Julia's POV
No one remembered my eighteenth birthday.
I stared at the kitchen ceiling as I listened to my family bustling around downstairs, preparing for another normal Tuesday. My eighteenth birthday—the day every werewolf waits for, when I would finally awaken my wolf and become a full member of the pack—and it might as well have been any other day.
It wasn't really surprising. Three days ago, we'd celebrated Eric's twenty-first birthday with a massive party. My parents had transformed our backyard into party central, with fairy lights, a DJ, and enough food to feed half the pack. Eric, the golden child, the future warrior, the high school football coach at just twenty-one, deserved nothing less.
I rolled out of bed and caught my reflection in the mirror. At least the baby fat that had plagued me throughout childhood was gone. My face had thinned out in high school, but it was too late—the damage to my social life was already done. "Chubby Julie" had stuck, even if the chubbiness hadn't.
"Julia! You're going to be late!" Mom called from downstairs.
With a sigh, I grabbed my backpack, stuffing my herbal notebook inside. My little passion project—cataloging medicinal herbs that could help werewolves with various ailments. Not that anyone cared about that in our traditional pack, where brawn was valued over brains. My dream of becoming a nurse was met with indifference at best, outright dismissal at worst.
In the kitchen, Dad was glued to his phone, probably handling Beta duties. Mom handed me a piece of toast as my younger sister Sophia flipped through Instagram, occasionally showing Dad a photo and getting a distracted "Mmm-hmm" in response.
"Morning," I said, testing the waters. Maybe they were planning a surprise?
"You're late," Mom replied, not looking up from packing lunches. "I need you to pick up milk on your way home."
So much for surprises.
Eric strolled in, gym bag over his shoulder. "Dad, I'm taking some of the younger guys for extra training tonight. Cool?"
Dad nodded approvingly. "Good initiative, son."
"Can I get a ride to school?" Sophia asked Eric, already grabbing her designer backpack. "Megan's posting about Nathan's new car and I want to see it firsthand."
Nathan Reynolds. Future Alpha of the Star Shadow pack. Star athlete. Universally adored. And the bane of my existence since elementary school.
"Better hurry," Eric told me with a smirk. "Bus leaves in ten."
The door slammed behind them, leaving me alone with my distracted parents and my untouched birthday.
"It's my birthday," I said quietly. "I'm eighteen today."
Mom looked up briefly. "Oh! Happy birthday, sweetheart. We'll do something this weekend, okay? With Eric's party just finished, I haven't had time to plan anything."
Dad glanced up from his phone. "Eighteen, huh? Big day. Your wolf will come tonight." He gave me an awkward pat on the shoulder. "Be careful during the shift. First time can be rough."
That was it. The acknowledgment of my transformation into a full werewolf—something every wolf awaited their entire life—reduced to a passing comment and a shoulder pat.
"Thanks," I muttered, grabbing my backpack. "I'll get the milk."
---
School was its usual gauntlet of social landmines. I kept my head down, dodging the popular crowd's notice as I hurried to my locker. My grades were excellent—not that it mattered in a culture that valued physical prowess over academic achievement.
Halfway through morning classes, I felt a strange flutter in my chest—a warm presence stirring where there had been nothing before.
*Hello?* The voice was faint but distinctly feminine, curious and tentative.
I froze in my seat, pen hovering over my notebook. That voice wasn't external—it had come from inside my head.
*Who are you?* I thought back, trying not to visibly react while my calculus teacher droned on about derivatives.
*I'm Kaia,* the voice replied, slightly stronger now. *I'm your wolf.*
My wolf. Awakening hours before the typical midnight shift on an eighteenth birthday. I'd heard stories of this happening, but it was rare—wolves usually emerged during the night of an eighteenth birthday, not during calculus class.
*Why are you here so early?* I asked, my heart racing with both excitement and anxiety.
*Today is important,* Kaia replied simply. *I needed to be here.*
Throughout the day, I felt Kaia stirring, becoming more present, though she remained mostly quiet. Occasionally she'd comment on something—the smell of the cafeteria food (disgusting), the behavior of the other students (confusing), or the plants I'd sketched in my notebook (interesting).
Having her with me made me feel less alone, even as I navigated the hallways by myself, invisible to most of my classmates. For the first time in years, I didn't feel quite so lonely on my birthday.
Lunchtime found me sitting alone as usual. The cafeteria buzzed with typical high school drama, but this year had been mercifully more peaceful than the previous ones. With Nathan having graduated last year, I'd been granted a reprieve from his daily torments.
But just as I unwrapped my sandwich, Megan—Sophia's friend and the pack's most dedicated gossip—squealed loudly from two tables over.
"Nathan's coming to campus today!" she announced to her eager audience. "He texted me that he's picking up some paperwork and wanted to say hi to his favorite people."
*Who's Nathan?* Kaia asked curiously.
*Someone we don't want to meet,* I replied, already gathering my things.
The past year without Nathan at school had been my only taste of peace. As the daughter of the current Beta, I knew that after graduation, I'd be forced into pack activities where avoiding him would be impossible. My only escape plan was the stack of college applications I'd secretly submitted to nursing programs—all of them far from Star Shadow territory.
"I heard he's asking about graduation dates," Megan continued, her voice carrying. "Probably planning which girls to invite to his summer parties."
That was my cue. I quickly grabbed my backpack and headed for the back hill behind the school. The last thing I wanted on my birthday was a run-in with Nathan Reynolds.
The hill was peaceful, empty of students who preferred the cafeteria social scene. I pulled out my herbal notebook and began sketching a plant I'd found last weekend. A small brown rabbit hopped up beside me, curious and unafraid.
"Hey there," I whispered, offering it a piece of my apple. "At least you're not judging me for being the weird herb girl."
*Rabbit!* Kaia suddenly perked up, her presence strengthening within me. *Chase!*
The rabbit tensed, sensing the predator awakening inside me, then bolted. Without thinking, I sprang up and chased after it, my wolf's instincts taking over. I followed it into the wooded area behind the school, focused entirely on the small creature.
*This is fun!* Kaia's joy bubbled through me as we ran. For a moment, I forgot about my forgotten birthday, about being invisible, about everything except the thrill of the chase.
I was so distracted I didn't see the person in my path until I slammed right into a solid chest. Strong hands gripped my upper arms to steady me, and I looked up into the coldest eyes I'd ever seen.
Nathan Reynolds. Of course it would be him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't—" I began.
But the words died in my throat as our eyes locked. Something shifted in the air between us, an electric current that jolted through my entire body. Kaia, who had been a gentle presence all day, suddenly roared to life within me.
*MATE!* she howled in ecstasy.
"Mate!" The word escaped my lips at the exact same moment it fell from Nathan's.
