Secrets in Shadow

The pack house hummed with nervous energy as the sun began to set. Luna stood in her room, the mysterious note still crumpled in her pocket, trying to make sense of everything. Who was watching her? And what secret about Vincent's past mate could be so terrible?

*We should tell someone,* Silver suggested, pacing anxiously in her mind.

*Tell them what? That we're trying to seduce the Alpha for revenge and someone doesn't like it?* Luna replied, fixing a silver moon pendant around her neck - ironically, a gift from Marcus last month.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she called, expecting to see one of the omega wolves helping with preparations.

Instead, Vincent entered, still in his dark Alpha attire from dealing with the rogues. His golden eyes immediately found hers in the mirror, and Luna's breath caught at the intensity of his gaze.

"You should be getting ready for the festival," Luna said, trying to sound casual even as her heart raced.

"I needed to check on you first," Vincent said, closing the door behind him. "The rogues... they had a message. About you."

Luna spun around. "About me? What did they say?"

Vincent moved closer, and Luna could smell his scent - pine forest and thunderstorms, so different from Marcus's lighter, sweeter smell. "They said danger was coming to the festival tonight. That someone plans to hurt you during the celebrations."

"But why would rogues warn us about that?" Luna asked, confused.

"That's what worries me." Vincent reached out, his fingers gently touching the silver pendant at her throat. "Luna, I need you to stay close to me tonight. Whatever game you're playing with my son..."

"Game?" Luna stepped back, wounded despite herself. "You think this is a game?"

"Isn't it?" Vincent's voice was soft but direct. "You're hurt, angry. You want revenge. I understand that. But using me to get back at Marcus..."

"Is that what you think?" Luna let out a bitter laugh. "That I'm using you?" She pulled the crumpled note from her pocket and handed it to him. "Someone seems to think so. They're threatening to reveal something about your mate if I don't stop."

Vincent's face went pale as he read the note. His fist clenched, crumpling the paper further. "Where did you get this?"

"It was left for me after you went to deal with the rogues." Luna watched his expression carefully. "Vincent, what really happened with your mate? What secret could someone use against you?"

For a long moment, Vincent was silent. Then he moved to her window, staring out at the rising moon. "Marcus doesn't know the whole truth. No one does, except James and myself."

Luna waited, sensing this was important.

"My mate, Serena, didn't just leave because she couldn't handle being an Alpha's mate," Vincent said quietly. "She left because she was cursed. A witch cursed our bloodline years ago, when my father was Alpha. Any woman who becomes the true mate of an Alpha in our line is doomed to slowly lose their wolf, then their mind, and finally their life."

Luna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "But that means..."

"Serena felt it starting. The weakness, the whispers in her mind. She left to save herself, but also..." Vincent turned to look at Luna, his eyes filled with old pain. "She was pregnant with our second child. She didn't want the baby to watch her deteriorate. She made me promise to never tell Marcus, to let him think she simply abandoned us."

"Oh, Vincent," Luna breathed, moving toward him instinctively. "That's horrible."

"The curse can only be broken by a chosen mate," Vincent continued. "Someone who chooses to be with the Alpha despite knowing the risk, who loves them truly without the mate bond's influence. But I never wanted to put anyone through that choice."

Luna's mind spun with this revelation. "But if someone knows about the curse..."

"They could use it to destroy our pack's reputation. Other packs would see us as cursed, weak. They might even challenge for our territory." Vincent's jaw clenched. "But who could know? We've kept this secret for over fifteen years."

Before Luna could respond, another knock came at the door. This time it was Beta James, looking worried.

"Alpha, Luna, you need to come quickly. Something's happened with Marcus and Aria."

They rushed downstairs to find a crowd gathered in the main hall. In the center, Marcus stood with his arm around Aria, but something was wrong. Aria's blue eyes were glowing an unnatural red, and dark veins were spreading up her neck.

"What's happening to her?" someone whispered.

"Dark magic," Vincent said grimly, pushing through the crowd. "Someone's activated a spell on her."

Aria laughed, but it wasn't her voice - it was deeper, older, filled with malice. "Hello, Vincent. It's been a long time."

Vincent went rigid. "That voice... Morgana?"

