Elena Stops Waiting

At a graduation party in Mooncrest Academy's underground training hall, a game of Put a Finger Down exposes the truth: Asher, the Alpha heir Elena has loved for ten years, has chosen Serena. Serena kisses him before every young wolf heir, then reveals that Asher once used Elena's silverleaf allergy to make her miss the scholarship interview that Serena needed to win.

Elena flees into the northern night, but Asher's messages follow, calling the kiss a lost bet and telling her not to make things ugly. Clinging to one shred of hope, she returns to the hall, where a bucket of ice water and a laughing crowd are waiting. Serena claims the bet's prize: the half of a childhood compass pendant Asher has worn since they were seven.

Asher hands it over without apology, and Elena must decide whether the boy who once shielded her ever truly existed.