Crowned in Moonlight

Aurelia

I didn't remember falling.

I didn't remember the blow that sent me crashing to the marble floor. All I knew was the cold stone against my cheek, the taste of copper in my mouth, and the slow, steady drip of blood from my nose onto the pristine white floor of the Academy's grand hall.

The pain was everywhere. It throbbed in my ribs with every shallow breath I took. It burned in my left ankle, swollen and twisted from when I had been shoved. It pulsed behind my eyes, making the world swim in and out of focus.

"Look at her! She can't even stand!"

"Pathetic omega. She should have known her place."

"Who let her in here anyway? She's ruining the floor with her blood."

The laughter echoed around me, sharp and cruel. I could hear the shuffling of feet as students crowded closer, eager to witness my humiliation. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the sound of a teacher's voice, but it was drowned out by the jeers and taunts of the crowd.

I pushed myself up onto my shaking hands, my arms trembling with the effort. My fingers scraped against the cold marble, leaving smears of crimson in their wake. The fabric of my Academy uniform was torn at the shoulder, revealing the angry red marks left by my attacker's claws.

But I forced myself to my knees.

Something under my skin pulsed in time with my heartbeat, tight and fragile, like it was one wrong move from breaking. I didn't let myself think about what would happen if it did. Not here. Not with the whole hall watching.

"Sister, sister. Is this how you represent our family?"

The voice made my blood run cold. I looked up through the haze of pain to see my half-sister, Marisol Duskmoor, standing in the crowd. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her lips curled into a sneer of pure contempt.

She was beautiful, Marisol. Everyone said so. She had our father's sharp features and our mother's golden hair. She was tall, elegant, and powerful, everything an Alpha's daughter should be.

And she had made my life a living hell.

"Father sent you here to be worthy of Alpha Draven," Marisol continued, stepping closer. The crowd parted for her like water, their eyes filled with fear and admiration. "And this is what you show him? This pathetic display of weakness?"

I bit back the sob building in my throat. My hands were shaking, but I forced them to still. I couldn't show weakness. Not now. Not in front of her.

"Look at her," Marisol said, gesturing at me with a dismissive wave. "Cowering on the floor like a beaten dog. This is the woman who's supposed to marry Alpha Draven? This is the woman who's supposed to unite our packs?"

The whispers grew louder. I could hear the murmurs of confusion and disgust rippling through the crowd.

"Engagement? To Alpha Draven?"

"The most powerful Alpha at the Academy?"

"She's an omega. How could she—"

Marisol laughed, a cold, cruel sound. "Oh, don't worry. The engagement won't last. Father made a mistake when he agreed to this. He thought she was worthy. He thought she could be useful."

Her eyes met mine, and I saw the hatred burning in their depths.

"But we both know the truth, don't we, sister? You're nothing. You've always been nothing. And you'll always be nothing."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell her I never asked for any of this. I never wanted Draven, or this alliance, or any part of my father's games. But I couldn't speak. I was too broken. Too beaten.

Too... nothing.

"Looks like the engagement won't last anyway," one of the students snickered. "Who would want an omega like her?"

"I heard Alpha Draven is disgusted by her," another student added. "He told his friends he'd rather marry a wolf than an omega."

The laughter grew louder. I felt tears prick my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

Marisol's eyes narrowed. "No, I have a better idea. Let's make sure she's worthy. Let's test her."

She turned to the crowd, spreading her arms wide.

"Two weeks. The Night of the Crimson Moon. That's when she goes to the Infernal Pack."

The gasp that ran through the crowd was different this time. Not amusement. Something closer to fear.

"The Infernal Pack?" someone whispered. "The demon lords?"

"She means the triplets," another voice hissed. "Corvin. Kieran. Talon."

Marisol smiled, drinking in the shift in the room. "My father owes them a debt. A very old one. And my sister is going to be the one who pays it."

"And if I refuse?" I whispered, my voice cracking.

Marisol leaned down, her face inches from mine. Her breath was warm against my cheek, and I could smell the sweetness of her perfume, a scent that had always made me sick.

"You won't refuse. Because if you do, I'll make sure your grandfather doesn't live to see the Night of the Crimson Moon either."

