The wolf slave camp was thick with raw, living malice.

"Well, look at that, the new girl," the red-haired she-wolf said, leaning against the doorframe as she sized me up. "Not bad to look at, either. Shame you're a wolfless piece of trash."

"I heard her own fiancé sent her here. Pathetic," someone laughed.

Expressionless, I walked to a corner, picked up a broom, and got to work.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," the red-haired she-wolf snapped, striding over and kicking my bucket over. "Don't know the rules, newbie? Get over here and serve me."

I paused and looked up at her. "Serve you? I thought everyone here was a slave."

Her expression darkened, and she raised her hand to strike.

"Stop."

A cold female voice cut through the air, and the room fell silent at once.

A dark-haired woman stepped in, clad in tight combat leather, her tall frame lined with sleek muscle. Her eyes were a rare silver-gray, sharp enough to cut.

"Ms. Crowe," the red-haired she-wolf said at once, lowering her head.

Selena Crowe. Kael Draven's chief female warrior. The most formidable female Alpha in the Royal Court.

She stopped in front of me, looking down from above. "You're that useless Omega?"

"Elena," I said. "I have a name."

"Trash doesn't deserve one." She sneered. "Here, you're just Wolf Slave Number 108."

I said nothing, tightening my grip on the broom.

She suddenly snatched it from me and crushed it under her boot. "I heard you even dared to defy His Majesty's orders."

"I just told the truth."

"The truth?" she scoffed. "Then let me tell you something true. Trash like you doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as us."

She kicked over a nearby basin, filthy water splashing all over me.

"Lick it clean."

Laughter broke out again around us.

I looked at the dirty water, dust and scraps floating in it. "I refuse."

Selena's eyes sharpened. "What did you say?"

"I said I refuse." I lifted my head and met her gaze. "I lost my wolf. Not my dignity."

A sharp crack rang out as her slap struck my face. My lip split open, and I tasted blood.

"Here, dignity is worth less than dirt." Selena grabbed my hair, forcing my head down.

"She's my spoils."

A cold voice came from the doorway, and everyone froze.

Kael had appeared without anyone noticing. Leaning against the doorframe, his golden eyes gleamed dangerously in the dim light.

"Only I decide her punishment."

Selena let go immediately, lowering her head. "Your Majesty, I was only teaching her the rules—"

"I know." Kael cut her off as he walked in, each step heavy with pressure. "But you've forgotten something."

He stopped in front of me, his golden gaze fixed on the blood at the corner of my mouth.

"She may be useless, but she's mine. The full moon is tonight." Kael turned to Selena. "Go prepare the transformation rite. I don't want to see you wasting time here."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Selena bowed deeply, shooting me a vicious glare before leaving.

When everyone was gone, only Kael and I remained.

He crouched down to my level and suddenly reached out, wiping the blood from my lips. The gesture was rough, yet strangely careful.

"Stand guard outside my chambers tonight," he said.

"Why?"

"That's an order." He stood up. "Remember. Don't leave. Don't make a sound. No matter what you hear."

He turned to leave, but I couldn't stop myself. "What happens to you every full moon?"

He paused mid-step.

"You'll find out soon enough."

When the full moon rose, I was locked in the tower outside Kael's chambers.

Through the narrow window, I could see the massive silver-white moon hanging in the sky.

Howls echoed across the Royal Court, rising and falling—werewolves completing their transformation under the moonlight.

Instinctively, I touched my chest.

A silver wolf had once lived there—proud, powerful, stirring restlessly inside me on nights like this.

Now, it was empty.

I thought I had accepted that. But as the moonlight fell over me, and those familiar sounds filled the air, my tears slipped free before I could stop them.

Then a thunderous crash erupted from below.

The entire tower shook, dust raining down from the walls. I leaned out the window and saw the windows of Kael's chambers explode as a massive dark shape burst out.

It was a wolf.

