chapter three

Chapter Three

Astria’s POV

It’s been a month since I left my old pack. I now live on the outskirts of the Alpha King’s territory, the Blood Moon Pack.

I stay with an older couple who found me wandering near the borders. They took me in, no questions asked. I had nowhere else to go, and they offered me a home.

They have a daughter around my age, Mariah. She’s bubbly, daring, and so outspoken, a complete opposite of me. Somehow, we clicked right away. Even though I was reluctant at first, she became my first real friend.

“My mum says the moon goddess always gives second chances,” Mariah grinned, tossing a potato into the basket as we picked vegetables for dinner. “Who knows? You might find your second-chance mate here.”

Her father’s farm is one of the most important in the territory. We help out with the harvest and ensure the Blood Pack never goes hungry.

Mariah hummed softly beside me, swinging her legs as we took a break under the shade of a tree near the edge of the farm. The wind was cool, carrying the scent of soil and lavender. I leaned back against the bark, eyes half-closed, letting the breeze kiss my face.

And then it happened again.

That… pull.

A low thrum beneath my skin, like my soul was being gently tugged by invisible strings. It had been happening for a few days now only at dusk, only when I was alone or lost in thought. Like something or someone was calling to me.

“Are you okay?” Mariah’s voice pulled me back to earth. “You spaced out again.”

I forced a small smile. “I’m fine. Just… tired, maybe.”

Liar.

I wasn’t tired. I was restless. My wolf stirred every night, clawing beneath my skin, pacing like it was searching for something it couldn’t find. My dreams had turned strange too dark forests, red moons, eyes that burned like fire. A voice I didn’t recognize whispering my name like a vow.

“Astria.”

Every time I woke up breathless, clutching my chest as though someone had touched my heart from across the world.

I hadn’t told anyone. Not even Mariah. How could I? I didn’t understand it myself.

And deep down… a part of me was terrified. Because I knew this wasn’t random. This wasn’t coincidence. This was something deeper, older… primal.

A soul was looking for mine.

Zeyric’s POV

The council chamber roared with tension. Voices clashed like swords, wolves on the verge of tearing into each other, fangs bared beneath thin layers.

Powerful alpha pheromones hung heavy in the air, each one desperate to dominate the other.

But none of it touched me.

It never does.

With a low, guttural growl, I silenced the room. The sound echoed through the stone walls like thunder. Heads snapped toward me, postures lowering in instinctive submission.

They’re starting to give me a damn headache.

I leaned forward on the throne, fingers drumming against the cold armrest.

"Kaelen," I barked, my voice cutting through the quiet like a blade, "make arrangements for the Annual Pack Gathering under the Red Moon."

Kaelen stepped forward immediately, his stance respectful yet unshaken.

He was more than just the head warrior he was one of the few people I dared to trust.

"I’ll see to it, Your Majesty," he replied, voice firm.

I gave him a dismissive wave, already tired of the stares, the fake concern, the whispers they thought I couldn’t hear.

My patience was running thin.

And the Red Moon was drawing closer.

The heads of the six houses should know better than to create a nuisance here, though there are still a few whose loyalty lies with the throne.

"You are all dismissed," I barked, my voice seeping with dominance.

As the rest of the council slowly dispersed whispering like cowards behind bowed heads I remained seated, jaw clenched and mind racing.

A familiar presence stepped into the room.

"Your Majesty," Braxton said mockingly, offering a low, dramatic bow as he approached the throne. "So regal. So broody. So charming."

I shot him a glare.

He grinned. "You know, if you keep growling at every meeting, the council might start bringing earplugs."

I didn’t respond right away.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see you almost shift in front of the council. Again."

I stood, rolling my shoulders, tension bleeding from my spine. "They're all mouth and no bite. The houses are restless."

Braxton’s face shifted, the teasing gone.

"They're not just restless. They're scared. Something's coming, Zey. Even I can feel it in the damn wind."

I turned to face him fully now, my eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying... you haven't been sleeping. You're on edge. The Red Moon’s approaching. Your eyes have been bloody red..." he trailed off.

"I don't have time for all this," I muttered. Lokar and Maelen have been quiet lately even Lokar’s thirst seems to have disappeared, which has never happened before.

Braxton tilted his head. "Then maybe you’ll have time for this. Our patrols reported movement near the eastern borders. A rogue. Possibly a female. No threat, just... wandering."

Something in my chest clenched.

Tight. Sudden. Unexplainable.

I scoffed to mask it. "Handle it."

"Already did," Braxton said, watching me closely.

"I sent the head farmer’s family to take her in. But... There's something strange about her. She’s different. Her hair is snow white."

My breath hitched, and the beasts stirred inside me.

Both whispering

“FIND HER,".

Instead, I turned toward the high windows, where early moonlight had begun to pierce through the clouds.

Astria pov

“ Careful with that basket, Astria. If Father’s tomatoes roll away, I’m blaming you and the moon.”

I laughed, balancing the load on my hip. “If they roll, I’ll chase after them myself even if they head straight to the Alpha’s gate.”

