Aria stumbled backward, her legs hitting the bed. "You're my... my aunt?"
Luna Seraphina nodded, her beautiful face tight with worry. "Yes. And we don't have much time before someone sees I'm here."
The room seemed to spin around Aria. First her mother was living. Now this powerful woman—the Luna of the pack—was her aunt?
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Aria whispered.
"To protect you." Luna Seraphina glanced nervously at the door. "Magnus would have sent you away if he knew."
"But you let me live as an omega. You watched me scrub floors!"
"I gave you the best protection I could," Seraphina said, pain in her eyes. "Being forgotten kept you alive."
A knock at the door made them both jump.
"Luna Seraphina?" It was Cyrus's voice. "Father is looking for you."
Seraphina squeezed Aria's hand. "We'll talk more. Trust no one, not even Caden. The prophecy is already in motion."
Before Aria could ask what she meant, Seraphina glided to the door, her face immediately changing to a calm mask.
She opened the door and smiled at Cyrus. "Thank you, dear. I was just welcoming our new guest."
Cyrus raised an eyebrow, his green eyes moving between the two women. "How... thoughtful of you."
After Seraphina left, Cyrus leaned against the doorframe. "Getting cozy with the Luna already? Smart move."
"What do you want?" Aria asked, shoving Liana's scary note deeper into her pocket.
"Guard duty, remember?" His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Also, dinner is in an hour. Father expects you there."
"Dressed like this?" Aria looked down at her dirty clothes.
For the first time, Cyrus's grin softened. "The room is full of clothes. Pick something... fitting."
Alone again, Aria found clothes finer than anything she'd ever touched. She picked the simplest one—dark blue with silver trim—and quickly changed. The mirror showed a stranger—an omega in Luna's clothes. The silver in her hair glowed weirdly in the fading sunlight.
A helper knocked and entered without waiting. "I'm here to help you prepare for dinner," she said, not meeting Aria's eyes.
"What's your name?" Aria asked.
"Mira." The girl's hands trembled as she arranged Aria's hair. "I'm sorry about before."
"Before?"
"In the kitchens. I used to make you clean the pots I burnt on purpose." Mira's voice shook. "I didn't know you were... special."
Aria's stomach twisted. "I'm still the same person."
"No, you're not," Mira whispered. "You're a Moon Wolf. The stories say you can control thoughts when the moon is full."
"That's ridiculous—"
"They say your mother killed the previous Luna." Mira's words spilled out. "They say—"
"Who's 'they'?" Aria demanded.
Mira stepped back, fear in her eyes. "Everyone. The whole pack is talking."
Dinner was pain. The great eating hall fell silent when Aria entered.
Alpha Magnus sat at the head of the long table with Seraphina on his right. The boys sat on his left. Caleb barely looked at her. Cyrus smirked. Only Caden smiled, pulling out a chair beside him.
Liana sat across from Aria, her honey eyes cold despite her warm smile. "That dress fits you. Blue is the color of loyalty... something rare in rogues."
"Enough, Liana," Caden warned.
Alpha Magnus raised his glass. "To the pack's strength. And to new... developments."
Everyone drank except Aria, who remembered Liana's drugged tea.
"Not thirsty?" Magnus asked, his eyes narrowed.
"I'm careful about what I drink now," Aria answered, meeting his gaze.
Cyrus choked on his wine, fighting a laugh. Caleb's lip twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile.
The meal crawled by. Servants brought dish after dish—meats and breads and sweets—while pack business was reviewed. No one asked Aria's opinion. No one even looked at her except to glare or whisper.
"We'll increase patrols near the eastern border," Caleb was saying. "The rogues are gathering there."
"My mother," Aria spoke up, "is she their leader?"
Silence fell like a stone.
"Your mother," Magnus growled, "abandoned this pack twelve years ago. Now she returns to steal our future Luna. Why defend her?"
"I'm not. I'm trying to understand."
Seraphina touched her husband's arm. "The girl deserves answers, Magnus."
The Alpha's eyes flashed dangerously. "What she deserves is to learn her place. Being picked by fate doesn't erase who she is—an omega with rogue blood."
"My blood is your blood too," Aria said quietly. "If Seraphina is my aunt."
Gasps echoed around the table. Magnus's face darkened to a dangerous red. "Who told you that?" he asked.
Luna Seraphina straightened in her seat. "I did. It's time for the truth, Magnus."
"Truth?" Magnus slammed his fist on the table. "The truth is your sister tricked us! She picked a rogue over the pack!"
"My father was a rogue?" Aria asked.
"Your father was a monster," Magnus growled. "He stole half our pack with his talk of freedom and equality."
Caden leaned forward. "He wanted to end the order. He thought alphas, betas, and omegas should be equal."
"Dangerous nonsense," Magnus said. "The hierarchy keeps us strong."
"It keeps you in power," Aria responded.
The room went deathly quiet. Even the staff froze.
Liana's smile was pure evil. "See? Rogue blood always shows."
Before Magnus could explode, doors burst open and a blood-covered guard stumbled in. "Alpha! We're under attack! Rogues broke through the northern gate!"
Chaos occurred. Magnus barked orders while Caleb dashed from the room, shifting to wolf form as he ran. Cyrus pulled out hidden knives from his boots.
"Get her to safety," Magnus told Caden, pointing at Aria.
Caden grabbed her arm. "Come on!"
They ran through halls as howls and screams filled the night. The mate bond buzzed between them, increasing every sense.
"Where are we going?" Aria let out a gasp.
"Secret tunnel under the library," Caden said, pulling her along.
They turned a corner and smashed right into Liana, who held a small crossbow aimed at Aria's heart.
"Going somewhere?" Liana asked sweetly.
"Liana, what are you doing?" Caden growled. "We're under attack!"
"I know. I let them in." Liana's smile turned nasty. "I've been working with the rogues for months."
"Why?" Aria asked, surprised by this twist.
"Because you took everything from me!" Liana hissed. "I was going to be Luna. Not some omega freak with magic hair!"
Footsteps pounded nearby. Liana stepped back, keeping the crossbow trained on them.
"Your mother wants to see you," she told Aria. "She promised me Caleb when this is over."
"Caleb would never choose you," Caden growled.
"He won't have a choice when you and Aria are dead," Liana answered.
Aria felt something strange stirring inside her—a power flowing in time with her racing heart. Her vision sharpened until she could see every eyelash on Liana's face.
"Last chance," Liana warned. "Come with me to your mother, or die here."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Aria said. Her voice sounded different—deeper, older somehow.
Fury flashed in Liana's eyes. "Then die." She fired the crossbow.
Something incredible happened. Time seemed to slow. Aria raised her hand reflexively, and the arrow stopped mid-air, hovering inches from her palm.
Liana's mouth fell open in shock. "That's impossible," she whispered.
The arrow dropped harmlessly to the floor. Liana turned to run, but a large silver wolf jumped from the shadows, pinning her down. The wolf shifted, showing Luna Seraphina.
"I knew you were the traitor," Seraphina said coldly. "Guards!"
As Liana was dragged away, Seraphina turned to Aria with frightened eyes. "Your power is waking," she whispered. "Too soon. This changes everything."
"What's happening to me?" Aria asked, looking at her trembling hands.
"The Moon Wolf is rising," Seraphina answered. "And when it fully awakens, you'll have to choose."
"Choose what?"
Seraphina's eyes filled with tears. "Who lives and who dies."