Chapter 1

The Moonstone Hall hummed with suppressed tension.

My father, Alpha Theron Silvermoon, slammed his fist on the stone dais.

His deep, rumbling voice echoed through the chamber, carrying the weight of centuries of tradition.

“Today, the Moon Goddess will choose a mate for Nova, my only daughter, and the voice of the Goddess on earth. The man she chooses will be the next Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack.”

I stepped forward, my silver gown whispering against the cold stone floor, and rested my fingertips on the moonstone.

It warmed beneath my touch, thrumming with the same ancient power that ran through my veins. I could feel the Goddess’s presence, faint but unmistakeable, waiting to speak.

“Each heir will place a drop of blood on the stone,” I said, my voice clear and steady. No one dared interrupt me. “The Goddess’s chosen will make it glow with pure silver light.”

The first three younger heirs exchanged glances.

I could see the hunger for the Alpha’s throne in their eyes, sharp as a wolf's fang, though they hid it behind masks of humility.

“Kael has not yet arrived,” the second heir, Gideon, said carefully. “It would be disrespectful to begin without him.”

My father’s jaw tightened. It was a clear sign he was about to lose his temper.

“We will not wait!” he roared.

“To be late for the Moonstone Trial is to spit in the face of the Goddess herself! If Kael values his claim to the throne, he will be here when it matters.”

The heirs flinched.

One by one, they stepped forward, pricked their fingertips, and let their blood fall onto the moonstone.

Gideon’s blood spread across the surface, and the stone glowed a faint, dull red.

“Gideon has a good heart,” I said flatly.

I had seen his future. He would have been a kind ruler, but a weak one.

“But his blood is too weak. He could never lead us against the Jackal Clans of the South. They would tear our pack apart.”

Gideon’s face fell. He retreated to the shadows, his shoulders hunched.

The next two heirs fared no better. Their blood left the stone only faintly red, no brighter than a dying ember.

I felt a flicker of surprise.

For all their flaws, none of these men carried darkness in their blood.

In a pack where strength is everything, where cruelty is often mistaken for leadership, that is a rare and precious thing.

My father’s face darkened with disappointment. But my stepmother, Luna Elara, leaned forward in her seat, her eyes lighting up with triumph.

“Only Kael remains,” she said, her voice sweet as honey, sharp as a knife.

“Surely the Goddess has chosen him. My son will make a fine Alpha. You should announce the betrothal at once, My Alpha.”

Before my father could speak, the great oak doors of the hall crashed open.

Kael Blackthorn strode in, his black cloak billowing behind him.

His hand was clasped tightly around Lila Songbird’s, his golden eyes soft with adoration as he looked down at her.

When his gaze turned to me, that softness vanished in an instant, replaced by ice-cold loathing.

I felt nothing. Just a cold, empty calm.

I had seen this scene play out a hundred times in my memories. I knew every word he would say, every gesture he would make.

I knew how deeply he loved her, and how deeply he would come to hate me.

He dropped to one knee, his wolf tail twitching with suppressed anger.

“Father! If the Goddess has chosen me, I will serve the pack with all my strength. But I have one condition.”

He lifted his head, his voice ringing through the silent hall.

"I will make Lila Songbird my Luna."

A collective gasp rippled through the assembled warriors.

My father’s face turned purple with rage. He hurled his silver goblet across the room, where it shattered against the stone wall.

“Foolish boy! A village songstress has no place in the Alpha’s den! Nova is the Goddess’s chosen! She alone can be your mate! Guards! Remove this woman from my sight and cast her out of the fortress!”

“Touch her and I will kill myself!” Kael roared, leaping to his feet and shielding Lila with his body.

His golden eyes narrowed to slits, baring his fangs in a snarl. “I will mate Lila, or I won’t be the Alpha! I will take her far from this place, and you can watch your precious pack crumble without a heir!”

“You dare threaten me?” My father stood, his massive frame towering over the dais. “She’s a whore!”

“Lila is not a whore!” Kael shouted. “She is the only one I will ever love! Nothing will ever come between us!”

The other heirs rushed forward to calm my father.

“Kael! Think about what you’re saying,” Gideon pleaded. “Is it really worth throwing away your Alpha position for a woman?”

“Everything is worth it for Lila,” Kael snarled, dropping to his knees again and bowing his head. “I beg you, Father. Grant me this one wish.”

I watched as my father’s resolve began to crumble. I could see the conflict in his eyes—his duty to the pack, and his fear of losing his only strong heir.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, I stepped forward.

“Kael has not yet taken the trial.”