The golden light faded. Arin blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dimness of the healing room. Three days had passed since the explosion of light had knocked everyone unconscious. Three days since the truth about Queen Althara's betrayal had been revealed.
Arin touched the bandage on her shoulder where the queen's blade had struck her. The wound itself had healed quickly, but a scar remained—a perfect crescent moon, matching the mark on Rowan's chest and Siena's palm.
"You should be resting," Kael said from the doorway. His green eyes were tired, shadows beneath them betraying his lack of sleep.
"I've rested enough," Arin replied, swinging her legs off the bed. "What's happening outside?"
Kael entered the room fully, closing the door behind him. "The rogues retreated after the light show. Malik disappeared with them." He paused. "And Queen Althara is locked in the dungeons. My father wants you to decide her fate."
Arin shuddered. The woman she once thought was her aunt had tried to kill both her and Siena. All to keep a century-old secret buried.
"And Siena?" Arin asked.
"Still processing the truth," Kael said. "Finding out you're not who you thought you were isn't easy."
Arin nodded. Learning that Siena was her twin sister—separated at birth to hide a prophecy—had changed everything. "Where is she now?"
"In her family's quarters. The Beta is... adjusting to the news that his daughter isn't actually his daughter."
Arin stood, testing her strength. "And Rowan? Jaxon?"
"Rowan's memories are returning, slowly. Elder Mava thinks the Moonwell's power preserved them somehow." Kael hesitated. "Jaxon is avoiding everyone. The bond situation is...complicated."
Three brothers. One mate bond now firmly established with Kael. One connection still pulling toward Jaxon. And Rowan, whose sacrifice had been incomplete.
"I need to see the Moonwell," Arin decided.
"Later," Kael said firmly. "Right now, Alpha Vaughn wants you moved into the pack house. Permanently. As my future Luna."
Arin's heart skipped. Despite everything that had happened, the idea of living in the grand pack house was intimidating. "Do I have a choice?"
Kael's expression softened. "Always. But it would make things easier politically if you accepted your position."
An hour later, Arin stood in the entrance hall of the pack house, clutching a small bag containing her few possessions from the omega quarters. Pack members hurried past, some openly staring, others deliberately looking away.
"This way," Kael guided her up the grand staircase. "I had them prepare the Luna's suite for you."
Arin froze. "Luna Calista's rooms? But she—"
"Is confined to the north wing," Kael finished. "After her attack on you, she's lost her position. The Council voted yesterday."
They passed servants who bowed to Kael but whose eyes slid past Arin as if she weren't there. One woman actually stepped back when Arin's shadow fell across her path.
The Luna's suite was enormous—a sitting room, bedroom, private bath, and study. All decorated in silver and blue, with moonstone accents everywhere.
"I'll leave you to settle in," Kael said, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "Council meeting in an hour. As future Luna, you should attend."
After he left, Arin explored the suite, running her fingers over expensive fabrics and furniture. So different from the cramped omega quarters where she'd grown up.
A knock at the door revealed a tight-faced older woman in a gray uniform. "I'm Madame Voss, head of household staff," she said stiffly. "I've been instructed to assist you."
Arin smiled. "Thank you. I could use some fresh water and perhaps—"
"The water pitcher is full," Madame Voss interrupted. "Anything else will need to wait. We're short-staffed with the recent... events." She emphasized the word with clear disapproval.
"I understand," Arin said, trying to keep her voice firm. "But I'd like clean towels and perhaps something to eat before the Council meeting."
Madame Voss's lips thinned. "When I have time." She turned and left without bowing.
Arin stared after her, stomach sinking. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Later, dressed in borrowed clothes that didn't quite fit, Arin made her way to the Council chamber. She got lost twice in the maze of corridors before a young servant boy—who looked at her with curiosity rather than contempt—pointed her in the right direction.
She slipped into the room to find the meeting already underway. Alpha Vaughn sat at the head of a long table, with Kael at his right hand. Around the table sat the pack's highest-ranking members, including Elder Mava, Zera the healer, and several warriors Arin didn't recognize.
Rowan and Jaxon were notably absent.
"Ah, our future Luna arrives," Alpha Vaughn announced, his tone unreadable. "Join us."
All eyes turned to her. Arin felt her face heat as she took the empty chair beside Kael.
"We were discussing the Moonwell's condition," Alpha Vaughn continued. "Elder Mava, please continue."
