Crimson Island

The energy in the air hums, making the hairs on my arms stand on edge.

Garnet, take deep breaths, I remind myself. Also, do not glance up.

As the wolves enter the clearing on both sides, history is being made all around me.

Shadow and Midnight.

Two packs of identical origins that have battled over this region for decades.

But today, we'll come together as one.

Because I decided to mate the son of the Shadow Pack Alpha.

My pack's other ladies are envious. Our matings are all set, and I've secured this year's top candidate-a future Alpha.

And not just any Alpha, but the Alpha who will lead our packs' merger with me at his side.

I take another deep breath in an attempt to quiet my inner wolf. Kneeling agitates the beast that lives under my flesh. Normally, I do not submit. But this ritual necessitates it.

Just like it took me until today to properly know my inner beast.

As a result, her enthusiasm grows.

I've never been permitted to change positions.

Our two packs have a ritual in which the ladies do not change until their chosen partner summons their wolf. The procedure allows us to develop our other skills before our wolf, forcing us to prioritize improving our human form.

Females give birth to life.

Males guard it.

As a result, females concentrate on preparing their mortal bodies for conception.

While men learn to fight in their most powerful form-as wolves.

The thought of eventually meeting my animal makes my stomach turn. We've been friends for a long time, and after tonight, I'll be able to fully embrace her.

She's gentler than my thoughts, yet aggressive in her way. I can sense her urge to change, to run free in the woods on four paws rather than two.

But I've been denying her for the past twenty years.

I tell her tonight. Tonight, we'll go for a run with our friend at our side.

It will be his responsibility to teach me how to walk on four legs. To accept my animal part. To thrive among the woods under his watchful eye.

My wolf snorts at the thought of someone else guarding her. There's a reason she has claws and teeth. However, that is how the guys in our packs flourish.

"Let them think they're in charge," my mother used to say. "Our animals know the truth."

The children are born to females. That gives us a certain degree of power that no guy can deprive us of. Even if they attempt to exert influence over us in some ways. My mother made certain that I grasped the rules of the game in this world.

I know when to bow like I am doing now, and when to fight. All because my mother wanted me to understand the world and how to survive in it.

Her eyes are on me now, tracking my every move. She's worried. It's an irritant on my skin, the nerves of my pack making it even more difficult to stay still.

Because the Shadow Alpha and his kid are on their way.

We've met a couple of times to get the chemistry right. Tonight is the ultimate test-a wolf dance.

Alpha Clinton, his father, clears his throat.

I'm not moving. I just breathe, my shoulders relaxed and my gaze fixed on the ground.

My chosen partner comes to a halt in front of me, his feet naked like mine. The edge of his jeans, however, is flirting with his ankles.

I, on the other hand, am naked, unlike him.

Because I'm prepared for him to summon my wolf and release my beast. Some packs are endowed with the ability to shift while wearing clothes. My wolf-type lacks that kind of magic. He doesn't either. That is, he expects to undress when he has forced my shift.

I'm not bothered.

I just want to feel my fur and extend my legs.

And run, I longingly thought.

"Today is a historic day," Alpha Clinton exclaims, his booming voice resonating over the clearing like thunder.

In return, goosebumps go down my arms; his power is palpable in that vibrating tone alone. Alpha Nathan has a comparable demeanor but isn't quite as intimidating. Maybe because I grew up near him.

His Beta, often known as the second in command, is my father. This is one of the reasons I've been chosen to father Alpha Clinton's son. The duty would have fallen on Alpha Nathan's daughter, as it did when he attempted to reach an agreement with the Moon Stone pack.

That, however, did not go as planned.

The Moon Stone Alpha's son turned her down.

No.

He did nothing worse than reject her.

He butchered her.

The Moon Stone Alpha laughed in response.

"The Shadow Pack and the Midnight Pack will unite beneath a mating union," Alpha Clinton says. "A mating between my son, Glenn, and the Midnight's highest-ranked eligible female, Beta Brock's daughter, Garnet Hazel, that both myself and Alpha Nathan have blessed."

I don't respond to him with my complete name. Glenn is aware that I like to be addressed as Garnet. That is what is important.

"Together, we would build a more powerful territory and provide a united front against those who intrude on our land." Alpha Clinton lets out a deep growl that makes my gut churn. "The Moon Stone savages are planning an attack on our land and people." No more. We shall band together as the Shadow-Midnight Pack to prove that our wolves are superior to their monstrous ways!"

The night is taken over by howls, sending shivers down my spine.

Our packs are coming together as one, the wolves singing in unison as our ceremony begins.

I'm not permitted to join in on the howling, and neither are the ladies. There aren't many people here tonight. Most have returned home to safeguard their children, with only a few enforcers remaining.

My mother has come to see me because of me.

Just as Alpha Nathan's mate has arrived to express her approval for this coupling.

The remainder are guys, and their animalistic aggressiveness is like a scorching wave in the cold winter air.

My wolf is whining within, demanding to be let out. I fight her like I always have, the anguish in my heart coursing through my veins and sending electric shocks to my fingertips. Suppressing her has never been natural. But I have to do what I have to do for my pack.

I do what I have to do to survive.

Glenn runs his fingers through my hair as he rests his palm on my head. He's thrilled that I'm complying and staying motionless while everyone, including him, howls. It's a sign of my devotion to him as my destined partner. It's a demonstration of my comprehension of my role in our packs.

I may have an Alpha's heart, but I will never be the Alpha. Men are more powerful. That's OK with me. I accept my position. I'll take him.

