I didn't sleep again that night.How could I, when every time I closed my eyes, I saw amber flames and felt phantom hands on my skin? When the scent of smoke clung to me no matter how many times I washed? When my mark pulsed with golden light that had nothing to do with Xavier and everything to do with a man whose name I'd whispered in my sleep?Kael.Even thinking his name made the fire inside me burn.By the time it was dawn, I had make a path in the stone floor from pacing. My nerves were frayed, my mind spinning with questions I didn't have answers to.The knock on my door made me jump."Luna." It was one of the Omega servants, her eyes carefully averted. "The Elders have called for you. You're to come to the courtyard immediately."My stomach dropped. "Why? What's happening?""I don't know, Luna. But the entire pack has been summoned." She hesitated, then added in a whisper, "They're saying... they're saying you're to stand trial."The word trial echoed in my head like a death sentence.They dressed me in a white ceremonial gown that felt more like a shroud than clothing. Simple, unadorned, the color of purity and innocence, neither of which I felt as I was led through the palace corridors. Every wolf I passed stopped to stare. Some bowed their heads, but most just watched with a mixture of fear and fascination.I was the cursed Luna. The Flameborn. The girl who dreamed of another Alpha.By the time we reached the courtyard, the sun had barely cleared the horizon, but the square was already packed. Warriors stood in formation, their dark uniforms sharp against the pale morning light. Omegas clustered in nervous groups, whispering behind their hands. Nobles in their finest robes pretended they weren't terrified, but I could smell their fear on the wind.They all came to see me judged.The courtyard itself had been transformed. At its center sat a massive block of moonstone that was ancient, veined with silver and crystal, older than the palace itself. It pulsed with a faint inner light, responding to some power I didn't understand.Elder Rowan stood beside it with a grave weathered face. Behind him, the other Elders formed a semicircle, their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright hostility.And there, on a raised dais at the far end, sat Xavier.Our eyes met across the distance and he looked tired. Like he hadn't slept either, dark circles rested beneath his silver-gray eyes. His jaw was set, with a rigid posture from the weight of leadership. But I saw a flicker of something else beneath the Alpha's mask. Something that looks like pain, fear, maybe regret.He didn't want this. But he wouldn't stop it either.Guards escorted me to the center of the circle. My bare feet were cold against the stone, and the white gown billowed around me like wings. Or a target.Elder Rowan's voice boomed across the courtyard, cutting through the murmurs."Luna Samantha of Shadow Moon." The title sounded like an accusation in his mouth. "You stand accused of impurity. Your bond mark has altered from its sacred hue. The pack demands a proof of your loyalty to the Moon Goddess and to your Alpha."Whispers rippled through the crowd like wind through grass."She's cursed""Consorting with dark spirits.""Chosen by another Alpha.""Should never have been Luna."Each word landed like a stone, but I forced myself to stand tall. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break."What proof do you need?" My voice came out steadier than I felt.Elder Rowan gestured to the moonstone altar behind him. "Place your hands upon the sacred stone. If your heart is pure and your loyalty true, the Moon Goddess will bless you with Her silver light. If darkness taints your soul..." He paused, letting the threat hang in the air. "The stone will reject you. Consume you with holy fire."My throat went dry. I'd heard of trials like this. Ancient tests used when the Elders suspected corruption or betrayal. Most who failed didn't survive."And if the stone shows something else?" I heard myself ask. "Something neither silver nor dark?"Rowan's eyes narrowed. "Then we will know that something greater walks among us. For better or worse."I glanced at Xavier. He was gripping the arms of his chair so tightly his knuckles had gone white. For a heartbeat, I thought he might stand, might stop this madness. But he stayed silent, trapped between his duty as Alpha and whatever he felt for me.I was on my own."Very well." I lifted my chin. "I have nothing to hide."It wasn't entirely true. I was hiding my dreams, my mark's golden glow, the way my body still burned with the memory of phantom lips but what choice did I have? If I refuse the trial and they would assume that I'm guilty. The crowd parted as I walked toward the altar. Each step felt heavier than the last, like wading through water. The moonstone grew brighter as I approached, its inner light pulsing in time with my racing heart.I stopped before it, close enough to feel the power radiating from its ancient surface. Close enough to see the intricate veins of silver and crystal that webbed through the pale stone like frozen lightning."Place your hands upon the stone," Rowan commanded. "And let the Goddess judge."I took a deep breath and reached out.The moment my palms touched the moonstone, the world exploded.At first, there was nothing. Just cool stone beneath my skin and the sound of my own thundering heartbeat.Then there was