The ancient woman nodded. "As I was saying, the Moonwell is stabilizing. The water level has risen again, though the color remains... different."
"Golden instead of silver," Zera added. "Just like the light that surrounded Arin and Siena during the revelation."
"And what does this mean for our territory's protection?" a burly warrior asked.
"The wards are stronger than ever," Elder Mava replied. "But changed. They no longer reject rogues automatically."
Murmurs of concern rippled around the table.
"How can we trust wards that don't keep out enemies?" someone demanded.
"The Moonwell now judges intent, not status," Elder Mava explained. "Those who wish harm to the pack cannot enter, regardless of rank. Those who come in peace may pass."
Alpha Vaughn leaned forward. "And Queen Althara? What does the Seer counsel we do with her?"
Elder Mava's rheumy eyes found Arin. "That decision belongs to the daughters of the High Luna. Both of them."
More murmurs, these disapproving.
"An omega and a traitor deciding the fate of a queen?" one Council member scoffed. "Absurd."
"Arin is no longer an omega," Kael growled. "She's my mate and future Luna."
"A title doesn't change what she is," the man retorted. "Or who she was raised to be."
Arin's hands trembled in her lap. She'd faced rejection all her life as an omega, but this was different. These people would be her subjects one day.
"I'd like to hear from Arin herself," Alpha Vaughn said, surprising everyone. "What say you, future Luna? Are you ready for this responsibility?"
Arin swallowed hard. "I didn't ask for any of this. But I accept what fate has given me." She lifted her chin. "And I'm no longer an omega. The Moonwell's power has changed me. Changed us all."
As if to emphasize her words, the crescent scar on her shoulder tingled. A ripple of silver light passed beneath her skin, visible to everyone.
The Council members shifted uncomfortably.
The meeting ended soon after, with decisions postponed until Siena could join them. As people filed out, Arin tried to speak to Kael, but he was pulled away by his father.
Alone again, she wandered the corridors, eventually finding her way to a balcony overlooking the pack grounds. In the distance, she could see the glow of the Moonwell through the trees.
"Lost, little Luna?" a voice sneered.
Arin turned to find Luna Calista watching her. Though technically confined, she apparently had freedom to move about certain areas.
"Just getting familiar with my new home," Arin replied, trying to sound confident.
"This will never be your home," Luna Calista hissed. "And you will never be Luna. My son may be bound to you by magic, but his heart belongs to this pack—and to me."
Before Arin could respond, a servant appeared. "Excuse me," he said to Luna Calista, completely ignoring Arin. "Dinner is served in the north wing."
"Thank you, Finn," Calista smiled sweetly. To Arin, she added, "Enjoy dining alone. The staff know who their real Luna is."
After they left, Arin returned to her suite, hunger gnawing at her stomach. No food had been brought as she'd requested. The water pitcher remained untouched, and no fresh towels had appeared.
She sat on the edge of the enormous bed, feeling smaller than she ever had in the omega quarters. There, at least, she'd belonged.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. She opened the door to find Siena standing there, looking as uncomfortable as Arin felt.
"Sister," Siena said, the word still strange on her tongue. "May I come in?"
Arin stepped aside, relief washing over her. "How are you?"
"Confused. Angry." Siena entered, her movements graceful despite her obvious tension. "The Beta—my father—can barely look at me now."
"I'm sorry," Arin said sincerely.
Siena wandered the room, touching objects absently. "The servants are talking. They say the staff refuses to serve you."
Arin sighed. "It seems I'm not welcome here."
"You never will be," Siena said matter-of-factly. "Not unless you take what's yours." She turned, her eyes suddenly fierce. "We need to see Queen Althara. Together. Tonight."
"Why?" Arin asked, startled by the intensity in her sister's voice.
"Because I found this," Siena pulled an ancient scroll from inside her jacket. "Hidden in the false bottom of my mother's—the Beta's wife's—jewelry box. It's the rest of the prophecy. The part about what happens when the sisters reunite."
Arin's scar tingled again. "What does it say?"
Siena's eyes gleamed in the fading light. "It says we're not just Luna's daughters. We're the rightful rulers of all wolf-kind. And the triplets? They weren't meant to be our mates."
She unrolled the scroll, revealing words that glowed like the Moonwell's waters:
"They were meant to be our sacrifice."