Most days, I think, remember my mother's advice about picking fights.

Swallowing, I await the men's quiet and the start of the next step of this event.

Glenn circles me, his gaze roving over my bare flesh. His approbation and attention are palpable. He knows he'll be able to taste me for the first time tonight. My passion is slicking my thighs. He's an Alpha in his prime, a stunning specimen of a guy with a jawline I've wanted to lick since the first time I saw him.

Glenn leans in to kiss my temple, his breath heated as he says, "I can smell your arousal, Garnet." "Are you already prepared for me, sweetheart?"

I don't respond. It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't.

He chuckles again, his lips brushing against my temple, and says, "Good girl."

Another test, which I pass. I know better than to move or respond. Despite the yearning gathering between my legs, I don't even tighten them.

Instead, I concentrate on my wolf and my joy at finally feeling her outside of my heart.

The need to shift has become all-consuming, with the moon acting as an additional seductress on my skin.

But I must wait. Glenn will contact me when he is ready when he has publicly picked me."I approve," he growls, a couple of the wolves grinning at his obvious meaning.

I've never been to a mating ritual, but I've heard stories about them. Males may sometimes claim their females for the pack to see, not merely with their bite, but also with their body. I'm praying Glenn doesn't go down that path. I want to be able to run once he lets me shift.

But when he puts me back into human shape, I won't be able to resist him.

So he could force me to switch forms rapidly, claim me, and then let me run.

He might never let me run at all.

It's a dread I've had my entire life. I've encountered women whose male partners preferred them in human form. However, I believe Glenn will approve of my wolf and allow me to play. Our encounters have been all excellent, and the fact that he calls me Garnet claims to respect my decisions.

A faint buzz of growls fills the air as the wolves prepare for the ultimate link.

I've missed everything Alpha Clinton said since my mind has been preoccupied with what happens next.

Glenn advances into my space, his palm around the back of my neck, my head near his upper thigh. He's taller and broader than me, as are the majority of male shifters. I've always been modest about my status, my alpha inclinations being more internal than external.

"Close your eyes," Glenn murmurs, his opposite hand caressing my cheek. "This is going to hurt."

I comply, my body twitching with anxious energy. It buzzes in my veins, causing tingling in my fingertips.

The last exam.

Glenn lets out a low growl that prompts my inner wolf to whimper. She doesn't want to be driven out; she wants to make her own decision.

But that isn't how it works.

She is not in command here. Glenn is, and she must accept it or we will both face the ultimate cost-rejection.

He growls again, this time more forcefully, sending sensations down my limbs. I urge myself to breathe, to be calm, to let him guide my transformation. But his third roar is harder now, demanding my animal's obedience and driving my bones to break under his control.

By the seventh roar, tears are streaming down my cheeks, my wolf resisting the call of our mate.

"It's natural to fight," my mother cautioned me beforehand. "Allow nature to take its course." The Alphas desire a powerful mate. And you're the most powerful of us all."

Glenn tightens his grasp on my neck, his roar becoming more fierce.

I've lost track of the number of times he snarls.

I'm too preoccupied with the sensation of my bones breaking and moving, the movements strange and terrible.

How do females agree to change back for the claim? As a moan leaves my lips, my insides turn to liquid fire. How do they feel about the claim?

According to what I've heard, the claim is a lovely ceremony full of passion and pleasure.

But I can't picture myself feeling that way right now.

As my legs finally give out from under me, I bite my tongue to prevent from screaming. Glenn holds me in place with his hand on my neck and cheek.

It stings.

He seemed to be about to snap my neck.

It's not natural.

I need him to let me go so I can finish my shift. Is he punishing me for my tardiness? Is he holding me as a way to demonstrate his authority?

I groan my body completely within my control. What else does he require? I can't... I'm not going to fight him. He is far too powerful. It's too manly. Alpha too much.

He finally lets go of me and lets loose a growl that vibrates through every fiber of my body, the wolf inside him demanding that my beast come to life.

She snarls back, but neither of us can resist his appeal.

As the shift takes over completely, I collapse into a ball, my body contorting in ways it's never contorted before.

This is probably why they don't let us meet our inner animals until we're ready to mate. It stings.

As much as I want to see my animal, I don't want to go through the anguish of meeting her. I'm feeling weak. I feel undeserving. I'm feeling soft.

As the final stages of my transition strike my core, a mewl escapes my lips, my limbs trembling.

Then everything comes to a halt.

The anguish. The terror. The excitement. It simply fades away when quiet falls.

Peace.

My wolf yawns and stretches, relieved to be free.

My wolf's ears flatten in alarm at the abrupt intake of air around me. That sound bothers her, and it bothers me as well.

I smell, seeking to find the source of my concern. It ruffles my fur, and the stink grows worse by the second.

"What the fuck is this?" Alpha Clinton insists. "Some sort of sick joke?"

I blink, perplexed.

Glenn is no longer alongside me; he's nearly ten feet away, glowering at me with a disgusted expression that pierces my heart.

When I elevate my head, the sensation is unusual since the muscles in my neck are new to this position.

My limbs are still weird beneath me, and I can't stand.

I look down to see where I should put my paws and how...

Fur in white.

I fix my gaze on it.

What's the deal with my white fur? It ought to be black. Midnight Wolves all have black fur. The fur of Shadow Wolves is brown.

The Crimson Wolves live in the Moon Stone Pack.

Crimson Wolves also have white fur.

White, snow-like hairs.

White fur, similar to...

Just like my paws.

Oh, moon... I'm in big danger.