The dawn broke heavy with anticipation. Clouds hung low, casting the stronghold in muted shades of gray as if the sky itself held its breath. Ariana stood before her mirror, braiding her hair back with trembling fingers.
Today would mark her first official training session with the elders—ancient wolves who had guided Lunas long before Kael’s reign. They would be the ones to shape her awakening, to draw out the Luna magic that pulsed inside her veins like a restless storm.
And part of her feared they might discover the charm Lucien had given her.
She tucked the velvet pouch deep beneath her tunic, against her skin. Its warmth steadied her even now. The bond with Kael pulsed faintly in the background, muted by the charm’s power, leaving her clearer, sharper, freer.
But freedom carried i
