The night crept over Mooncrest like a velvet secret — quiet, dark, and far too still for comfort.
Inside the Alpha dorm, the only sound was soft breathing and the rhythmic tick of the old clock on the wall. Nerissa slept curled under her blanket, hair scattered across her pillow, her face calm for once.
Then came the voice — smooth, low, annoyingly close.
"Hey, Nerissa."
Nerissa groaned, refusing to open her eyes. "Kael, unless the world is ending or you're confessing your undying love, I swear—"
"It's time," he interrupted, that familiar lazy tone threading through his words. "The mission."
Her eyes snapped open. "Mission?"
Kael's lips quirked. "Don't tell me you forgot."
She blinked up at him, confusion melting into realization — the ley-line reading assignment Vale had mentioned. Right. That stupid late-night excursion that definitely wasn't worth losing sleep over.
Riven's voice drifted from across the room. "You actually forgot? Damn, sass queen. You're hopeless."
She threw him a glare over the blanket. "Says the one who forgot what manners are."
Lucien, who'd been leaning against the window, finally turned. "Enough." His tone was clipped, unreadable. "Let's go. Vale doesn't like waiting."
Nerissa sat up, muttering under her breath about how she'd rather be hexing someone. She pulled on her robe and boots, brushing her hair back as Kael watched with a faint smile that said he found her chaos entertaining.
Outside, the halls were dimly lit, moonlight spilling across the floor like liquid silver. They moved in silence — Lucien ahead, Riven dragging his steps with his usual swagger, and Kael right beside Nerissa.
"You know," Kael murmured, leaning slightly closer, "most girls would be terrified walking into the woods at midnight with three Alphas."
Nerissa gave him a sideways look. "Most girls aren't me."
He chuckled softly. "Fair."
When they reached the Headmaster's office, the doors opened before they could knock. Vale stood waiting, the golden glow of runes flickering on his desk. Madam Aerith was there too, her gaze cool as always.
"Right on time," Vale said, though his tone suggested he expected nothing less. "This mission is simple — you are to investigate the ley lines crossing through the northern forest. There have been disturbances, and I wish for firsthand readings."
Nerissa frowned. "Disturbances? Like magical surges?"
"Something of that nature," Vale replied. "You'll each wear an amulet for tracking. They'll monitor your progress and protect you from potential interference."
He handed them out — silver, small, each humming faintly with energy. Nerissa hesitated before slipping hers on. The metal was cool against her skin… too cool.
"Move quickly and return before dawn," Aerith instructed. "No unnecessary distractions."
Riven smirked. "You're talking to the wrong group for that."
Aerith's eyes narrowed, and Riven immediately looked away.
The moment they stepped into the forest, the air shifted — charged, alive, pulsing with unseen magic. The ley lines glowed faintly beneath the soil, threads of light snaking through roots and stones.
Kael crouched low, studying the ground. "Energy's unstable. Feels like it's pulling at everything around it."
Lucien's eyes gleamed faintly under the moonlight. "Stay alert. This place… isn't right tonight."
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
The ley lines beneath their feet shimmered faintly, weaving through the soil like veins of living light. And then—
The amulet around Nerissa's neck pulsed. Once. Twice.
A glow began at the center of her chest, soft at first, then bright enough to paint her skin in threads of gold and violet.
She gasped, stumbling as warmth rushed through her veins — not burning, not painful, but… ancient.
Riven froze mid-step, his usual smirk falling away. Kael's head tilted slightly, pupils dilating as his breath caught. And Lucien—his composure cracked for just a fraction of a second, enough for the silver light in his eyes to flash dangerously bright.
"What the hell…" Riven whispered, voice low, almost reverent.
Nerissa's pulse thundered. The energy spilling from her wasn't like her usual power — it wasn't witchcraft. It was deeper, older. It rippled through the air in soft waves that made the ley lines hum back in answer, as though recognizing her.
Her veins glowed faintly under her skin, streaks of silver and amethyst flowing like liquid light. Her heartbeat synced with the rhythm of the earth, and the forest seemed to bow to her presence.
Kael stepped closer, his voice barely a whisper. "This isn't normal magic…"
"No," Lucien said, voice rough but certain. "This is something else."
