The Moon Doesn't Lie

The full moon ceremony happens at midnight.

 No one is allowed to miss it. Not students. Not omegas. Not even royals. Mooncrest treats the moon like law, and law does not bend.

 That’s what Selene tells me as she braids her hair for the third time. She keeps undoing it and starting again like she can feel my nerves crawling under her skin.

 “You’re shaking,” she says. “You’ve been shaking all day.”

 “I’m fine,” I say.

 It sounds weaker every time.

 My body feels wrong. Too tight. Too loud. Every sound, every movement feels sharp. My suppressants barely work anymore. The patch on my skin burns like acid, and even that isn’t enough. It feels like my skin is holding something back, and whatever it is, it’s angry.

 Selene glances at my wrist band again. Gray. Her mouth tightens.

 “You don’t have to stand near the center,” she says. “Omegas stay on the outer ring.”

 “I know.”

 “You can leave early if it gets bad.”

 “I know.”

 She doesn’t look convinced.

 We walk out together when the bells ring, joining the stream of students heading toward the stone arena behind the main halls. Everyone is dressed darker tonight. Packs walk together. Alphas move like they own the paths.

 Torches light the way. Their flames flicker unnaturally, leaning upward like they’re being pulled.

 The moon is already bright.

 Too bright.

 The arena is a wide circle carved into the earth. Ancient symbols cut deep into the stone glow faintly under the moonlight. They pulse slowly, like a living thing breathing.

 Power hums in the air, thick and heavy, pressing down on my lungs. I have to fight the urge to turn around and run.

 Alphas fill the space.

 Their scents crash together dominance, heat, aggression. It’s overwhelming. My head spins. My vision blurs for a second.

 “Omegas to the outer ring,” a guard orders sharply.

 I move quickly, slipping to the edge of the circle. Selene stays close, her fingers tight around my sleeve like she’s afraid I’ll disappear.

 The whispers start immediately.

 “That’s her.”

 “The omega from the lecture.”

 “Why do the alphas keep watching her?”

 “Something’s off about her.”

 I keep my head down. My heart pounds too fast.

 At the center of the circle, the alphas push forward. Shoulders collide. Low growls ripple through the crowd.

 “I was here first.”

 “Back off.”

 “This is my place.”

 They fight for position like animals, teeth barely hidden, pride sharp and dangerous.

 Then I feel it.

 The heartbeats.

 Slow at first. Distant. Like an echo through stone.

 Thump.

 I freeze.

 Thump.

 My breath catches.

 Thump.

 My chest tightens painfully.

 Thump.

 Four of them.

 Four heartbeats.

 Not around me.

 Inside me.

 Jodan stands near the front, perfectly still, like the chaos doesn’t touch him. His posture is calm, controlled, but his eyes move once around the circle.

 Then they lock onto me.

 Riven paces the edge like a caged predator, jaw tight, fists clenched. His anger is sharp, cutting through the air. Lucien laughs with another alpha, charming and relaxed, but his gaze keeps flicking back to me, calculating. Eryx stands apart from the others, tension clear in his posture, eyes full of worry like he already knows something is wrong.

 My chest tightens more.

 I take one step back.

 No one notices.

 Another step.

 Still nothing.

 My skin feels too hot. My bones ache.

 I turn, planning to slip away before anyone can stop me.

 Strong fingers wrap around my wrist.

 I gasp.

 Jodan.

 His grip is firm but not rough. That somehow makes it worse.

 “Don’t,” he says quietly.

 “Let go,” I whisper. Panic floods my voice. I can’t stop it.

 Riven’s head snaps toward us. A deep snarl rips from his chest, loud and feral. “Get your hands off her.”

 Lucien tilts his head, eyes sharp now, smile gone. “Careful, Jodan. You’re drawing attention.”

 Eryx moves closer, voice low and urgent, trying to ground me. “April, look at me. Breathe. Slow breaths. With me.”

 “I need to leave,” I say. “Please.”

 Jodan doesn’t release me. His eyes are dark now. Focused. “You can’t.”

 The moon crests fully over the arena.

 Silver light floods the stone circle all at once.

 The symbols ignite.

 Pain slams into me without warning.

 I gasp, choking on air that won’t fill my lungs. My knees buckle violently.

 “No,” I whisper. “Please….”

 The heartbeats explode inside me, loud and clear now. Four rhythms pounding through my chest, my veins, my bones.

 Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

 Mine.

 Not mine.

 All at once.

 I scream.

 The sound tears out of me, raw and broken. Magic surges violently through my body. I collapse, hitting the stone hard as power rips through me like fire.

 The ground shakes beneath us.

 Students cry out. Someone falls. Torches flicker wildly, flames bending sideways.

 “What’s happening?”

 “This isn’t normal!”

 “Stop the ceremony!”

 Jodan drops to one knee, clutching his chest like something is crushing his heart from the inside. Riven roars in fury, grabbing his arm as if it’s burning from within. Lucien stumbles back, shock wiping the amusement from his face completely. Eryx gasps, dropping beside me, hands hovering helplessly over my shaking body.

 “April!” Selene screams from the outer ring.

 I curl inward, clutching my stomach. My skin burns. It feels like something ancient is trying to tear its way out.

 Light bursts across my arms.

 For one second

 Just one

 Glowing markings appear on my skin.

 Ancient lines. Symbols older than the school. Older than the packs. Bond marks.

 The entire arena sees them.

 Then the light vanishes.

 I collapse fully, breath shallow, body trembling uncontrollably.

 The magic fades.

 Silence crashes down like a blade.

 No whispers. No laughter. No movement.

 Every eye in the arena is on me.

 Heavy footsteps break the quiet.

 Metal armor. Measured steps.

 A Royal Guard pushes through the crowd. His face has gone pale. His eyes are wide, locked on me like he’s seeing a ghost.

 He stops a few feet away.

 Then, slowly, he drops to one knee.

 His voice shakes as he whispers the word that shatters everything.

 “True Luna…”