Chapter 3

When the bells for the moon ceremony rang, Moonshadow Forest seemed to awaken to an ancient power.

Fire basins blazed along the stone steps, their light dancing on the high walls of Blackthorn Keep. Warriors stood in formation. Elders in gray robes took their seats. Guests from Silvermoon settled on the opposite side, their cloaks edged with pale moon sigils.

When I entered the ceremonial grounds, the crowd instinctively fell silent.

Pack members bowed their heads and murmured, "Luna."

In their eyes, I saw reverence. Dependence.

This was what I had earned in Blackthorn, inch by inch.

By rights, tonight should have belonged to me.

The offering was to be presented by the Luna. The moon goddess's blessing was to be invoked by the Luna.

But I soon spotted Ariella.

She wore a silver-white ceremonial gown, cinched at her slender waist. The skin at her throat was so pale it looked like it might shatter at a touch.

She stood before the high altar, both hands cradling a black wooden box—a box I knew all too well.

My fingers tightened imperceptibly.

Inside that box lay the Moon-Marked Oath Scroll, documenting last month's border raid: rogue wolves had attacked, nearly abducting the young. I had led warriors and healers to the scene, using my own blood to reseal the boundary wards.

That wasn't some pretty keepsake.

It was my achievement. My sacrifice. The order I had bought with blood.

Kade stood at the side of the altar. When he saw me, he met my eyes for a brief moment, his gaze unreadable.

I thought he would at least say something.

He didn't.

The elder's voice rang out across the grounds: "Before the moon goddess, we offer our protection and loyalty tonight. May her light witness our deeds, and our hearts."

Applause erupted.

Ariella stepped forward. "I offer this oath scroll to the moon goddess, in gratitude for the strength she granted me to protect our pack and our forest."

She said it without a moment's hesitation.

As though that box had always been meant for her hands.

Murmurs of approval rippled through the Silvermoon delegation. The Blackthorn wolves exchanged glances, but eventually joined in the applause.

One elder rose, leaning on his staff. His gaze swept the crowd before settling on Ariella.

"The moon goddess bears witness—you have a kind heart. You understand how to comfort a pack better than many."

He paused, then pivoted—

"Sometimes, a Luna needs not sharpness, but gentleness."

The grounds erupted into even warmer applause.

Eyes turned toward me like a tide.

Sympathy. Assessment. They were waiting for my reaction. Waiting for me to lose composure.

Kade suddenly gripped my hand. "Serena, don't make a scene."

The presiding elder gestured to me. "Luna, come forward and give your blessing."

I climbed the steps, the hem of my ceremonial robe trailing across the stone.

As I drew close, Ariella leaned in slightly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Don't be angry."

Then her smile deepened.

"The angrier you get, the more you look like a Luna who lacks grace."

I didn't respond. I embraced her with perfect calm.

Applause swelled again.

I released her. "May the moon goddess witness your devotion."

Ariella's smile froze for an instant—she hadn't expected such composure.

But I knew I couldn't tear off her mask here.

I needed her to climb higher.

High enough that when she fell, the sound would be deafening.

The ceremony continued.

But there was no longer any place for me.

While the crowd gathered around Ariella to offer congratulations, I slipped away toward the side of the altar. Kade followed, his footsteps silent, but his presence pressed against my spine.

I stopped and let out a breath. "You allowed this."

"The scroll was mine. Why didn't you say a single word?"

Kade was silent for several seconds before he spoke. "Serena, tonight is the moon ceremony."

"And so?" I laughed softly. "The moon ceremony makes it acceptable to steal from me?"

His voice dropped lower, carrying the Alpha's habitual restraint. "It wasn't theft. It was a necessary arrangement."

"An arrangement for whom? For Ariella?" I finally turned to face him, anger flickering. "Where does that leave me?"

Something shifted in Kade's eyes. "This is for the stability of the pack. The elders prefer her approach... She knows how to soothe people."

I stared at him, struck by the absurdity.

When I held the border, when I bled, when I led warriors into the depths of the forest—no one praised me.

When I secured the granary, when I spent sleepless nights on patrol—no one called me capable.

But Ariella only had to stand in the firelight, show a hint of vulnerability, and everyone was ready to hand her my achievements on a silver platter.

Thoughts tangled into knots. Finally, I spoke quietly. "Is that what you think too?"

Kade left me with a single sentence.

"Don't cause trouble tonight."

In that moment, something inside my chest snapped.

I pulled my gaze away and smoothed my expression back into what a Luna should wear. "Don't worry. I won't cause trouble."

Kade exhaled in relief, his voice low. "I knew you'd understand the bigger picture."

I said nothing more. But as he drew closer, I caught that familiar Alpha scent.

And beneath it, woven through, a trace of something soft and sweet.

An Omega's scent.

Ariella's scent.