CHAPTER 1: Many Are Called; Few Are Chosen
Odessa’s POV
I blame myself for piling pressure on Dakota. She isn’t made of stone, and she needs a moment to steady herself, to gather the fragments of composure I keep shattering with my demands.
“No,” she says with her voice low but firm. “I disagree.” Her eyes gleam, restlessly yet determined. “You deserve to know the truth.”
The truth.
The word sits between us uncomfortably, and my chest tightens. What truth could be worse than everything I’ve already endured today? The last few hours have been nothing short of chaos. First, the mystic encounter with Hayden, and now Dakota standing here and ready to pour undiluted secrets into my life.
“Bring it on,” I say, tightening an invisible seat belt around my heart, bracing myself against loose ends.
This is my chance, maybe the only one, to peel back the layers of my existence. With the threat of war rolling closer, another opportunity might never come, and I must make the best of this moment, even if it tears me apart.
Dakota draws a breath and delivers the first blow.
“Mother died when having you.”
Her words sink deeply into my heart. She doesn’t need to say more; the damage is already done.
I sway, losing balance as cold spreads from my stomach, crawling into my chest and numbing everything. I asked for this. I wanted the truth, but I should have prepared my heart for the untold.
“Proceed,” I whisper, summoning whatever courage remains.
According to Dakota, Mother’s pregnancy with me was chaos from the beginning, with complications, sleepless nights and relentless warnings.
“She had the option to end it, to save herself,” Dakota says softly.
A single tear spills down my cheek. What a woman my mother must have been, brave enough to choose me over her own life.
“The moon guardian predicted your future before you were conceived,” Dakota continues. “She said you’d one day rule the pack.”
I jerk upright, startled.
“Wait. How could I ever become Alpha ahead of you? You’re the eldest, and besides, does a female Alpha even exist? I thought it was always Luna.”
Dakota lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head with a small smile tugging at her lips.
“You’re still a kid,” she says, teasing but tender.
The words sting, but I swallow the insult. She knows better than I do, and if I want clarity, I need to listen, not argue.
“Only the moon goddess can explain that,” she adds with her tone gentler now.
Still, something about her answer feels evasive. Is she hiding part of the story?
I cut in before she can go further.
“Does that explain why Hayden appeared to me and not you?”
“Spot on.” Her reply is quick and sure.
She leans closer with a low voice.
“Now you see why Father hides the war from you? He sees you as the heir, should everything go wrong.”
Her words land with precision, like arrows finding their mark. It is a brilliant suggestion and a bitter truth.
All this time, Father has been trying to show me something, but I was too blind and too stubborn to see it. I owe him an apology, a mountain of apologies.
I’ve been an awful child, ungrateful and selfish.
First, I cost Mother her life, and now, I’ve painted Father as the villain, the man who has done everything to shield me from darkness.
Will he ever forgive me?
The thought of him regretting my birth stabs through my heart. He had a choice: my life or his peace, and he chose me without hesitation. Is this how I repay him?
Woe unto me.
I push the grief down and look at Dakota.
“Let’s go to the soldiers’ camp.” My voice comes out steadier than I expect.
Her brows knit.
“Why? You shouldn’t even be seen there.”
She rejected the request outright and didn’t even listen.
“I want to learn how to handle weapons,” I insist. “My inner wolf isn’t enough.”
But this isn’t just about weapons, though; it’s about redemption. I owe Father, and I need to prove his choice wasn’t a mistake, that I’m worth every sacrifice he made.
Dakota’s face hardens.
“You’re sick, and this is insane. Forget it. It’s not happening.”
Her anger startles me. I’ve never seen her rage like this, with veins on her neck standing out, sharp against her skin.
I remind myself she’s my sister, that’s the only reason I’m not on the ground, flattened by her fury.
Desperation claws at me, and I drop to my knees with tears spilling freely. I plead, bargain and act ridiculous to make her see how much this matters.
But she doesn’t bend as her decision stands firm and unshakable.
“Father will kill me,” she mutters. That’s always her excuse and the shield she hides behind.
“Your inner wolf is enough,” she argues. “I’ll be here to protect you from whatever comes. Your scent is clearer to me than anyone else’s.”
Her voice softens again, wrapping me in reluctant care. She has a point, a stronger one than mine.
Still, it leaves me hollow and speechless.
Minutes pass as I sit there, gulping back sobs and swallowing my pride.
Then my phone rings, and father’s name, Pop, flashes across the screen. Panic jolts me, and I pretend not to see it, but the volume is up; silence isn’t an option today.
Of course, Dakota notices.
“That’s Father,” she says quietly. “Time to go home.”
Clever, as always.
Caught red-handed, I don’t even get a chance to rehearse an excuse. My face hardens as we start back toward the pack grounds while resentment simmers under my skin, though I can’t explain it, not even to myself.
I want to be alone, to lick my wounds in peace.
Then, just as we near Father’s chambers, a voice stops me in my tracks.
“How would you like closed-door training?”
I freeze with my heart pounding. It’s Dakota again, standing behind me.
A flicker of happiness crawls across my face before I can stop it. Could she be serious?
But I’ve been down this road before. Slowly, I turn, studying her carefully. I want her to mean every word.
Dakota is notorious for elaborate pranks. She’s tricked me twice before, when we were younger, and those memories linger like bruises I can’t forget.
I brace myself, unwilling to let hope take root too fast.
Disappointment is a luxury I can’t afford right now.
Still, the thought of real training swells inside me warmly.
This means everything. If it happens, I won’t just be a girl carrying guilt and questions. I’ll be someone worthy, someone powerful, someone who can stand beside Father without shame…
