Aria's POV
The presentation ceremony was tradition older than Mooncrest itself — a newborn brought before the full moon, formally introduced to the pack and, according to old belief, to the Moon Goddess herself.
I stood at the center of the courtyard, Elara wrapped in soft silver cloth against my chest, Damien beside me, the entire pack gathered in a wide, respectful circle beneath a sky clear enough to show every star alongside the full moon's steady glow.
Marcus stepped forward, older now, but steady, his voice carrying the particular weight of decades of exactly this ceremony.
"We gather to present Elara Hart-Thorn," he said, "daughter of Alpha Damien Thorn and Luna Aria Hart-Thorn, granddaughter of the Silver Luna line, niece to the Guardian and to the reformed Shadow line both."
