"Go home, Rollo. I don't want to speak to you," I yelled, slamming the door in my brother's face.

Eight years had passed since I'd last seen him, and now, at 8 am, he was standing on my doorstep holding a bunch of flowers with a sad look on his face.

"Come on, Mabel. Open the door. We need to talk," he pleaded through the closed door.

"You know it's against pack rules to speak to an exile," I said, loudly deadbolting the door.

My hands were shaking with fury. What was he doing here? I hadn't seen him or my pack since I was sixteen years old. Why were they bothering me now, after all these years of no contact?

From the other side of the door, a low growl rumbled through Rollo's throat. His inner wolf was losing patience with me. Childishly, he slammed his open palm against the locked door.

"Open the door, Mabel," he growled.

"I'll call the cops if you don't leave," I threatened.

There was no way I was allowing him to throw a tantrum that would destroy my front door.

Silence followed, which was interrupted by a softer knock.

"Mabel, please. I need to speak to you. It's about Amber," he said, referring to my beloved twin sister.

I immediately opened the door.

"What about Amber?" I asked sharply.

Amber was the only person from my former pack that I still cared about. The rest of the pack, including Rollo, could go and stuff themselves—but Amber was different.

Rollo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a gold envelope addressed to me.

"She wanted me to give you this," he said.

I eyed the envelope suspiciously and took it from Rollo, pulling out a black and gold wedding invitation.

It read:

The Honourable Alpha, Sebastian Cross of the Cedar Falls Pack extends a gracious invitation, requesting the pleasure of your company at the celestial union of Members Miss Amber Mason and Mr. Jeremy St. James.

My eyes circled back to the words 'Honourable Alpha Sebastian Cross'.

"What happened to Hector?" I asked.

"Hector's dead. Sebastian is our new alpha now," Rollo replied.

"Oh," I replied, unable to hide my surprise.

Poor Sebastian. I can't believe they made him alpha.

He had always been a sickly child, confined to his bed on most days, with doctors and nurses constantly hovering around him.

As little kids, we had been close. He was the son of the alpha, and I, the daughter of the beta. We were the same age, with Sebastian being only a month younger than me.

The last time I saw him, he was just ten years old, being whisked away to some special hospital beyond pack territory. He'd looked so breakable back then—so small, so pale. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of man he had become after years of battling his illness.

"It happened eighteen months ago," Rollo explained, lowering his head respectfully at the memory of our former alpha/dictator. "Since taking over the pack, Sebastian is eager to mend some of the bridges his father burnt during his time as alpha."

I arched an incredulous eyebrow, "Really?"

Maybe he still remembered me after all these years. I was one of the few children he'd ever been allowed to play with when he was sick.

"Sebastian is different from his father. He's more sympathetic to wolves of your condition," Rollo said, carefully choosing his words. "He would be delighted if you could attend Amber's wedding."

I stared down at the invitation to my sister's wedding and back to my hometown, Cedar Falls.

Cedar Falls. The place I had been forced to leave. The place that still haunts my memories.

The last time I was there, I hadn't left by choice. My own pack had chased me out, casting me aside like I was nothing.

Now, the invitation to return felt surreal. Sure, the alpha had changed—Sebastian had taken his father's place—but the pack? They were the same. The same faces, the same whispers, the same nasty looks. The same people who had turned their backs on me.

"I have no intention of ever returning to Cedar Falls—not even for Amber's wedding," I said flatly. "You can tell Sebastian I have politely declined his invite."

I closed the door in my brother's face, before he had the opportunity to change my mind.

My pack had cast me out years ago and since then I'd learnt how to survive on my own. In fact, I enjoyed living the life of a lone wolf. I didn't have to bow down to a power-tripping alpha. My life was not dictated by the pack needs. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, and I answered to no man or alpha.

My lone wolf life suited me perfectly and there was nothing Sebastian Cross could say or do to tempt me back to my old life.

I carried my sister's wedding invite over to the trash. Opening the trash can, I was about to drop the invite inside of it, when I spotted something I had missed earlier—a small note written in my sister's distinct hand:

Mabel, I'm in trouble. Please come home. Amber x.

Shit.

Something was wrong.

I stared down at the note and wondered what type of trouble would cause my sister to seek help from someone outside the pack.

It had to be bad if she was coming to me.

