Blood Moon Ascension

Chapter 4

Snowflake’s POV

The weight of the pack’s stares pressed down on me, their whispers a stinging chorus that swirled through the torchlit clearing. My heart thundered, each beat a painful reminder of the words that had just shattered my world.

Agnes,my sister, my confidante, my best friend had stood before the pack and declared me wolfless, exposing the secret I’d entrusted to her when we were just girls.

My claws, glinting like the stars under the crescent moon, flexed at my sides, a reflex born of hurt and defiance.

The crowd’s murmurs grew louder, phones flashing as they recorded what would surely be my public humiliation.

But none of it hurt as much as the thought that Agnes, my Agnes, could do this to me. I tore free from my mother’s trembling grip, ignoring my father’s whispered pleas to stay calm.

My golden eyes found Agnes, standing beside Theo, her face a mask of tearful concern. Those tears… they had to be real, didn’t they? She couldn’t have meant to betray me.

Not Agnes, who’d braided my hair under the starlight, who’d laughed with me until our sides ached, who’d promised we’d always be sisters.

I'm my parents only daughter and child and since her arrival, I had been the happiest, having a company,a companion, a sister.

The secret I’d shared...my wolfless nature was a sacred bond, one I thought she’d guard forever. She wouldn’t throw that away… would she?

“No! I’m not wolfless!” I cried, my voice raw, slicing through the crowd’s murmurs like a blade.

The noise faltered, then surged again, a mix of shock and judgment. I glanced at Theo, the pack’s golden prince, his blue eyes clouded with uncertainty.

He was my fated mate, or so the Moon Goddess claimed, but I wasn’t ready to face that bond not now, not when my heart was breaking. That could wait. This couldn’t.

“Agnes,” I said, my voice trembling as I stepped forward, my eyes locked on hers.

"How could you say that? You’re my sister. My best friend. I told you my secret because I trusted you, because I thought you’d keep it safe.

You… you didn’t mean this, did you?

Tell me you didn’t mean to hurt me.”

Her lips parted, and for a fleeting moment, I saw something flicker in her eyes guilt, maybe, or regret.

My heart clung to that glimpse, desperate to believe she hadn’t meant to tear me apart.

"Snowflake,” she said, her voice soft and quivering, her tears glistening in the torchlight. “I… I did it because I care about you. I didn’t want you to live a lie. If you’re not wolfless, then prove it. Shift. Right now, in front of the pack, in front of the Moon Goddess’s spokesman. Show us all. I also can't wait to see the beautiful wolf you've been hiding since all these years”

The crowd leaned in, their breaths held, their phones poised to capture my failure. My parents stood behind me, my mother’s sobs barely muffled, my father’s hand heavy on my shoulder.

Theo’s gaze bore into me, a storm of hope and doubt. But it was Agnes’s words that cut the deepest. She sounded so sincere, so heartbroken. Maybe she really believed she was helping me.

Maybe this was all a misunderstanding, a mistake born of her fear for me.

I wanted to believe that......needed to believe it because the alternative, that she’d deliberately betrayed me, was too much to bear. My chest ached, torn between the sister I loved and the sting of her words.

I’d always known Agnes felt overshadowed, her omega status a quiet burden she carried. I’d seen the way her eyes lingered when the pack flocked to me, drawn to my claws and my laughter despite my lack of a wolf. I’d tried to lift her up, to share my light, to make her feel like she belonged.

Had I failed her? Was that why she’d done this? I raised my head to the sky, the crescent moon a silver promise hanging low.

"I’ll prove it,” I said, my voice steady despite the tears burning my eyes. “During the full moon, three nights from now, I’ll show you all. I’ll shift, and you’ll see my wolf. You’ll see I’m not wolfless.”

The pack fell silent, my words settling over them like a heavy mist. I turned to Agnes, searching her face for the sister I knew, the one who’d promised to stand by me.

“Agnes, I don’t know why you did this,” I said, my voice softer now, pleading. “Maybe you thought you were protecting me, or the pack. Maybe you didn’t mean to hurt me. But you did.

You broke my heart. Please… tell me you're not trying to hurt me."

Her eyes widened, her tears spilling over, and for a moment, I thought she’d rush to me, beg for forgiveness, tell me it was all a mistake. But she stayed rooted, her hands trembling at her sides.

"Snowflake,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I… I just wanted the truth to come out. For your sake. I swear.”

I wanted to believe her. Oh, how I wanted to. My heart screamed that this was still my Agnes, the girl who’d held my hand when I cried, who’d promised we’d face the world together.

But the doubt gnawed at me, a quiet voice whispering that her tears hid something darker, jealousy, resentment, a need to see me fall. I pushed it away, clinging to the hope that she hadn’t meant to betray me.

The crowd’s whispers grew louder, some condemning me, others murmuring support. Theo stepped forward, his voice low but firm.

“Snowflake, if you can shift, if you can prove it under the full moon… the pack will stand by you. I’ll stand by you.” His words sent a shiver through me, a mix of warmth and uncertainty.

I wasn’t ready to face what being his mate meant, not when my heart was still reeling from Agnes’s words. I glanced at her again, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Agnes, I don’t want to lose you. You’re my sister. If this was a mistake, if you didn’t mean it… tell me now. Please.”

She hesitated, her lips trembling, and I held my breath, waiting for her to take it all back. But she said nothing, her silence a blade sharper than any words. The crowd’s murmurs swelled, and I felt my parents’ hands on my shoulders, grounding me. My claws glinted as I raised my hands, my voice carrying across the clearing.

"Three nights from now, under the full moon, you’ll see my wolf,” I declared, my eyes never leaving Agnes. “And I hope, Agnes, that when you see the truth, you’ll remember who we are to each other. I hope you’ll remember I loved you.”

The pack erupted into whispers, some doubting, some hopeful, all waiting for the full moon. My heart was breaking, piece by piece, for the sister I still couldn’t believe had betrayed

I only made a promise, now it's left to the moon goddess to decide whether I was bluffing or not.