Maya burst through her front door, tears streaming down her face. Her lungs burned from running all the way home. She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it, trying to catch her breath.
"Maya?" Her mother appeared from the kitchen, concern washing over her face. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Maya lied, wiping her tears quickly. "I'm fine."
Her father emerged from his study, frowning. "You don't look fine."
Maya tried to push past them toward the stairs, but her mother gently caught her arm. The touch sent a wave of comfort through Maya, momentarily calming the storm inside her.
"Sit down," her mother said softly. "I think it's time we talked."
Something in her mother's tone made Maya freeze. "About what?"
Her parents exchanged a look that made Maya's stomach twist with dread.
"Come," her father said, guiding her to the living room couch. "This conversation is overdue."
Maya sat between her parents, her heart hammering against her ribs. The moonstone necklace felt heavy against her chest, almost burning her skin.
"You met your mate today, didn't you?" her mother asked quietly.
Maya's head snapped up. "How did you know?"
Her father sighed deeply. "We've been expecting this. When a wolf turns eighteen, the mate bond awakens."
"No," Maya shook her head fiercely. "You don't understand. It can't be him. It's impossible."
"Liam," her mother said. It wasn't a question.
Maya's eyes widened. "You knew? You knew all along he was my mate?"
Her father ran a hand through his graying hair. "We suspected. The way you two always clashed... sometimes the strongest bonds start with the most friction."
"But he's awful!" Maya jumped to her feet. "He's a bully! He hurts people! How can someone like that be my mate?"
"Fate doesn't always make sense to us," her mother said gently. "But the mate bond exists for a reason."
Maya touched the moonstone necklace. "Is this part of it? This necklace – did you give it to me knowing it would trigger the bond?"
Her parents looked at each other again, and Maya knew she'd hit on something important.
"The necklace belonged to your grandmother," her mother explained. "It's passed down to females in our family when they turn eighteen. It doesn't create the bond, but it... helps reveal it."
"So you tricked me," Maya whispered, hurt flooding through her.
"No, sweetheart," her father said. "We prepared you. The mate bond is sacred in our pack. It's the foundation of our strongest leadership pairs."
Maya's mind raced. "That woman in the forest – the one with silver hair – she said she could help me 'manage' the bond. What did she mean?"
Her parents tensed instantly.
"You spoke to her?" her father demanded, suddenly alert. "What else did she say?"
"Nothing much, because Liam showed up and scared her off." Maya frowned at their reaction. "Who is she?"
"Elara," her mother whispered, fear lacing her voice. "She's dangerous, Maya. Promise me you'll stay away from her."
"Why? She's the only one offering to help me! Everyone else just wants me to accept being tied to Liam forever!"
Her father stood, his expression grave. "Elara was banished from our pack years ago. She practices forbidden rituals that tamper with mate bonds. Whatever she offered you would come at a terrible price."
Maya felt trapped between impossible choices. "So that's it? I'm just supposed to accept Liam as my mate? I get no choice?"
"The choice is always yours," her mother said softly. "But rejecting a mate bond has consequences, Maya. Physical pain. Emotional turmoil for both of you."
"I don't care," Maya declared, even as her heart ached at the memory of Liam's face when she'd rejected him. "I won't be bound to someone who hurts others."
Her father's expression softened. "Perhaps there's more to Liam than you know. Have you ever wondered why he acts the way he does?"
"Because he's entitled and cruel!" Maya shot back.
"Or because he's been raised by Alpha Marcus," her mother suggested quietly. "A man known for his harsh methods."
Maya paused, remembering moments when she'd glimpsed something vulnerable in Liam's eyes. The wolf outside her window. The shock on his face when they'd touched.
"I can't," she whispered. "I just can't."
The moonstone flared with sudden heat against her skin. Maya gasped, clutching it.
"What's happening?" she asked, panic rising in her throat.
"The bond is strengthening," her father explained. "Fighting it only makes the pull stronger."
Maya backed away from her parents, toward the door. "I need air. I need to think."
"Maya, wait—" her mother called, but Maya was already out the door.
She ran blindly, not caring where she went. The forest welcomed her, dark trees closing around her like protective arms. Maya didn't stop until she reached the small creek where she used to play as a child.
