their feet, their eyes blazing with excitement.

"Stormwolf spirit! A talent awakening?!"

"Vivian, my darling, I knew it-you're the best."

Aunt Clare rushed forward, embracing her daughter, tears streaming down her face.

"Mother." Vivian impatiently pushed her away.

She flexed her sharp claws, admiring them with a satisfied glint in her eyes. A slow, cruel smile curled her lips.

"Of course, I'm the best."

She lazily twirled a finger, her razor-sharp claws tracing a thin, gleaming arc through the air.

Her gaze landed on me, and she tilted her head, feigning innocence laced with venom.

"This wolf-less mutt and her filthy traitor of a mother-how much longer are they going to pollute our pack?"

"Pathetic! A useless freak who can't even awaken-why don't you crawl out of here already?"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

"Get out! Get out!"

The crowd's jeers rose, a sharp blend of excitement and ridicule.

My fingertips trembled slightly, but my gaze remained locked onto them.

"Shut up!"

I snapped my head up, my voice cutting through the frenzy.

I've never taken a single extra coin from this pack, and you've never given me a single meal for free! Don't think I don't know what you forced my mother to sacrifice."

My mother, Evelyn, traded her past achievements for a meager sum, raising me alone on the outskirts of town.

And you expect us to leave? Just because you say so?

I refuse.

"And you," I turned my piercing gaze onto Vivian, "what have you ever done for this pack? If not for my mother, you wouldn't even exist."

Vivian's smirk vanished.

"Heh..." Aunt Clare barely had time to put on her usual fake smile before-

A deafening alarm shattered the air.

"Enemy attack! It's Ashford!"

A bloodied wolf burst into the hall, staggering as he gasped for breath. His voice was hoarse, but his words were like a blade slicing through the tension-

"David needs reinforcements! That lunatic has already torn through our defenses!"

The hall plunged into dead silence. The air grew heavy. Muscles tensed.

Dominic Ashford.

The warlord of Silverpine Pack. The Silverflame Wolf. A name that turned battlefields into graveyards.

Since he took command, we had never won a single battle against them.

Where he walked, blood followed.

And now, his claws had ripped through our borders.

Why?

The elder's face darkened. "What does he want?"

The messenger wolf, trembling, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He swallowed hard before speaking-

"He said we broke the agreement. He's demanding that we confirm the blood pact hostage. Now."

A ripple of unease swept through the hall. Whispers, shifting glances-everyone was just as lost as I was.

Then, Magnus looked at me.

Just for a moment. Just long enough for my stomach to tighten. Then, with a quiet sigh, he turned to Vivian.

"We proceed with the original arrangement," he said. "The Alpha and the pack will remember your family's contribution."

For the first time, Aunt Clar didn't have a ready response.

Instead, she turned-just in time to see Vivian ripping the hem of her gown.

She grabbed her daughter's wrist. "What do you think you're doing?"

Vivian sneered, yanking her hand away. "What do you think? I have a wolf now! I'll put that bastard Ashford in his place and show him what the Ravencroft family is made of!"

She's insane.

Did she really think that a newly awakened wolf like her could take on Ashford-the warlord who has crushed every pack in the Eastern Territories?

Where the hell did she get this kind of confidence?

But... blood pact hostage?

What did that mean?

And why did Magnus just look at me like that?

Unexpectedly, the elder nodded.

"Good. That's the kind of spirit worthy of a Ravencroft."

He scanned the room and ordered, "All warriors, reinforce the frontlines immediately!"

Aunt Clare's lips pressed into a thin line. She had no choice but to comply.

Then, suddenly-

Her eyes flickered. A calculated, chilling glint flashed across them as she turned to me.

"You."

She lifted her chin, her gaze pressing down like a heavy weight.

"You're going with Vivian."

I frowned, a hint of caution rising within me.

What?

What was she planning? Aunt Clare had never let me stand beside the pack-so why now?

Vivian screeched. "What?! You're making me take a half-breed? That's disgusting!"

Aunt Clare just smiled. Sweet. Sickly. Poisonous.

"Even half-breeds have their uses... some more than others."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze dark and unreadable.

"Did you really think you could stay here without proving your worth? Foolish."