"You remember!" The thing wearing Aria's face smiled wickedly. "Fifteen years, and you still remember the witch who cursed your pathetic bloodline."

The crowd gasped, stepping back. Marcus looked confused and terrified. "Aria? What's going on? Who's Morgana?"

"Your pretty little girlfriend made a deal with me, boy," Morgana/Aria said. "She wanted power, wanted to be the strongest Luna this pack had ever seen. So I gave her power... in exchange for her body when I needed it."

Luna felt sick. Her own sister had made a deal with the witch who cursed Vincent's family?

"What do you want?" Vincent demanded, his Alpha power radiating outward, making weaker wolves bare their necks in submission.

"Simple. I want to finish what I started." Morgana's red eyes fixed on Luna. "You see, the curse was never just about punishing your father for rejecting me, Vincent. It was about preventing the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Luna asked, though Silver was screaming at her to run.

"The prophecy of the Silver Moon Luna," Morgana said with relish. "A woman with violet eyes and a silver wolf would be born, one who could break not just my curse, but all dark magic in the werewolf world. When I learned little Luna here had those exact features, well... I couldn't let her mate with your son and potentially fulfill her destiny."

Everyone turned to stare at Luna. She felt exposed, vulnerable, but also... angry.

"So you possessed my sister? Made her seduce my mate?" Luna's voice rose with fury. "You destroyed my life because of some prophecy?"

"Oh no, dear child. Aria came to me willingly. She was always jealous of you, you see. The prettier sister, the one who got the Alpha's son as a mate. I just gave her the push she needed." Morgana laughed. "But imagine my surprise when you decided to seduce Vincent instead! The very Alpha whose bloodline I cursed. It's poetic, really."

Marcus staggered back, releasing Aria's body. "This is insane. Aria, fight her! Come back!"

"She can't hear you, boy. She's mine until midnight - the peak of the Moon Festival's power." Morgana turned back to Vincent. "Here's my offer. Luna publicly renounces any claim to your pack, leaves tonight, and never returns. In exchange, I'll release Aria and leave your pack alone."

"No," Vincent said immediately, stepping protectively in front of Luna. "She's under my protection."

"How touching. The cursed Alpha protecting the prophesied Luna." Morgana's expression turned vicious. "Then I'll take what I want by force. At midnight, when the moon is highest, I'll perform a ritual that will not only kill Luna but destroy every wolf in this pack."

With that, Aria's body collapsed. Marcus caught her, but she remained unconscious. The dark veins were still visible but no longer spreading.

The pack erupted in chaos. Some wolves demanded Luna leave to save them all. Others rallied around their Alpha. Marcus looked torn between his unconscious girlfriend and his father protecting his former mate.

Vincent raised his hand for silence. "Everyone, prepare for the festival as planned. We'll face this threat as a pack. James, double the guards. Marcus, take Aria to the pack doctor." He looked down at Luna. "You're staying with me."

As the crowd dispersed, murmuring anxiously, Luna touched Vincent's arm. "Vincent, maybe I should go. I won't let the pack suffer because of me."

Vincent turned to her, and the look in his golden eyes made her heart skip. "You're not going anywhere, little moon. We're going to face this together."

"But the curse on your bloodline..."

"Can only be broken by a chosen mate who loves truly," Vincent said softly. "Luna, I need to tell you something. I've been watching you long before you mated with my son. Not as his father, but as a man who recognized something special in you."

Luna's breath caught. "Vincent..."

"I know you came to me for revenge," he continued. "But I hope you've felt what I have today. This connection between us... it's not the mate bond, but it's real."

Before Luna could respond, a howl split the night - not a normal wolf howl, but something twisted and wrong. Through the window, they could see shapes moving in the forest. Dozens of them.

"Rogues," James said, rushing back in. "More than we've ever seen. They're surrounding the pack house."

Vincent's expression hardened. "Morgana's not waiting until midnight. She's attacking now."

As the Moon Festival was about to begin, the Moonstone Pack faced its darkest hour. And Luna realized that her plan for simple revenge had become a fight for survival - not just for herself, but for everyone she'd grown to care about.

Including the Alpha she was beginning to fall for, despite everything.