Blessed by the Moon, Claimed by Two

Chapter 3

Kaelani POV

After lunch, the rest of the day goes by pretty fast. Combat training—my last class—is with both Kieran and Liam, which is going to be hell this year.

At the end of the day, Liam walks me to my car.

“Can I ask you something?” he says.

“Sure,” I reply.

“How do you feel about finding your mate?” he asks.

I think about it for a moment before answering. “I do plan on saving myself for my mate, but I also hope I don’t meet my mate as soon as I turn eighteen. I want to be a doctor, and I don’t want that dream to be forgotten just because of a mate bond.”

I take a breath. “As the daughter of an Alpha, I’m probably going to be mated to an Alpha or a Beta. And I don’t want to give up my dreams just to be a Luna. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—I just see more for myself.”

“So dating before finding your mate is a yes,” he says, “just no s*x, which is fine. I’m saving myself for my mate too. My parents are big on waiting, and they make sure the whole pack knows it.”

“Yeah,” I say. “My parents are the same way. My dad has said it almost every day since we turned sixteen.”

Before Liam can say anything else, Kaia storms up to the car looking ready to murder someone. She doesn’t speak—just climbs into the passenger seat.

I give Liam my number, say goodbye, and get into the driver’s side.

“Okay,” I say once I pull out of the lot, “spill.”

Kaia exhales sharply. “I overheard a few she-wolves in the locker room after last period talking about you, and I almost tore their eyes out if it hadn’t been for Kieran.”

“Wait—Kieran?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says. “I was so mad I punched one of them in the mouth, and when I went to jump the other one, he grabbed me and pulled me out of the locker room.”

“Why would he do that?” I ask. “He’s never been the type to care about other people.”

“Yeah, but he cares about getting you to talk to him,” she says. “And what better way than stopping your best friend from killing someone?”

I sigh. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

“So what did the girls say?” I ask as I pull onto the road.

“They said you’re trying to steal Kieran away from your sister. That you started dressing like this to make him jealous, and that spending time with Liam is working.”

I groan. “But I’m not trying to make Kieran jealous. I’m not thinking about him at all. Ugh—just forget it.”

The rest of the ride home is silent.

When we get to the packhouse, we head up to our respective floors and agree to meet later for dinner. Once I’m in my room, my phone buzzes.

Liam: I hope you made it home. I’m glad I met you today.

Me: Same. You’re not too bad yourself.

I put my phone down and head to dinner.

Afterward, I change into my training clothes and make my way to my dad’s private gym for our lesson. When I step inside, my mother is there too, which immediately puts me on edge.

“Hey, Mom,” I ask. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, sweetheart. Your father and I need to talk to you before you start,” she says.

“Am I in trouble?” I ask.

“No, honey. Nothing like that. Sit,” she says gently.

“Uh-oh,” I mutter. “Sitting means bad news.”

“Kaelani,” my dad says warningly.

“Sorry,” I say, sitting down.

My mom takes a breath. “You know we told you that on the day you were born, the Goddess told us you were blessed by her. That blessing will put you in danger if other wolves ever find out. Kaelani, you are more special than you know. My family has its own talents, and not every female in the family receives them.”

“What talents, Mom?” I ask. “What does that mean?”

“Have you had any strange dreams?” she asks.

“No,” I say. “None that I remember.”

She nods slowly. “Okay. So it hasn’t started yet.”

“What hasn’t started yet?” I ask, my chest tightening. “You’re scaring me.”

She kneels in front of me and cups my face in her hands. “Don’t be scared, my sweet girl. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s a gift—although it may not feel like one at first.”

“What is the gift?” I ask.

“I can’t tell you yet,” she says softly. “After the dream, we’ll talk. Have a good lesson, sweetheart.”

She kisses my forehead, then stands, kisses my father, and leaves the gym.

I turn to him. “Dad… what was that about?”

“I can’t tell you yet,” he says honestly. “But your mom has been getting worried. You’re about to turn eighteen, and your first shift is getting close. Now—let’s begin.”

For the next two hours, we train hard. Hand-to-hand. Blindfolded hand-to-hand. Knife work. Sword work. We go over different poisons and their cures, and finally we move on to wolfsbane training—which we just started last week and which I absolutely hate.

When we finally stop, my dad walks over and pulls me into a long, tight hug.

“Good job today, nugget,” he says. “I know this is hard and tough, but I need you prepared for any and every threat. Most of this gets easier once you have your wolf, but training your body before your shift helps a lot. Go soak and shower. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you, and your mother and I are proud of you.”

He leaves the gym.

Later, after my shower, I curl up in bed.

“What do you think about what Mom said?” Nyra asks quietly.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “She said so many words, but none of it made sense to me.”

Sleep takes me before I can think any more.

I wake up in the middle of a forest, standing in front of a massive tree. Its bark glows faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat, and I jump back as a door forms in its trunk.

It opens.

Inside, thousands of books line the walls, stretching impossibly high. A wide circle is carved into the floor.

Out of curiosity, I step into it.

Light erupts from my hands.

“What the hell is happening?” I whisper.

“Your awakening, my child,” a soft, familiar voice says behind me.

I turn, tears springing to my eyes. “Nana,” I say, moving toward her.

She lifts her hands. “Not yet, child.”

“What’s happening?” I ask.

“Your witch side is awakening,” she says gently.

“My what?” I choke. “No. I’m not a witch. Mom isn’t a witch, and you weren’t either. I would have known.”

“No, sweetheart,” she says. “You wouldn’t have. I never practiced around you or your siblings, and I was wrong for that. So was your mother.”

“But I have a wolf,” I argue. “And Mom does too.”

“Yes,” she says. “You are a special case. Your mother has a wolf, but her witch magic never awakened.”

“So what does this all mean?” I ask. “I’m awakening—and where are we?”

“We are in our family’s altar,” she explains. “All the witches who came before you practiced here. Everything you need is in this room—every spell, every potion, every magical thing you can think of. But you must be careful. Now that your magic has awakened, it is tied to your emotions. You are no ordinary witch, Kaelani. You are the High Priestess of our coven.”

“High Priestess?” I gasp. “I’m only seventeen. I can’t run a coven.”

“You don’t need to right now,” she says. “But all of my magic is now yours. That seat can only be held by our bloodline. The coven has felt your awakening.”

“How will I find this place?” I ask.

“It will find you,” she says. “Beware of those who want to use you. You are more powerful than you know. You can sense deceit and spot lies. Be vigilant, my child.”

She fades away.

Heat explodes inside me, burning from the inside out. I drop to my knees and scream as the pain overwhelms me.

Then everything goes black.

I wake up gasping, drenched in sweat.

“What the hell was that?” I whisper.

We feel different, Nyra says softly.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Whole… almost.”

Whatever just happened was only the beginning.

And after my grandmother’s warning, I’m even more terrified for my birthday.