As we parked, I craned my neck to see over the rest of the cars, my legs aching from the long drive. I was eager to leave the car and escape the oppressive weight that filled it. Outside, there were tents everywhere, covering every spare inch of ground, and I’d never seen this many people before in one place outside of a city. Excitement thrummed through me, mixing with the anxiety that had been building up for weeks. My entire fate rested on what happened at the Convergence.

I got out of the car and stretched the travel strain out of my body, taking in the sights and scents of the Montana forest around the campground. It reminded me a little of Cancer territory, although the trees were different here and there was no smell of saltwater in the air. A couple of wolves bounded past me into the forest, and I caught sight of the Aquarius pack mark on them before they slipped away.

I left my bag behind since it was so heavy, planning to come back for it later, and followed Dad and Jackie through the parking lot with Wesley at my side. I caught his eye as we wound through the cars. He grinned at me, excitement pouring off him. It was infectious enough that it chased away most of the anxiety.

“Lighten up, Ayla,” he said. “We’re here now.”

I nodded and relaxed a little. If he wasn’t nervous, I didn’t have to be, either. He’d been through this, and he’d be sure to pass on any important information to me. Besides, tomorrow I would finally get my wolf, allowing me to become my true self. There was no reason to be worried. Right?

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Jackie tossed over her shoulder. “All eyes will be on the alphas and their families. Especially Wesley, as the alpha heir.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want anyone to suspect we’re not the perfect nuclear family,” I said, sarcasm dripping off every word.

Dad spun around and lifted his hand like he was about to hit me, but then checked himself. He glanced around at all the people nearby, before speaking in a low growl. “Watch yourself, Ayla." He infused power into the words, giving me an alpha command that wrapped around my throat like a vice, forcing me to obey. "Or you’ll regret it.”

“Dad, stop,” Wesley said, moving to stand at my shoulder. He couldn’t officially challenge our father, not unless he wanted to fight for the role of alpha. Which would probably leave one of them dead. I touched Wesley’s arm to show everything was okay—I couldn’t bear the thought of possibly losing him. Someday he would be alpha, but until then, I could handle it.

We kept walking, pretending nothing was wrong, but there would be no relaxing as long as I was around my parents. I couldn’t wait to get away from them. It was one of the perks of coming to the Convergence—I didn’t have to always hang around my pack. I’d get a taste of how it would be to live among people who didn’t hate my existence. Surely not every pack had the same toxic views toward half-human shifters. I knew I couldn’t be the only one to exist. The more we mingled with humans, the more likely we were to interbreed with them.

The closer we got, the less like a random jumble the tents became, and a pattern began to emerge. Banners were stuck into the ground with Zodiac symbols on them to represent the different packs. The campground had been divided into quadrants representing the four elements, and we headed to join the other water signs.

Winding in between the tents were hundreds of shifters in both human and wolf forms, all here representing each of the twelve packs. Shifters of all ages mingled with other packs than their own, sharing meals, laughing together, and dancing under the sun like they were at a music festival. I’d never felt such camaraderie between different pack members, even the ones who were on good terms. The Convergence was neutral ground, and no one had to be worried about potential schemes or any attacks. Fighting was prohibited here, and the Sun Witches made sure everyone stayed in line.

Dad pulled aside a Pisces shifter and asked him where we should set up, but I was too focused on trying to take everything in to listen to the details of their conversation. The male pointed toward the northern side of the clearing, all the way to the back. Dad nodded and we began working our way through the Pisces and Scorpio tents to the Cancer area.

I recognized more people than I thought I would. Many of the different alphas had visited our house for as long as I could remember. There was always business to attend to, figuring out land disputes, negotiating alliances, and distributing resources. The Cancer pack was one of the largest ones, and we were allied with the Pisces, Capricorn, and Aquarius packs. We’d had a long-standing rivalry—or worse—with the other largest pack, the Leos, along with their allies, the Aries, Taurus, and Scorpio packs. The remaining Zodiac Wolves—the Gemini, Virgo, Libra, and Sagittarius packs—all remained neutral at the moment, but alliances were constantly shifting and changing. By the end of the Convergence, it might all be different again.

We passed by the Aquarius and Pisces alphas deep in conversation, and before I could recall the last time I’d seen them both, Mira came running over. I paused, letting the rest of my family pull forward a little bit to give us the semblance of privacy. It wouldn’t do much, not with so many shifters around. Nonetheless, I’d never turn down an opportunity to distance myself from my parents.

“Ayla,” she said, eyes shining as she danced around me, practically jumping out of her skin. “Can you believe how many shifters came this year?”

