The night did not end when Alpha Darius fled.
If anything, it only grew heavier.
Maria stood at the edge of the clearing long after his presence vanished, her chest rising and falling as something unfamiliar churned inside her. The moonlight clung to her skin, warm and alive, as though it recognized her.
Kael watched her closely.
"You feel it," he said.
She nodded slowly. "My wolf… she's not quiet anymore."
For the first time since the rejection, her inner wolf wasn't curled in pain or hiding in silence. She stood tall now silver-furred, eyes glowing with moonfire waiting.
It's time, the wolf whispered.
Maria gasped as a surge of power ripped through her body. She stumbled, clutching her chest as light spilled from beneath her skin, tracing glowing patterns along her arms and collarbone.
Kael was at her side instantly.
"Do not fight it," he commanded. "Let her
rise."
"I'm afraid," Maria whispered.
His hand closed firmly around hers, grounding her. "So was every ruler before they understood who they were."
The forest trembled.
Wind tore through the trees as the moonlight intensified, bathing the clearing in silver. Maria cried out as her body arched, pain and power colliding violently inside her.
Her bones burned.
Her senses sharpened.
She smelled everything earth, fire, Kael.
Run, her wolf urged.
Before she could respond, her body moved on its own.
The shift slammed into her like a storm.
Fur erupted across her skin, silver-white and glowing. Her scream turned into a howl that shook the heavens raw, powerful, and commanding.
The forest answered.
Wolves far beyond the borders lifted their heads, hearts pounding in recognition.
Kael stepped back, awe flickering across his face.
She was beautiful.
Massive for a wolf, her form shimmered beneath the moon, eyes blazing like twin moons themselves. Ancient markings glowed along her flanks symbols older than any pack.
The Moon's mark.
She lifted her head and howled again.
The sound carried authority.
Dominance.
A call.
Kael dropped to one knee.
Not in submission but in reverence.
"You are hers," he said quietly. "The Moon's chosen."
Maria's wolf turned toward him, instincts roaring, drawn to him by something deeper than bond or fate. She padded forward, circling him slowly, recognizing the king who stood beside her awakening.
He is important, her wolf said. But you are more.
The power receded slowly, her form shifting back into human as exhaustion took hold.
Kael caught her effortlessly, wrapping her in his cloak as her breathing evened out.
She clung to him weakly. "what am I?"
Kael looked down at her, eyes dark with something dangerously close to devotion.
"You are not an omega," he said.
She swallowed. "Then what?"
He brushed his thumb gently across her cheek, a touch filled with promise and restraint.
"You are the First Luna reborn."
The words echoed through her soul.
And somewhere above them, the Moon glowed brighter as if in approval.