Romane von Luwa

Elara’s POV I’m awake before the sun. Not because I slept well, far from it, but because my mind never really shut off. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Claude’s face, tight with frustration. I heard his warning again and again. ‘Stay out of sight, Elara.’ As if I wasn’t already trying. As if I hadn’t done everything possible to disappear last night. Yet somehow… I became the center of it. I lie in bed staring at the wooden ceiling beams, listening to the steady hum of the dorm building waking around me. Soft footsteps. Doors opening. The murmur of girls whispering about last night, about the moon glow, about the triplets. About the heat. A shiver runs down my spine. Not from the temperature, our room is warm from the radiator, but from the memories of Tessa last night. Shaking. Burning. Barely able to stay still. Tessa had already been in the worst part of her cycle. I turn my head. Her bed is empty. I jolt upright. “Tessa?” “Relax,” her voice calls from the bathroom

Elara’s POV. I haven’t stopped pacing. My footsteps keep dragging patterns into the rug, back and forth, back and forth, like if I stop moving, the weight in my chest will crush me. Claude’s voice still echoes in my skull, rough, angry, disappointed in that way only an older brother can manage. “Stay invisible, Elara.” “Promise me.” My stomach twists. I didn’t mean to pull half the attention of the combat field to myself. I wasn’t even trying to go. Tessa practically dragged me there. And then—gods help me—Cassian Veyron was there, and for one long, breathless second, he had looked at me like no one ever had. I should be thinking about Claude, not Cassian. Claude scolding me. Claude looking like he’d explode. Claude practically herding me off the field. Claude’s warning that kept replaying in my head. But all I can feel is the lingering heat behind Cassian’s stare, the way it sparked under my skin. I stop pacing and press both hands over my face. What is wrong

Claude’s POV. The door barely clicks shut behind me before Anastasia’s hands are on me.It’s been less than ten minutes since we slipped into the hidden room near the library, the one students pretend they don’t know about, and she’s already kissing me like she’s been starved for days. Her lips trail down my jaw, her fingers locking in my shirt, pulling me closer, demanding.Normally, I’d respond instantly.Normally, I’d lift her onto the desk and make her forget her own name.But tonight…Tonight my blood is boiling for a different reason.“Claude,” she breathes against my neck, lips warm, needy. “You’re tense.”I don’t answer. I can’t. My mind is miles away, still back on the field, replaying the moment I wish I could erase.Elara.Standing there in that ridiculous scrap of a skirt.Looking small. Unprepared. Entirely too visible.And the damn Veyron triplets, especially Cassian, looking at her like she was something carved for their hands alone.I grind my teeth.Cassian’s gaze wa

Elara’s Pov. If peace had a personality, it would be the quiet hum of my phone screen.I scroll aimlessly, pretending to read, pretending I’m not replaying every second of the ball in my head.Cassian’s hand.His heartbeat.That look that felt like a secret I wasn’t meant to know.I shake the thought away and swipe to the next post on WolfNet, nothing but glittering selfies from other girls at Lunacrest. Perfect smiles, perfect marks, perfect wolves. My chest tightens.Then my door bursts open.“Elara! Tell me you’re not planning to spend the night hiding in here!”Tessa’s voice hits like sunlight. She’s my new roommate, curly red hair, loud laugh, more energy than five full moons combined.I blink at her. “I’m resting.” She stares at my pajamas like they’ve offended her. “Resting? On combat night?”“Combat night?” I echo.She drops her bag dramatically. “Don’t tell me you don’t know. The Alpha training trials? They’re tonight at the field. Only the strongest compete, but the whole

Elara’s POV—Present day. My phone has been vibrating for the past ten minutes, buzzing against the nightstand like it’s personally offended. I already know who it is, because only one person calls this early, and only one person uses anger as a ringtone.When I finally answer, my brother doesn’t bother with hello.“You went to the ball.”I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Good morning to you too, Claude.” “Don’t ‘good morning’ me, Elara. You promised. You said you’d keep your head down, stay invisible…” “I did stay invisible,” I interrupt quickly, forcing a calm I don’t feel. “No one knows it was me.”There’s a pause. I can practically hear him grinding his teeth on the other end. “You think hiding behind a silver mask counts as invisible? Everyone’s talking about the girl who danced with Alpha Cassian Veyron.”“Exactly,” I say softly. “They’re talking about the girl in the mask. Not me.”Silence again. A heavy one this time.He sighs, that long, tired kind that makes guilt crawl up m

Elara’s Pov- 35 hours earlier. If happiness had a sound, it would be the rustling of suitcases and the clatter of shoes on marble floors.“Careful with that one!” I call out as one of the maids lifts my third trunk, the one with my books and sketchpads. “That’s fragile!”“Yes, Miss Elara,” she says, breathless but smiling.My room looks like a storm of silk and sunlight, dresses everywhere, ribbons scattered, the scent of fresh lavender and excitement in the air. I haven’t felt this alive in years. Maybe ever.Lunacrest Academy.I whisper the name in my head like a spell.The place where legends are made. The academy for the strongest wolves of the realm. And somehow, me, Elara Vayne, the girl without a wolf, got in.“Mother!” I shout, practically running to the mirror to check my reflection. My curls fall in soft waves down my back, and for the first time in a long while, I don’t hate what I see.My mother appears in the doorway, radiant and composed, holding a folded cloak in her a