I gazed back at the closed front door and felt my steely resolve soften. Amber had once stood up for me when no one else would. I couldn't leave her.

Racing to the door, I yanked it open and called after my brother.

"I've changed my mind," I yelled at him. "I'll come to the wedding. I'll come for Amber's sake."

***

A few weeks later and the day of the wedding arrived.

A taxi came and picked me up from the airport, driving me two hours northeast, deep into the mountains.

A snow-covered sign appeared on the horizon, dusted with frost, and read 'Welcome to Cedar Falls'. Below the small lettering was a painting of a large grey wolf howling at a full moon.

Behind the sign, the rest of the town unfolded like a perfect postcard picture. Hundreds of snow-covered lodges and chalets blending perfectly against the backdrop of mountains and forest.

Looming high above the town was Cedar Cross Ranch, my childhood home.

I shivered at the sight of it.

Seeing it after all these years felt like a betrayal to my younger self. After being cast out from the pack, I'd vowed to myself never to set foot on pack soil again. Yet, here I was, about to break that vow for my sister.

As we approached the ranch, the taxi slowed and joined a long line of luxury cars and SUVs. Undoubtedly, my family would have invited the creme de la creme of the entire mountain valley for Amber's wedding. These types of social events were often viewed as rare opportunities for the elite families of the Cedar Falls pack to mix and mingle.

I paused and spared a thought for our new alpha, Sebastian.

Was he mated yet?

Knowing Hector and his scheming ways, he would have orchestrated an advantageous marriage between his only son and one of the daughters of a prominent family.

However, if Sebastian remained single, this wedding would undoubtedly become an opportunity for every ambitious father to parade their unmarried daughters in front of the alpha.

This thought bothered me—although I wasn't sure why.

Perhaps it was because it was hard to envision Sebastian Cross as the alpha of the Cedar Falls territory.

In my heart, Sebastian was still that boy with hollow eyes, lying so small in a hospital bed—fragile and distant.

Every memory I carried of him was tinged with sadness.

He was the lonely boy trapped in a world of quiet isolation, his childhood stolen by chronic illness. He was too sick to run through the woods with the other kids, too delicate to join in their reckless play.

His mother often pleaded with my father, asking if I could sit with him. We were the same age, so it seemed to make sense. But back then, it never felt quite right.

The first time I walked into his room, I was hit by the sharp, sterile smell.

It didn't feel like a child's room. It was too cold, too clean, the hum of air filters filling the silence.

They never stopped, always pulling in dust and pollen—any tiny thing that might trigger a deadly asthma attack.

Sebastian was always there, nestled in the middle of pillows that nearly swallowed him. His face was a ghostly shade of white, as if someone had drained all the colour from his skin.

I wasn't allowed to touch him or stand too close—there was always the fear that something on my clothes or skin could hurt him. So I sat a foot away, always that same distance between us.

At first, we barely spoke. He scared me—the son of the powerful alpha, yet so weak that even a speck of dust could be enough to take him away. There were no games, no carefree moments of childish laughter. Just the quiet weight of his sickness hanging between us.

But slowly, I found a way to reach him. Through stories.

I would bring him books from the pack's library, and when those ran out, I started spinning my own tales—stories of the world beyond his room, of wild forests and towering mountains he had only ever seen in the distance from his bedroom window.

I promised him that one day, when he was stronger, I'd take him there.

We dreamed up wild adventures—chasing rogue wolves under the full moon, uncovering hidden treasure buried deep in the mountains.

For a little while, those dreams felt real, like they were something we could hope for in our future.

But then, I made a mistake and the visits stopped.

Soon after, Sebastian was sent away to a special medical centre, somewhere far from the pack, where they thought they could help him.

I often thought about Sebastian and wondered what his life was like now.

Deep down, I knew he was probably still ill, still fighting the same battles that had kept him confined for so long. It was hard to imagine him any other way.

Despite the bitterness I felt toward his pack, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. He wasn't like them or his father.

I couldn't picture Sebastian, so frail and withdrawn, entertaining women or basking in their attention. He was too delicate for that world.

The taxi reached the main gate of the ranch and stopped. A security guard in black camo knocked on the passenger window. I wound the window down and noticed a team of security guards and dogs, that suspiciously looked like wolves, patrolling the perimeter of the property.

I frowned. Why was security so heavy?

