Luna Unveils Her Royal Status

The familiar scent of pack territory filled my nostrils as I stepped onto the inter-pack competition set, my daughter's small hand clasped firmly in mine. Three years had passed since I'd walked among my kind like this—three years since I'd escaped the suffocating bond that had been slowly killing my spirit.

"Remember what Mama told you," I whispered to Celeste, crouching to her level. Her innocent eyes—so like her father's—gazed back at me with a wisdom beyond her years.

"I'm not supposed to talk about Papa being the king," she whispered back, her little fingers playing with the silver charm bracelet Alexander had given her. "Or that you're the queen."

I smiled and brushed a strand of her midnight hair behind her ear. "That's right, little moon. It's our special secret for now."

As we walked further into the filming area, I felt it happen—my pearl-white Luna aura rippled outward, a force I once tried to suppress but now embraced fully. The crowd parted instinctively, their gasps audible even over the bustle of the production crew. I caught fragments of their whispers like scattered puzzle pieces.

"The vanished Luna..."

"...left Alpha Chase three years ago..."

"...disappeared without a trace..."

"...returned with a pup..."

My wolf, Selene, purred contentedly inside me. *Let them wonder*, she murmured in my mind. *They'll know soon enough.*

I kept my face carefully composed, the mask of serenity I'd perfected as Alexander's mate firmly in place. My fingers found the moonstone pendant at my throat—his first gift to me, a symbol of our true bond. The weight of it centered me as cameras swiveled in our direction.

Victoria Kane's saccharine smile didn't reach her eyes as she approached us for the interview segment. I recognized the hunger in her gaze—the desperate need to prove herself worthy of the Luna title she'd claimed in my absence. Her brown wolf was unremarkable, her aura a pale imitation of true power.

"Evangeline," she cooed, her voice dripping with false warmth. "What a surprise to see the infamous runaway Luna joining our little competition." Her eyes darted to Celeste, narrowing slightly. "And with such precious... company."

The cameras rolled, red lights blinking as millions of supernatural eyes watched. Victoria's perfectly manicured hand gestured toward my daughter.

"Your daughter bears no resemblance to her... father." Her pause was deliberate, her smile sharpening. "Explain this genetic miracle to our viewers, won't you?"

The studio fell silent. I could feel Chase's eyes burning into me from across the set, his rage a tangible force. Victoria thought she'd cornered me, that I would crumble under the weight of public scrutiny.

Selene's silver-tipped fur shimmered beneath my skin. *Now*, she urged. *Begin our vengeance.*

I met Victoria's gaze steadily, my voice carrying effortlessly through the hushed studio. "There is no miracle to explain, Victoria. Chase and I were never true mates." I let my hand rest protectively on Celeste's shoulder. "My daughter is not his pup."

A low purr of satisfaction echoed in my mind as chaos erupted around us. Victoria's practiced smile faltered, her eyes widening with shock and delight at what she perceived as my public self-destruction. Little did she know I'd just lit the fuse on a bomb that would destroy everything she thought she'd won.

After filming concluded, I guided Celeste toward our dressing room, already sensing him before I saw him. Chase Blackwood stepped from the shadows of a dim backstage hallway, blocking our path. His grey wolf simmered just beneath the surface, his fists clenched white with barely contained rage.

"Take Celeste to the car," I murmured to our security detail, never taking my eyes off Chase. Once my daughter was safely away, I faced him fully.

"You humiliated me live!" he snarled, his Alpha tone vibrating through the air—a tone that once would have brought me to my knees in submission. Now it washed over me like water over stone, leaving no impression.

I touched my moonstone pendant, drawing strength from what it represented. "I simply told the truth, Chase."

Confusion flickered across his face as I remained standing, my neck unbared, my posture relaxed. His wolf forced a partial shift in his confusion and rage, amber eyes glowing, canines lengthening.

"What happened to you?" he growled, his voice barely human. "How are you resisting my command?"

I merely smiled, a secret playing at the corners of my lips. The game had only just begun.