"Aria," he said softly. "Today is your birthday."
It wasn't a question, but I nodded nevertheless.
"The moon is full tonight," he added, his voice quiet. "You will attend the ceremony."
"Of course, Elder," I replied, puzzled. All eighteen-year-olds attended the ceremony. It was essential.
He leaned in, smelling gently. "You already feel it, don't you? "The change."
My heartbeat skipped. "What change?"
Elder Malin's eyes narrowed. "Interesting. "Very interesting." He reached inside his pocket and retrieved a little pouch. "Wear this tonight."
I accepted it hesitantly. Inside was a simple moonstone pendant with a leather cord.
"But this is for—"
"Wear it," he interjected. "Hide it under your clothes if you must, but wear it."
Moonstones were precious. They aided our connection to the Moon Goddess during ceremonies. However, they were only given to wolves from influential families (Alphas and Betas). Not Omegas like me.
"Why?" I questioned.
Elder Malin glanced at Mira before returning his attention to me. "Because someone is harboring secrets about you, child. And tonight, those secrets may be revealed."

~

I never mattered in our pack. Omegas like me serve, submit, and survive. We don't dream of love. We don't dream of power.

She was the future Luna. I was just the girl who watched from the shadows.

But everything changed on my 18th birthday.

I felt the bond. I met my mate.

One of the Alpha's sons.

But the Alpha has triplets, and I felt the mate bond with all three and it seems the three of them felt it too — three perfect warriors, three powerful Alphas, three secrets buried beneath the surface.

One of them is my destiny.

One of them is lying.

And one of them might be the death of me.

The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes... but this time, I think she might've given me too much to handle.

I slammed my fist into the Shadow Lord's chest, pulling out its dark heart before it could hurt another pack member.


"Alpha Darius!" one of the smaller wolves gasped. "Your eyes—they're not green anymore!"


I looked down at the dying shadow thing in my hands, then at my pack members cowering behind overturned cars. My people. My family. The wolves I'd been faking to hunt for the past three days.


"No," I said quietly. "They're not green anymore."


The truth was, they hadn't been green for a while now. I'd just been very good at faking.


"But how?" another wolf asked. "We saw you get possessed. We saw the Shadow Lords take control of you."


"They tried to take control," I corrected. "But they didn't know about the mental protection my father taught me when I was young. Old Alpha methods that most people have forgotten."


It was a lie, but a useful one. The real truth was much more complex.


Chapter 136 - Chapter 136: Darius's Revelation