"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.
