Chapter 5 Dakota The pain was unbearable. I'd heard stories about the first shift. How it felt like your entire body was breaking and rebuilding itself. No one ever told me how raw, how vicious it really was. My bones twisted, cracked, snapped one by one, and reformed under the pressure of the moon's pull. I screamed until my voice disappeared, until there was nothing left but the howl of my wolf echoing in the darkness. And then it was over. I stood on four legs, panting, trembling, completely changed. My reflection shimmered in the nearby stream: a silver wolf. Not gray. Not white. Silver. My coat gleamed under the moonlight like moonbeams woven into fur. I should've been in awe. I should've felt powerful. But instead, I was terrified. I couldn't control her-my wolf. She was too wild, too new, too consumed by the rush of emotions left behind by the rejection. My stepbrothers had cast me aside like I was nothing. A girl without a wolf, unworthy of them. Well, not anymore. I darted through the trees, paws pounding the damp forest floor. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care. I just needed to run, to escape, to get away from everything. Then I heard a familiar voice. "Dakota!" His voice crashed into me like a tidal wave. I froze, heart racing. "Dakota! Where the hell are you?" Logan's voice rang through the trees, rough, angry, desperate. "Your mom is freaking out! If this is some kind of game, it's not funny but lame!" A low growl escaped me. My ears flattened as I crouched behind a tree, watching him from a distance. Why was he here? Wasn't rejecting me enough? Did he come here to gloat? To make fun of me? "I'm not here to play hide and seek," he shouted again. "You're the birthday girl. You were supposed to be at the packhouse two hours ago. My dad and your mom are worried sick. Come out!" I stayed hidden, body tense, paws twitching to run. I didn't want to see him and I didn't want him to see me. His voice stirred something inside me-familiar, painful, unwanted. He took a step closer. "Dakota, please," he added, softer this time. "Just come out." But I didn't. Instead, I turned and ran. Branches clawed at my fur, roots tried to trip me, but I didn't stop. I ran faster than I ever thought possible, until a deep, thunderous growl behind me made me freeze in place. Another wolf. I turned just in time to see a massive black wolf leap from the shadows. Logan? His wolf collided with mine, slamming me into a tree trunk. Pain exploded through my ribs as I hit the ground, winded. He was stronger. Bigger. His gray eyes bore into mine like they could see straight through me. I thrashed, snapping at him, trying to push him off. I was stronger than I expected but not strong enough. He pinned me again. Another growl. Then another, deeper this time. Commanding. Not threatening but dominant. Something inside me yielded. My wolf whimpered and fell still beneath him. We stared at each other, silver to storm-gray, neither of us moving. Not a sound, not a breeze. Only the moon above us, glowing like it understood everything. Then the moon dipped beyond the clouds, and my body began to change again. The pain returned, but this time I didn't scream. I bit it down, curled into myself, and when I opened my eyes again, I was back in my human form. Naked, bruised, cold. I gasped and scrambled behind the nearest tree, cheeks burning. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering, heart pounding in my chest. "Don't look!" I shouted, voice trembling. "Don't you dare look at me!" "I'm not," Logan said quietly. His voice was close now, but not too close. "I swear, I'm not." He took off his hoodie and tossed it to me. I grabbed them, hands fumbling to put on the oversized hoodie. My body ached. Every inch of me throbbed like I'd been hit by a truck. I slumped against the tree, tears sliding down my cheeks. "Are you okay?" he asked. I didn't answer. He waited. Then stepped closer. "Dakota, are you okay? This is your first shift, I know it must have hurt really bad-" "Go away, Logan." My voice cracked. "Just leave me alone." "I can't do that." "You already did," I snapped. "You and your brothers made that choice when you rejected me. So why are you here now?" He was silent for a moment, and then, "Because I felt your pain." I blinked. "What?" "I felt it," he repeated. "Your shift. Your fear. The pain, I felt it all. I don't know how. I just did." I wrapped my arms tighter around myself. "I don't need your pity." "It's not pity," he said. "It's something else. Something I don't understand. So, stop acting like I have a choice. Do you think I want to feel this? Do you think I want to be anywhere near you?" I looked up at him, eyes raw. "Then don't act like you care when you don't." "Yeah, I don't care. But, you're coming home with me, now," he murmured, stepping closer. "I can return to the Packhouse when I want," I whispered. He sighed and crouched in front of me, his voice softer. "So your mum and my dad can blame my brothers and I when something bad happens to you?" I stared at him, heart aching. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me." "Your wolf is different," he said. "Silver. That's rare. Powerful. You don't know how to control her yet, and if you're not careful, you could hurt yourself. Or someone else." I looked down, silent. "I can help you," he added. "If you'll let me." "And why would I trust you?" I asked bitterly. "Because I won't let anything happen to you," he said without hesitation. "Even if I despise you so much." That last part pierced me like a dagger. I nodded slowly, reluctantly. "I don't like you, too," I whispered. He nodded. "Good. I already have a lot of girls who like me, I don't need the addition of a weakling. I just want to make sure you're safe." He stood and held out his hand. I hesitated. Then I took it. His fingers closed around mine, warm, steady. "Let's get you home," he said. The walk back to the Packhouse felt endless. Logan's hand in mine was steady, grounding, but I barely spoke. The ache in my ribs and the tremble in my limbs screamed louder than my thoughts. I just wanted to disappear. When we finally reached the glowing lights and the faint sounds of music, the smell of food, laughter, and voices wrapped around me like a heavy blanket I wasn't ready to face. "Dakota!" my mom's voice cut through the night before I even saw her. She came rushing over, eyes wide with worry. "Are you okay? You missed your whole party. Your father and I wanted to take pictures with you. Where were you? You're shaking. What's wrong? I've been so worried-" "She's fine," Logan interrupted. "Dakota was outside, getting fresh air, right?" I nodded. "I'm fine, Mom," I said, voice rough, pushing her hand gently away. "I just... want to be alone." Her lips pressed together, but she didn't argue. "Alright. But if you need me, call me and I'll come to you or you can call any of your brothers." The ones who rejected me? No, thanks. I wasn't about to give them any reason to justify their thoughts about me being a weakling. I nodded and headed toward the house, pulling Logan's hoodie tighter around me. I wanted to disappear into my room, lock the door, and shut out the world. But as I stepped onto the porch, my foot slipped on a loose board, and I stumbled. A firm hand caught me by the waist before I hit the ground. I gasped, my chest pounding. "Careful," Jasper said, eyes sharp but his tone softer than I expected. I looked up, cheeks burning. "Thanks." He didn't say anything else, just stormed off into the shadows. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding, not just from the pain or the near fall, but from the fact that someone had caught me. Someone who didn't care to catch me. I made it to my room and closed the door, sliding down the wall until I sat on the floor. The tears I'd been holding back spilled freely now, mixing with the ache and the fear. This was not how I had expected my eighteenth birthday to be.