Mariah snorted. “Imagine that headline: Omega girl barges into Alpha territory over runaway tomatoes.”

The market ahead was already buzzing, the smell of spices and ripe fruit thick in the warm afternoon. Motorbikes zipped past us on the uneven road, kicking up dust. We stepped aside as a sleek black car purred by probably one of the merchant’s sons trying to show off. I rolled my eyes.

Mariah muttered, “Dragging these crates every two days is becoming spiritual warfare.”

“We should just borrow one of Father’s trucks next time,” I said. “These tomatoes are getting heavier by the season.”

She cackled. “You’re too unserious.”

The market pulsed with life pack members setting up vendor stands, children darting through the crowds, elders haggling over prices. Despite the noise, there was something comforting about it. Something familiar. It felt like home.

We dropped off our delivery at the usual stand. The elderly market manager, Mrs. Harlan, gave us a grateful nod. “Bless you, girls. These tomatoes are the reddest I’ve seen in moons.”

Mariah winked. “All natural, grown with sweat and sass thanks to the Moon Goddess.”

As we turned to leave, she nudged me with her elbow. “Hey… did you know the Red Moon Ceremony is in two days?”

I stiffened. “Already?”

“Yup. And get this. This year, the Alpha King is summoning all thirty-three pack leaders and their firstborns. You know what that means…”

My heart thudded. “My old pack will be there.”

Mariah’s eyes softened as she glanced sideways at me. “Yeah… but so will everyone else. This isn’t just some boring alpha parade. The Red Moon only rises like this every fifty years, and when it does, it amplifies everything magic, instincts, bonds…”

“…Mates?” I asked, voice quiet.

“Exactly.” Her voice dropped lower, almost conspiratorial. “Some say the Moon Goddess uses the Red Moon to correct her mistakes. Like granting second-chance mates. Or pulling destined ones from hiding.”

A mix of dread and excitement bubbled in my stomach. Dread from crossing paths with the past. Or whatever the Moon had in store.

“Come on,” Mariah said, linking her arm with mine. “Let’s go cool off at the riverside.”

The river lay just beyond the edge of the market, hidden by drooping willows and wildflowers that brushed our ankles. The water sparkled beneath the sunlight, calm and inviting, as if the Moon Goddess herself had blessed it.

Three girls were already there, their laughter dancing over the ripples like a spell. They waved as we approached.

“Hey, you made it!” one of them called out.

Mariah grinned. “Girls, this is Astria, the friend I told you about. Astria, meet Thessia, Lyxaria, and Noira.”

I gave a shy smile. “Hi.”

“Finally,” Thessia said, flipping her braids over her shoulder. “Mariah talks about you like you’re her secret twin.”

Lyxaria, the tallest, grinned. “We’ve heard stories.”

I chuckled softly, but Noira wasn’t smiling.

She stepped closer, her gaze locked on me, head tilted. Her eyes were dark and strange, like deep wells of ink that seemed to shimmer.

“You’re not from here,” she said quietly, like a statement not a question. “Not originally.”

I hesitated. “No… I’m not.”

“She’s the Seer’s daughter,” Mariah whispered. “Don’t mind her creepy eyes.”

“I heard that,” Noira murmured, but she didn’t look away from me. “Your aura… it’s not just different. It’s conflicted. Like two souls pushing against one skin. Something ancient stirs in you, Astria.”

I blinked. “What?”

Noira’s voice dropped lower, almost a whisper only I could hear. “Something powerful sleeps in your blood. Hidden. Watching. Waiting.”

A sudden breeze stirred the trees. The air felt cooler and heavier.

“Okay, creepy,” Thessia said, breaking the tension. “Can we not summon ghosts today? We’re here to gossip, not hold a séance.”

Mariah rolled her eyes and pulled me down to sit on the sun-warmed rocks beside the others. “Ignore her. She’s just trying to freak you out.”

“I’m not,” Noira said simply. “I’m warning her.”

My skin prickled.

Thessia leaned forward, flicking a pebble into the river. “Anyway… the Red Moon Ceremony is in two days. Are you all ready to meet your mates?”

“Please, I've been waiting since I turned eight two weeks ago,” Lyxaria groaned. “If mine doesn’t smell like sandalwood and trouble, I’m rejecting him immediately.”

They all laughed except me.

“I’m scared,” Thessia admitted. “What if the Moon Goddess binds me to someone I don’t even like? What if he’s cruel? Or worse… boring?”

Mariah stretched her legs out and sighed. “Or what if he’s perfect but already taken?”

No one spoke for a moment.

“I don’t think the Red Moon gets it wrong,” Noira said at last. “But I think it reveals things we aren’t ready to face.”

Her eyes found me again.

“And Astria… I don’t think you’re ready for what it’s going to show you.”

I stared at her, throat dry. The wind shifted again, rustling the reeds. I swore the river itself held its breath.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She didn’t answer. She just smiled faintly, turning her gaze toward the horizon where the sun was beginning to dip.

“You’ll see,” she whispered. “When the moon turns red, we all see.”