Chapter 1: No More Secrecy

“The moon only blesses the worthy.”

Lady Seraphine’s voice had haunted Kaelith for years, always delivered with that cold smile that made every insult sound graceful. Whenever their paths crossed inside Blackthorne Keep, those words followed her like a curse.

Tonight, they echoed louder than ever.

Rainwater dripped steadily from the towering stone arches overhead as Kaelith hurried across the inner courtyard, clutching the edges of her worn cloak tightly against the freezing wind. The storm sweeping through the fortress carried the scent of wet earth, pine smoke, and blooming night lilies from the eastern gardens, but none of it could calm the restless excitement twisting inside her chest.

Tomorrow was the Ascension Rite.

By this time tomorrow night, every noble heir across the kingdom of Varethis would stand beneath the sacred moon altar to awaken the beast hidden within their bloodlines. It was the most important ceremony in the empire, the moment that separated ordinary nobles from true rulers.

And tomorrow… she was supposed to become Alpha Cassian’s chosen bride.

The thought alone made warmth bloom inside her despite the cold.

A small smile touched her lips as she crossed the courtyard. Exhaustion ached through every part of her body. She had worked since dawn without a single moment of rest—scrubbing banquet halls until her knees burned against marble floors, polishing silver goblets until her reflection stared back at her, sewing ceremonial robes until her fingertips bled from countless needle pricks.

But tonight, none of the pain mattered.

Because Cassian had promised her.

After the ceremony, he would finally announce their bond publicly. No more secrecy. No more hidden meetings in quiet corridors or stolen moments beside frozen lakes. No more pretending she was merely a servant girl raised out of pity within House Ravaryn.

She would finally belong somewhere.

Kaelith pressed trembling fingers against the silver pendant hidden beneath her dress. The tiny wolf carved from moonstone felt cold against her skin, yet the memory attached to it still burned vividly in her heart.

Cassian had given it to her two winters ago beside the frozen lake beyond the western cliffs.

“You’re mine,” he had whispered against her forehead while snow fell around them.

And foolishly… completely foolishly… she had believed him.

The eastern garden gates slowly emerged through the mist ahead, dark iron covered in climbing ivy and silver rainwater. Kaelith slowed her pace almost immediately when she noticed the gate standing slightly open.

That was strange.

Cassian always locked it whenever he wanted privacy.

Unease curled quietly through her stomach.

Still, she pushed the gate open and stepped inside.

Moonlight spilled across narrow stone paths lined with pale roses glistening beneath the rain. Water shimmered softly inside the marble fountain resting at the center of the garden courtyard.

Then she heard it.

A woman laughing.

It sounded soft, intimate and familiar.

Not the sharp, rehearsed laughter of noblewomen pretending to enjoy each other’s company. Not the nervous laughter servants used around powerful people.

This sound carried warmth.

Closeness.

Kaelith’s heartbeat faltered painfully.

She moved slowly between the hedges until the willow pavilion finally came into view.

And in that instant, her world shattered.

Cassian stood beneath the hanging branches with a woman wrapped securely in his arms.

Silver-blonde hair spilled down the back of an elegant black gown. Slender fingers rested against the collar of his uniform as though they belonged there.

Lady Seraphine.

Kaelith stopped breathing.

For a moment, her mind refused to understand what her eyes were seeing.

Then Cassian leaned down gently and fastened a necklace around Seraphine’s throat.

The Moonfang Diamond.

Kaelith recognized it instantly.

Only three nights ago, Cassian had shown it to her in secret, his golden eyes glowing softly in the candlelight.

“My future Luna deserves something worthy of her,” he had said.

Now the jewel rested against another woman’s skin.

Seraphine tilted her head slightly, admiring the diamond as moonlight danced across its surface.

“It looks beautiful on me,” she murmured lazily.

Cassian smiled in the same soft way he once smiled at Kaelith.

“Far more beautiful than it ever would have looked on her.”

Something inside Kaelith broke so violently she physically felt it.

A small sound escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Both of them turned immediately.

Cassian froze.

The color drained from his face so quickly it almost looked painful.

Seraphine, however, remained perfectly calm.

In fact, she smiled.

“Oh,” she said sweetly. “You found us sooner than expected.”

Kaelith stared at them without speaking. Her heartbeat pounded so violently inside her ears that the entire world blurred around its rhythm.

The necklace sparkled beneath the moonlight like a cruel mockery.

Cassian stepped away from Seraphine quickly, tension filling his posture.

“Kaelith—”

“How long?”

Her voice barely sounded human.

Seraphine sighed dramatically, clearly irritated by the interruption.

“Must we really do this scene?”

Kaelith’s eyes never left Cassian’s face.

“How long?” she repeated quietly.

Cassian rubbed a hand across his jaw but said nothing.

Seraphine answered for him.

“Since winter.”

The words hit like ice water poured directly into her chest.

Winter.

Months ago.

While he held her in his arms at night.

While he kissed her hands and whispered promises against her skin.

While he made her believe she mattered.

Seraphine walked toward her slowly, silk brushing across the wet stone path with every graceful step.

“You truly believed the heir of House Draven would publicly claim a stray girl with no bloodline?” she asked softly. “You should have known your place.”

Kaelith flinched like she had been struck.

Cassian finally spoke, his voice sharp with warning.

“That’s enough, Seraphine.”

“No,” Seraphine replied coldly. “Let her hear the truth for once.”

She folded her arms elegantly.

“Tomorrow is the Ascension Rite. Every noble house in Varethis will be watching. Cassian needs a true Luna beside him. Not some wolf-less orphan dragged in from the borderlands.”

The cruelty of the words cut deeper because they were true.

Kaelith had never awakened.

Not once.

At twenty years old, she still felt nothing inside herself. Whenever others described the bond between human soul and wolf spirit, she could only pretend to understand.

Because inside her… there was silence.

No beast answered her.

No instinct stirred beneath her skin.

No ancient power pulsed through her blood the way it did for everyone else.

And in a kingdom where strength determined a person’s worth, being wolf-less made her something worse than weak. It made people look at her like she was unnatural. Broken. A mistake that should never have existed.

Cassian approached carefully, his expression tightening.

“Kaelith, listen to me.”

She stepped back instantly.

“Don’t.”

His jaw hardened.

“It isn’t what you think.”

A bitter laugh almost escaped her.

She stared at him in disbelief, unable to understand how someone who once sounded so gentle could suddenly feel like a stranger.

“Then explain it.”

Cassian opened his mouth.

Then hesitated.

That single moment destroyed more than any confession ever could.

Seraphine’s smile widened knowingly.

“Our parents arranged the bond months ago,” she said smoothly. “The alliance strengthens both bloodlines. House Ravaryn gains military influence while House Draven secures the eastern territories.”

Kaelith slowly turned toward Cassian again.

“You agreed to this?”

Silence.

Then finally—

“Yes.”

The word hollowed her out completely.

Cassian reached toward her wrist desperately.

“You matter to me.”

Kaelith ripped her hand away as though his touch burned.

“Don’t touch me.”

His expression darkened immediately.

“You’re overreacting.”

Her eyes widened.

“Overreacting?”

The pain twisting through her chest suddenly became rage.

“You promised me a future.”

“And you still have one.” Cassian lowered his voice carefully,

like someone trying to calm a difficult child. “Nothing has to change between us privately.”

Kaelith stared at him, confused for half a second.

Then understanding hit.

Nausea rolled violently through her stomach.

“You want me hidden.”