Four weeks had passed since the council’s judgment, and Nightfang had finally begun to breathe again. The air no longer stank of fear and blood. The pack yard buzzed with laughter, the clang of preparations, and the faint smell of roasting meat drifted through the morning mist. Tonight, they would crown their Luna, and welcome a new Beta. Inside the Luna’s chamber, Aria stood before the mirror, still trying to get used to the gold-threaded cloak draped over her shoulders. Her reflection stared back with calm strength, though the butterflies in her stomach refused to quiet down. Selene moved behind her, fussing with the pins in her hair. “Hold still, Luna,” she said, smiling. “If you keep turning your head, I’ll have to start all over.” “I still can’t believe I have to sit through another ceremony,” Aria muttered, her lips twitching. “Didn’t they crown Kael enough times already? The man’s probably exhausted from being celebrated.” Selene laughed softly. “You’re the one we’re celeb

The council hall was finally quiet.The guards had taken Beta Darian away, and the sound of his chains still seemed to echo faintly down the corridor. The elders had withdrawn to deliberate, leaving Kael and Aria alone for the first time in what felt like forever.Aria sat where she was, staring blankly at the floor. Her shoulders were still tense. Everything they’d said, everything they’d revealed, it was finally out. But instead of relief, she felt empty. Exhausted.Kael walked toward her and stopped in front of her chair. “You look like you’re trying to melt into the floor,” he said softly.Aria blinked up at him, her lips twitching. “I’m trying to remember how to breathe.”“Then you’re doing it wrong.” He reached down, his fingers brushing hers. “Here, breathe with me.”She rolled her eyes but obeyed, letting him pull her to her feet. His hands stayed firm on her waist, steadying her. “In,” he said. “Out. Again.”She huffed a quiet laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”“Maybe. But it’s work

The council hall was silent enough to hear a heartbeat. Torches flickered against stone walls, throwing restless shadows as Beta Darian stood before the elders. His chains clinked each time he shifted, a slow, metallic reminder of his fall.“Beta Darian,” Elder Rowan said, voice cutting through the hush. “You stand accused of treason, deceit, and the manipulation of war records. Before we pronounce judgment, you have one chance to speak.”Darian lifted his head. The proud line of his jaw was still there, though his eyes were hollow. “You want to know why I did it,” he said quietly. “Why I turned Nightfang against Silvermane. Why I turned this pack against its Alpha.”The words hung like frost.He exhaled, long and steady. “It began long before Kael wore the Alpha’s crest. Back when his parents ruled, Nightfang was strong, feared. Yet they allied with Silvermane.” His gaze flicked to Aria as she spoke. Kael caught sight of it and his grip instinctively tightened around her fingers. “

The council doors opened again, and three wolves stepped through under heavy guard.Selene. Laura. General Thorne.The hall shifted with a low murmur. Selene’s silver hair caught the light, her pale eyes sweeping the room until they froze on Kael. For a heartbeat, she forgot where she was.“Kael…” she whispered.Before the guards could stop her, she moved forward. Kael turned, and the tightness in his shoulders broke. He opened his arms, and she ran straight into them.“Snow,” he called softly, resting a hand on her back.Selene’s voice cracked. “You still call me that.”He gave a small smile. “You’ll always be Snow to me.”It was the first warmth the room had seen since the trial began. Even the Elders paused before clearing their throats and motioning for everyone to take their places.Elder Moren’s voice carried through the chamber. “Selene Darian, Laura Thorne, General Thorne, you were summoned to clarify matters concerning the fall of Nightfang and the accusations laid before thi

The night was still when the sound of hooves broke through the courtyard.Laura turned from the foot of the watchtower, a bottle of water in her hand. Torches flared along the wall as armored wolves in the Council’s crest rode through the gate. For a heartbeat she couldn’t breathe, no one ever came from the Council at night.Their leader dismounted first. “By order of the High Council of Elders,” he announced, voice sharp and steady, “we seek Selene Darian and General Thorne of Nightfang.”Laura’s fingers went numb. “General Thorne?” she echoed, the bottle slipping and shattering at her feet. “He’s… he’s my father.”The soldier looked her over, surprised. “Then you’ll take us to him.”She hesitated only a second before nodding. “This way.”They followed her across the courtyard, boots striking the stone floor in rhythm. The air smelled of smoke and iron. Two guards at the prison gates shifted uneasily when they saw the Council insignia.Laura squared her shoulders. “Open it,” she sai

The Council chamber was quiet again. The last echo of Beta Darian’s voice still hung in the air, his denial sharp, his arrogance clear. But now, all eyes turned toward Kael and Aria as Elder Moren lifted a hand.“You said you wished to speak,” he said, his tone grave. “Now is the time.”Kael gave a short nod, then looked at Aria. The gesture was small but steady, an invitation. She stepped forward.Her palms were damp, but her voice didn’t shake. “I came into Nightfang under a false name. I didn’t do it to deceive the Alpha or his people. I only came seeking proof, proof of what really happened to my pack.”A murmur passed through the Council. Elder Thalia leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing. “Your pack… Silvermane?”“Yes.” Aria nodded. “Silvermane was wiped out years ago. I was the only one who survived. I needed to know why.”She paused, then continued quietly, “When I arrived in Nightfang, I didn’t tell anyone who I was. I just wanted to find traces of Silvermane in their archi