heat.It started small, a warmth that spread from my palms up my arms. Not painful, but growing, building, intensifying with every breath. The mark on my neck began to pulse, matching the rhythm of whatever power flowed through the stone.The crowd gasped. I looked down and saw theSilver light, like they expected, like they prayed for.But it was changing.The silver bled into gold, threads of amber and flame weaving through the pure light. The transformation was beautiful and terrifying, like watching sunrise devour moonlight. The heat intensified, fire racing through my veins, and suddenly I wasn't just touching the stone. I was part of it.Power erupted from where my hands rested.Golden flames surged upward, not burning but blazing with divine light. They circled my wrists, climbed my arms, raced across my skin like living things. The moonstone cracked beneath my palms, veins splitting open as more fire poured out not destroying me but transforming.Someone screamed. The crowd scrambled backward, but I couldn't move, couldn't look away from the inferno consuming me.It should hurt. Should burn me to ash.Instead, I felt whole for the first time in my life.The flames reached toward the sky, a pillar of gold that seemed to touch the sun itself. Through the fire, I saw flashes of visions that weren't mine but felt like memories. Ancient wolves with flames dancing in their fur. A woman with eyes like molten gold, standing between two Alphas, holding kingdoms together with nothing but will and fire. A prophecy written in smoke and starlight.*Two paths, one heart. Two Alphas, one Luna. The bridge or the blade. She will choose what the world becomes.*The voice of the Goddess echoed through my soul, and I knew with absolute certainty that nothing would ever be the same.The flames died as suddenly as they'd erupted.I stood alone in the center of the courtyard, untouched, and surrounded by wisps of golden smoke. The moonstone had gone dark, its power spent. My mark glowed through the thin fabric of my gown and there was silence.Then Elder Rowan dropped to one knee."By the Moon above," he breathed, his voice shaking. "The Twin Alpha Prophecy. It's real."Murmurs exploded into chaos. Wolves surged forward, some bowed, others ran. The nobles looked like they had seen a ghost. The warriors gripped their weapons with trembling hands.And Xavier, Xavier looked like his world had just shattered.I met his eyes across the courtyard. They were wide with shock, with fear, with something that might be awe or might be horror. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out."The prophecy," Rowan continued, his voice carrying over the noise, "speaks of a Luna bound to two Alphas. One of the Shadow Moon, one of the Fire Moon. She will bridge divided kingdoms or become the weapon that destroys them all."Two Alphas.The words hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't just about me being Flameborn. It was about destiny, about bonds that transcended tradition and law.It was about Kael."Is this what your dreams mean?" Xavier's voice cut through my thoughts, loud and sharp and wounded. He was standing now, trembling with barely contained rage. "That you belong to another?"Every eye turned to me. "I don't know," I whispered, but my voice carried in the unnatural silence. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't choose—""Didn't you?" His hand slammed down on the arm of his chair, the crack echoing like thunder. "You've brought ruin on us all!"The accusation stung worse than the flames. Till something inside me finally broke. I was done being the scared one. "I've done nothing," I said, louder now, "but stand where you placed me. I didn't ask for your crown or your suspicion or this cursed trial." My voice rose, fueled by weeks of silence and submission. "If the Moon Goddess gave me power, maybe it's because you never trusted me enough to deserve it!"The crowd erupted. Some wolves cheered while others howled in outrage. Xavier stood frozen, my words hitting him like arrows he couldn't deflect."Enough!" Elder Rowan's voice boomed. "The trial is concluded. Return the Luna to her quarters while the council convenes."Guards moved toward me, uncertain, but I was already walking. Head high, spine straight, every inch of me burning with power I was only beginning to understand.As I passed Xavier, I paused. "The Goddess doesn't make mistakes," I told him quietly. "Those were your words. Maybe it's time you started believing them."I didn't wait for his response.They locked me in my room like a prisoner.I paced the floor as from afternoon to evening watching the sun paint the sky in shades of gold and crimson. The mark on my neck pulsed steadily, like a beacon I couldn't extinguish even if I wanted to.When the bell tower struck midnight, I heard hoofbeats approaching through the mist.I rushed to the window and saw riders bearing a crimson banner marked with a burning claw. My heart stopped.Ember Claws.A messenger dismounted in the courtyard, kneeling before the palace guards. His voice carried clearly in the still night air."By order of Alpha Kael of the Ember Claws, I bring word for Shadow Moon's throne." He paused, and even from here, I saw him look up toward my window. "Alpha Kael requests an audience with the Luna of the Golden Mark."The world tilted.He was here. He was coming.The man from my dreams was real, and he was coming for me.
