Prologue

They say that in the world of lycanthropes, the wolf is the mirror of the soul — if you cannot show yours, in the eyes of others, you simply do not exist. For Sofia Ivanov, that maxim was not a poetic metaphor but a sentence of isolation she dragged through every second of her life. While in the prestigious Ivanov pack the birth of a pup was usually cause for celebration and pride, her arrival had become, over the years, an inconvenient stain everyone preferred to cover up.

The family mansion, an imposing building of stone and wood that echoed with the laughter and dominant energy of her younger sister, Tania, was for Sofia a labyrinth of silences and contemptuous glances. From the moment she turned eighteen — the sacred age when the beast's spirit was meant to break through the shell of flesh and present itself before the Moon — Sofia had remained trapped in a suffocating limbo. She could feel her wolf. She knew it was there, crouched in the deepest part of her chest, beating like a timid second heart that refused to roar. But outwardly, there was nothing. No claws, no fangs, no imposing scent that dictated a true lycanthrope's status.

For Boris and Irina Ivanov, her parents, this was not a simple medical condition or a spiritual delay — it was a betrayal of the bloodline.

That morning was no different from the rest, though the heavy air in the house warned that the family storm was near. Sofia descended the creaking wooden stairs, keeping her head low — a survival habit she had learned by force. When she entered the main dining room, the clink of silver cutlery stopped instantly, as if her mere presence contaminated the opulence of breakfast.

"You're late," Boris's cold voice snapped from the head of the table. The family Alpha didn't even bother to look at her; his eyes remained fixed on pack documents, but his tone carried the heavy vibration of his command voice, one that made Sofia's shoulders tense painfully. "A wolf without rank should at least compensate for her uselessness with a bit of discipline."

"I'm sorry, Father..." Sofia whispered, sweeping the floor with her gaze.

Beside him, her mother, Irina, released a sigh of annoyance as she delicately poured a cup of tea for Tania. Tania, radiant, with her long chestnut hair perfectly styled and the vibrant aura of a young she-wolf blessed by the gods, smiled from the corner of her mouth. It was a small smile, sharp, loaded with the venom of someone who knows she is the center of her parents' universe.

"Leave her alone, Dad," Tania cut in, though her tone lacked any genuine mercy. "She's got enough trouble dragging her feet all day because her body can't handle the weight of a real spirit. Besides... today we have more important things to discuss than Sofia's schedule. Things that involve her directly."

Sofia felt a sudden chill run down her spine. She knew exactly what her sister meant. Gavin, her mate, the wolf destiny had magically bonded her to just a few months ago, had become the object of Tania's desire. And in this house, whatever Tania wanted, her parents handed to her on a silver platter, no matter who they had to trample to do it.

Irina set her porcelain cup on the saucer with a sharp clink that echoed through the silence of the dining room. She crossed her hands on the table and fixed her calculating eyes on Sofia, stripping her of any remaining shred of dignity.

"Your sister is right, Sofia," the woman declared, with a calm more terrifying than screaming. "Gavin was here last night. He spoke with your father and exchanged some opinions about the pack's future. He's a young wolf with ambition, a warrior who deserves to rise — not to remain stuck carrying a female who can't even shift."

Sofia's stomach clenched so hard she felt nauseous. Her mother's words were rusted daggers, but what hurt most was the mention of Gavin. Her mate. The man who had knelt before her promising that her lack of a wolf didn't matter, that the bond of the New Moon was sacred and that he would protect her from her own family's contempt. Had he been there last night? Behind her back?

"Gavin is my mate, Mother..." Sofia dared to say, her voice trembling, gripping the edge of the table so they wouldn't notice the shaking of her hands. "The Moon bonded us. He can't just—"

"The Moon was wrong about you!" Boris interrupted, slamming his fist on the table hard enough to make the dishes jump. The force of his Alpha aura crushed the air in the room, making it hard for Sofia to breathe. "The bond exists to strengthen the species, not to drag a promising warrior into the mud of your weakness. Gavin needs a mate who can run beside him in the hunts, who'll bear strong pups with awakened wolves — not a defective human who hides in corners."

Tania leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, looking at Sofia with feigned pity that failed to conceal her glee.

"Understand, Sofi. It's not out of cruelty," Tania said in a syrupy voice. "Gavin and I have been spending a lot of time together during training. He realized himself that what he feels for you is just pity — an obligation imposed by a defective bond. Between us there's a real spark. Yesterday, in front of Dad, he agreed that the Ivanov honor can't be stained. He wants to break the engagement with you."

"No... that's a lie," Sofia murmured, feeling the first tears crowd her eyes.

She looked to her mother searching for a shred of maternal instinct, but found only a wall of ice. She looked to her father, the man who was supposed to protect every member of his pack, and saw only disappointment and disgust. She was completely alone. Her own blood was stripping her of the only thing that gave her a sense of belonging in this cruel world.

"It's not a lie, Sofia — it's an order," Boris declared, rising from his chair, imposing and cold. "The paperwork before the pack council is already done. You will sign the bond renunciation by mutual agreement. Gavin will marry Tania at the end of the week, and you will make sure the ceremony is perfect. You will serve the guests and you will smile, proving you accept your place on the lowest rung of this family. If you say a single word that shames this name before the guests, I will banish you to the forest with nothing but the clothes on your back. Am I clear?"

Silence returned to the dining room — a thick silence, heavy with humiliation. Tania smiled, savoring her victory, while Irina went back to sipping her tea as if they had just discussed the day's weather.

Sofia clenched her fists beneath the table, hiding her short nails that would never become claws. The pain in her chest was not only from a broken heart — it was her own wolf, trapped inside her, clawing at her ribs in a silent scream of rage and frustration, imprisoned in a body everyone considered worthless.

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