Jade sat in her dorm room, her mind spinning with fear and doubt. The triplets’ words haunted her: one week. Seven days to shift or face expulsion from the academy. It wasn’t just her future at Stonehaven on the line; her entire identity was at stake. If she couldn’t shift, she’d be cast out of her pack and her community—a failure, an outcast.
“I’m telling you, it’s going to happen,” Harper said confidently from the other side of the room. She was sifting through her closet, trying to find something for Jade to wear to the triplets’ birthday party. Harper had always been the optimist, the one to brush off Jade’s insecurities. “You’re under so much pressure right now—maybe that’s what you need.”
Jade wasn’t so sure. She had tried everything to unlock her wolf—training, meditation, rituals passed down by her pack—but nothing had worked. And now, time was running out.
Harper tossed a sleek black dress onto Jade’s bed. “You’re coming to the party tomorrow. Maybe being around the Alphas will trigger your shift.”
Jade frowned, skeptical. “The last thing I need is to be around them. They hate me.”
“They don’t hate you,” Harper said, then paused, grimacing. “Okay, maybe they do. But you’ve got to face them. Show them you’re not afraid.”
Jade’s heart pounded at the thought of confronting the triplets again, but Harper wasn’t wrong. She couldn’t hide forever. If her wolf didn’t come soon, there wouldn’t be a future for her here anyway. She had to face them.
“Fine,” Jade agreed, her voice quieter than she intended. “I’ll go.”