power of the moon goddess

2

Chapter One: The Claim

The silence that followed his words was deafening.

Aria stared at him, heart pounding, mind scrambling for reason. You’re mine? Who the hell did he think he was? A sick prank? A dare? Her lips parted, ready to fire back with something sharp, but nothing came out. Because deep down, a part of her—the part she didn’t understand—had responded to him. Not with fear, but with… recognition.

The crowd seemed to part around him like mist as he approached, his boots silent on the cobblestone. Her breath hitched the closer he got, her instincts screaming to run, to hide—yet her feet were rooted to the spot.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” Aria managed, forcing steel into her voice, “but I don’t belong to anyone.”

His lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t amusement she saw there. It was possession.

“You will.”

The finality in his tone rattled her. He turned, then, walking away as if he hadn’t just shattered her entire sense of reality. Her classmates were frozen in place, as stunned as she was. Whispers surged in his wake.

“Did Damien Nightshade just—?”

“Claim her?”

“No way. She’s just a human…”

The name hit Aria like a thunderclap. Damien Nightshade. Even in her short time at Nightfall, she’d heard it whispered with awe and fear. The Academy’s most dangerous student. Alpha of the Midnight Pack. A werewolf—deadly, untouchable, and never once seen showing interest in anyone.

Until now.

And he’d claimed her.

Aria’s mind raced. She didn’t know the rules of this hidden world—barely even believed in it until now—but something told her this wasn’t a game. The glint in Damien’s eyes wasn’t playful. It was ancient. Instinctual.

Mate.

The word didn’t make sense, but it echoed in her mind like a whisper she couldn’t shake.

She turned and ran, the Academy’s stone halls a blur around her, desperate to find somewhere—anywhere—to breathe.

But no matter how far she ran, Aria could still feel his gaze.

Watching.

Waiting.

And deep within her, something primal had awakened.

Something she couldn’t ignore.