“No,” I said, grinning back at her. Her good mood was infectious, and despite the torturous fifteen hours I’d just spent in the car with Dad and Jackie, I cheered up. “It’s amazing. I knew there were a lot of shifters between the twelve packs, but seeing everyone together makes it feel like we could take on the whole world somehow.”

Mira lowered her voice and pulled me in closer to her. “Have you seen all the hotties here?” she asked, eyeing a group of younger Scorpio pack males as they passed by us, none of them wearing shirts. “Mmm, delicious. They’ve certainly been training.”

I laughed as one of them looked over and slanted a crooked grin at Mira. She glanced down demurely, but I could see the glee in her gaze. I opened my mouth to tell her that she wasn’t being as sneaky as she thought she was but thought better of it. Why ruin the fun? Almost everyone here already had their wolves, and they would hear even the lowest whisper.

As if to prove my point, Wesley glanced back at us with a smirk. He’d continued on with Dad and Jackie, but none of them were far enough ahead for Mira’s comment to have escaped them. Luckily, our parents were deep in conversation, but no such luck with my brother. Wesley rolled his eyes at me, but the grin on his face showed his amusement, and Mira’s face flushed with embarrassment. I looked between her and Wesley with raised brows. I’d suspected that she’d been crushing on my brother for some time, and she’d just confirmed it.

I shook my head. It wasn’t as if I could warn her off the scent. Wesley was a flirt, and everyone knew it. She’d have to deal with him on her own. He still hadn’t found his mate and made the most of it. I wondered if she secretly hoped they’d be mated tomorrow. Of course, half the fun of the Convergence was wondering who you’d be paired with at the mating ceremony—if you were paired at all.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s set up our tents.”

Before I could move, someone shoved past me hard, nearly knocking me over. I stumbled forward, instincts kicking in just fast enough to stop me from falling. When I glanced up, a big, muscular guy with blond hair was walking past, along with his friends. He shot a look over his shoulder, and it was pure venom.

“Watch yourself,” he said. “Or better yet, stay out of the way.”

I gained my balance, rage sparking inside of me at the hateful tone like a Pavlovian response. I’d had more than enough of my own pack members talking to me like this my whole life. I’d come here to change that, to find the connection I’d been missing, and my first interaction with another pack member was someone who thought it was okay to treat me like the Cancer pack did. Fuck that.

“Watch where you’re going,” I snapped back. He’d already been walking away as if he didn’t expect me to say anything back to him, but at my words, he paused and turned back fully, eyes smoldering.

Damn, he was attractive. I found myself checking him out, even though I doubted we’d get along if he talked to strangers like he had done to me. He was tall, muscular, and sun-kissed, with blond hair that was right on the verge of being long and wild. He obviously spent a lot of his time throwing his weight around outside.

He looked me up and down, and then peeled his lips back in a snarl. “You’re the outcast in the Cancer pack, aren’t you? I’d recognize Harrison’s eyes anywhere, and you have your human mother’s hair.” He said the word human like it was dirty. Ah, yes, another reminder of home. Whichever pack he was a part of, I made a mental note to never associate with them.

I lifted my chin and faced him down. “And you’re just another bully who thinks it’s okay to pick on anyone you believe is beneath you. I don’t need your name. Your actions speak loud enough.”

Mira’s hand caught mine and tightened at the words. It was a silent warning. Careful. I didn’t want to be careful. Whoever this prick was, he could have a piece of my mind.

A low growl went through the group of males gathered around the guy, and the tension became palpable in the air. So much for keeping the peace. I’d managed to break it moments after stepping onto the campsite.

“Hey,” Mira said, stepping in front of me holding her free hand out in supplication. “No fighting here, remember? We’re on neutral ground.”

The guy shook his head, disgust pouring off of him almost tangibly. “You’re lucky we’re at the Convergence. Anywhere else, and I would have given your half-human friend there the beating she deserved.”

Something inside of me died at the words. I’d hoped that outside of the Cancer pack, my heritage wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but here I was, dealing with the same prejudices I’d encountered on a daily basis. I was never going to escape this shit, was I?

The guy gave me one more disgusted once-over before walking away. The other males fell into line with him, almost as if he was commanding them. This male was high up in the ranks of his pack, and it irked me that dicks like him got to be in power so often. With a sigh, I pushed the encounter out of my mind. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to deal with him again.

Wesley jogged up to us, worry plain on his face. He put a hand on my shoulder and stared after the shifters. “What just happened?”

“Nothing,” I grumbled, tugging Mira forward. “He was a prick, I told him to shove off. The asshole didn’t know how to say ‘excuse me’ instead of ‘move out of my way’.”

“You shouldn’t mess with him.” Wesley’s hand tightened on my shoulder, going from comforting to a warning. When I glanced over at him, his eyes were serious. “That’s Jordan from the Leo pack.”