"Wedding invitation, please," the security guard asked, distracting me from my thoughts.

I reached into my purse and passed the wedding invite to the guard.

"My goddess," the security said, examining my wedding invite. "Mabel Mason, as I live and breathe."

I glanced up. Shit. The security guard was my former classmate, Peter. The last time we met, he had been a gangly teen with a bad case of acne. Now, he was a fully-fledged six foot something wolf, with bulging biceps and grisly beard.

"How are you, Peter?" I asked smoothly.

Peter scratched his chin and replied, "Confused as hell. Who gave you permission to return to the ranch?"

"Sebastian, obviously," I said, taking the invite out of his hands and stuffing it back inside my purse.

A howl echoed across the empty fields, prompting Peter and the other security guards to incline their heads towards the sound. I strained my ears and picked up a second howl. It was a message—someone had scented something strange near the old saw mill.

"What's wrong? Are you having problems with rogues?" I asked.

Rogues were wolves without territory or a pack. They drifted from place to place, scraping a miserable existence by begging, borrowing, or stealing.

"Somebody stole something from us," Peter murmured.

"Have they targeted the North Barn? Stolen farm equipment?" I pressed.

"Yeah, something like that," Peter replied absentmindedly, thumping the roof of the taxi and signalling for us to drive on.

I leaned back in my seat.

The vibe felt off. A few pieces of missing farm equipment pieces shouldn't warrant such heightened security measures. It was hard to judge, but it felt the pack was gearing up for a full-scale invasion.

Sweeping up the driveway, we approached the sprawling main building that was the main house of the ranch and Cedar Falls pack HQ.

It reminded me of a great alpine hotel, serving as both a communal space for the pack and a home for the alpha and his family.

Black and gold wedding decorations adorned the front entrance of the lodge and my brother hovered on its steps, ready to give each guest a warm welcome on behalf of our family.

I exited the taxi, and smoothed the wrinkles out of my plain blue dress.

Rollo, having spotted me, hurried to my side and grabbed my arm. There was no "hello" or "how was your flight"—instead, it was an urgent, "Come with me, now."

Abruptly, he pulled me unceremoniously up the ranch steps, dragging me into the grand foyer of the building.

There was no explanation for the hurry, which made me think he might be leading me to Amber.

Perhaps she had asked him to bring me to her as soon as I arrived.

I wondered what could be wrong. Perhaps she did not want to get married. This wedding had probably been orchestrated by my father and brother, and maybe she was looking for a way out.

I followed him, my heart racing at the thought of being reunited with my twin sister after all these years. Rollo guided me away from the line of wedding guests queuing into the wedding reception area. He dragged me into a side corridor and shoved me into an office.

To my disappointment, the office was empty, and Amber was nowhere to be seen.

I turned to my brother for an explanation.

"You'll need to stay here until the start of the ceremony. I can then slip you into the back of the wedding hall, where no one can see you," he said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Amber's new in-laws are a bit touchy about their son marrying the sister of a never wolf. They've requested that you sit at the back to avoid drawing attention," Rollo explained.

"Seriously?"

I couldn't help but feel unwanted.

"If it were up to me, you'd be with the rest of the family, but some of the older pack members share Hector's beliefs about—" Rollo's words trailed off as he searched for the right words.

"A godless wolf? An unworthy wolf? A failed wolf? A never wolf," I snapped, helping him out.

Rollo winced. "I'm sorry, Mabel. It is what it is," he admitted.

I rolled my eyes and watched as he hastily departed, leaving me all alone.

I gravitated over to the window and observed the arrival of the other wedding guests through the frosted pane. It was an endless parade of designer gowns, expensive suits, and beautiful people.

I stared down at my own drab blue dress, a humble find from the thrift store, and felt incredibly out of place.

I waited patiently for my brother to return. The passing moments stretched into what felt like an eternity, until the room's silence was broken by the sound of soft footsteps echoing down the corridor.

The office door creaked open, and an older woman in a stunning, sparkling gold gown, stepped into the room.

She studied me for a brief second, surprised to see me, and broke into a wide smile, "Is that you, Mabel?"

Recognition slowly dawned on me.

"Julianne...I mean, Grand Luna," I said, springing to my feet and respectfully lowering my head.

The older woman rushed over, enveloping me in a tight hug.

