Luna Everleigh's POV
***
Kael wasn't the type to sit still when answers were within reach.
That's why I wasn't surprised to find him pacing outside the war room, his expression stormy as he sifted through whatever information he had uncovered.
I crossed my arms. "You found something."
Kael barely glanced at me before shoving a parchment into my hands. "Not just something. Someone."
I scanned the text, my stomach twisting at the name etched in ink.
Morganna.
The Tyrant Queen.
"She's looking for you," Kael said, voice tight. "Her spies are moving through the northern packs, trying to confirm if the rumors are true."
"What rumors?"
Kael's gaze was dark. "That you exist."
I gripped the parchment tighter. The weight of my name—my true name—pressed down on me.
"And that's not all," Kael continued, jaw clenched. "The Silver Fang Society isn't just here to hunt. They're looking for something buried deep within the kingdom. Something tied to the Moon's Bloodline."
Dread curled in my gut.
"Then we need to find it first," I whispered.
Kael nodded. "Before they do."
—
Later that night
The tension between me and Rhydian had been building for days, but now it had a voice—a quiet, unspoken thing that neither of us could ignore.
He found me on the balcony, where the cool night air did little to steady my racing thoughts.
"Luna." His voice was softer now, the sharp edges of it worn down by something I couldn't name.
I turned, and suddenly, he was close. Closer than he had ever been.
The air between us felt electric. His hand reached out—hesitant at first, then firmer as his fingers traced a path down my arm.
I shivered.
His eyes flickered to my lips, then back to my gaze, as if silently asking permission.
And for the first time, I wasn't sure if I could resist.
I leaned in.
Our breaths mingled.
But before our lips could meet—
Pain exploded in my skull.
A sharp, burning sensation that sent me reeling backward, gasping.
And then—
A voice.
Low, ancient, and filled with a power I didn't understand.
"You are awakening."
Darkness swallowed me whole.
***
(To be continued…)