Chapter 1
I was at the very bottom of the Thornclaw Pack, a bastard son no one cared about.
When I turned sixteen, everyone waited for me to shift. But nothing happened.
I was wolfless, a defective, an outcast.
The day my older brother Kane mated with the daughter of the Alpha of the Snowfield Pack, I was nothing more than an afterthought, dragged along to be mated, too.
Then the she-wolf, who looked like she'd stepped right out of a moonlit dream, ended up in my bed on our mating night.
She looked at me and said, "I can feel your inner wolf. It's been sealed away."
It turned out there was forbidden sealing magic in the cup of wine Kane had handed to me, and it left me trampled into the dirt for sixteen years.
Then she reached out and touched the old scar on the back of my neck.
"I've been looking for you for ten years," she whispered.
Later, under the moonlight, the ancient black wolf that had slept inside me finally opened its ice blue eyes.
*****
My name was Loric Benson.
I was a bastard son of my father, the Alpha of the Thornclaw Pack.
Being a bastard meant being at the bottom of the pack.
I had no status, no resources, and nobody gave a damn about me.
And to make things worse, I was wolfless.
When I turned sixteen, everyone was waiting for me to shift for the first time.
But nothing happened.
Everyone else had an inner wolf they could talk to, feel, and draw power from, but I didn't.
My insides were as empty as a dried-up well.
After that, my father wouldn't even look at me anymore.
All of my brothers had their wolf forms.
And Kane Benson, my eldest brother, was especially gifted. He was able to shift fully by the time he was eighteen.
Then, he was made the future Alpha of the Thornclaw Pack.
Today was the mating day for Kane.
And it was also mine.
Both mating ceremonies were held at the same time in the same hall.
Kane was taking Miranda Dorsey, the daughter of the Alpha of the powerful Snowfield Pack, as his mate.
Wolves all over the continent said Miranda was so stunning that she looked like the Moon Goddess herself had come down to earth.
She had a pure bloodline and incredible fighting power, and her inner wolf was a rare white wolf.
She was also the favorite daughter of Gregor Dorsey.
Kane had spent three whole years planning that mating bond.
Mating with Miranda would make the Snowfield Pack become his ally.
As for me, I was an afterthought.
The one chosen as my mate was some random high-blood female from a neighboring pack named Irene Whitmore.
Wolves said she was gentle and hardly left an impression.
I'd never even seen her, and honestly, I couldn't care less.
The whole mating ceremony was only a sideshow.
The Alpha would look generous by letting his wolfless bastard perform the mating ritual, too.
The hall was packed with guests, including pack Alphas, high-bloods from all over, and even priestesses of the Moon Goddess.
The two pairs stood in front of the altar.
I wore a suit that didn't fit, with cuffs that were worn and faded.
Irene stood quietly beside me with her veil on.
Kane stood three steps away on my left.
He was dressed in a black suit with gold trim and the Thornclaw Pack's badge pinned to his chest.
He wore a look of pride, radiating confidence.
Beside him stood Miranda.
I glanced at her, and then I couldn't look away.
She was tall and elegant in a flowing silver-white gown.
Even though her face was hidden behind a veil, her presence was impossible to ignore.
It was cold and sharp, like the wind blowing off a snowy mountain.
Her inner wolf hadn't shown itself yet, but the intensity she gave off was already suffocating.
She really was worthy of her white wolf bloodline.
I dropped my gaze to my boots.
There was still mud on them from my rushing back from the hunting grounds in the morning.
Not like anyone gave a damn about me anyway.
The priestess started reciting the vows.
Everyone bowed their heads with their right hands over their hearts.
I bowed my head, too, but all I could think about was the herd of deer up north.