Mag-log inAurora’s POVThe morning sun broke through the mist like it was too bright for what waited ahead.Birds sang. Wind danced through the trees. Everything looked peaceful.But peace had been a lie before — and it still felt like one now.We were leaving for the Werewolf Kingdom in a few hours.And I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.The unease had started before dawn — a restless chill that refused to leave my bones. It wasn’t fear, exactly. More like my instincts were whispering warnings I couldn’t quite understand.I tried to shake it during training.Zander and Rowan had insisted on one final session before the journey — “to keep your reflexes sharp,” as Rowan had put it, though his expression said to make sure you come back in one piece.The training yard smelled like dew and steel. Zander stood opposite me, twirling a short dagger between his fingers. “Remember,” he said, eyes narrowing, “never hesitate. The second you start thinking, you lose.”“Encouraging,” I
Aurora’s POVThe morning after Cassian’s visit, the tension still lingered like fog in the air. Rowan’s pack was expecting us by evening, and though he’d promised the meeting would be “civil,” The way Zander kept pacing made me doubt that word existed in their vocabulary.From where I sat on the couch, I could see both of them through the open window of the training yard. Rowan’s calm, controlled movements contrasted sharply with Zander’s restless energy — two storms orbiting the same center.Me.Ember sat beside me, crunching on an apple like we weren’t potentially heading into a diplomatic crisis.“Okay,” she said casually, “so, we survived Pack A. Tonight we charm Pack B. No biggie.”I gave her a deadpan look. “Em, they’re all wolves who can smell fear.”She grinned. “Then fake confidence and let your Alphas growl at anyone who stares too long. It’s practically a cheat code.”Before I could respond, Zander opened the sliding door. “Aurora, training time.”“Wait—what?”He tilted h
Aurora’s POVThe pack grounds, which had been buzzing with cautious pride minutes ago, now felt like a field moments before a storm. Every wolf sensed the shift — hackles up, jaws clenched, instincts screaming.The tall figure standing just beyond the torchlight didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stared straight at me.Zander was in front of me in a heartbeat, muscles coiled like a strike waiting for a reason.Rowan moved to my right side, blocking me with his body while still tracking the intruder. “Identify yourself.”The stranger tilted his head. Slowly. Too slowly.A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth — arrogant, born from someone who had never been challenged hard enough.He stepped forward and torchlight finally revealed his face: dark hair, cold, calculating green eyes, and the unmistakable bearing of someone who thought they were above everyone else.“I knew the rumors had to be exaggerated,” he said, voice dripping with contempt, eyes locked on me like I was prey. “Two Alpha
Aurora’s POVIf coffee couldn’t help anxiety, then nothing could. I’d already downed one mug and was debating a second when Ember marched into my room like a glitter-powered drill sergeant.“Clothes,” she announced, dropping a pile onto the bed. “No hiding behind hoodies tonight. You’re their Luna — not a gremlin who loves oversized fabric.”I glared half-heartedly. “Oversized fabric is comforting.”“So are mates,” she shot back. “And you have two. Meanwhile, I’m over here filing a complaint with the Moon Goddess for unfair distribution of hotties.”Despite the dread swirling in my stomach, I snorted. “Em—”“No, seriously,” she continued dramatically, flopping on her side like a Victorian widow. “Moon Goddess? Hello? I’ll take a sexy Alpha too! Actually — upgrade me to a two-pack combo, thanks.”I laughed — a real one — and tension cracked just a little.She smiled triumphantly. “There she is. My badass, dual-mated future Queen bestie.”My chest warmed. “I’m still terrified, Em have
Aurora’s POV By lunchtime, my nerves had just barely started recovering from the accidental morning ambush of Ember meets the Mating Bond Afterparty. Zander had ordered takeout because apparently none of us were willing to risk him or Rowan burning the kitchen down during a highly emotional day.The three of us — okay, the four of us — were gathered around the living room floor with fries, burgers, and Ember relentlessly shaking her leg like she was vibrating out of her skin. She kept staring at my neck, trying not to be creepy but failing spectacularly.“It’s just—there are two marks,” she whispered to Rowan and Zander, eyes wide. “Like, the Moon Goddess was straight-up playing favorites with the symmetry.”Zander grinned like he’d personally designed the moon. Rowan just sipped his drink, pretending he wasn’t pleased as hell.I was about to tease Ember back when a sudden chill swept the room. The hair on my arms rose.And then — light shifted.A soft breeze blew through the apar
Auroras POV Zander and Rowan disappeared into the kitchen with a level of coordination that felt both deeply suspicious and very nice. Sounds drifted back—water running, cabinets opening, the happy thud of fruit in a bowl, the hiss of something toasting. I wrapped the blanket around me like a robe and slid off the bed to stand in the slant of sun by the mirror again.In the daylight, the marks were somehow more themselves. The silver crescent looked like it might sing if I pressed my ear to it; the golden spiral seemed to breathe with me. I stood there, learning my own face again, and something in my chest cracked in the best way. I looked like me, but new. Not borrowed. Not hidden. Just… seen.“Don’t move,” Zander said from the doorway, voice gone low in a way that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with awe. When I turned, he was holding a tray—two mugs big enough to double as soup bowls, a plate piled with toast and butter.A bowls of berries and sliced peaches th







