LOGINMy father’s hand was warm and steady in mine as the music carried us into motion. The ballroom seemed to fade as we began to dance, the crowd blurring into soft shapes and light. Alpha Ryder didn’t lead like a ruler commanding a floor; he led like a man afraid to step too hard, as if he might shatter the miracle standing in front of him. His movements were careful, reverent. I followed him instinctively, my body relaxing with each slow turn, my gown whispering against the polished floor. Around us, the pack watched in silence, but I felt none of the old fear. Only warmth. Only the strange, tender ache of belonging.“You dance like your mother,” he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. “She loved this song.”I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I wish I could remember her,” I whispered.He smiled sadly. “You don’t have to. She’s in you. That’s enough.”We moved together beneath the chandeliers, father and daughter, reclaiming something stolen from us long ago. I felt his prid
The day arrived faster than I was ready for.I stood in my room while maids moved around me with quiet efficiency, adjusting fabric, smoothing my hair, fastening delicate jewelry that caught the light every time I moved. Outside my window, the palace buzzed with life. Music drifted through the air. Laughter. Footsteps. The entire Golden Sky Pack had gathered for tonight, and every sound reminded me of what it meant. This wasn’t a private reunion anymore. This wasn’t just family.Tonight, I would be seen.My reflection stared back at me from the mirror, and for a long moment, I barely recognized the woman looking back. The gown Amanda had chosen flowed softly around me, elegant without being overwhelming. It was a deep silver-blue that mirrored the sky just before moonrise, simple in design but powerful in presence. My hair fell loose down my back in gentle waves, untouched by heavy ornament. Amanda had insisted on that. “You don’t need decoration,” she had said. “You are the statement
Ryan found me in the small sitting room just outside the garden terrace, where I had been standing for a while pretending to admire the flowers while my thoughts ran wild. The meeting with the elders still echoed in my head—their bowed heads, the way they spoke my name with respect instead of suspicion. It should have made me feel triumphant. Instead, it left me strangely exposed, like the world had finally turned its gaze on me and I didn’t yet know how to stand under it. Ryan didn’t say anything at first. He just watched me for a moment, as if gauging how much weight I was carrying, then cleared his throat softly.“Come with me,” he said. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”I followed him through the palace corridors again, still not entirely used to the way people paused when we passed, how their eyes lingered on me with curiosity and awe instead of contempt. It made my shoulders tense instinctively. In Blood Moon Pack, being looked at always meant something bad was coming. Ryan
I woke slowly the next morning, not because of fear or hunger or the instinct to run, but because sunlight spilled gently across my face, warm and unhurried. For a moment, I stayed still, letting the feeling sink in. The bed beneath me was soft, the room quiet, the air carrying the faint scent of flowers drifting in through an open window. My body felt rested in a way I barely recognized. No ache in my bones from sleeping on cold ground. No tight knot in my chest warning me to be alert. Just calm. It startled me more than danger ever had.When I finally sat up, memories of the night before came rushing back—my father’s voice, my mother’s pictures, the truth about how she died, the way grief and love had wrapped around me at the same time. I pressed a hand to my chest, steadying myself. This wasn’t a dream. I was still here. Still home.A soft knock sounded at the door. Before I could answer, a maid stepped in, smiling warmly. “Good morning, Miss Celeste. Breakfast is ready whenever yo
The question slipped out of me before I could stop it, carried on a breath that trembled too much to hide. “How… how did my mother die?” I asked softly. Saying the words felt like touching a wound I didn’t know how to dress. I had seen her smile in photographs, felt her presence in the way everyone spoke her name with reverence, but death has a shape when it is explained by someone who loved the person it stole.Father didn’t answer immediately. He looked toward the fire, watching the flames curl and settle as if the memory lived there, flickering in and out of reach. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and steady, but I could hear the effort beneath it. “It was during a rogue attack,” he said. “One of the largest we had seen in decades.” His jaw tightened. “They came in waves. Organized. Not starving strays or desperate loners. Fighters.”My chest tightened. I leaned forward slightly, afraid to miss a word.“Ryan and I were leading a patrol on the eastern ridge when the warning
Father was quiet for a long moment after my question, his fingers laced together so tightly the veins stood out against his skin. The fire in the drawing room crackled softly, filling the silence with a sound that felt too gentle for the truth I had just asked him to give me. When he finally looked up, his eyes held something heavy—years of suspicion, grief, and restraint layered into one steady gaze.“No,” he said slowly. “We never had proof.”My heart sank and then lifted all at once, confusion twisting through me. “But… you have suspicions,” I whispered.He nodded. “Yes. One name. Markus.”The name landed between us like a stone dropped into deep water. I had never heard it before, yet the way Father said it told me everything I needed to know. This wasn’t a stranger. This was family. Or something close enough to hurt worse.“Markus was my adopted brother,” Father began, his voice distant, as if he were looking back through a lifetime of memories. “We were raised together from chil







