Chapter 4

After the moon ceremony, the crowds dispersed.

The fire basins extinguished one by one, leaving only embers gasping red in the wind.

The shadows of the keep's outer walls stretched long. As I withdrew from the grounds, many still bowed to me.

"Luna."

As though the humiliation that had just reduced me to a backdrop had never happened.

Kade walked at my side, his Alpha scent dominant enough to make the crowd instinctively part. He spoke quietly. "I need to see the Silvermoon guests off. The elders have matters to discuss. I'll be back once I'm done."

I nodded without speaking.

Kade stopped and raised a hand as if to touch my face. I turned my head, almost imperceptibly. Something like hurt flickered in his eyes. "Go rest."

"Don't dwell on things you shouldn't be thinking about tonight."

Things I shouldn't be thinking about.

My oath scroll. My achievements. My dignity.

All filed under "things I shouldn't be thinking about."

I turned and walked away, my pace unhurried.

My mood was unbearably heavy. I wandered the grounds for a long time.

The corridor stretched endlessly. Through the stone windows lay the forest, black and gleaming. Wind slipped through the cracks, carrying the damp smell of earth, the ash of spent fires, and—

A thread of something faint and sweet.

Like honey. Like petals.

An Omega's mating signal.

I stopped.

That scent shouldn't have been here.

I followed the lingering trace. The stone path ended at a narrow door that led to the equipment room behind the training grounds. The area was dimly lit; warriors wouldn't gather here at this hour. No one would choose to linger.

Unless they didn't want to be seen.

The sweetness grew thicker, nearly overwhelming the smell of rust and old wood.

Unease coiled tight in my chest.

I pushed open the door, which had been left ajar.

Inside, it was dark. A single small lamp burned.

The changing curtain beside the equipment racks hung half-collapsed, pulled askew. Warrior cloaks were draped haphazardly on the wall. Bracers and ceremonial sashes lay scattered on the floor, as though torn off in haste.

I didn't step closer.

From behind the curtain came ragged, suppressed panting—not ordinary breathing, but the unraveling edge of heat, the raw struggle of wolf nature overriding reason.

The cloying sweetness of Omega pheromones had thickened to the point of suffocation, layered beneath the heavy, possessive weight of Alpha scent. It made my scalp prickle.

And then I saw Kade.

His back was to the light, the muscles of his shoulders taut and shifting in the dimness, like a true beast. Ariella was pinned against the rough wooden wall, the collar of her ceremonial gown torn open, a stretch of pale throat fully exposed, almost blinding. Her head was thrown back, small, animal-like whimpers escaping her throat—half pleading, half surrender.

Kade lowered his head and inhaled against the side of her neck.

In that instant, I could almost hear the howl of his wolf soul slamming against its cage—the instinctive, absolute pull that existed only between fated mates. And Ariella's scent, in that moment, was the spark that set him ablaze.

Ariella's fingers dug into his shoulders, her voice trembling. "Kade..."

"Don't make a sound." Kade's voice was raw, guttural.

Then he opened his mouth, and his teeth pressed against that stretch of skin.

The claiming bite that preceded a wolf's mark—the declaration of possession.

Ariella's whole body shuddered violently. Her eyes reddened instantly, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she pressed closer, offering herself.

I watched the bite mark emerge, sharp and clear.

Fresh. Warm. Radiating unmistakable ownership.

It wasn't a permanent mark, but it was enough for any wolf to understand: this was an Alpha declaring mine.

The familiar pain in my stomach struck again.

I doubled over involuntarily.

It hurt too much.

My stomach.

And my heart.

I raised a hand to cover my mouth, not moving a step. Not even letting my breathing falter.

I couldn't let them know I was there.

Inside the alcove, Kade's palm was clamped around the back of Ariella's neck. Her voice came out trembling with heat: "I... I think I'm going to..."

Kade whispered something against her ear. Ariella went quiet immediately, docile as a tamed creature—obedient enough to turn my stomach.

I stood in the shadows, suddenly remembering what the elder had said at the ceremony: "A Luna needs not sharpness, but gentleness."

They liked Ariella's "gentleness."

The agony I had braced for didn't explode. In its place came an eerie clarity.

So this was what it felt like when the heart died.

Not howling grief. Not the world collapsing. Just a soft click, and the light went out. And the world went quiet.