Chapter 2

New York's autumn air felt warmer than the forests back home.

I rented a tiny, run-down apartment near Columbia. My roommate, Tessa, was a werewolf from a small western pack, with bright eyes and very little hesitation about hugging strangers.

"Oh, thank God," she said, throwing her arms around me. "I thought I'd be the only wolf here. What if somebody found out? I'm so glad I met you."

During that first week, I registered for classes, moved my bags in, and assembled secondhand furniture. No one from home called.

On my fourth day in the city, Mom posted nine photos of the Royal Wolf Academy in our family chat. Gothic buildings, vaulted ceilings, Seraphina's room.

Dad responded with a crown emoji.

Mom: Her dorm is a premium single, but the mattress is too hard. It'll hurt her back.

Dad: Already handled. A custom mattress will be flown in tomorrow. My heir deserves the best.

I scrolled through the messages. Four days, hundreds of posts, and no one had asked whether I'd arrived.

Tessa sat nearby eating an apple while I worked on a leaky pipe under the sink.

"How come your family didn't come with you?" she asked. "It's a big move, going to the human world."

I tightened the wrench. "They're busy."

She paused, then patted my shoulder.

"Well, we're both here now. I've got your back."

I looked up at her. It was the first kind thing anyone had said to me in days.

On my second weekend, I went for my usual six-mile weighted run in Riverside Park. About three miles in, pain seized my right knee.

My leg buckled. I hit the pavement before I could catch myself, sweat cooling under my shirt as I tried to straighten it.

It was the old injury.

Most wolves healed fast enough to mend a broken bone in hours. Mine had been damaged during my first shift at ten. I healed at less than half the normal rate, and some injuries never stopped troubling me.

At thirteen, during the Northern Trials, a rabid bear had broken through the wards and charged at Seraphina. She froze. I tackled her out of its path, and its claws tore into my right leg, deep enough to expose bone.

When help arrived, Mom and Dad were holding Seraphina, checking her for injuries she didn't have. She was sobbing. They kept asking whether she was scared.

I dragged myself away from the bear, tore a strip from my shirt, and tied it around my leg to slow the bleeding. I had to bite back a scream while I pulled it tight.

The damage around my knee never healed properly. Years later, it could still put me on the ground.

At the campus sports medicine clinic, a human doctor gave me anti-inflammatory medication and secured an ice pack around my knee.

"That old injury's flared up," he said. "You need to ease off the running. Is there someone in your family we should call?"

I stared at the ceiling. "No. They're busy."

My phone vibrated while I waited. Mom had sent a voice message to the family chat.

"Seraphina, combat training starts tomorrow. Wear your protective gear. Don't get hurt, sweetheart. I'd be heartbroken."

I switched to my private messages with her. The last one was still a demand to send the necklace.

I put the phone away and limped home.

The apartment smelled of cooking meat. Tessa came out of the kitchen carrying a platter of venison steaks.

"Sit down and eat. I found venison. We're wolves—we need a real meal."

My throat tightened when she put the plate in front of me.

I didn't manage a thank-you. I lowered my head and ate until the plate was empty.

In late October, the pack celebrated the First Blood Hunt, one of its biggest festivals. My phone filled with photos of long tables crowded with food. A huge stag lay at the center of the feast.

Dad: Celebrating Seraphina's first victory in the First Blood Hunt! The Alpha himself brought down this stag as her prize!

Congratulations poured in beneath it.

I sat at our small table with a carton of microwaved pasta, trying to separate noodles that had stuck together. After another mouthful, I picked up my phone and called Mom.

It rang so long I almost hung up.

"Hello?" Cheers and clinking glasses nearly drowned her out.

"Mom."

"Elara? Why are you calling now? We're celebrating Seraphina. I'm very busy."

"My leg—"

"Do you need money? I'll have the accountant send some. I have to go. Seraphina's about to cut the cake."

The call ended.

I kept the phone against my ear for a moment, though there was nothing left to hear. I'd wanted to tell her it hurt. I'd wanted her to remember why.

The front door opened, letting in a gust of cold air.

"The diner had a special!" Tessa held up a paper bag. "I got the last two cheeseburgers."

She unwrapped one and handed it to me. There was a crooked smiley face drawn in ketchup on the bun.

The burger was warm through the paper. My eyes burned as I took a bite, and I turned toward the window before she could see.

Thanksgiving break was only a few weeks away. I had seven days off.

I wasn't going home.