Isla stared at the small cupcake with its single flame. The tiny light danced in the dark kitchen. "Make a wish, sweetheart," her father said, his voice low so nobody else in the pack would hear their little party. Isla closed her eyes. I wish I could be more than just an omega. The candle was blown out. Her father, Rowan Blackthorn, clapped his hands and smiled. As the Beta of the pack, he was important and strong. Everyone respected him. But Isla was just an omega – the lowest rank. Nobody expected much from her. "Happy 18th birthday," he said, cutting the cupcake in half to share. "I'm sorry it can't be a bigger party." Isla forced a smile. "It's okay, Dad. I know omegas don't get big parties." Her father's eyes darkened. "Things shouldn't be that way, but Alpha Roderick is strict about pack rules." Isla bit into her cupcake, tasting the sweetness. Today she was officially an adult, but nothing felt different. She would still clean the pack house, cook meals, and stay quiet when higher-ranked wolves went by. "I got you something," her father said, pulling a small box from his pocket. Inside was a metal necklace with a wolf charm. Isla gasped. Omegas weren't allowed to have silver things – those were for high-ranking dogs only. "Dad! If anyone sees this—" "It was your mother's," he said, his voice cracking. "She wanted you to have it when you turned 18. Just wear it under your clothes." Isla's eyes filled with tears as she put on the necklace. Her mother had died when she was little. She barely remembered her. "Thank you," she whispered, tucking the chain under her shirt. A howl echoed through the pack house. Her father jumped up. "Alpha Roderick is calling a meeting. I must go." He kissed her face. "Stay out of sight. Some of the pack members get mean when they're in big groups."
After he left, Isla snuck out the back door. She didn't want to be around when the pack meeting finished. Alpha wolves were always fired up after meetings, looking for omegas to boss around. The forest welcomed her with its quiet beauty. This was Isla's best place – the only place she felt free. Here, nobody cared that she was an omega. The trees didn't judge her. Isla walked deeper into the trees than she usually dared. Her birthday made her feel brave. The trees grew thicker, and the path vanished. "I shouldn't go further," she told herself, but something pulled her forward. A weird humming filled the air. It wasn't a sound exactly – more like a feeling buzzing through her body. Isla followed it until she reached a clearing.
In the middle stood the biggest tree she'd ever seen. Its stem was white with silver bark that seemed to glow in the afternoon light. Isla had never seen it before, though she'd been in these woods hundreds of times. "Wow," she whispered, walking toward it. The humming grew louder. Her mother's necklace felt warm against her skin. Without thinking, Isla reached out and touched the tree. A jolt shot up her arm! Silver light flashed behind her eyes. Images filled her mind – wolves running, a river flowing with silver water, three shadows circling her.
And blood. So much blood. Isla yanked her hand away with a scream. The tree looked normal again. Had she dreamed the whole thing? Her hand tingled where she'd touched the bark. Looking down, she gasped. Her fingers glowed with a faint silver light – the same silver shimmer that marked her as an omega, but much brighter. "What's happening to me?" she whispered. The silver light faded quickly, but the strange feeling stayed. Something had changed inside her. She felt different – stronger somehow. A twig snapped behind her. Isla spun around. "Well, well. The Beta's little omega daughter, all alone in the forest." Alina Darksbane stepped into the clearing, her blonde hair shining in the sunshine. As the daughter of a former Luna, she was nearly pack royalty. She hated Isla for no reason other than that Isla existed. "Happy birthday," Alina said with a cold smile. "I hear you're officially an adult omega now. Still at the bottom of the pack, though." Isla backed up until she felt the tree trunk behind her. "Leave me alone, Alina. I'm not bothering anyone." "You're trespassing." Alina moved closer. "This part of the forest is off-limits to omegas. Didn't your father teach you the rules?" "I was just exploring—" "Exploring? That's not an omega's job." Alina's eyes narrowed. "What's that under your shirt? Is that... silver?" Isla's hand flew to her necklace. "It's nothing." "Omegas aren't allowed to wear silver!" Alina lunged forward, reaching for the chain. Something snapped inside Isla. Heat rushed through her body. She pushed Alina away – not hard, just enough to stop her from taking the necklace. But Alina flew across the clearing like she'd been hit by a truck! She crashed into a bush with a scream. Isla looked at her hands in horror. How had she done that? She wasn't strong – she was just an omega! Alina stumbled to her feet, leaves in her hair, eyes wide with shock and fear. "What was that?" she gasped. "What did you do?" "I don't know," Isla said frankly. "I didn't mean to push you so hard." Alina backed away. "You're a freak! Wait until everyone hears about this." "Please don't tell anyone," Isla begged. "I don't know what happened. I swear!" "The Alpha will hear about this." Alina turned and ran into the trees. Isla slumped against the silver tree, shaking. What was happening to her?
First the vision, then the glowing fingers, and now super strength? Omegas didn't have skills. They were the weakest dogs in the pack. The tree hummed behind her, almost like it was alive. Isla turned to look at it again, wondering why she'd never seen it before today. A sign caught her eye – a small marking carved into the bark. Three spirals connected in the middle, making a triangle. Isla traced it with her finger, and the marking glowed silver for a second. "The triplets," she whispered, though she didn't know why those words came to her. Everyone in the pack knew about Alpha Roderick's three sons – the triplets who would someday lead the pack. Isla had seen them from a distance but never up close. They were royalty. She was nothing. Yet something told her this tree, this sign, connected her to them somehow. A howl echoed through the trees – the call to return to the pack house. Her father would be looking for her. Isla took one last look at the silver tree. She needed to get back before Alina told everyone what had happened. But she knew she would return to this place. As she turned to leave, a flash of silver caught her eye. At the base of the tree lay a small stone, glowing with the same light she'd seen on her fingers. Isla picked it up and felt warmth spread through her palm.
Without knowing why, she slipped it into her pocket. The wind picked up, rustling through the leaves. It almost sounded like words: "Your life changes now." Isla ran from the clearing, her heart racing. She didn't see the three sets of eyes watching her from the shadows – one pair gray, one blue, one green. She didn't hear one of them say, "It's her. The silver omega from the scripture." But she did feel the strange pull in her chest, like invisible threads linking her to something – or someone – she hadn't met yet. And she definitely didn't see the silver tree fade away behind her, as if it had never been t
here at all.