Chapter One: The Birthday Gift

Sophie’s POV

I hate the library's fluorescent lights. My head was already pounding as I tried to focus on my psych textbook, but the real headache was watching everyone do their usual thing - that subtle lean-away move when they walked past me. Yeah, being the wolf who can't smell is just as fun as it sounds.

Try being born without a sense of smell in a society that basically runs on it. Everyone else gets this whole secret language of scents, while I'm stuck reading micro-expressions and body language like some wannabe detective. The slight tension in shoulders, the barely-there dilation of pupils - these became my substitutes for all the messages I couldn't catch.

"Haven't seen you at pack gatherings lately, Sophie."

Great. Jessica. She planted her designer-everything ass at my table like she owned it, perfectly manicured nails tapping against the wood. Other students' eyes followed her every move because of course they did.

"Yeah, some of us actually need to study instead of riding daddy's connections," I muttered, highlighting another passage with maybe more force than necessary.

"Aww, the little psychology nerd has teeth." Her laugh could've curdled milk. "Though I hear you've been pretty busy with Adam from the football team?"

My grip tightened on the highlighter, but I kept my face neutral. Three months of dating Adam - my first relationship, and one I'd tried keeping quiet. Being an Omega was bad enough. Dating the star quarterback from another pack? That was just asking for drama.

"We're just study partners," I lied, knowing she could probably smell the bullshit but hoping she'd get bored and find someone else to torment.

"Sure, honey." Jessica's smile was all teeth. "Just remember - some wolves play with their food before eating it."

I watched her sashay away, rolling my eyes at her typical mean-girl drama. Before I could get back to my studying, my phone buzzed.

"Coming over after dinner and your shift tonight? 🌙" - Adam

My heart did that stupid little flutter. Tonight was my eighteenth birthday - the night I'd finally experience my first shift, becoming a real member of wolf society. I’d been holding onto this stupid, secret hope that maybe, just maybe, everything would change once I shifted. Even without a sense of smell, maybe I’d finally know if Adam was the one goddess had chosen for me. Mates were supposed to recognize each other through scent, but I’d always prayed there’d be something else—some spark, some sign I couldn’t ignore. I intended to figure that out tonight, so I could decide if taking that next step with Adam was really worth it.

"Yeah, should be around 9:30. Family dinner first." I texted back.

"Perfect 😉 Got something special planned for the birthday girl."

Hours later, as I walked through our empty house, my footsteps echoed against the hardwood floors. My Dad had left a note and some cash for dinner - he'd been called to an emergency pack meeting. Typical. Even on my eighteenth birthday, pack obligations came first.

I studied my reflection in the mirror, running my fingers over the silk dress that had eaten up my entire summer's savings. The pale blue color made me look less washed out than usual, and I'd spent nearly an hour trying to tame my dark brown hair into something that resembled the tutorials I'd watched. My hands had shaken so much while applying eyeliner that I'd had to start over twice, but at least I hadn't poked myself in the eye this time.

My phone chimed with a message from my psychology professor Dr. Wilson: "Internship assignment confirmed for tomorrow. High-security facility. Details to follow."

Whatever. Since Dad was gone, I might as well head to Adam's early. Tonight would change everything.

When I arrived an hour early at 8:30, his rented house was weirdly quiet. No lights showed through the windows, but Adam's stupid expensive Porsche was still in the driveway. My heart pounded as I approached the front door, finding it unlocked.

"Adam?" I called out softly, stepping into the darkened house. The silence felt wrong somehow, broken only by what sounded like muffled giggles from upstairs. My heart started beating faster, but I told myself I was being paranoid. "I know I'm early, but-"

A thud, followed by a distinctly feminine gasp that definitely wasn't from watching Netflix. Each step up the stairs felt like walking to my own execution. His bedroom door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open before I could stop myself.

Moonlight flooded through the window, illuminating the bed where Adam was tangled up with Katie from the cheerleading squad. They broke apart at my entrance, but neither looked particularly surprised or embarrassed.

"Sophie." Adam's voice held more annoyance than guilt. "You're early."

Katie smirked as she sat up, not bothering to cover herself. "Oh my god, is this your virgin psychologist? The one who can't even smell properly?"

I stumbled backwards, my hand groping for the doorframe to steady myself. That's when I saw it - a silver frame catching the moonlight on his dresser. Through the blur of tears I refused to let fall, the image seemed to mock me: Adam at what must have been his high school graduation, standing next to a man who had to be his father - they had the same jaw, but where Adam's features held a boyish charm, his father's penetrating gaze sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. Even in this simple family photo, there was something dangerous and compelling in those eyes, something that made me pause for a split second before Adam's voice yanked me back to reality.

"Goddess, Sophie," Adam sneered, pulling on his jeans. "Did you really think I'd wait forever? Playing the perfect little virgin while I'm supposed to just...what? Jerk off to your psychology textbooks?" He laughed, cruel and sharp. "At least Katie knows what guys actually need."

"Go fuck yourself," I spat, my voice shaking. "Both of you."

I turned and walked out, my legs somehow steady despite the trembling in my chest. Behind me, I heard Katie's mocking laugh and Adam's dismissive "Whatever."

My phone buzzed again as I reached my car - another message about tomorrow's internship, but I couldn't focus on the words through my tears. I drove home in a daze, parking in my empty driveway. Dad was still at his precious pack meeting. Perfect.

I stumbled up to my room, collapsing on my bed as the first waves of pain hit. My eighteenth birthday, my first shift - it was supposed to be special, celebrated. Instead, I curled into a ball, alone, as my bones began to crack and reshape themselves. Every werewolf's first transformation was agony, they said, but going through it alone, with a broken heart?

That was a special kind of hell.

Hours later, as I lay exhausted in my now-shredded dress, my phone lit up with one final message from my professor. Something about my internship. But I couldn't care less about it. Tonight had proven once again what I'd always known - I didn't truly belong in either world.