Chapter 8
Bolton
Ican still feel her pulse where her hand gripped my arm.
Maya’s kneeling in the dirt, breath ragged, eyes wide as they scan the circle of onlookers like she’s trying to make sense of a language she was never meant to understand. The moment passed—the near-shift, the flicker of something powerful and ancestral—but I saw it. So did everyone else.
She doesn’t even know what she did.
But my father does.
He studies her from across the fire, gaze unreadable. I can’t tell if he’s impressed or worried—or both. Knowing him, probably both.
Then, without taking his eyes off Maya, he lifts his voice.
“This ceremony is concluded. The moon has witnessed. It is time for the rest of you to return to your homes.”
A murmur ripples through the crowd—confusion, hesitation—but the weight of Alpha Sharpe’s voice allows no argument. One by one, people begin to disperse, their reluctant footsteps crunching over pine needles as they vanish into the tree line.
But not all of them.
Cassie doesn’t move. She lingers by the edge of the firelight, arms crossed, eyes narrowed on Maya like she’s trying to solve a puzzle she doesn’t like the answer to.
Dax stays too, silent but watchful, ever at my side.
So do the others—the core pack. The ones who recognize that something just happened. And that whatever it was, it matters.
“She didn’t shift,” Cassie says behind me, smug. “Whatever you were hoping would happen, it didn’t.”
The bonfire crackles in the thick silence she leaves behind.
“She almost did,” Dax murmurs from my left. His voice is quiet, but it carries. “Did you feel it?”
Several wolves nod—some in awe, some in caution.
“She’s not one of us,” Cassie says again, louder this time. “She doesn’t belong in this circle.”
I stand up slowly, turning to face her. “She doesn’t have to prove anything to you.”
Cassie’s eyes narrow. Her smirk widens, wolf-sharp. “Oh, I think she does.”
The crowd parts just enough for her to step into the ring. The reds of the fire reflect off her pale hair like embers. She moves like she’s been waiting for this moment a long time.
“I challenge,” she says, her voice raised, formal. “If this girl wants to call herself wolf, let her fight like one.”
The moment the words leave her mouth, the circle shifts. Ripples of awareness spread like a dropped stone in dark water. Even the trees seem to lean in.
Maya rises slowly, brushing pine needles from her palms, breathing steadier now. She hasn’t looked away from Cassie once.
She’s scared. But not the way I expected.
She’s angry.
“What does that mean?” Maya asks, her voice hoarse.
Cassie bares her teeth in a smile. “It means if you want to stay in our world—or in his”—she jerks her chin toward me—“then you prove yourself worthy. Or you get out.”
“This isn’t Luna Trials,” Dax mutters at my side. “She doesn’t even know what she is yet.”
Maya’s head snaps toward him. “What do you mean, ‘what I am’?” she demands, her voice sharp but laced with confusion. “What am I?”
Dax glances at me, lips pressing into a line. He wasn't expecting her to hear him. Or maybe he just didn't expect her to ask.
“Maya…” I start, stepping toward her.
“No.” She takes a half-step back, shifting her gaze between us. “I’m tired of half answers and weird looks. Everyone here is acting like I’m part of some secret club I didn’t sign up for. So tell me—what did he mean?”
I look into her eyes—wide, defiant, but scared. She deserves the truth. Even if it’s sooner than I planned.
“You’re not just human,” I say quietly. “At least, not fully. And tonight, under the full moon… something inside you woke up.”
For a moment, Maya doesn’t respond. Then she blinks, slow and stunned, her voice trembling but louder now.
“What do you mean, not human?” She takes a step back and looks around the circle.
“Is this some kind of joke? Are you all messing with me?” Her eyes flash toward me.
“Is this why you brought me here? I knew something was weird—this whole night has been insane—but now you're telling me I’m not even human? You’re all crazy. ”
“Maya,” I step forward, hands open, but she takes another half-step back, eyes wide.
“I deserve to know why I’m really here,” she says, voice tight. “Why did you even invite me?”
I meet her gaze directly. “Because I needed to know. My wolf”—I pause—“my wolf recognizes you as his mate.”
Maya lets out a short, sharp laugh. “You can’t be serious. Mate? Like… soulmates? What is this, a cult?”
The pack murmurs, some nervous, others annoyed. Cassie smirks but says nothing.
From behind me, my father’s voice cuts through the tension like a blade. “Bolton. Shift.”
I stiffen but nod once, stepping into the center of the circle.
Maya’s breath catches. “Wait, what does he mean by—”
I let the change take me.
Bones stretch. Muscles reshape. Heat rolls down my spine as skin ripples into fur. In seconds, I’m standing on all fours as a massive black wolf. Shaggy midnight fur, claws sunk into pine needles, eyes glowing icy blue.
The entire circle goes still.
Maya doesn’t move. Doesn’t breathe. She just stares.
Then, slowly, I shift back—barefoot in the dirt, breath heavy, heart racing.
She doesn’t say anything at first. Just looks from me, to my father, to the others watching her.
Her voice is small, afraid, edged in disbelief. “This… this is real?”
No one answers.
She looks around at the faces—some human, some not—and I see her expression change.
She understands now.
She’s in trouble.
I release a breath, every muscle in my chest tightening. “You’re like us, Maya. A wolf shifter. You just don’t know it yet.”
The bonfire crackles. Maya stands motionless, rooted to the earth like she needs it to stay upright.
Dax says nothing now, just watches her with quiet sympathy.
She looks down at her hands, then back up at me. “You’re telling me... I’m one of you?”
“You’re something more,” I say, my voice steady. “We all felt it tonight. So did you.”
Maya’s jaw works, but no words come. Not yet.
She looks over at Cassie and back to me. “Do I have to fight her?”
“No,” I say immediately. “You don’t. She’s trying to push you. That’s all.” I look at my father. “This is out of line.”
But he doesn’t step in. His expression is cool, calculating.
The old laws still hold.
And right now, they’re not on Maya’s side.
“She accepted the circle,” Cassie says, arms folded, her voice dripping satisfaction. “She stood in it. Took the moon’s witness. The Pack has the right.”
“No,” I snap, stepping forward. “She didn’t know what that meant. She’s not pack. She didn’t consent to anything.”
Cassie raises an eyebrow. “She stepped into the sacred circle under the full moon. That’s consent enough, Bolton. You can’t rewrite the laws just because it’s inconvenient for you.”
“She thought it was a school tradition,” I say, heat rising in my voice. “You know she doesn’t understand what a challenge means.”
“Well, maybe she should’ve asked before playing Luna-in-waiting.”
“That’s enough,” I bark. “You’re twisting this, Cassie. She didn’t ask for this.”
“And yet she’s here,” Cassie sneers. “With you. Standing in front of the pack like she belongs.”
“Enough,” my father’s voice booms across the clearing.
The circle goes still.
He steps forward, gaze like frost on steel. “She may not have understood the circle, but you did, son.”
I turn toward him, my jaw clenched.
“You knew what it meant to bring her here. To place her before the fire. To let her stand where only the blooded do.” His tone is low, deliberate. “And you are responsible for what follows. Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences?”
My heart slams in my chest.
Maya glances between us, uncertain. Cassie’s smile curves cruel.
And I realize—whatever comes next, this is mine to answer for.