Clara didn't knock.
She burst into the room, her tablet held aloft like a holy relic, her eyes wide with triumphant shock.
"You," she announced, pointing a finger at me where I sat shrouded in silk and misery, "are a sensation."
I blinked, the fog of a sleepless night clinging to me. "What?"
"The comments! The mentions! The hashtags!" She thrust the tablet into my hands. "Look."
I braced for the vitriol, for the accusations of being a gold-digging whore. But the words that scrolled across the screen were nothing I expected.
'Finally, a Luna with a backbone! #PeoplesLuna'
'She didn't apologize for existing. She owned it. Queen behavior.'
'Did you see the look on Vanessa's face? Luna Riley shut her DOWN.'
"I… I don't understand," I whispered, my throat tight. "I was so aggressive. I thought I'd embarrassed him."
Clara let out a sharp, delighted laugh. "Embarrassed him? Riley, you made him look like a genius! He didn't pick a delicate flower. He picked a damn diamond, forged under pressure. They don't just respect you. They're inspired by you."
The word echoed. Inspired. Me. The feeling was so foreign it felt like someone else's skin.
A fragile, new kind of power began to bloom in my chest.
"Now," Clara said, her expression softening into something genuine. "What do you want to eat? I'm ordering. Let's celebrate."
"Just… a cheeseburger. And fries. A real one."
A true smile touched her lips. "A woman after my own heart. I'll be back."
The moment the door clicked shut, the silence felt different. Lighter.
I had a shield. But a king had given it to me, and I needed to know if I'd tarnished his crown.
I found him in his study as evening bled into night.
He was at the large window, a silhouette against the deepening purple sky, but his posture was all wrong. Rigid.
His fists were clenched white-knuckled at his sides.
"Any news?" I asked softly.
He didn't turn.
"I've ordered a team to scour the city's security cameras. We'll have a report in a week." His voice was a strained growl, deeper than usual.
The air felt thick, charged. The fine hairs on my arms stood up.
"And the Volkans?" I pressed, taking a step inside.
"I am handling it." The words were clipped, forced out.
He shifted, and a low, involuntary rumble vibrated in his chest.
It was a sound of strain.
The rising moon was pulling something primal from him, an energy he was fighting to contain.
"Falon?" I took another step, concern overriding fear.
"Leave," he commanded, his voice thick.
But I didn't.
I saw the corded muscles in his neck, the fine tremor in his hand.
This wasn't the controlled Alpha. This was a wolf fighting its own chain.
Instinctively, without thought, I closed the distance and placed a hand flat against his back.
The effect was instantaneous.
A sharp, shocked breath hissed through his teeth.
The violent energy radiating from him didn't vanish, but it… shifted.
The aggressive charge softened, transforming into a warm, resonant hum under my palm.
It was as if my touch had grounded him, channeling the chaos into something calm.
He spun around, and the shock in his storm-gray eyes was absolute.
He stared at me like I was a ghost, or a miracle. His extended canines slowly receded.
Her.It was her.
The vulnerability lasted only a second before the walls slammed back down.
"Get out," he whispered, the words laced with a new fear—not of the change, but of me.
"Are you—"
"I'm fine. Leave. Now."
I left, my heart pounding, the memory of his shocked eyes burned into my mind.
The fragile confidence from the public praise was gone, shattered and replaced by a terrifying, thrilling mystery. I stumbled back to my room, my hands trembling.
I needed an anchor. I needed the one person who knew the real me.
I pulled out the burner phone and dialed.
It rang once. Twice.
"Hello?" Danny's voice was rough with sleep and instant worry.
"It's me," I said, the words tumbling out in a rushed, shaky breath.
I leaned back against the cold door of my room, as if I could physically block out the memory of Falon's shocked eyes.
"Riley? Moon's grace, are you alright? What's wrong?" The sleep was gone from his voice, replaced by pure alarm.
I opened my mouth to tell him.
To say I touched him and the storm inside him just… stopped. He looked at me like I was a monster or a miracle. But the words stuck in my throat.
How could I explain something I didn't understand? It felt too fragile, too dangerous to say out loud.
"I'm… I'm just…" I faltered, squeezing my eyes shut.
"It's this place, Danny. It's getting to me. The silence is so loud." It wasn't a lie, just not the whole, terrifying truth.
I could almost feel his relieved sigh through the phone. "Okay. Okay, just breathe. You're safe. You're in a fortress."
He was trying to soothe me, but his words felt hollow. He didn't know the fortress itself was becoming the threat.
"What's happening out there?" I asked, desperate to steer the conversation to solid ground. "At the club?"
His voice dropped.
"The Volkans are like rabid dogs. They're tearing the city apart. Finn is paranoid. They're looking for any thread that leads to you."
The danger felt more real, more manageable than the mystery in Falon's study. "Danny, if they so much as look at you wrong, you run. You understand me?"
"I'm not leaving you to fight this alone."
"You're the only one who knows I'm fighting at all," I whispered, the weight of it crushing. "Don't make me lose you too."
We hung up, the silence in the room now feeling even heavier.
The call had grounded me, but it hadn't brought peace.
The ghost of what happened with Falon still hovered, a question mark hanging over everything.
A soft knock came at the door.
Clara entered, holding the blessed greasy paper bag.
The scent of cheeseburger and fries was a welcome, mundane invasion.
"Fuel for the people's champion," she said, her smile fading as she took in my state. "Whoa. What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Just… a long day," I deflected, taking the food. The warmth of the burger in my hands was a small comfort.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before Clara picked up her tablet.
"Let's get your mind off it. Look at this." She began reading more comments, her voice cheerful. But then it faltered. "Oh. Well, you can't please everyone."
"Read it, Clara."
She sighed and read, her voice flat. "She can put on a fancy dress, but everyone knows the truth. Once a thief, always a thief. Some stains don't wash out."
The words landed, the old shame cold and familiar. A thief.
For a moment, it stung. Then I thought of Falon's face, not in disgust, but in shock. That troll's words suddenly felt small and meaningless.
Before I could reply, Clara's phone buzzed violently. She snatched it up, and her jaw dropped.
"Oh. My. GAWD," she breathed, her eyes wide.
"Did I tell you? No, I didn't tell you! With all the chaos, I completely forgot!"
"Forgot what?" I asked, the burger forgotten.
"The Moonbath! It's tonight!"
"The… what?"
"The Moonbath! It's a monthly ritual. The whole pack gathers at the sacred springs under the moon. It's… primal. We reconnect with the wolf."
She stopped, her head tilting. "Wait. Riley… you are a wolf, right?"
"My father was," I said quietly. "My mother was human. I have wolf blood. But I've never felt it nor seen a sign."
"Well," Clara said, a glint in her eye.
"Tonight might just wake it up." She marched to my wardrobe and pulled out the dark blue, glittering dress. "This is it."
"Will everyone be there?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.
"Everyone," Clara confirmed. "It's mandatory. It's sacred."
Everyone.
The word echoed, drowning out the hateful comment, the mystery with Falon, even Danny's warning.
Trevor.
He would be there. Surrounded by the chaotic, primal energy. His guard would be down.
Clara left, and I was alone with the glittering dress.
The Moonbath wasn't a party. It wasn't just a ritual.
It was a hunting ground. And the ghost of a wolf inside me was ready to hunt.