The soft morning light filtered through the thin curtains of the room, warming Eliza's face. Outside, the birds sang in harmony with the light wind that danced among the trees of the forest. It was a normal day for many... but not for her.

Eliza stretched in bed, still with her eyes closed, feeling her heart beat faster. She knew, she felt in the depths of her soul that something was different, special. It was the full moon that was approaching, and that night, she would turn eighteen, the day when she would finally meet her wolf.

The door opened with a light push and an animated voice invaded the room:

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" said Caio, her older brother, with a smile that lit up his face. "Today is the big day!"

Eliza opened her eyes, laughing as she saw him come in with a small, improvised cake and two lit candles.

"Happy birthday, pest," he said, placing the cake on the dresser and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Eighteen years old... you're finally going to meet the other part of you."

She sat up, her eyes shining with emotion.

"I can hardly believe it. I've waited for this moment my whole life."

Caio watched her affectionately. Although he tried to appear relaxed, there was pride in his gaze. He had raised Eliza since their parents died, protecting the pack. Seeing her get there, strong, determined, was his greatest achievement.

"Mary must be coming already. The way she is, I bet she'll arrive screaming," he commented, laughing.

Eliza laughed too, knowing it was true. Mary, her best friend, was also turning eighteen that day. The two had always dreamed of experiencing this moment together, and now it had finally arrived: meeting their wolves and perhaps their mates.

"Are you nervous?" Caio asked.

"A little," she admitted. "What if my wolf doesn't like me? What if I'm not strong enough?"

Caio held her face with both hands, seriously.

"Eliza, you are stronger than anyone I have ever known. Your wolf will be proud of who you are, and so am I."

She smiled, feeling her heart warm. Nothing else mattered. That night would change her life forever.

And the moon goddess was already watching everything from above, smiling at the destiny she had traced, a destiny that neither Eliza, nor Caio, nor anyone could imagine.

Before Eliza could respond to her brother, the front door was thrown open and a familiar voice echoed through the house:

"ELIZAAA! Where are you, moon girl?!"

Eliza and Caio laughed together.

"I told you," he commented, getting up.

Mary entered the room without asking permission, as she always did. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she wore a loose blouse with the pack's symbol printed on her chest. There was a sparkle in her eyes and a smile impossible to ignore.

"Today is the day!" she exclaimed, jumping on the bed next to Eliza. "Are you ready? Because I'm nervous like I've never been in my life!"

"And you think I'm not?" Eliza replied, laughing and hugging her friend. "I've dreamed about this so many times... Today everything changes, Mary."

"Yes! Today we become real wolves," Mary said proudly, then winked at Caio. "And what do we have for breakfast, brother owl?"

"Improvised birthday cake and wild berry juice," he replied with a smile. "The official transformation menu."

The three laughed, and for a moment, everything seemed light, just another birthday, another sunny morning. But deep down, they all knew that that night would bring more than they expected.

"Shall we go to the lake later?" suggested Mary. "Just the two of us, like when we were kids. We can talk, calm down... prepare our souls."

Eliza nodded. The hidden lake in the forest had been their refuge since they were little, a sacred place where they always felt closer to the moon goddess.

"Yes, let's go," said Eliza, determined. "I want to be at peace when she arrives."

Caio watched the two with a mixed feeling of pride and concern. He knew that the awakening of a wolf could be intense, transformative... and painful. But he believed in them. Eliza was like her parents, made of courage, fire, and loyalty.

And as the sun rose in the sky, marking the beginning of the day, the moon watched them, silently, waiting for its moment to shine.

The day passed faster than Eliza expected. After breakfast with Caio and Mary, she barely had time to breathe. The older women of the pack were already waiting for her at the matriarch's house, where preparations for the ceremony had begun since sunrise.

"Eliza! Come in, dear," called Yara, one of the pack's advisors, with her welcoming smile and hands always busy with herbs and sacred fabrics.

The interior of the house was filled with strong aromas: lavender, sage, myrrh. In the center, a circle of moonstones shone with a faint but constant glow. It was there that the young women would kneel at night, under the open sky, to receive the goddess's call.

"Today you will be marked," said Yara, approaching with a small silver container in her hands. "Not only as a wolf, but as a woman of the Golden Mist. This is a rebirth, Eliza, and you must be ready in body, mind, and spirit."

Eliza nodded, feeling a chill in her stomach. Mary soon entered behind her, with her eyes wide with excitement. Both were guided to ritual baths with herbs, in a warm spring protected by the elders. There, in silence, they washed themselves, while prayers were murmured to the goddess.

When they came out, they were dressed in light white fabric tunics, embroidered with lunar symbols. The clothes seemed simple, but they carried the weight of tradition. Each line, each seam, had meaning.