And then it hit them — that scent.
Not just alluring — sacred. Wild like the night wind, soft like moonlight over water, fierce like old flame.
It wasn't human, or witch, or wolf. It was everything.
Riven's hand clenched at his side, his usual cocky mask slipping into awe. "She smells like…" He stopped himself, jaw tightening. "No. That's not possible."
Kael's chest rose sharply. "Tell me you feel that too."
Lucien didn't answer, but his aura darkened, like he was fighting a losing battle. "I warned Vale this might happen," he muttered, mostly to himself.
The glow from Nerissa spread outward, reaching for them. The moment it touched their skin, everything changed.
Riven staggered back a step, his heartbeat thundering in his ears — and then syncing with hers.
Kael's breath hitched, a pulse echoing through his chest that wasn't entirely his own.
And Lucien… he closed his eyes and let the inevitable take him. The bond snapped into place, silent but absolute.
Three threads of light — gold, white, and black — stretched from their hearts to hers, twining together until they pulsed as one.
Nerissa's body trembled. Her eyes glowed faintly, two different hues — one silver, one violet — flickering between them.
The air shimmered, heavy with unspoken power, as her magic flared one last time and settled, binding the four of them in something older than the moon itself.
The bonding wasn't done, only a step to be completed, emotionally and physically.
The second phase of the bonding started with the boys changing into their wolf from, and this was the first time Nerissa was seeing them in their wolf form and she had to admit, they were all beautiful but ahe loved Riven wolf the most.
Behind a tree a little distance from them Nia watched with wide eyes, frustration, pain, anger, hate and all sort of emotions filled her body. Seeing the boys changing, a little bit of hope entered her eyes.
"It's only one phase, I can still control them physically."
She took a step forward but a strong grip from behind around her neck, halted her steps.
A deep manly voice was heard
"Don't try and spoil things now." It was Dorain Raze, the Vampire representative in the Academy's board.
"This bonding will ruin everything, let me go, she can't take my mate for the second time, Lucien is mine, let me go." Her struggle futile as Raze grip on her neck became tighter.
"You going there will ruin everything." He skillfully looked into her eyes, his pupils dilating and said
"Go to sleep."
Nia glared at the man knowing he is compelling her but had no control as it worked.
Nerissa became confused though.
"Why did you guys change?" Her voice was hoarse with desire she didn't want to admit.
A message was sent, Lucien voice— "to complete the bonding."
Nerissa finally understood, the bonding was both emotional and physical, but how was she going to have sex with a wolf, three wolves to be precise.
She tried to run, but her knees were weak.
The wolves got to her and a look in their eyes, a spell overtook and and she took of her dress.
She saw their eyes gleam with desire and that filled hers as she gave them access and found out as they mated that to mate with a wolf isn't bad, and light forms when they mate.
The light faded, but its echo lingered — in their veins, in their hearts, in the way the air refused to still around them.
And deep in the forest, something ancient stirred, whispering her name.
When they returned to the Academy, Headmaster Vale and Madam Aerith were waiting.
As they approached, Aldric gave a slight bow — enough to startle them.
"I'm sure by now you've realized the ley line mission was a lie," Aerith said calmly. "A setup… to balance the system."
The four said nothing.
Riven's jaw ticked, anger sparking in his eyes. Kael's expression hardened, more betrayed than furious. Lucien's frostbitten stare gave away nothing but danger. And Nerissa — her tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth to stop herself from snapping at them.
"Now," Aldric continued, "we need to find out what you really are. Follow us."
They led them below the academy, not a dungeon, but a sanctum. Aerith's private lab.
On the central table stood a vial, its contents shimmering like the ether Nerissa had shattered in the forest.
"Place your hand above it," Aerith instructed.
Nerissa hesitated, her mother's voice echoing in her head: Don't let them know what you are.
She exhaled — and chose defiance.
The moment her hand hovered over the liquid, it darkened, black swallowing the light whole. The air thickened. Aerith and Aldric's faces turned grim, while the boys' shock painted the silence.
All but Lucien — whose quiet eyes said he already knew.
"Unclaimed Luna," Aerith breathed.