I glare at my reflection in the cracked mirror, willing my eyes to flash their usual amber. Nothing happens. The woman staring back at me looks entirely human—dull brown eyes, pale skin, a thin sheen of sweat on her brow. I squeeze my eyes shut, desperately reaching for the wolf I know is there, somewhere deep inside. For a fleeting second, I sense something wild and untamed, but it slips away like trying to hold onto a fistful of water.
"Shit!" I slam my fist against the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster. At least I haven't lost all my strength. Yet.
A gentle knock interrupts my brooding. "Skye?" Liam's voice carries a mix of worry and something else I can't quite place. "You okay in there?"
I consider telling him to get lost, but the pack needs to see us united. Especially now. "Yeah," I call out, squaring my shoulders and trying to look like I have my act together.
Liam steps in, his eyes immediately searching for any sign of my wolf. I watch his face fall as he realizes it's not there. "Still nothing, huh?"
I shake my head, turning away from that damn mirror. "It's getting worse. I can barely feel her now."
He moves closer, and I fight the urge to lean into him. Our rekindled bond hums between us, complicated by years apart and all the crap that's come to light recently. "We'll figure this out, Skye. We always do."
I can't help the bitter laugh that escapes me. "Oh really? Because from where I'm standing, we're screwed six ways to Sunday. The pack's turning human, the moonstone's MIA, and now their fearless leader can't even grow a tail. Some Alpha I turned out to be."
Liam's hand on my shoulder is warm, grounding. "You're more than just your wolf, Skye. The pack follows you because of who you are, not what you can turn into."
I want to believe him, but doubt gnaws at my insides like a hungry rat. Before I can come up with a suitably snarky response, all hell breaks loose outside. We share a quick "what now?" look before bolting out of the room.
The main hall of the pack house is pure chaos. Half-shifted wolves are snarling and snapping at each other while the fully human pack members try to play peacekeeper. In the middle of it all stands Jake, my beta, looking like he's about to piss himself.
"What the actual fuck is going on?" I demand, my voice cutting through the noise.
Jake whirls around, relief washing over his face. "Skye! Thank God. It's happening faster now. More of us are losing our wolves, and the ones who can still shift are... well, it ain't pretty."
Right on cue, one of the half-shifted wolves lets out a howl that sounds more pain than anything else. I watch in horror as fur recedes and bones crack, leaving behind a shaking, very naked human.
"This isn't natural," Liam mutters beside me. "Something's kicking this into overdrive."
I nod, my mind racing a mile a minute. "Jake, round up anyone who can still shift. Liam, hit up your contacts. See if any other packs are dealing with this shitstorm. I'll—"
A white-hot pain in my chest cuts me off mid-sentence. I gasp, doubling over. It feels like something's being ripped out of me, torn away from the very core of my being.
"Skye!" Liam's arms are around me in a flash, holding me up as my knees give out.
Through the haze of pain, I see other pack members clutching their chests, crying out in agony. Whatever this is, it's hitting all of us.
And then, just as suddenly as it started, the pain vanishes. I straighten up, gulping air like I've just run a marathon. The room has gone dead quiet.
"Everyone still breathing?" I call out, my voice shakier than I'd like.
A few mumbled "yeah"s and nods ripple through the crowd, but the fear in their eyes is unmistakable. I turn to Jake, who looks about as steady as a newborn colt. "Report."
He swallows hard before speaking. "Skye, I... I can't feel my wolf at all now. And from what I can tell, neither can most of the others."
The reality of what just happened hits me like a sucker punch to the gut. In the span of a few minutes, we've gone from a badass werewolf pack to a bunch of scared humans. Well, almost all of us. My eyes land on Liam, who seems untouched by whatever just went down.
"How?" I ask, unable to keep the accusation out of my voice. "How are you still...?"
Liam shakes his head, looking as lost as the rest of us. "I don't know. I can still feel my wolf, but it's... different. Stronger, somehow."
Before I can grill him further, the main doors of the pack house burst open. A group of hunters storms in, led by a face I'd hoped to never see again – Sarah fucking Blackwood.
"Well, well," she sneers, her eyes gleaming like she just won the lottery. "Looks like our little science experiment was a roaring success. The mighty Crescent Moon pack, reduced to a bunch of puny humans."
I step forward, putting myself between the hunters and my pack. Wolf or no wolf, I'm not going down without one hell of a fight. "You did this," I snarl. "How?"
Sarah's smile could freeze hell over. "Oh, it wasn't just us. We had a little help from the inside. Isn't that right, Jake?"
The world tilts sideways as I turn to face my beta. Jake's expression is a mess of guilt and defiance. "I'm sorry, Skye," he whispers. "They have my sister. I didn't have a choice."
Betrayal burns in my chest, threatening to consume me. But I force it down, focusing on the immediate threat. "Whatever you're planning, Blackwood, it won't work. We're more than just our wolves."
She laughs, the sound grating on my last nerve. "Oh, I'm counting on it. You see, we're not here to kill you. Not yet, anyway. We're here to make you an offer you can't refuse."
"Hard pass," Liam growls, moving to stand beside me. I feel a flicker of gratitude for his unwavering support.
Sarah's eyes narrow. "I think you'll want to hear this, enforcer. Especially since it concerns that secret kid of yours."
I feel Liam go rigid beside me, and my heart starts doing double-time. How the hell could they know about that?
"What have you done?" Liam's voice is low, dangerous.
Sarah reaches into her jacket, pulling out a small vial filled with silvery liquid. "This is the cure to your... furry little problem. It'll bring your wolves back, make you whole again. All you gotta do is swear loyalty to us. Oh, and hand over the hybrid brat, of course."
My mind reels. The cure we've been tearing our hair out looking for, dangling right in front of us. But the price... I look around at my pack, seeing hope and fear battling it out in their eyes. They're all waiting for me to make the call. My wolf may be MIA, but I'm still their Alpha.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever comes next. "And if we tell you to shove that offer where the sun don't shine?"
Sarah's smile turns predatory. "Then we'll be forced to take more... drastic measures. Starting with the traitor in your midst."
She raises her gun, aiming it squarely at Jake's head. Time slows to a crawl as I process the impossible choice in front of me. Save my pack but betray an innocent kid? Or stick to our guns and watch everything I've built go up in flames?
In that moment of indecision, all hell breaks loose. A roar that shakes the foundations of the pack house drowns out everything else. Through the windows, I catch a glimpse of something massive and definitely not wolf-shaped.
As everyone's attention snaps to the new threat, I lock eyes with Liam. In that split second, we're on the same page. Whatever that thing is outside, it might be our only shot.
I turn back to Sarah, decision made. "I've got a counter-offer for you, Blackwood."
But before I can finish my thought, the roof of the pack house is torn clean off, revealing a creature straight out of a fantasy novel. A honest-to-God dragon, its scales shimmering like an oil slick, hovers above us. And riding on its back, looking like she's high on power, is a face I never thought I'd see again.
My sister. The one I thought was six feet under all these years.
As the dragon descends, hunters and pack members scattering like ants, one thought blazes through my mind:
Everything I thought I knew about my world, my family, and myself is about to get turned on its head. And I'm not sure any of us are going to make it out alive.