Sera’s face went through several expressions in rapid succession – shock, confusion, and then something that looked almost like relief before her features settled into concern.
“What? But I thought she was gathering herbs – “
“She lied. Or Margaret lied. It doesn’t matter.” I stood up, my wolf demanding action, demanding I do something. “She’s been in Shadowmere for a week, preparing to become their Luna. The ceremony is on the blood moon.”
“The same night as your birthday,” Sera said softly.
I’d forgotten about my birthday. It seemed irrelevant now, meaningless.
“I have to stop this,” I said, already reaching for my phone to call my head warrior. “I have to go to Shadowmere, talk to her, make her understand – “
“Understand what?” Sera interrupted. Her voice had gone cold. “That you want her to come back and be your mistress? Your convenient omega who organizes your office and brings you coffee while I wear your mating mark?”
I stared at her. “That’s not – I care about Aria – “
“But you chose me,” Sera said, stepping closer. “You bonded with me, Damon. You put your mark on my throat in front of the entire pack. You promised me forever. And now, what? You’re going to throw all that away because your convenient little omega decided she deserves better?”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” I growled.
“Like what? Like she’s been pining after you for years, hoping you’d choose her? That’s exactly what she’s been doing, Damon. And now that she’s finally given up, now that she’s found another Alpha willing to actually commit to her, you suddenly realize what you’re losing?”
Every word was like a knife, mostly because they were true.
“I need to talk to her,” I said quietly. “Even if she still goes through with the bonding, I need to apologize. To return her mother’s pendant – or at least explain what happened to it. She deserves that much.”
“The pendant that shattered in my hands,” Sera said bitterly. “The one that breaks when someone betrays their bond. Is that what you think, Damon? That I’m betraying you somehow?”
“I don’t know what I think anymore,” I admitted.
The truth was, everything felt wrong. My bond with Sera didn’t feel the way I’d imagined it would. Living with her was like living with a beautiful stranger – we shared space, shared conversations, but there was no real connection. No depth.
Not like with Aria, who’d known my moods, my preferences, my fears without me having to say a word.
“I need to go to Shadowmere,” I said finally. “Not to stop the ceremony – I don’t have that right. But to talk to her. To make things right, as much as I can.”
Sera’s eyes flashed with anger. “And what about me? What about our bond?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I don’t have answers right now, Sera. All I know is that I owe Aria more than what I’ve given her. And I’m not going to fail her again.”
I left Sera standing in my office, her face a mask of fury and hurt, and headed for the door.
Marcus was in the training yard, overseeing combat drills. He looked up in surprise when I strode toward him.
“Gather a small team,” I ordered. “We’re traveling to Shadowmere territory. Tonight.”
“Shadowmere? But Alpha, they’re closed to outsiders – “
“I don’t care. We’re going anyway. I need to speak with someone there. Someone important.”
Marcus studied my face, then nodded slowly. “How many wolves do you want?”
“Just you and Jake. This isn’t a show of force – it’s a personal matter. We leave at sunset.”
As Marcus moved to carry out my orders, I looked up at the sky. Three days until the blood moon.
Three days until I lost Aria forever.
Unless I could find a way to fix the unfixable damage I’d done.
The shattered pendant in my pocket felt heavier than ever, a physical reminder of everything I’d broken.
But I had to try. Had to make her understand that I’d been wrong, that I’d been blind, that I’d thrown away something precious because I’d been too stupid to see its value.
I owed her the truth. I owed her an apology. I owed her everything I’d failed to give when it mattered.
And Moon help me, I was going to make sure she knew it.
Three days.
I just had to hope it was enough time to make things right.
ARIA
The morning of the second day before the blood moon ceremony, I woke to find Nina standing at the foot of my bed, her arms crossed and a mischievous grin on her face.
“Luna training, day seven,” she announced cheerfully. “Today we’re doing something different.”
I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. My leg still ached from the nightwalker attack two days ago, though the wounds were healing remarkably well. The healers said it was because of my proximity to Kael – that our developing bond was strengthening my wolf, helping me heal faster.
Kael himself had been recovering in the infirmary, though he’d insisted on moving back to his den yesterday despite Eliza’s protests. We’d been communicating through the mindlink regularly, his mental voice growing stronger and clearer each day. The moonbeam plants had done more than just heal his physical wounds – they’d pushed back the curse enough that he could maintain human thought patterns, could speak in full sentences instead of growls and instinctive reactions.
It was progress. Real, tangible progress.
But it also made everything more complicated. Because now when he spoke to me through the mindlink, I heard the man beneath the curse. Intelligent, protective, surprisingly funny. And it made my growing feelings for him impossible to deny.
“What kind of different?” I asked suspiciously, peeking out from under the blankets.
“Dress fitting,” Nina said, her grin widening. “For the ceremony. We need to make sure your Luna gown is perfect.”
My stomach flipped. The ceremony. In two days, I would stand before the entire Shadowmere pack and bond with Kael under the blood moon. I would become Luna in truth, not just in name.
It felt surreal. Terrifying. And somewhere deep in my chest, beneath the fear and uncertainty, there was a flutter of something that felt dangerously close to excitement.
“I thought the gown was already made,” I said, sitting up and pushing my hair out of my face.
“The base gown is ready,” Nina corrected. “But it needs to be fitted to you specifically, and we need to add the traditional Luna symbols. Plus, there’s the moonstone circlet, the ceremonial jewelry, the – well, you’ll see. Come on, get up. The seamstresses are waiting.”
An hour later, I stood in a private fitting room in the pack’s administrative building, staring at my reflection in a floor-length mirror and barely recognizing the woman looking back at me.
The gown was breathtaking. Made of silvery-blue silk that seemed to shimmer like moonlight on water, it hugged my curves before flowing out into a full skirt that pooled on the floor around me. The neckline was modest but elegant, and the sleeves were long and fitted, ending in points over my hands. Intricate embroidery covered the bodice – wolves running through forests, moons in various phases, and symbols I didn’t recognize but that felt ancient and powerful.
“The symbols represent the Luna’s connection to the Moon Goddess,” one of the seamstresses explained, noticing my interest. “This one here is for wisdom, this one for strength, this one for compassion. The Luna must embody all these qualities to lead her pack.”
I traced my fingers over the embroidery, feeling the raised threads beneath my touch. “It’s beautiful.”
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