Chapter 1
The year I was meant to experience my first shift, my boyfriend stole my right to become Gamma and gave it to my sister, Sage Wilder.
Then, the two of them ran off.
The Calloways–the Alpha family who had taken me in and raised me–fell to their knees, begging me not to report their son and Sage to the Council. They reminded me of my debt to them, of how they had given me a home after my parents were murdered by rogue wolves, as if that justified their betrayal.
When pleading wasn’t enough, they resorted to force. They locked me in the pack’s storage den, starving me of food and water, all so Finn and Sage could share the Blood
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Moon Ritual together.
Left to die in the damp, hollow darkness, my wolf suppressed, my body weakened. The wounds from silver chains burned through me like fire, infection spreading with every breath. I was barely clinging to life when Ryder Calloway, the Alpha’s eldest son, snuck inside with a bowl of food and herbs.
“Amber, what they’ve done to you is unacceptable,” he panted, kneeling beside me, his golden gaze burning with outrage. “I told my parents–I will bring home no mate but you. Marry me, and I will give you the strength to take back what is rightfully yours. I will help you reclaim your birthright.”
I was too weak to question his motives. Too desperate to refuse. Touched by his words, I accepted his offer.
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I became his Luna.
During the day, I helped train young wolves for their first watch. At night, I pushed myself to exhaustion, determined to awaken the wolf inside me–the wolf that had been robbed of its first change.
Three full moons passed. Each time, I felt the shift coming, but something always stopped it.
I finally gave up.
Maybe I was never meant to change. Maybe I was meant to remain human, bound to the Calloway pack as Ryder’s mate–not as a warrior. Maybe I should accept my fate and devote myself to assisting him.
Until I overheard a conversation that shattered everything I believed.
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“Ryder, three moons have passed,” May voice trembled with anxiety. “Amber’s connection to her wolf grows stronger each day. Last time, she nearly shifted. Are you really not going to let her complete the transformation?”
Ryder’s response was swift and resolute. “Sage took Amber’s place in the academy. If Amber shifts, it’ll expose everything. For Sage’s sake, I can’t let that happen.”
His father sighed. “But Amber was always meant to change. She has Alpha blood in her veins. If we keep suppressing it, it will kill her.”
Ryder scoffed. “She’ll survive. She married me. I’m the Alpha. She’ll always be protected, fed, housed. That should be enough.”
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May’s voice shook. We’ve already damaged her once. If we do it again, there may be no coming back.”
Ryder remained unimpressed. “Enough.” His tone was cold, absolute. “Yes, I hurt her when I let Sage take her place in the academy. And yes, keeping her from shifting is cruel. But Sage is weak. Without the bond, she has nothing. Amber-” He let out a dry laugh. “She doesn’t need the wolf. She has
me.”
Then, he took a vial from his pocket–the suppressant elixir that had been corrupting my body, preventing my shift. He was going to pour it into my food.
I stood frozen in the doorway, a bowl of herbal tea trembling in my hands–tea I had prepared for him, believing I was helping. My gaze locked onto the vial, realization sinking
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in like a dagger.
This was why my wolf never came.
They had stolen her from me.
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