Three weeks until destiny

Aurora’s POV

The sharp crack of splitting wood echoed through the crisp morning air.

I buried my face deeper into my pillow.

Another crack.

I groaned.

“Seriously?”

A third one followed.

I pulled the blanket over my head.

There was only one person in the entire Crescent Moon Pack who thought chopping wood before sunrise was a perfectly reasonable way to begin the day.

My father.

Beta Arthur.

The man didn’t believe in alarm clocks.

He believed in being one.

Another loud thud shook the quiet morning.

I threw the blanket aside.

“So much for sleeping.”

My feet touched the cold wooden floor, and I immediately regretted every decision that had led me to this moment.

Outside my window, the forest was waking.

Birds chirped between the trees. Leaves rustled softly in the wind, and somewhere in the distance, the river rushed over the rocks.

Everything was normal.

Everything should have felt normal.

But lately, normal had started feeling strange.

I glanced at the small calendar hanging beside my desk.

Three weeks.

Twenty-one days.

That was all.

Three weeks until my eighteenth birthday.

Three weeks until my Awakening.

I stared at the number for longer than I should have.

Most wolves in the pack couldn’t wait for theirs.

They talked about it constantly.

What their wolf would look like.

What their first shift would feel like.

Who their mate might be.

For me, the excitement was mixed with something I couldn’t explain.

Fear.

What if nothing happened?

What if there was no wolf waiting for me?

I immediately pushed the thought away.

Of course there was.

Every wolf had one.

I was just late.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

I walked toward the mirror.

My reflection stared back.

Messy red curls.

Green eyes.

Freckles scattered across my nose and cheeks.

And the same stubborn expression Dad always said would get me into trouble.

I leaned closer.

“Three weeks.”

For a strange second, my reflection looked different.

My eyes seemed darker.

Almost red.

I blinked.

Green.

I stepped back.

“Okay…”

I shook my head.

“Definitely need more sleep.”

I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and changed into black leggings and an old gray tank top.

The shirt had survived more fights than some of the younger warriors.

So had I.

The smell of breakfast reached me.

Pancakes.

Bacon.

Coffee.

My stomach growled.

“Traitor.”

I headed downstairs.

The moment I entered the kitchen, I heard Dad say,

“Perfect.”

I stopped.

“What?”

He pointed his spatula at me.

“My favorite daughter.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I’m your only daughter.”

“Exactly.”

Mom laughed from the counter.

Laila was pouring juice into three glasses, completely ignoring Dad’s attempt at charm.

He turned back toward the stove.

Then flipped a pancake.

It landed halfway in the pan and halfway on the floor.

I stared.

Dad stared.

Mom slowly looked over.

“That was your third.”

Dad lifted his chin.

“It sacrificed itself.”

I laughed.

“It committed suicide because it had to live with your cooking.”

He placed a hand over his heart.

“That was cruel.”

“You’ll survive.”

“I’m not sure.”

I sat down.

“Good morning, Dad.”

He smiled.

“Morning, Firefly.”

He’d called me that since I was little.

Sometimes because of my hair.

Sometimes because he said I had a habit of burning through every rule I was given.

Probably both.

Mom placed a plate in front of me.

“Eat.”

I picked up a fork.

Dad sat across from me.

“So.”

I immediately knew that tone.

“No.”

He frowned.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“You’re about to give me one of your speeches.”

“I was going to ask how excited you are about your Awakening.”

“Speech.”

Mom laughed.

Dad pointed at her.

“You’re supposed to support me.”

“I’ve been married to you for twenty years. I know when you’re about to talk too much.”

He looked offended.

“I don’t talk too much.”

Mom and I stared at him.

He sighed.

“Fine.”

I smiled.

For a moment, everything felt right.

This was my family.

My home.

My life.

Arthur and Laila had raised me from the time I was a baby.

I had never needed to question where I belonged.

At least, that’s what I thought.

Dad reached for his coffee.

“Twenty-one days.”

I looked at him.

“Don’t remind me.”

“You nervous?”

“No.”

He raised an eyebrow.

I took another bite of pancake.

“Maybe.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“What if my wolf doesn’t awaken?”

Dad’s expression softened.

“Then we’ll deal with it.”

I looked down.

“Everyone else awakens.”

“Everyone else isn’t you.”

I looked at him.

He smiled.

“That’s a good thing.”

For some reason, his words made my chest tighten.

Before I could answer, something moved outside.

I turned toward the window.

The forest.

Nothing.

Just trees.

But for a brief second, I thought I saw a pair of eyes between them.

Dark.

Watching.

I blinked.

Gone.

“You okay?” Mom asked.

“Yeah.”

Dad followed my gaze.

“What did you see?”

“Nothing.”

He stared at the window for a moment longer.

Then he stood.

“Training.”

I groaned.

“Already?”

“You wanted to become one of the strongest fighters in your generation.”

“I am one of the strongest.”

Dad smiled.

“Then prove it.”

I pushed my plate away.

“Fine.”

As I grabbed my jacket, Mom called after me.

“Don’t kill your father.”

Dad looked offended.

“She says that like I’m the one who starts it.”

I laughed.

“You always start it.”

Outside, the morning air was cold against my face.

I took a deep breath.

Pine.

Damp earth.

Smoke.

And something else.

Something unfamiliar.

A faint metallic scent.

Like blood.

I frowned.

Then it disappeared.

I looked toward the forest again.

Nothing.

“Come on, Firefly!”

Dad called from ahead.

I hurried after him.

The training grounds were already alive when we arrived.

Warriors were running laps.

Young wolves were practicing combat.

The sound of fists hitting padded targets echoed across the field.

And then I heard laughter.

Familiar laughter.

Talia.

I smiled.

Whatever strange feeling had followed me from the forest disappeared.

For now.

I had no idea that before those twenty-one days were over, everything I believed about myself would change.

I thought I was waiting for my wolf.

I didn’t know something else was waiting for me.

Aurora’s POV

The moment Coach Marcus lowered his hand, Chris moved.

He didn’t charge at me like most guys our age would.

Instead, he circled slowly, his blue eyes studying every movement I made.

Waiting.

Watching.

Looking for a weakness.

Too bad for him.

I wasn’t planning on giving him one.

A grin tugged at the corner of my lips.

“Getting nervous?”

Chris chuckled.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

A few people around the training ring laughed.

Neither of us looked away.

The noise around us slowly disappeared.

The spectators.

The conversations.

The wind moving through the trees.

For a moment, there was only Chris and me.

My opponent.

My oldest rival.

And, unfortunately, one of my favorite people to annoy.

I shifted my weight slightly.

Chris noticed.

Of course he did.

His awakened wolf had sharpened h