But it was three times the size of a normal werewolf, its fur black as the abyss, its eyes a frenzied crimson. Saliva dripped from its jaws as it let out a deafening roar.

The guards raised their silver weapons at once, trembling.

"His Majesty's lost control!" someone screamed. "Get Ms. Crowe!"

Selena appeared quickly, leading over a dozen elite warriors, each carrying specially crafted silver nets.

"Your Majesty, it's me, Selena," she said carefully as she approached. "Please calm down."

The massive black wolf turned its head, those crimson eyes locking onto her.

The next second, it lunged.

"Scatter!" Selena shouted, but it was too late. The wolf's claws swept through them, sending three warriors flying into the walls, blood spilling from their mouths.

"Use the nets!"

Several of them cast the silver nets over it, but the beast tore them apart as if it felt no pain, even as the silver threads burned into its flesh.

The scent of blood filled the air.

Panicked voices echoed from the tower guards. "Watch out! His wolf's completely out of control! Even Ms. Crowe can't contain him!"

I stared at the chaos below, my heartbeat quickening.

For some reason, a strange sensation spread through me, like something was calling out.

My hand began to burn. When I looked down, a faint silver glow had appeared in my palm.

I stared at it as it grew brighter, hotter, my blood seeming to boil along with it.

Fragments flashed through my mind—moonlight, an altar, a woman in white robes…

The tower door was thrown open.

I ran.

"Hey! What are you doing? Get back here!" the guards shouted behind me.

I didn't know what I was doing. I only knew I had to go down.

I rushed down the spiral staircase, through the corridors, and shoved open the doors to the chambers.

The courtyard was in ruins, wounded bodies scattered everywhere. Even Selena bore cuts across her face.

"Everyone fall back!" she shouted. "Prepare the final silver bullets!"

"No!"

I didn't know where the courage came from, but I rushed in front of her, spreading my arms to block the wolf.

"Have you lost your mind?" Selena stared at me.

The black wolf stared at me, its crimson eyes filled with killing intent. It bared fangs longer than daggers, letting out a low growl.

My legs trembled, but I didn't move.

"Kael. I know you're still in there," I said softly.

The wolf hesitated.

Instinctively, I raised my glowing hand and slowly reached for him.

The moment my fingers touched his forehead, silver light spread outward.

The crimson in his eyes faded, returning to gold. His massive body shrank, black fur receding until he returned to human form.

Kael knelt naked on the ground, gasping for breath.

The entire Royal Court fell silent.

All eyes were fixed on the fading silver light in my palm.

"This is…" an elderly elder said, his voice trembling. "The power of a Moon Priestess!"

"Impossible!" Selena shouted. "The Moon Priestess bloodline went extinct long ago! She must have used some kind of trick!"

"Enough." Kael spoke weakly, lifting his head to look at me, his gaze unreadable. "Take her to the Council of Elders."

The guards stepped forward immediately, seizing my arms.

I looked back at Kael. He stood under the moonlight, those golden eyes locked on me.

In the darkness, the silver light in my palm flickered one last time—then vanished completely.

The Council of Elders' hall was as cold as an ice chamber.

I was forced to stand at the center.

Dozens of elders in black robes sat on raised seats, staring down at me as if judging a criminal.

Kael sat at the far left. He had changed into fresh clothes, his face ashen, but his gaze sharp.

Selena stood beside the elders, the wounds on her face still untreated, her eyes locked on me.

"Elena," the eldest elder said, his voice rough. "Do you know what you did tonight?"

"I just…" I hesitated. "I don't even know why it happened."

"She's lying!" Selena stepped forward. "Elders, this woman comes from an enemy Pack. She used dark magic to control His Majesty! The Moon Priestess bloodline went extinct five hundred years ago. That's a known fact!"

"But we all saw the silver light," one elder said.

"Then it was some kind of illusion!" Selena's voice rose sharply. "She's a spy! She got close to His Majesty for this exact moment! Elders, she must be executed immediately, or she'll become a threat to the Royal Court!"