She paused, savoring the fear in my eyes.

"So smile, sister. You're about to become very important."

She turned and walked away, her laughter echoing in my ears. The crowd parted for her like she was royalty because she was. She was everything I would never be.

I remained on my knees, my body trembling, my soul shattering.

The whispers grew louder. The laughter grew crueler. And I was left alone on the cold marble floor, bleeding and broken.

You can't break, I reminded myself. Your mother fought her entire life to protect what she believed in. You carry that fight now. You will not break.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet. The movement sent a spike of pain through my ribs, and I gasped, leaning against the wall for support. My ankle screamed in protest, but I forced myself to stand.

I kept my gaze lowered, my posture hunched, playing the part of the broken omega. No one noticed me as I limped through the crowd. No one saw the flicker of fire in my eyes when I finally allowed myself to look up.

I limped through the corridors of the Academy, ignoring the curious stares of the other students. The building was ancient, built from stone and wood, with soaring ceilings and stained-glass windows that depicted the history of our kind.

And I didn't belong here.

I reached my quarters, a small, cramped room in the omega dormitory, and collapsed onto the bed. The thin mattress was lumpy and uncomfortable, but I was too exhausted to care.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter from my grandfather. It was crumpled and stained with my blood, but the words were still legible.

"They are getting closer, child. I have found the proof. Your mother's death was not an accident. The conspiracy reaches into the heart of the Academy. Be careful. Trust no one."

On the back, hidden in invisible ink, was a message he had left for me.

"The proof is hidden in the Academy's restricted archives. The Night of the Crimson Moon. Find it before they do."

I crumpled the letter in my fist.

Two weeks. Two weeks to find the truth, or two weeks until I belonged to three strangers whose names I'd only ever heard as a warning.

I closed my eyes, and I let the tears come, just for a moment. Then I wiped them away and stood.

I had almost reached the door when I heard footsteps behind me in the corridor. Heavy. Deliberate. The footsteps of someone who wasn't trying to be quiet.

I turned, and there he was.

Alpha Draven Nightshade.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp features and ice-blue eyes that seemed to cut through the dim light of the hallway. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and his presence filled the corridor with a suffocating weight of Alpha dominance.

"So," he said, his voice like frost. "You're my intended. My father's gift to me. An omega."

He said the word like it was a disease.

"Your Highness," I said, bowing my head. "I—"

"Don't." He stepped closer, and I felt the weight of his Alpha aura press down on me. "I don't want to hear your excuses. I don't want to hear anything from your pathetic mouth."

I lowered my gaze, my hands trembling at my sides. I said nothing.

"Good girl," he said, his tone patronizing. "You know how to obey. That's the only thing omegas are good for, isn't it? Obeying."

I still said nothing.

He reached out and grabbed my chin, his grip bruising, harder than it needed to be. Hard enough that anyone watching would have believed every word he'd just said about me.

There was no one watching.

"I don't want to marry you," he said. "I don't want an omega for a wife. I don't want a wife forced on me by political alliances. But my father wants this, and I have no choice."

His grip tightened, and I felt a whimper escape my lips.

"And if you ever try to run, I will hunt you down."

He released me with a shove, sending me stumbling back. My injured ankle gave way, and I crashed to the floor, gasping in pain.

"Good. Now get out of my sight."

He strode past me, and I braced for the sound of his footsteps fading. But he stopped at my door instead. Not turning around. Not looking at me.

"You should know," he said, "your sister isn't the only one who knows about the Infernal Pack's claim."

My whole body went still.

"How do you—"

"I know things I shouldn't." His voice had changed. Quieter. Like he wasn't sure he wanted to be saying this at all. "I know your sister thinks she's the one holding all the strings."

"Is she wrong?"

He didn't answer right away. When he finally spoke, it wasn't to me. It was almost to himself.

"She doesn't know what her father actually promised the Infernal Pack. Not the whole of it."

"Then tell me."

He turned, just enough that I could see the edge of his jaw, the muscle working there like he was deciding something.

"Not here."

Then he was gone, his footsteps fading down the corridor, leaving me on the floor with more questions than I'd started with, and the first crack in everything I thought I knew about Alpha Draven Nightshade.