I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the East Wing.

Voices drifted from the primary guest suite. This was the room meant for visiting Alpha royalty, not wandering rogues.

I stepped into the doorway.

"Aria. You took your time." Ronan stood by the velvet sofa, his broad shoulders blocking the fireplace.

Celeste reclined against the silk cushions. She looked exactly as she had eight years ago. Flawless skin. Sharp, calculating eyes.

"I was in the medical bay," I stated, keeping my tone flat.

"Celeste has been roaming for years," Ronan interrupted, waving a hand to dismiss my excuse. "Her wolf is exhausted. She will stay here until she recovers."

"In the Luna's guest suite?" I asked.

"She requires comfort," he replied, his jaw tightening. "You will manage her meals. Three times a day. Starting tonight."

I let out a short, dry laugh. "You want your mate to play chef for your ex."

"I expect the Luna of this pack to do her duty," he shot back. "Do not test my patience today."

Helena stepped out from the adjoining dressing room. A familiar velvet box rested in her palms.

"A Luna provides for her pack," Helena sneered, opening the box. The sapphire pendant inside caught the chandelier's light. My grandmother's sapphire.

"That belongs to me," I said, taking a step forward.

Helena plucked the necklace from the velvet and draped it over Celeste’s neck. "It belongs to a wolf who can actually defend this territory. It suits you perfectly, dear."

Celeste touched the gem, her lips curling upward. "Thank you, Helena. It’s beautiful."

Small footsteps padded down the hallway. Elliot pushed past my legs and ran straight to the sofa.

"Aunt Celeste!" he cheered, throwing his arms around her waist.

Celeste patted his hair. "Look how big you've gotten, little warrior."

"I beat two older boys today," Elliot boasted, puffing out his chest.

"I knew you would," she cooed.

I crossed my arms. "Elliot, it's time to wash up for dinner."

He ignored me, clinging tighter to Celeste’s blouse. "If you were my mom, Aunt Celeste, I’d be the proudest pup in the pack."

The room went dead silent.

Ronan didn't correct him. Helena smirked.

I waited for the familiar crush of rejection to hit my chest. I expected the tears to form. Instead, a strange, electric hum vibrated beneath my skin. I smiled. A genuine, terrifying smile.

"Wash your hands, Elliot," I said softly. "Dinner is in twenty minutes."

***

The dining hall felt like a tomb.

I set a steaming porcelain bowl of mushroom stew in front of Celeste.

"Careful," I murmured. "It's boiling."

Celeste reached for the spoon. Her fingers caught the edge of the bowl. She flipped it.

Scalding liquid splashed across my wrist.

I jerked back, biting the inside of my cheek to stop a scream. The skin instantly turned an angry, blistered red.

Celeste didn't look at my hand. She grabbed her own throat.

"Ronan," she gasped, her eyes widening in mock terror. "What is in this?"

Ronan shot up from his chair. It crashed onto the stone floor. "Celeste?"

"Nightshade root," she wheezed, slumping against the mahogany table. "I'm allergic. I told Aria years ago."

"I made mushroom stew," I said, cradling my burning wrist. "There is no nightshade."

Ronan shoved me aside. My hip slammed into the edge of the table.

He scooped Celeste into his arms. Her head fell against his chest in a perfect display of weakness.

"You knew she was fragile," Ronan snarled, his eyes flashing a dangerous gold. "You did this on purpose."

"Look at my hand, Ronan," I demanded, holding up my blistering skin. "She threw it at me."

He didn't even glance at my injury. "Your jealousy is sickening, Aria. If she stops breathing, I will lock you in the cells myself."

He carried her out of the hall.

Helena followed close behind, pausing only to shoot me a look of absolute disgust.

Elliot stared at me from across the room.

"You're a monster," my son whispered, before running after his father.

I stood alone among the ruined dinner.

Underneath the angry red blisters on my wrist, a faint silver glow began to pulse. The pain vanished. The skin smoothed over, leaving no trace of the burn.

I wiped the spilled broth off the table.

***

Midnight brought no sleep.

I stood by the arched window of my bedroom, staring out at the expansive gardens. The moon hung full and heavy in the sky.

Footsteps crunched on the gravel below.

I looked down.

Ronan and Celeste walked side by side through the rose bushes. The night air was freezing, but they moved slowly.

A gust of wind rustled the leaves. Ronan stopped. He shrugged off his heavy wool coat and wrapped it around Celeste’s shoulders.

His hands lingered on her arms.

"Do you remember the summer by the lake?" Celeste’s voice floated up to my window, clear in the quiet night.

"I remember everything from before," Ronan replied, his tone softer than I had heard it in eight years. "We had plans."

"The Moon Goddess made a mistake," she murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Ronan didn't pull away. He rested his chin on top of her hair.

A cold numbness washed over me. I pressed my palm against the chilled glass of the windowpane.

*My child.*

The voice echoed inside my skull again. Ancient. Powerful.

I gasped, stepping back from the window.

*They do not deserve your light.*

Silver energy erupted from my fingertips, cracking the glass instantly. The web of fractures spread across the pane, glowing with a brilliant, blinding white light.

I stared at my hands. The power wasn't fading this time. It was building.

***

Miles away, at the edge of the Blackthorn Pack borders, the ancient Moon Goddess Temple stood in silence.

A silver-armored guard paced the stone steps.

