Moonbound heiress

Echoes Of The Moon

The dream came again.

Siena was standing in a forest bathed in silver light, the trees whispering in a language she didn’t understand. A wolf, massive and gleaming white, stood before her, eyes glowing gold.

It lowered its head, pressing its muzzle to her arm. Heat flared where its nose touched, burning into her skin.

She woke with a gasp, heart hammering, her bedsheets twisted around her. Her arm stung. Fumbling in the dark, she pushed back her sleeve.

There, faint but unmistakable under the pale light of her bedside lamp, was the same moon-shaped mark Kael had stared at the night he saved her.

It pulsed like it was alive.

By morning, the mark had faded back into her skin, leaving only the ghost of warmth. Siena told herself she was imagining things, that stress and humiliation were catching up to her.

But the day only confirmed her fears.

Her senses felt sharper—too sharp. The sound of pages turning in the library grated like sandpaper, the cafeteria smelled overwhelmingly of grease, and even Veronica’s perfume lingered hours after she passed by, cloying and suffocating.

And then there was Damien.

When he found her after class, his smile was smooth, but Siena flinched at the touch of his hand on her arm. It felt wrong somehow—cold, slippery.

“You didn’t answer my text,” he said, voice low but firm.

“I was busy.”

His smile didn’t falter, though his grip tightened. “With who? That stranger?”

Siena pulled away, hugging her books to her chest. “You don’t get to question me.”

“Of course I do.” His voice softened, dangerous in its silk. “We’re together, Siena. Don’t forget that.”

Her stomach twisted, but before she could answer, Veronica appeared, looping her arm through Damien’s with practiced ease.

“There you are,” Veronica cooed, ignoring Siena completely. “Ready for the donor meeting? Daddy’s waiting.”

Siena blinked. “Donor meeting?”

Veronica smirked. “Oh, didn’t Damien tell you? Your grandfather’s little… contribution to the school is being announced today. Naturally, under my family’s name. You know, appearances.”

Heat flared in Siena’s chest. “You’re not taking credit for that.”

Veronica’s smile widened. “Watch me.”

The announcement ceremony was held in the grand hall, all velvet curtains and polished wood. Siena sat stiffly near the back, fury simmering in her chest as the headmistress praised the Whitlock family for their “generous donation.”

Whitlock. Veronica’s name. Not hers.

Veronica beamed onstage, clutching Damien’s hand as if she’d just won an award.

Siena wanted to scream, but when the applause echoed, she felt something else instead—something primal, a hot rush in her veins that made her hands tremble.

Her nails dug into her palms, sharper than they should’ve been. For one terrifying second, she thought she saw the tips glint, almost claw-like.

She bolted before the ceremony ended, stumbling into the cool night air, gulping breaths.

Kael was waiting outside.

She stopped dead when she saw him leaning against a lamppost, hands in his pockets, watching her like he’d known she would run.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, though her voice wavered.

“Making sure you didn’t shatter the windows.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“You’re changing, Siena.” His gaze dropped to her trembling hands. “You felt it, didn’t you? The anger. The strength. The way your senses are turning against you.”

Her chest tightened. “Stop. Just—stop. I don’t want to hear this.”

“You don’t have a choice anymore.” His voice softened. “It’s waking up inside you. And if you don’t face it, it’ll destroy you.”

Her breath caught. The dream. The mark. The claws.

“You’re insane.”

Kael stepped closer, close enough that the scent of him—pine, storm, fire—wrapped around her. His eyes gleamed faintly in the lamplight. “Then why does part of you believe me?”

She wanted to deny it, to laugh in his face, but the truth weighed heavy in her chest.

Because part of her did believe him.

The silence stretched, her pulse thundering in her ears. Finally, Kael spoke again, lower, almost reverent.

“You’ve felt alone your whole life, haven’t you? Like you were walking in a world that didn’t quite fit. That’s because you weren’t meant to belong to theirs.”

Tears stung her eyes before she could stop them.

Kael’s hand hovered near her cheek, hesitating, then fell. “When you’re ready, I’ll show you what you are. But you need to stay away from Damien.”

Siena flinched. “You don’t know him—”

“I know enough.” His voice was steel. “He doesn’t love you. He loves your name, your wealth, your power. And if you let him, he’ll use it until there’s nothing left of you.”

Her throat closed. The worst part was—deep down, she knew it was true.

Before she could answer, a voice sliced through the night.

“Siena!”

Damien’s figure appeared at the hall doors, Veronica trailing behind like a shadow. His eyes locked on Kael, narrowing.

“There you are.”

Kael didn’t move, didn’t look away. His presence was a wall between Siena and Damien, unyielding.

Damien’s smile was razor-sharp. “You’re making a habit of running off with strangers. That’s not very… loyal of you.”

Siena’s breath caught, her mind racing.

Two men. Two worlds.

One chain pulling her back. One thread pulling her forward.

And inside her, something wild stirred, restless under the moonlight.

That night, sleep didn’t come easily. Siena tossed under her blankets, her body hot, her dreams fevered. She heard whispers in the dark—wolves calling her name, the white wolf pressing its muzzle to her mark again.

Wake up, Luna.

She jolted awake, drenched in sweat. The moonlight spilling through her window caught her eyes in the mirror.

For one impossible heartbeat, they glowed faint gold.