"These tunics are only worn by those who are about to unite with their wolf," explained Yara as she braided Eliza's hair with small silver feathers. "And at the end of the transformation, you will burn them, leaving behind everything you were until today."

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon when Caio arrived to pick up Eliza. She was different, her eyes shining with expectation, and an ancient energy seemed to surround her. Mary also radiated emotion, although she couldn't stop biting her nails.

"You look beautiful," said Caio, looking at his sister with a silent pride.

Eliza walked to him and held his hand.

"Thank you for everything, Caio. If I'm ready today, it's because you never let me give up."

He just hugged her tight, swallowing his emotions.

"Let's go. The clearing awaits us, and the moon... too."

Eliza, 18 years old

Caio, 25 years old, Eliza's brother

Mary, 18 years old, Eliza's best friend

The sacred clearing was silent when Eliza arrived with Caio and Mary, the surrounding trees seemed taller, older, as if they had witnessed hundreds of transformations before them. In the center, a large circle of white stones pulsed with a soft light, reflecting the full moon that already shone in the clear sky.

Eliza's heart beat fast, each step on the soft grass sounded like a drum in the silence of the night. Mary walked beside her, more nervous than ever, squeezing her hand tightly.

The two knelt before the sacred circle. Behind them were Caio and Mary's parents, and an elder who chanted in a language Eliza did not understand, but which made her body vibrate. The energy there was almost visible.

It was then that she felt it.

As if a warm breeze crossed the clearing, the moonlight descended intensely, focusing solely on her. Eliza raised her eyes, surprised, and the world seemed to stop. A warmth invaded her chest, and she gasped, bringing her hand to the place where she felt something strange.

Above her left breast, a mark appeared.

A perfect circle, red as freshly spilled blood, began to shine on her skin as if it had been drawn by the moonlight itself. It didn't hurt, it was warm, pulsating... alive.

Eliza looked at Caio, frightened, but before she could call his name, a sudden pain took over her body.

"AAH!" she screamed, bending over herself.

The air around her vibrated, and an ancestral howl echoed in the depths of her soul. She fell to her knees, gasping, as her vision darkened for seconds.

The transformation had begun.

Every bone in her body seemed to rearrange itself. The pain was immense, but at the same time, liberating. Her senses expanded. She smelled the wet earth, heard the flapping of an owl's wings hundreds of meters away. Her eyes turned golden for a moment before closing completely.

And then... she heard the voice.

"Eliza..."

It was soft, feminine, strong, and full of power.

"I am Aura, your wolf. I am with you now. Feel, accept. We are one."

Eliza could not respond with words, but within her, everything made sense. She recognized Aura as part of herself, as if she had always been there, just waiting to be released.

Her skin was tinged with silver light, and in the place where she had been kneeling, a magnificent she-wolf appeared with long fur, pearly white with golden nuances under the moonlight. She was graceful, firm, powerful, and very large, as Caio had never seen such a large she-wolf.

The clearing silenced.

All eyes were on her. Even the elders interrupted their chants, impressed.

But Eliza saw no one else. She felt full, whole. Aura pulsed within her, howling to the sky with a sound that seemed to echo to the ends of the world.

And although she still did not know the meaning of the mark on her chest, she felt that it would change everything.

Including her destiny.

Eliza's howl still echoed softly in the clearing when everyone turned their eyes to Mary. She trembled not with fear, but with emotion. Witnessing the transformation of her best friend had ignited something within her. Her heart beat erratically, and her eyes sparkled with the light of the full moon.

Guided by one of the elders, Mary took a step forward and entered the circle of stones.

As soon as she knelt, the moon shone on her body intensely, almost as it had done with Eliza, but differently. The light around her seemed to ripple, as if reflecting two distinct tones. And then came the pain. Mary bent over, squeezing her chest as she groaned.

Caio, who was still watching Eliza's she-wolf with teary eyes, turned at the sound. A shiver ran down his spine. There was something... wrong, or rather, something powerful happening.

Mary's body began to transform violently, her bones cracking, her eyes turning from a common green to an emerald golden tone. Her fur emerged in waves, black as night with vivid golden markings on her paws, back, and around her eyes. She was a blended she-wolf, a sign of balance between strength and wisdom.

And then, when her she-wolf was finally complete, her head raised to the moon, her eyes met Caio's.

The world stopped.

She felt a warmth take over her chest, an absolute certainty. There was no doubt, this was not just admiration or friendship. It was the bond, that ancient, indestructible bond, the call of the soul.

"Felon..." - her she-wolf's voice echoed in her mind - "you are ours."

