Chapter 5
The Moon Goddess Festival transformed the Royal Estate into a wonderland of silver and gold. Crystal chandeliers cast prismatic light across the grand ballroom as masked wolves from every pack mingled in their finest attire. I adjusted my silver mask, feeling the weight of Kaleb's pendant against my skin beneath the elegant gown he'd selected for me.
"Stay close," Kaleb murmured, his hand possessively at the small of my back. "Tonight is crucial."
I nodded, scanning the crowd for signs of Victoria or Nolan. After the attack on my quarters, security had been tightened, but I could feel the tension simmering beneath the festive atmosphere.
"The Moon Stone will be unveiled at midnight," Kaleb explained, leading me through the crowd. "It's the centerpiece of the ceremony."
As if on cue, the crowd parted to reveal a raised dais where an ornate box rested on a pedestal. The box glowed with an inner light that pulsed in rhythm with the music.
"Only those of pure heart may touch it without harm," Kaleb added, his voice dropping lower. "Or so the legend says."
I watched as pack members approached the box, reverently placing their hands on its surface. Some flinched at the contact, others smiled serenely. None showed signs of harm.
"Where's Victoria?" I whispered, suddenly aware of her absence.
Kaleb's eyes narrowed. "That's what worries me."
---
Across the ballroom, Victoria stood in the shadows, her crimson gown blending with the darkness as she spoke urgently to a hooded figure.
"It must work," she hissed, pressing something into the woman's hand. "I'll pay whatever you ask."
The hooded figure—a rogue witch known for dark magic—nodded slowly. "The curse will activate when she touches the stone. Her impurity will be revealed to all."
Victoria's painted lips curved into a cruel smile. "Perfect."
---
As midnight approached, the Master of Ceremonies called for silence. "The time has come for the Testing of the Luna!"
My stomach twisted. This was not part of our plan.
Victoria emerged from the crowd, her mask removed to reveal her triumphant expression. "As is tradition," she announced, her voice carrying across the hushed room, "all who claim the title of Luna must prove their worthiness."
She turned to me, extending a gloved hand toward the dais. "Unless, of course, you're afraid?"
The challenge hung in the air between us. I felt Kaleb tense beside me.
"It's a trap," he whispered. "Don't do it."
But I was already moving forward, drawn by something deeper than pride. The crowd parted before me as I ascended the steps to the pedestal.
"Touch the Moon Stone," Victoria commanded, her eyes gleaming with malicious anticipation. "If you're truly worthy of the title you claim."
I hesitated at the edge of the dais, feeling the weight of every gaze in the room. Kaleb stood frozen at the bottom of the steps, his face a mask of concern.
Slowly, I extended my hand toward the glowing box.
"Wait," Kaleb called, starting forward.
But it was too late. My fingers made contact with the Moon Stone.
For one heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then Victoria's triumphant smile faltered as my skin began to glow with the same inner light as the stone.
"The curse!" she whispered frantically to the witch beside her. "It's not working!"
The witch's eyes widened with fear. "This isn't possible. The curse should have—"
Before she could finish, a blinding column of white light erupted from the stone, shooting toward the ceiling with such intensity that everyone in the room gasped. The light expanded outward in rippling waves that knocked courtiers to their knees.
I stood untouched at the center of it all, my body bathed in moonlight that seemed to pour from my very pores.
"What is this?" Victoria shrieked, shielding her eyes from the brilliance.
The light intensified until it was almost unbearable. Then, from somewhere deep within me, I felt something stir—a presence that had been dormant for too long.
My wolf.
She surged forward with such force that I gasped, feeling her presence fill every cell of my being. Not just any wolf—a massive white wolf with silver-blue eyes that shimmered with ancient power.
The sound of a thousand wolves howling echoed through the ballroom—a sound that came not from the assembled guests but from the air around us, as if the very elements were responding to my awakening.
Kaleb dropped to one knee, his head bowed in instinctive submission.
"The Royal Wolf," he whispered reverently.
As the light slowly faded, leaving me standing in a circle of awed silence, I understood the truth that could no longer be denied.
I was not just any werewolf.
I was the lost Lycan Princess.
And I had come home at last.
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