Chapter 2 What Should I Do?

I was a shadow of myself then, barely holding together after trading my wolf on the black market.

My body was weak, my spirit shattered, and I had a newborn Elva to care for. I hadn't returned to Bluestone Academy for weeks, unable to face anyone, least of all him. But three weeks later, I dragged myself to the school to process my withdrawal. That's when I saw Kane, his face etched with worry as he rushed toward me under the gray autumn sky.

"Elena, where have you been? Are you okay?" he'd asked, his voice thick with concern.

I could barely meet his eyes. My heart was weeping, but the first words out of my mouth were cold and final: "Kane, we need to break up."

He froze, confusion and hurt flashing across his face. "What? Why? Did I do something wrong?" he pressed, stepping closer. I wanted to collapse into his arms, to tell him everything—about the sacrifice, the pain, the emptiness where my wolf once lived—but I couldn't.

Without my abilities, I was a burden, a liability to someone destined for greatness. I couldn't drag him down with me. So I steeled myself, even as I crumbled inside. "No, it's not you. It's me. I can't do this anymore," I said, my voice breaking.

He didn't understand, couldn't understand, and I didn't let him.

I pushed harder, saying cruel, cutting things I didn't mean, words I knew would drive him away.

His eyes darkened with anger and pain. In a fit of rage, he tore off the black wolf-claw bracelet I'd made for him, the one with protection runes I'd painstakingly sewn for his injured wrist, and flung it into a nearby puddle.

"You'll regret this, Elena," he spat, his voice raw with betrayal, before turning and storming off.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, as the sky opened up and rain poured down.

I didn't move, didn't chase after him. I let the cold water soak through me, tears mixing with the rain as I finally released the sobs I'd been holding back.

In that moment, I felt like I couldn't go on, like the weight of losing him, my wolf, and the future we'd dreamed of was too much to bear...

Amber nudged me, pulling me from the memory. "Elena? Are you even listening?" My eyes instantly fixed on the screen, unwavering. I wasn't interested in the Luna Selection rules being announced, but I needed to see clearly -- was that really my black armband on his wrist?

My heart stopped. The heir wearing my handiwork... it couldn't be.

The camera zoomed in, and I heard Amber gasp beside me. "Isn't that... Kane?"

The world tilted beneath me. The boy I'd fallen in love with at Blue Stone Academy was an heir, born and bred to lead the pack.

She leaned forward, squinting at the screen. "I mean, he looks different, but that's definitely him, right?"

Different was an understatement. He had matured, filling out his previously lanky teenage figure.

Skinny arms had widened with muscle, his broad torso tapering into a narrow waist. The boyish features I remembered had sharpened into angular planes, authority etched into every line of his face.

When his eyes met the camera, I instinctively looked away, as if those eyes could pierce through the screen directly at me. "Amber, please turn it off," I urged, my voice barely a whisper.

But before she could reach for the laptop, Kane's voice filled my apartment: "As we face uncertain times at our borders and economic challenges, Alpha King seeks to renew our connection with our people." His tone carried the weight of leadership and responsibility, so different from the playful cadet I'd known. "The ancient power will choose twenty-five candidates, and three will become our life partners."

My hands trembled as I reached for my coffee mug, trying to steady myself. The Luna Selection -- a tradition older than the pack itself, where the Moon Light Bloodline chose worthy mates for the Sterling line. And now, after fifty years of silence, it was returning in the midst of our pack's darkest hour.

Later that evening, I was picking up Elva's scattered toys when Amber stormed into the living room. She'd been unusually quiet since the announcement, which should have warned me something was coming.

"Okay, I've made a list," she declared, waving her phone at me. "First, the Luna Selection prize includes access to the Silver Moon family's resources. Second, they have the best healers in the entire pack – healers who might actually be able to help Elva."

I froze, the stuffed wolf in my hands suddenly heavy. "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend you haven't noticed," Amber said softly. "The way she sometimes burns up with fever but the doctors can't find anything wrong. How she heals faster than any normal child should. Elena, she needs answers that regular hospitals can't provide."

The familiar ache of my missing wolf stirred in my chest. "I'm a single mother who can't even shift anymore," I said quietly. "The ancient power would never choose someone like me."

"You're being ridiculous, Elena!" Amber's voice rose with frustration. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Selection hasn't happened in fifty years! Are you really going to let your fear stop you from getting Elva the help she needs?"

"It's not fear," I protested, but my voice wavered. "It's just... everything's so uncertain. The competition, the unknown, facing him again..."

"Listen to me," Amber insisted, her eyes intense. "You're always putting Elva first – and right now, this might be exactly what she needs. The ancient power doesn't care about our limitations. It sees who we really are, what we're willing to fight for."

"And who am I?" I whispered. "A broken wolf? A woman with too many secrets?"

"You're Elena," Amber said firmly. "An amazing mother who would do anything for her daughter. If anyone deserves this chance, it's you."

I looked down at the stuffed wolf in my hands, thinking of all the nights I'd watched Elva toss with unexplained fevers, all the questions I couldn't answer.

The word 'compete' sent a shiver down my spine. Compete for what? A position as Luna? A place beside the man who had been just Kane when I loved him, who was now the Silver Moon heir he'd been born to be? Or perhaps a chance to finally understand what had really happened three years ago?

That night, sleep dragged me into a nightmare. I stood before Kane, his presence cold and commanding as a Sterling heir. My heart pounded as I forced out the words, "Kane, what if I joined the Luna Selection? For Elva, for the healers who could save her. Would you be okay with it?"

His gaze cut through me, a cruel smirk on his lips. "You? In the Selection?" His voice dripped with mockery. "Elena, you're a broken shell. The ancient power wouldn't waste a glance on someone so pathetic."

I flinched, his words slicing deep, but he wasn't done. He leaned closer, his tone venomous. "And that weak little brat, Elva? I'd never let her near my bloodline. I'd rather see her gone than taint my name."

"No!" I cried, tears streaming as I tried to shield an invisible Elva. Panic clawed at my chest. "Please, don't hurt her!"

His harsh laugh echoed as shadows loomed, claws reaching for her. I turned to run, but there was no escape. The ache of my missing wolf burned, leaving me powerless.

"Elva!" I screamed, terror tearing through me. A whisper hissed, "This is your fault."

"No!" I jolted awake, gasping, sweat soaking my skin. My hands groped the bed, finding only empty sheets where Elva sometimes slept.

"Elva? Elva!"