THE WEAKEST LUNA IS THE BLOOD MOON QUEEN

The dirt on the training grounds was cold, but it felt hotter than fire against Sky’s bleeding face. Taki stood over her, his chest heaving as his half shifted form flexed with raw Alpha energy. Heavy grey fur lined his jaw, and his claws dripped with Sky's blood. Around the arena, dozens of pack members roared with laughter. "Look at her," Taki shouted, kicking a cloud of dust straight into her eyes. "Eighteen years old and she can’t even manifest a single claw." Sky coughed, pushing her trembling hands into the dirt to force herself up. Her body screamed in agony, every bone aching from the impact. She tried to reach inside herself to find her wolf. She searched for the wild, furious power that every member of the Crescent Pack born under a full moon possessed. There was nothing. Just a hollow, frozen void behind her ribs. "Give up, Sky," a female voice sneered from the crowd. "You’re an embarrassment to the bloodline." Sky wiped the metallic tang of blood from her lip and stared at the dirt. She didn't fight back. She couldn't. If she tried to force her transformation, her body would simply shut down. The pack healers called it a genetic defect, a cruel joke played by nature. To the rest of the pack, she was just dead weight. "Enough, Taki." The voice was low, commanding, and smooth as obsidian. The entire crowd fell dead silent in an instant. Sky looked up through her bruised eyelids. Ace stepped past the wooden barrier into the ring. Broad shouldered, towering, and radiating an effortless dominance that forced weaker wolves to bow their heads, he looked every bit the future Alpha King. Sunlight caught the sharp angles of his jaw and the golden glint in his piercing eyes. Every movement he made carried absolute authority. Sky’s heart did a strange, painful flutter in her chest. She had watched Ace from afar for years. He was strong, fair, and untouchable. While the rest of the pack spent their days tormenting her, Ace simply ignored her. To Sky, his indifference was the closest thing to mercy she had ever known. Taki immediately pulled back his claws and bowed his head. "Alpha Ace. We were just teaching the runt her place before tonight." "She knows her place," Ace said coldly, his golden eyes sweeping over Sky without a trace of warmth. "Stop wasting your energy on someone who cannot fight back." The words stung worse than Taki’s claws, but Sky held her breath and swallowed the pain. Ace wasn't wrong. She couldn't fight back. Ace turned on his heel and walked away, his heavy black cloak snapped by the wind. Sky pulled herself up against the wooden fence, wiping the tears from her cheeks before anyone could see them. She refused to let them watch her break completely. Tonight was the Lunar Awakening. It was the one night every five years when the Moon Goddess revealed fated mates to the young wolves of the kingdom. It was a sacred, magic bound event that no pack law or physical weakness could alter. A fated mate was a soulmate chosen by divine power. Once the bond snapped into place, a wolf gained unconditional protection, emotional strength, and elevated status within their mate's household. Sky pressed a hand against her pounding chest, watching the sky darken into deep violet. Just hold on until tonight, she whispered to herself. Just until the ceremony. She didn't care about rank, wealth, or power. She didn't care if her mate was a low ranking warrior or an omega scout. She just wanted someone to look at her and see a person worth keeping. She wanted a place where she belonged, away from the cruelty, the beatings, and the laughter. Hours passed like a slow nightmare until the full moon hung high and silver above the ancient stone amphitheater. Hundreds of wolves gathered in a massive circle, their collective breathing filling the cool night air. At the center of the ring, the Moon Priestess poured sacred moonlight water into a massive silver bowl. High above the crowd on the main platform sat Ace, flanked by his father, the current Alpha King, and Ash, the beautiful silver furred warrior who everyone assumed would be chosen as his Luna. Sky stood at the very back of the arena, hiding in the shadows of the stone pillars. "Let the divine bonds be revealed," the Moon Priestess intoned, her voice echoing through the silent forest. She raised her hands, and the water in the bowl began to glow with a blinding, ethereal crimson light. The magic swelled, pulsing outward in waves that vibrated through the earth beneath their feet. Sky held her breath, her fingers digging into the stone pillar behind her. The priestess closed her eyes, her lips moving in an ancient language as the magic reached its peak. Suddenly, the crimson light shot straight up into the night sky like a beam of pure fire, illuminating the entire valley. The priestess opened her eyes, staring directly through the crowd toward the back of the arena. "The Moon Goddess has spoken," the priestess declared, her voice trembling with shock. "Sky of the Crescent Pack, your fated mate, has been chosen."