Crown of Blood and Moonlight

The wind howled across the cliffside, carrying the salty sting of the ocean far below.

From the training field, I could always hear it—an endless rhythm that no one else in the pack seemed to notice.

To the others, it was background noise. To me, it was a heartbeat calling my name.

“Focus, Maya!” Damien’s voice cracked through the morning mist like thunder.

I flinched, dropping my stance.

The Alpha stood a few feet away, dark eyes narrowing as he studied my grip on the wooden sparring staff.

Around them, the Shadow Mountain Pack wolves

had already formed a circle.

Some watched with curiosity. Others—like Becca and Hannah—smirked, whispering behind their hands.

Naomi nudged me from the sidelines, giving an

encouraging thumbs-up. “You’ve got this,” she mouthed.

I tightened my hold on the staff, forcing a smile. I’d

trained my whole life to be one of them, but my body never quite listened the way it should.

Too fast.

Too sharp.

Too much.

“Again,” Damien ordered.

I lunged forward, striking at the wooden dummy with everything I had.

The staff cracked against its

surface—and then split clean in two with a sound like lightning splitting a tree.

Gasps rose from the pack.

Becca laughed. “She broke it again. Doesn’t know her own strength.”

“Or maybe she doesn’t belong here,” Hannah added, voice sweet as poison.

Heat crept my neck. I wanted to snap back, to tell them

they were wrong. But I couldn’t. Because a part of me

agreed with them.

Damien silenced the whispers with a single growl, low

and dangerous. His gaze lingered on me—not just as an

Alpha correcting a pack member, but something heavier,

almost protective. Almost… possessive.

Before he could speak, the wind shifted, and the distant

roar of the ocean surged in my ears. For a moment, it

drowned out everything—the jeers, Damien’s command,

even my own racing thoughts.

The waves called to me, the cliffs called to me. And I

couldn’t help but wonder, what exactly am I?

Later that night, the pack house buzzed with celebration.

Someone had dragged speakers into the common room,

every member of the pack house was drinking, and

laughing. I had been looking forward to seeing Ayden—my boyfriend, my anchor when the rest of the

pack made me feel like an outsider.

But when I couldn’t find him in the crowd, I slipped away

down the hall, following the sound of muffled voices.

I pushed open the door to one of the guest rooms—and froze.

Ayden was there.

So was Becca. His hands tangled in her hair, her lips pressed against his neck.

They didn’t even hear the door creak open. Becca was in a short skimpy skirt sitting on top of Ayden.

As she grinded on his lap, he was purring at her every movement.

My breath caught in my throat.

For a moment, I couldn’t move.

Couldn’t speak.

The floor seemed to drop out from under me

Becca’s eyes opened first. She smirked over Ayden’s

shoulder, lips curling like she’d been waiting for this moment.

“Oh,” she purred. “Guess the mutt finally caught on.”

Ayden pulled back, face paling when he saw me standing there.

“Maya, it’s not—”

But I didn’t wait to hear the rest, I ran out the door as he was pulling up his boxers and pants..

My chest ached, vision blurred, and the only thing I could do was run.

Past the music, past the laughter, out into the night air.

I didn’t stop until I reached the cliffs, where the ocean roared far below, calling my name louder than ever.

And for the first time in my life, I wished I could jump and never come back.