Dropping to her knees beside the water, Maya stared at her reflection. Her eyes flashed gold – her wolf stirring close to the surface, drawn out by her turmoil.
"Why him?" she whispered to the universe. "Anyone but him."
A twig snapped behind her. Maya whirled around, expecting to see Liam or her parents.
Instead, Caleb stepped into the clearing.
"Maya? Are you okay? I've been looking everywhere for you."
Relief washed over her. Caleb was safe. Familiar. Uncomplicated.
"No," she admitted as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm not okay."
Caleb knelt beside her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "What happened? After training, you disappeared."
"It's Liam," Maya whispered. "He's my mate."
Caleb's arm stiffened around her. "What?"
"I can feel it. My parents confirmed it. He's my fated mate, and I'm supposed to just accept it."
Caleb was quiet for so long that Maya looked up at him. His face had hardened into an expression she'd never seen before.
"You don't have to accept anything," he finally said, his voice tight. "There are ways to break mate bonds."
Maya's eyes widened. "There are?"
"Yes." Caleb's gaze was intense. "That woman who appeared today – Elara – she knows ancient rituals. She could help you."
"You know her?"
Caleb hesitated before nodding. "I've heard stories. She's powerful."
"My parents said she's dangerous."
"Only to those who want to control you." Caleb took her hands in his. "Maya, you deserve to choose your own destiny. Your own mate."
The way he looked at her made Maya's heart flutter, but differently than with Liam. This was gentler, safer.
"What are you saying?" she asked softly.
"I'm saying I care about you. I always have." Caleb leaned closer. "I could take you to Elara. We could find a way to break your bond with Liam."
Maya's mind spun with possibilities. Could she really escape the mate bond? Choose her own path?
Before she could answer, a howl echoed through the forest – a sound filled with such raw pain that Maya gasped. She knew instantly it was Liam.
The moonstone blazed against her skin. Images flashed through her mind – Liam alone in the forest, his body contorted in pain, fighting the transformation while clutching his chest.
She could feel his agony as if it were her own.
"He's hurting," she whispered, pressing a hand to her heart.
"It's the rejection," Caleb said, his voice oddly detached. "It'll pass."
Maya wasn't sure. The pain she felt from Liam seemed too intense, too desperate.
Another howl cut through the night, closer this time.
"He's coming," Caleb said, standing quickly. "We should go."
"Go where?"
"To Elara. Now, while we have the chance."
Maya hesitated, torn between running from her fate and the inexplicable urge to find Liam, to ease his pain.
"Maya, please," Caleb urged, offering his hand. "Trust me."
As Maya reached for Caleb's hand, the bushes behind them exploded. A massive black wolf burst into the clearing, eyes blazing gold, teeth bared in a snarl.
Liam.
He'd fully shifted, something that rarely happened outside the full moon. His focus wasn't on Maya but on Caleb, a growl rumbling from his chest that made the ground vibrate.
Maya stepped between them instinctively. "Liam, don't!"
The wolf's eyes met hers, and the connection between them surged like electricity. Maya felt his rage, his pain, his... fear?
"He's dangerous right now," Caleb warned, pulling Maya back. "He's not thinking clearly. The rejection has made him feral."
The wolf growled louder at Caleb's touch on Maya.
Suddenly, silver moonlight flooded the clearing as clouds parted overhead. The black wolf threw back his head and howled – a sound so filled with anguish that Maya's heart cracked.
The moonstone around her neck pulsed in time with the howl, growing brighter until it seemed to draw the moonlight itself into its depths.
Maya felt a strange pulling sensation in her chest, as if something was being torn from her. The world tilted sideways, and she stumbled.
"Maya!" Caleb cried out, catching her before she fell.
The black wolf lunged forward, but froze mid-leap as Maya screamed in sudden, blinding pain.
"What's happening to me?" she gasped, clutching the moonstone.
Neither Caleb nor the wolf had time to respond before a melodic voice cut through the clearing.
"The bond is breaking," Elara said, stepping from the shadows, her silver hair glowing in the moonlight. "And soon, you'll both wish it hadn't."