The elders began murmuring among themselves.

"Silence." Kael finally spoke, rising to his feet. The room fell silent at once. "Elena."

I looked up at him.

"You're saying you don't know where that power came from?"

"Yes. Since I lost my wolf, I've just been an ordinary person," I said. "But tonight… I can't explain it. It was just a feeling. Like I had to touch you."

"A feeling?" Selena sneered. "What a convenient excuse."

"I believe her," Kael said.

Selena stared at him in disbelief. "Your Majesty, you—"

"But trust needs proof." Kael cut her off, his gaze fixed on me. "In three days, the full moon will rise again. There will be a trial. If you truly are a Moon Priestess, the Moon Goddess will prove it. If this is dark magic, you'll turn to ash under the moonlight."

My heart sank.

"Until then, keep her confined," Kael ordered. "No one is to approach her."

I was taken back to the dungeon, this time to a deeper cell. There was no window, only a flickering oil lamp.

I sat on the cold floor, staring at my palm. The silver glow was completely gone.

Time passed, second by second. The oil lamp flickered, on the verge of going out.

Then suddenly, the cell door opened.

I thought it was the guards changing shifts, but when I looked up, I froze.

It was Kael.

He stood alone in the doorway, no guards with him, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He walked in and sat across from me, the iron bars between us.

"I have questions for you," he said.

"So do I."

He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you know why I lose control every full moon?"

I shook my head.

"Because I'm cursed." He looked down at his hands. "When I first shifted at sixteen, my wolf was too strong. It devoured my reason. Ever since then, every full moon, I turn into a beast that only knows how to kill."

He lifted his head, and there was a kind of exhaustion in his eyes I had never seen before.

"I've killed two Luna candidates. They both tried to calm me on a full-moon night." He let out a bitter laugh. "So Selena's right. I'm a monster. Anyone who gets close to me dies."

"But I didn't die," I said.

"Right. You didn't." He stared at me. "Not only did you survive, you calmed my wolf. Do you know what that means?"

I didn't know how to answer.

"If you really are a Moon Priestess, if you truly can save me..." He paused. "I'll give you your freedom. You can go wherever you want. But if you can't—"

"You'll kill me yourself," I finished for him.

"Yes." His voice was quiet. "I'll make sure it doesn't hurt."

We held each other's gaze. After a long silence, I finally asked the question that had been building inside me.

"Why would you trust a complete stranger like me instead of your chief warrior?"

Kael stood, ready to leave.

When he reached the door, he suddenly turned back. Moonlight slipped through the narrow gap, casting across his face, making that cold, hard expression look both lonely and resolute.

"Because the light in your eyes… is the same as the Moon Priestess who saved my people five hundred years ago."

I froze.

"Five hundred years ago?"

But he was already gone. The heavy iron door slammed shut.

I sat in the darkness, his words echoing in my mind.

Moon Priestess? Five hundred years ago? What did that have to do with me?

Just when I thought nothing else would happen tonight, a strange warmth suddenly surged from my heart, spreading through my entire body.

My hands began to glow again.

This time, the light was brighter, an unreal silver radiance blooming in the darkness. As the light intensified, I heard a voice.

It sounded distant, yet clear as if it were right beside me.

"Child," a woman's voice said, gentle yet commanding. "The time for your awakening has come..."

My heart pounded. I wanted to ask something, but the light suddenly burst outward, and everything went blinding white.

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the dungeon.

I stood on an altar bathed in moonlight, surrounded by thick, impenetrable mist. In the distance, a white figure could barely be seen.

"Who… who are you?"

The figure turned around.

I saw a face that looked somewhat like mine. She wore a white priestess robe, her long silver hair cascading to the ground, her eyes the same pale silver as the moon.

She reached out her hand and smiled. "I am your ancestor from five hundred years ago. Welcome home, my child."