Chapter 1

My father braced one hand against the moonstone floor and tried to stand.

Blood slipped between his fingers.

Evelyn did not look concerned. Her eyes dropped to the dark stain spreading beneath him.

“Mr. Vale, please be careful.”

She pointed at the silver crescent carved into the floor.

“That is the Moon Goddess’s sacred seal. Blood stains are difficult to remove.”

My mother's lips trembled.

She lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

Her custom-made gown was soaked in wine. Angry red welts from the Firethorn extract spread across her cheeks.

She picked up a clean cloth and quietly wiped my father's blood from the stone floor.

"We didn't mean to cause any trouble."

She was the one who had been humiliated.

Yet she was the one apologizing.

I knew why.

My parents had spent their entire lives as outsider Omegas.

I'd grown up watching them bow their heads, swallow every insult, and smile through every humiliation just to survive.

They believed Lucian and I were different.

That we were fated mates.

That once I completed the Marking Ceremony and became his Luna, I would never have to live the life they had.

They swallowed every ounce of humiliation because they thought it would protect my future.

Evelyn sighed.

“I did mention earlier that the Moon Goblets had a little surprise built in to liven things up.”

She turned toward the guests.

“It was meant to make the ceremony more festive.”

Whispers spread through the Moon Hall.

“Typical outsider Omegas.”

“They probably have never attended a proper Alpha ceremony.”

My wolf snarled inside me.

She did it on purpose.

I stepped toward Evelyn. “You never warned them about the Firethorn in the goblets.”

Before I could say anything else, Lucian stepped in front of me.

“Evelyn has already explained what happened.”

His voice was low, but his Alpha authority rolled through the hall.

Then he leaned closer.

“Your parents said they were fine.”

“It was a harmless prank, Selene.”

His gaze swept over the pack members watching us.

“Everyone was laughing until you decided to turn it into a scene.”

I stared at him.

He was not angry because my parents had been humiliated.

He was angry because I refused to smile through it.

My father reached out and lightly tugged at my sleeve with his uninjured hand.

“Selene, leave it.”

His face had gone pale, but he still forced a smile.

“Your mother and I will clean ourselves up.”

My mother nodded quickly.

“This is your Marking Ceremony.”

“Do not argue with your mate because of us.”

They were covered in wine and blood.

Yet they were still trying to protect my happiness.

Evelyn looked at my parents’ ruined clothes.

“The guest lounges are occupied.”

She spoke as though she had only just remembered.

“There is a supply room behind the kitchens. You can clean up there.”

My mother’s hands stilled, the cloth slipping from her fingers as she went completely rigid.

“A supply room?” I asked.

Her eyes went wide.

“I am trying to help.”

Lucian looked at me.

“Take your parents to the supply room.”

My father slowly pushed himself upright.

Blood soaked through the cloth wrapped around his palm.

“The supply room is fine,” he said.

My mother helped him stand.

“We will be quick.”

Evelyn pointed toward the servants’ corridor.

“This way.”

A few people laughed as we passed.

“They should be grateful the Alpha allowed them inside at all.”

“An Omega family becoming relatives of an Alpha. What luck.”

The supply room was narrow and cold.

Broken chairs, cleaning bottles, and boxes of candles covered the walls.

The moment the door closed, my father collapsed onto an old crate.

A quiet groan escaped him.

My mother hurried to the sink and wet a towel.

When she touched it to her burned cheek, her entire body shook.

She forced a smile. “We are fine.”

My father nodded.

“Go back before the Moon Blessing.”

“You have waited a long time to become Luna.”

I looked at them.

At my father’s bleeding palm.

At my mother’s blistered skin.

Only a few hours earlier, theWerewolf Council had appointed me as its youngest Vice Chair.

The announcement had not yet been released.

Lucian did not know. No one in the Silvercrest Pack knew.

I had wanted him to see me as his mate, not as a Council authority.

Now I finally understood how he saw me.

A low-ranked Omega who would accept anything for the privilege of becoming his Luna.

I reached into the pocket of my cloak.

My fingers closed around the silver Council sigil.

I had promised myself I would never use my position to settle a personal matter.

But this was no longer about me.

I activated the seal and sent one message.

“Come to Silvercrest Pack immediately.”

Then I looked toward the closed door.

Lucian wanted the ceremony to continue.

It would.

Just not in the way he expected.