Caio took a step back, his eyes wide. He felt the same. An invisible force pulled him to her. His inner wolf, dormant until that moment, roared in recognition.

"No... it can't be..." he whispered, confused, looking at Mary.

The she-wolf approached, slowly, her eyes fixed on him. When she rubbed her snout against his leg, Caio shuddered and it was true.

"It's you..." he murmured, kneeling, bringing his hand to her face, now in she-wolf form. "You are mine..."

In the clearing, a new howl arose, not of pain or transformation, but of union.

Destiny had spoken.

Mary, Eliza's inseparable friend, had found her soulmate, and he was her best friend's brother.

The moon was beginning to rise even higher in the sky when Eliza, already in her she-wolf form, felt the right moment. Aura, now part of her, guided her with calm and pride. Slowly, the moonlight enveloped her body again, and the transformation back was as serene as the previous one was intense.

She fell to her knees in the center of the clearing, her body covered by a white tunic that the elders had left for the human return. Gasping, but smiling, she felt more alive than ever. The connection with Aura was something that words could not explain.

When her eyes refocused, she saw something unexpected.

Mary, in her blended she-wolf form, was standing before Caio. The brother, who had always been firm and protective, seemed shaken, kneeling, with his hands on her face. His eyes were teary, but not with pain.

With love.

Eliza frowned, approaching slowly. Before she could speak, the she-wolf moved away from Caio, taking a few steps back. And then, like her, Mary began to return to human form.

The moonlight enveloped her friend, and soon there she was naked, but covered by the tunic given by the elders, with her hair loose, her eyes shining with emotion, and a new aura around her body.

Eliza approached, confused.

"Mary...? What was that? What happened?"

Mary hesitated for a second, but then, with a choked voice, replied:

"Caio... is my mate, Eliza."

Eliza's world spun for a moment. She looked from Mary's face to her brother's, who was standing, firm, but clearly emotional.

"Your... what?" she whispered.

Caio took a step forward.

"I felt it too, as soon as she transformed, my wolf woke up completely, the bond formed instantly, and when I saw Liz I swear I didn't expect it."

Eliza brought her hand to her heart, trying to assimilate.

Her best friend.

Her brother.

Mates.

For a moment, she was silent. Then, to the surprise of both, she smiled.

"The goddess really likes to play with our destinies..." she said, taking a deep breath. "But if she decided that you belong to each other, who am I to disagree?"

Mary ran to her, hugging her tightly. Eliza reciprocated, laughing through tears.

And in that instant, under the serene gaze of the full moon, three hearts beat in harmony.

But no one there imagined that the night was far from over.

For in the shadows of the forest, watching the scene in silence, was Lucas. He didn't see Eliza's she-wolf, he only felt the connection, and when he arrived, he saw her in her human form and rejected her right there without even talking to her. He refused to accept her.

And when his eyes landed on Eliza... something inside him broke.

Or rather, something was awakened.

The rhythmic sound of blows echoed in the training field, Lucas's body moved with precision and strength, each punch on the wooden trunk reflecting years of preparation as an alpha in ascension, he trained more than anyone else, demanding the most from himself, never lowering his guard, never allowing himself to fail.

But that morning, at the height of his concentration, something destabilized him.

A sweet, intense, warm as the sun, soft as petals in the wind scent, he stopped for a second, his fist suspended in the air, he inhaled again, his wolf stirred, roaring inside as if wanting to get out.

"Not now, calm down Klaus."

He pushed the thought away, pushed the scent away and needed to focus, he didn't want to be distracted even more by what that could mean, it couldn't be...

Throughout the day, he did everything to ignore it, went to the forest to run, practiced strategies with the elders, even isolated himself on the top of the hill to meditate, but the scent came back persistent as a whisper that couldn't be silenced.

When the sun set, Lucas was already restless.

The night fell with a bright silver full moon and then everything changed.

The scent became stronger, closer, more... unbearably necessary.

His wolf roared inside him, demanding that he go after it, his body acted alone, he ran through the forest as if the winds themselves guided him, each step took him closer and when he felt he was meters away, he stopped.

He hid behind tall trees, where the clearing could be partially seen.

And then he saw her.

A huge white she-wolf, as bright as the moon beside her, a mixed she-wolf emerging in her first transformation and among them, familiar faces, young betas from the middle lineage of the pack, good but common people.

And there she was, the source of that scent that drove him crazy, the white she-wolf so simple, so serene.

He knew it right away.

His mate.

His wolf moaned with desire and belonging, but Lucas clenched his fists.

"No..." he murmured to himself, angrily.