Suddenly, the marble statues lining the entrance began to vibrate.

The guard stopped. He gripped his spear. "Captain?"

A taller man hurried out of the temple doors, his eyes wide.

The massive moonstone at the center of the altar was glowing. Not a faint shimmer, but a roaring, blinding silver fire.

"What is that?" the younger guard asked, his voice shaking.

"Pure Silver Moon power," the Captain whispered, falling to his knees. "The true heir... she has awakened."

***

The cracked windowpane shattered completely, raining glass onto my bedroom floorboards.

I didn't flinch.

I looked down at the gardens one last time. Ronan was still holding Celeste.

Tomorrow, the Blackthorn Pack would host the annual Alpha Summit.

And tomorrow, I was going to sever my mate bond in front of everyone.

"Make way for the Silver Guards!" a sentry shouted from the grand hall entrance.

The Alpha Summit chatter died instantly.

I stood in the corner, holding a tray of champagne flutes.

Ronan stepped forward, puffing his chest out. "Commander Everhart. To what do we owe the honor of the Temple's presence?"

Lucien Everhart strode into the room. His silver armor caught the morning sunlight. His deputy, Kael Ravenwood, flanked him.

"We are not here to discuss border disputes, Alpha Ronan," Lucien announced, his voice booming off the stone walls. "We seek the Silver Moon Heir."

Whispers erupted across the room.

"The prophecy?" Helena asked, stepping out from the crowd. "Selene’s chosen?"

"The very same," Kael replied. "The one destined to determine the fate of the entire werewolf race."

Helena grabbed Celeste’s arm and pulled her to the center of the hall. "Then your search is over. Look no further than Celeste Laurent."

Ronan nodded, wrapping an arm around Celeste’s waist. "Her frost wolf bloodline is the rarest in a century. She returned to us just yesterday, completely exhausted from a long journey. The timing aligns perfectly."

Celeste smiled, lifting her chin. "I have always felt a calling to the Temple, Commander."

She closed her eyes. A freezing gust of wind swept through the hall. Ice crystals formed across the marble floor, creeping toward the guards' boots.

"Impressive," Kael muttered, crossing his arms.

"I am ready to lead," Celeste declared.

Lucien did not smile. He reached into his velvet pouch and pulled out a jagged, grey rock. "The sacred Moonstone decides the Heir. Not a parlor trick."

He walked toward Celeste. He held the stone up to her chest.

Nothing happened. No glow. No spark.

Celeste frowned. "The artifact must be dormant."

"The artifact is flawless," Lucien corrected, stepping past her.

"Wait," Ronan snapped, moving to block the Commander. "Try it again. Celeste is the most powerful she-wolf in this territory."

"Step aside, Alpha," Lucien ordered.

Lucien walked down the line of visiting Alphas and Lunas. He passed them one by one. The stone remained dark.

He reached the back corner of the hall. He stopped right in front of me.

I gripped the edge of my serving tray. "Excuse me, Commander. I need to clear these glasses."

Lucien stared at my chest.

The stone in his hand began to vibrate.

"Impossible," Helena scoffed from across the room. "She doesn't even have a wolf. She's a glorified human."

A blinding, piercing white light exploded from the jagged rock.

The champagne tray slipped from my hands. It shattered on the floor.

Heat surged through my veins, identical to the fire from yesterday afternoon.

*We are awake.*

The ancient voice rattled my teeth.

"What is happening to her?" Ronan yelled, taking a quick step toward me.

"Stay back!" Kael drew his sword, pointing the blade at my husband.

My vision shifted. The colors of the room inverted. I felt my bones stretch, but there was no pain. Only absolute, terrifying power.

A massive shadow stretched across the walls. I turned my head.

A colossal silver wolf phantom towered behind me, its eyes glowing like twin stars.

The sheer force of its aura slammed into the room.

Ronan's knees buckled. He hit the floor hard.

Celeste collapsed next to him, gasping for air.

Helena pressed her face against the marble, unable to lift her head.

Every single werewolf in the grand hall dropped to the ground, forced down by an invisible, crushing weight.

Lucien and Kael knelt willingly, bowing their heads.

"The Silver Moon Heir," Lucien whispered, his tone thick with awe.

I stared at my glowing hands. "I don't understand. I am wolfless."

"You were never wolfless, Aria," Lucien said, looking up at me. "Your divine wolf was too strong. If the dark forces sensed you as a pup, they would have hunted you down. Your mother placed a blood seal on your spirit to hide you."

A tear tracked down my cheek. My mother died when I was six. She did this to save me.

"The seal broke yesterday," Kael added, sheathing his weapon. "The Temple felt the shockwave."

"You are the bloodline successor of the High Priestess," Lucien explained, rising slowly to his feet.

The crushing weight vanished from the room, though no one else dared to stand.

Ronan stared up at me, his face pale, his jaw hanging open.

"Complete the Moon Goddess trial," Lucien told me, ignoring the Alpha entirely. "You will gain the ability to purify the darkness rotting our lands. You will sense the hearts of every pack. You will change our fate."

I looked down at the man who had treated me like dirt for eight years.

"Aria?" Ronan choked out, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.

I smiled, letting the silver energy hum under my skin.

"Stand up, Ronan," I commanded.

Before he could move, the heavy oak doors of the grand hall blew off their hinges, sending splinters flying across the room.