1

The night air carried the scent of pine and damp earth as Selene Nightshade trudged through the outskirts of Shadowfang territory. The soft glow of the full moon bathed the forest in silver light, casting long shadows through the thick foliage. Tonight was supposed to be different. Tonight was supposed to be the night her life finally changed.

Her twenty-first birthday had arrived, the age when every unmated wolf felt the first stirrings of their mate bond, a golden thread of fate connecting them to their destined partner. Except Selene wasn’t like the others. She never had been.

She paused at the edge of the riverbank, watching as the water glistened like liquid moonlight. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the crisp, cool air, trying to quell the unease gnawing at her chest. She had no pack. No wolf. No future.

For years, she had watched other wolves shift effortlessly under the moon, embracing the call of their animal instincts. She had witnessed her childhood friends find their mates, one by one, their lives forever entwined in fated love. Yet, Selene remained unchanged.

A ghost among wolves.

“Still waiting for a miracle, Nightshade?”

The voice was sharp, laced with mockery, and all too familiar. Selene turned to find Bianca Thornfield, one of the high-ranking females of the Shadowfang Pack, standing a few feet away with a smug smirk on her lips. Her golden hair gleamed under the moonlight, and her posture screamed confidence.

Selene squared her shoulders, refusing to shrink under Bianca’s piercing gaze. “Just enjoying the night.”

Bianca scoffed. “You mean waiting to see if you’ll finally feel the bond? Hate to break it to you, but fate doesn’t favor the weak.”

Selene’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t respond. There was no point. The entire pack viewed her as an anomaly—a wolf who had never shifted, an orphan without a bloodline, a useless burden.

“I’d say ‘Happy Birthday,’” Bianca continued, flipping her hair over her shoulder, “but what’s the point? Nothing’s going to change for you.”

With that, she turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving Selene alone with the weight of her doubts.

She exhaled, closing her eyes. Maybe Bianca was right. Maybe nothing would change. Maybe she would remain invisible forever.

Then it happened.

A searing pain erupted through her chest, forcing her to her knees. Her vision blurred as an unseen force wrapped around her body, burning, suffocating. She gasped, clawing at the earth beneath her, her heart pounding like a war drum.

What was happening?

A powerful pull—like an invisible chain—tugged at her soul, yanking her forward, toward something unseen. Her breath hitched as the air around her thickened, crackling with energy.

And then she felt it.

Not one. Not two.

Three.

Three bonds, golden threads of fate searing into her soul, claiming her in an instant.

Selene gasped as images flooded her mind—golden eyes burning with dominance, stormy grays filled with mischief, deep emeralds haunted by shadows.

Three wolves. Three mates.

And all of them had just felt it too.

Alec Stormbane. The ruthless Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack.

Kael Raventhorn. The rogue prince whose name was whispered in fear.

Lucian Vale. The healer with hands that mended wounds but a heart wrapped in ice.

The moment the bonds snapped into place, Selene knew.

Her life would never be the same again.