"Welcome home, Mabel," Julianne sighed.

I stiffened.

No one had hugged me in years.

It felt odd and unnatural, but I reciprocated with an awkward pat on her back, before pulling away.

Julianne stared at me, seemingly delighted by what she saw. Cupping her hand to my face, she said, "You have no idea how long I've been searching for you."

What on earth did she mean?

She slipped her hand into mine and led me out the empty office.

"Come, I want you to meet Sebastian. You are going to be so surprised!" she smiled.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," I said, uncertain he would want to see me.

Julianne waved off my concerns.

"Nonsense. Sebastian will be delighted. You two were such good friends when you were little."

"I'm sure the alpha is very busy with wedding preparations. I really don't want to disturb him," I replied.

Julianne brushed aside my protests and tugged on my hand, leading me toward Hector's old office.

My heart clenched in panic. The last time I walked these corridors was the day after my sixteenth birthday when my father brought me to see Hector after I failed to shift.

It had been the worst day of my life.

"Don't be nervous," Julianne smiled, seemingly reading my thoughts.

Up ahead, Hector's old office door opened, and two security guards bolted out with their heads bowed. From inside the office, I could hear objects being noisily tossed and thrown about.

The distinct sound of glass shattering pierced the air, followed by a hard masculine "Goddammit!".

I slowed, shooting Julianne a 'should we really be poking this hornet's nest with a stick' look. She ignored me, and the security guards hurried past us without so much as a look of acknowledgment.

Julianne patted my hand, adopting a light breezy tone, "My youngest, Claudia, has disappeared, again. She has a habit of vanishing before important social gatherings."

Oh great. Sebastian was bound to be in a terrible mood.

"Between you and me," Julianne said, lowering her voice, "I think Claudia was sent by Artemis to challenge Sebastian's patience."

Another guard rushed out of the office. This one appeared to be on the verge of tears.

He saw Julianne and approached her with a grave expression.

"I wouldn't go into his office, Grand Luna. He's madder than I've ever seen him before," he guard warned.

Julianne smiled serenely at the man, "Mabel will lift Sebastian's spirits. She's an old friend of my son."

I stared at her in pure disbelief. Was she crazy? We weren't kids anymore. I was a never wolf—the pack's greatest shame.

Julianne dragged me to the open office door, and I saw Sebastian hunched over in the middle of the room, his back facing towards me.

He was leaning over his desk, and for a moment, I thought he couldn't breathe.

All my old panic resurfaced back from when we were kids, erasing every earlier hesitation, and I rushed into his office, my heels clicking loudly against the tiled floor.

"Where's the inhaler?" I demanded, my voice sharp with urgency. I yanked open drawers and cupboard doors, desperately searching for the medicine that would stop his lungs from shutting down.

But then, Sebastian straightened at the noise and turned to face me—for the first time since we were ten.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

Gone was the pale, frail child I remembered. In his place stood a man, strong, healthy and remarkably handsome.

His sandy blonde hair was neatly swept back, every strand in place. As a child, his hair had always seemed too heavy for his tiny body, falling into his eyes as he lay on pillows, too weak to brush it away. But now, it framed a strong, chiselled face, his jawline sharp and defined.

He wore a tailored suit, every inch perfectly fitted to his body, which had grown solid and broad—nothing like the boy I had once known.

And yet, his eyes—those same bright blue eyes—were exactly as I remembered them.

"You've changed," I whispered, disbelief thick in my voice.

His eyes widened, recognition flickering across his face as if seeing a ghost.

"Mabel?"

An unfamiliar heat prickled through my veins. Something was happening—something I couldn't stop or ever undo. Pain blossomed through my chest as emotions I'd never experienced poured into me. Love, warmth, desire, all for him.

I clutched at my chest and through ragged breaths, said, "This is impossible—this can't be happening."

Yet it was. Even now, I could sense the tiny invisible threads knitting my soul to his.

Sebastian appeared to be experiencing some discomfort too, but was more concerned about me. He strode to my side and murmured gently, "Breathe through it. The pain will pass momentarily."

His voice was a cooling salve against the blistering heat in my chest.

"What's happening?" I gasped, already knowing the answer to the question.

He closed his hands around mine and stared deeply into my eyes, causing heat to prickle along my skin.

"You're my luna, Mabel," Sebastian declared.