LOGINThe celebration lingered long after the last slice of cake had been served. Children's laughter gradually faded as one family after another made their way toward the front of the estate. Servants stood by the entrance, thanking each guest as cars rolled slowly down the long driveway and disappeared beyond the gates. The silver and white ribbons still fluttered gently in the evening breeze. Fresh flowers lined the pathways exactly as they had that morning, though now a few petals had scattered across the stone paths, evidence of a day well spent. I stood on the front steps beside Kael, watching the final guests prepare to leave. Lily waved enthusiastically through the open car window. "Bye, Aurelia!" "Bye!" Aurelia waved both hands so vigorously I was half-afraid she'd lose her balance. "You have to come over again!" "I will!" The car pulled away, disappearing through the gates. For a few moments... None of us spoke. The estate, so full of life only minutes ago, seemed t
The afternoon slipped by more quickly than I expected. Laughter drifted across the gardens. Children darted between the games, their excitement never seeming to fade. The drawing competition ended in a spirited debate over whose wolf had the fluffiest tail. No one appeared particularly interested in deciding a winner. In the end... Every child declared themselves victorious. As the sun began its slow descent, the musicians softened their melodies. Almost as if on cue, Miss Agatha appeared beside me. "Luna." I turned. "I believe it's time." I followed her gaze. The enormous birthday cake was being wheeled toward the center of the gardens. Conversation gradually quieted. One by one, the children gathered around. Their parents followed soon after. Seven silver candles crowned the top of the cake, their tiny flames dancing gently in the evening breeze. Aurelia stopped in front of it. For perhaps the first time all day... She was completely still. Miss Agatha lit the f
"I think time moves slower on birthdays." Aurelia said with a sigh. "I believe you may be right," I said. She looked at me hopefully. "Can we wait outside?" Kael folded his napkin neatly before setting it beside his plate. "The guests will come to us." "But..." She hesitated. "I want to be the first one to see Lily." A faint smile touched Kael's lips. "I'm sure Lily feels the same way." That seemed to satisfy her. At least... For the next thirty seconds. A knock sounded at the dining room door. One of the footmen inclined his head respectfully. "My Alpha." "The first guests have begun to arrive." Aurelia was out of her chair before the sentence had even finished. "They're here!" She caught herself almost immediately. Turning back toward us with exaggerated patience. "I'm walking." She took one perfectly dignified step. Then another. The moment we reached the hallway... She broke into a run. I laughed despite myself. Her white bir
Together we stepped out into the corridor. Aurelia insisted on walking between us. She held my hand with one of hers. Kael's with the other. "I've decided something," she announced. "Oh?" Kael glanced down at her. She nodded solemnly. "Nobody's allowed to be serious today." A smile tugged at my lips. "Nobody?" "Nobody." She looked up at Kael. "Especially Daddy." "I see." "You always do the serious face." "I do?" She demonstrated it immediately, pressing her lips together and staring straight ahead. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. It was... Uncomfortably accurate. Kael looked at her for a moment before one corner of his mouth lifted. "Is that better?" She studied him critically. "A little." "A little?" "Mhm." "You need to smile more." I glanced at him. "I'm inclined to agree." His eyes met mine briefly. "So the vote is two against one." "It is," I admitted. Aurelia beamed. "We win." He gave a resign
I woke to laughter. Not the quiet murmur of servants beginning another day. Not the distant footsteps that usually echoed through the manor before sunrise. Laughter. Bright and excited. Unmistakably Aurelia's. For a moment, I simply lay there, smiling to myself. Today. She was seven. A gentle knock sounded against my door. "Luna?" "Come in." Miss Agatha stepped inside carrying a garment bag draped carefully over one arm. "Good morning." "Good morning." She smiled. "I hope you slept well." "I did." "Excellent." She laid the garment bag across the chaise near the window before turning back to me. "I believe someone has been asking whether you're awake every fifteen minutes." I laughed. "Has she really?" "I'm afraid so." "Twice she attempted to come upstairs herself." "And twice she was persuaded that waking the Luna before sunrise was perhaps not the best birthday gift." I covered a smile with my hand. "That sounds like Aurelia." "
"Luna?" I turned. Miss Agatha stood a few steps behind me, her expression carrying the kind of quiet warmth that always seemed to put people at ease. "You look as though you're trying to plan three weeks' worth of work before supper." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Does it show that much?" "I'm afraid it does." A small smile tugged at my lips before fading almost as quickly as it had appeared. "I've been thinking." "I gathered as much." I glanced toward the front gardens where Aurelia had already disappeared with two maids, eagerly telling them all about the pendant Alpha Ashbourne had given her. "Her birthday is in three days." "It is." "And the Midsummer Summit is only three weeks away." Miss Agatha nodded patiently. "I know." I rubbed my forehead. "I've barely begun learning what it means to be Luna." "Now I'm expected to prepare for the most important gathering Blackwood has hosted in years." "And somehow..." My shou
The next morning, I woke up with a sense of purpose. For the first time since the ceremony, I had a plan. It wasn't much of one, but it was enough. I was going to find somewhere else to stay. The room Agatha had given me was comfortable. Too comfortable. The soft mattress, the warm blankets
I stepped into the bathroom, and washed away the whole stress of the day. My mind wandered back to Lucas, I couldn't help it. We would have completed the ceremony now, and gone to his chambers. I won't have had to be alone. My face darkened, imagining him with Manda. I was feeling uneasy, I'm sur
"Aurelia, we're leaving" Kael said to his daughter. "Already, but I don't want to leave Aria" Aurelia said looking at me. "Let's take her along, can't she come with us? our house is big enough for all of us". she added. I expected Kael to refuse, he didn't know me, a common stranger rejected
I was all alone outside, sitting on the cold floor, with my white dress now brown. On a night I should have been with my mate, the future Alpha. A night my fate was supposed to change, I guess it did change after all, but not for the better. I had been publicly humiliated in front of the pack , a







