Silent Steps and Hidden Stars

pack seemed alive with an almost electric buzz. Rona could sense it even from her secluded place near the forest, where she sat hal

where the pack elders conducted ancient rituals, calling forth the bonds of destiny. It was said that under the full moon, each wolf could sense the spark of their soul mate-those destined to be togeth

r speculations of two nearby she-wolves. They were sitting on a fallen log, chatting about the

a dreamy sigh. Her voice carried a light, lilting quality that drew the attention of those nearby. "He's

And what about Cedric? Or maybe even Tarek from the Northern Pack?" She waggled her

mired in different male wolves-Brayden's courage, Cedric's intelligence, Tare

should be attending this year's mating ceremony. The only iss

general occasions was se

they reac

of trepidation, to imagine meeting someone who would look at her with war

up in preparations. Some were polishing ceremonial armor or arranging herbs and flowers for off

se. Even the pups sensed the excitement, running and chasing each other under the watchful eyes of their mothers, mimicking the moves of the

everyon

he preparations for the ceremony swirled around Rona like a

reflections of one another, two parts of a whole that completed each other's spirits. To feel seen and accepted, to know that some

drifted to her own eligibility for the ceremony. She had turned of

her, even if most in the pack would prefer she stayed hidden. But still, she would go. She kn

e, even the magic of the mate bond would elude her because she was different, because she was only half wolf? She had always known she was an outsider,

on

standing nearby, his expression unreadable. He was one of the senior, lower ranked Betas, a

owing her head respe

for the lodge?" he asked, his tone n

y spoke to her beyond assigning tasks, and she could sense the faint edge of disapp

briefly before nodding. "Tomorrow is the ceremony.

le, but she forced herse

ry turn. She wasn't truly forbidden from attending the ceremony, but his words made it clear she wasn't exactly welcome either. It would be

n the sky, casting long shadows across the ground, and the excitement in the air had only grown. Wolv

-of-age ceremony, and tomorrow they would step into a new chapte

hem, Rona knew her place was on the

s to her chest as she gazed at the stars that began to pierce the velvet darkness. Somewhere, out there, her mate existed. She didn't know if they would meet to

of a life she had never known-a life where