The moon goddess whispered.

The Beta’s household had never been so alive. For days after Ravena’s first shift, their home swelled with laughter, music, and the footsteps of visitors who came to offer congratulations. Their halls glittered with gifts,fine fabrics, silver ornaments, carved talismans blessed by seers. All of it, for Ravena.

Everywhere she walked, heads bowed and lips whispered, “Our future Luna,” as if the words themselves were prayers. She had become the pride of the family, the jewel of their house. And yet, in the shadow of her sister’s brilliance, Liora faded further into the background.

She was invisible, unless she was needed as an object of ridicule. No one celebrated her. No one even acknowledged her unless it was with disdain. Her mother Mariseth now regarded her as a thorn she couldn’t pluck, while Ravena looked at her like a rival to be crushed.

That morning, Liora sat alone in the garden, staring at her reflection in the pond. The surface rippled faintly with the breeze, distorting the image of her pale face. Her fingers brushed against the strange birthmark just beneath her collarbone, its faint silvery glow hidden beneath her dress.

What does this mark even mean? Why was I cursed with it? she thought bitterly.

She drew her knees up to her chest, wishing the world would simply forget she existed.

The sound of footsteps broke her solitude. Her body stiffened before she heard his voice.

“Why do you hide here, little dove?”

Kaelen.

He emerged into view, tall and striking, the golden sun catching the dark strands of his hair. His presence carried an intensity that always unsettled her, filling her with both yearning and dread. He bent down and plucked a white flower from the garden’s edge, twirling it between his fingers as he approached.

“I don’t belong out there,” Liora whispered, gesturing toward the lively courtyard where Ravena basked in the admiration of guests.

Kaelen crouched in front of her, his piercing eyes softening. He reached forward and tucked the flower gently behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her cheek.

“You belong with me,” he said, voice low and deliberate. “Never forget that.”

Liora swallowed hard, her chest aching. “But I’m wolfless. What use am I to anyone?”

He tilted his head, his thumb brushing her lips with a tenderness that felt dangerous. “You are mine, Liora. That is all that matters.”

The word mine curled through her like smoke. It should have comforted her, but instead it burned. His gaze wasn’t tender, it was consuming, possessive, as though he wanted to devour rather than protect.

She lowered her eyes, ashamed at the way her heart still fluttered for him despite the unease prickling at her skin.

Liora had overheard Kaelen and Ravena's conversations on how they plan to break her and shatter her heart during the ceremony, however, her heart could not believe it yet… Liora was finding it difficult to come to the realization that Kaelen would do that to her after all they have shared, after all the promises.

Unseen by either of them, Ravena stood in the shadow of the corridor. Her wolf stirred restlessly beneath her skin, her green eyes blazing with fury. She had come looking for Kaelen only to find him on his knees before her sister. Her mate. Her destiny. Kneeling at a wolfless girl’s feet.

Her claws dug into the stone wall until her knuckles ached. The wolf inside her snarled, whispering promises of blood and ruin.

Later that night, the household grew quiet as guests departed and laughter died down. But Liora found no peace in sleep. She tossed restlessly on her bed before finally wandering toward the window, seeking solace in the pale light of the moon.

That was when she heard it …voices, low and hushed, drifting upward from the courtyard below her chamber. She leaned closer, straining to listen.

It was Kaelen. And Ravena.

Her heart seized.

“You’ll choose me as your Luna at the ceremony, won’t you?” Ravena’s voice carried a sharp edge, though beneath it trembled with desperation.

Kaelen’s reply was smooth, deceptively calm. “Of course, my mate. You are the only one who matters. But let her keep believing in me.”

Liora froze, her breath catching in her throat.

Kaelen continued, his words like poison. “The weaker her heart becomes, the easier it will be to break her completely.”

A soft laugh from Ravena, venomous and cruel, followed. “And when she finally shatters, she’ll be nothing but dust beneath our feet.”

Liora’s knees buckled, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sob threatening to escape. Her whole world tilted. She pressed her back against the wall, sinking down, the stone cold against her trembling body.

All this time, she had clung to Kaelen’s kindness, believing he was her shield against her family’s cruelty. She thought he was different. But now she saw the truth, now she believed it wasn't a dream, she wasn't assuming or mistaken.

Kaelen indeed wants to break her in the most humiliating manner, in front of the whole pack!..

He was the sharpest knife of them all.

It wasn’t Ravena’s malice that broke her heart, it was Kaelen’s betrayal.

The man she had trusted with her soul, the man she had secretly loved, was plotting her ruin.

Tears blurred her vision as she pressed her forehead to the cold stone. Why? Why me?

But then….

A voice stirred inside her mind. Soft, ethereal, as if carried on moonlight. It was not her imagination. It was real.

“Do not weep, my child. Your time has not yet come. But soon… you will rise.”

Liora gasped, her hand clutching her chest. Her tears halted as her eyes widened in shock.

That voice…gentle yet commanding was unlike anything she had ever heard. It resonated deep within her soul, filling her with warmth and terror all at once.

Was that… the Moon Goddess herself?

The world seemed to tilt again, but this time not from despair. The betrayal had broken her heart, yet the divine whisper sparked something deep within her.