He was the next alpha, someone destined to lead, to carry the weight of the pack on his shoulders, his mate should be strong, of noble blood, an alpha female, not a she-wolf of beta lineage, no matter how beautiful she was.

And yet... there he was, hidden in the shadows, like a hungry wolf, unable to look away.

He watched as she talked to other young people, laughing, his heart squeezed not from desire, but from something greater.

Bond.

Unable to bear it any longer, he turned his back and left silently without anyone noticing his presence.

But his mind still echoed with the memory of that she-wolf, that light, that scent.

His destiny had just been revealed.

And he wasn't prepared to accept it.

Lucas ran through the forest until he couldn't take it anymore, the wind hit his face, the trees became blurs, but nothing could erase what he felt, when he finally stopped, panting on top of an isolated hill, he fell to his knees there, surrounded by the silent night, he finally faced what he was avoiding.

"You saw, Klaus..." he murmured, with his eyes closed. "You know what she is."

His wolf, normally contained, growled inside him, Klaus's presence was intense now, so alive that it almost seemed he could see him, a large lupine figure, with bright eyes and an imposing posture, walking inside his mind.

"She is ours."

Klaus's voice sounded deep, firm as the earth itself, "She is our mate, the bond is made, there is no denying it."

Lucas stood up, clenching his fists.

"She is from the beta lineage, how can you expect me to accept that? I am the next alpha! I need someone strong, someone who inspires respect by my side."

"She is strong."

Klaus growled, his eyes flaming.

"You saw her, the moonlight chose her, I felt the power in her, she will be more than you expect, more than you deserve, perhaps."

Lucas stepped away, frustrated, his steps marked the ground like those of a trapped animal, he knew the bond was real, he knew what he felt when he saw her, but he refused to accept that the moon goddess, capricious as always, would unite him to a she-wolf who did not meet his requirements.

"I can't, I don't want to, I won't!"

Klaus was silent for a moment, a heavy, sad silence.

"If you do this..." he said finally, "it will destroy us."

Lucas closed his eyes, letting the air escape slowly.

"If that's what it takes to follow my path, so be it."

He raised his face to the moon, now almost in the center of the sky, and with a firm whisper, declared:

"I, Lucas, alpha in ascension of the Golden Mist Pack, reject my mate, may the bond be broken, may the goddess take away what should never have been given."

For a moment, everything was silent.

And then, a sound tore through the night.

A howl.

Not coming from the forest, not coming from another wolf.

It was from within.

Klaus.

His howl was pure pain, a lament that echoed through Lucas's soul, like a chain splitting his spirit in two.

Lucas fell to his knees again, feeling a pain that no physical wound had ever caused, but he didn't cry, he didn't say anything else.

The decision was made.

Even if it cost his soul.

alpha Lucas 25 years old

...----------------...

Eliza walked through the clearing with a peaceful smile on her face, still getting used to the presence of Aura, her inner wolf, she felt different... stronger, more alive and there was something else, a scent.

Sweet, woody and striking.

Her heart raced without explanation.

She inhaled deeply, trying to locate the origin, the aroma filled her from within, making her body vibrate with anticipation, it was as if her soul was crying out for something or someone, Aura purred in her mind.

"You felt it, didn't you?"

"What?" Eliza whispered, confused.

"Him, our mate."

The world seemed to stop for a second.

But... who? Where?

She looked around, but the forest was silent, that scent... it was intense, familiar without ever having been felt before and yet, no new face in sight.

"Shall we go?" Caio called, putting his arm around Mary, who now also carried a new sparkle in her eyes. "Time to go home with the women of my life."

Eliza nodded, her heart still restless.

All the way, that scent accompanied her, warm, pulsating, as if someone was watching her, Aura remained silent, but attentive, as if waiting for something great to happen.

They arrived home shortly after, Mary went straight to the guest room, and Caio headed to the kitchen, while Eliza stopped near the door, still distracted by what she felt, that's when the doorbell rang.

Three dry knocks.

Her heart leaped.

"It's him."

"No... it can't be..." she murmured, with wide eyes.

Caio appeared, confused, and opened the door, his expression froze.

"Alpha Lucas?"

Eliza held her breath.

There he was, tall, imposing, with eyes as intense as fire and the arrogance of an alpha seemed to fill the air around him and yet, his gaze was... cold.

Lucas stared at Caio for only a moment, but soon his eyes fell on Eliza.

And when the two met, the world went silent.

Aura stirred, and Eliza felt the bond solidify like an invisible chain between them, her heart cried out, her body knew, that was him, her mate, her destiny.

But something in Lucas didn't move, no emotion in his eyes.

"I'll get straight to the point," he said, his voice firm, almost impersonal.

Eliza felt the ground shake beneath her feet.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.