It wasn’t until I passed the head table that I noticed him seated right beside Ronan.

Alpha Lucian.

As I poured his drink, I felt the weight of his gaze on me. Not the usual sleazy kind of attention. No, this felt... different. He looked at me like I was a puzzle he hadn’t expected to find here.

When I placed the glass in front of him, our fingers brushed..barely.

But a jolt raced up my arm.

I straightened abruptly, frowning.

He noticed it too. I could tell from the tight clench of his jaw, but he said nothing. Just leaned back and took a slow sip from the glass.

All the while, I felt Ronan’s eyes on me, but I didn’t dare look at him.

I turned to walk away but stopped.

Something inside me shifted. Like a pressure building beneath my skin. A strange warmth pulsed in my shoulder.

The mark.

It glowed faint at first, then brighter, like moonlight breaking through clouds.

I froze, pressing my palm to it. Frantically, I glanced around. Most of the guests were either too drunk or too distracted by the she-wolves draped across them to notice me.

I stumbled out the back door.

Once I was sure I was alone, I pulled my hand away and the light blazed. So bright it burned.

Gasping, I looked up.

The full moon.

When did it ever affect me like this?

My heart thundered. My fingers trembled. I could feel my wolf rising.

I was about to shift for the first time.

For an Omega, it would be a blessing. But for a Lunaris?

It meant death.

My knees buckled. I collapsed to the ground, clutching my chest.

And then..memories. Ones I had buried deep.

I saw myself. A little girl. No more than ten. Hiding behind a shattered wall, eyes wide with terror as blood pooled around her. Screams filled the air. My mother. My siblings. Everyone—slaughtered.

A sob tore from my throat.

Then another memory flashing in like lightning.

I was running. Then a hand gripped me from behind.

My father.

His body was covered in blood, his breathing ragged.

“Take this,” he whispered, pressing something glowing into my shoulder. His fingers trembled. “You’re the last bloodline of the Lunaris. You must stay hidden. Never reveal your true power. No matter what. Do you understand, Ashley?”

He coughed, blood spilling from his lips.

“You need to stay alive.”

I reached for him but he collapsed in front of me.

Darkness swallowed everything after that.

When I woke up days later, I was in Blackstone. No one knew who I was. No one knew the forbidden bloodline they’d discarded was living among them.

Except him.

The person who brought me here.

I’d stayed hidden all these years. Obedient. Quiet. Forgettable.

Until tonight.

A sudden flash of light snapped me out of the memory.

From across the clearing, a figure emerged, his glowing eyes locked on mine.

Tall. Broad-shouldered.

I gasped, breath catching in my throat.

Without thinking, my own eyes glowed in return.

His presence was suffocating, his aura wild and overwhelming. The kind that didn’t belong to ordinary wolves.

Whoever he was… he had the power to control the Lunaris. That meant he wasn’t ordinary.

He was dangerous.

I squinted, trying to get a better look and froze.

He stopped a few feet in front of me.

Then raised his hand.

Light burst from his palm, slamming into me with a force that knocked the breath from my lungs.

I flew backward, hit the ground hard, and gasped as blood spilled from my lips.

“Why?” he snarled. His voice echoed like thunder. “Don’t want to fight?”

I tried to rise, fists clenched, but my wolf was slipping through the cracks in my control. She roared beneath my skin.

“I…” My voice shook. “I don’t understand what you want from me.”

Another blast. This one stronger.

I cried out, rolling across the dirt, blood splattering beside me.

He growled, pacing like a predator on the edge.

He raised his hand again but this time, I lifted my gaze.

Our eyes locked.

The mark on my shoulder pulsed, fully revealed now. My wolf’s eyes glowed through mine.

His expression faltered.

Then

he laughed. Low. Cold.

He stepped forward, almost leisurely now, as if something about me amused him.

He stared down, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

“Ashley.”

He crouched in front of me again just like he did when we first crossed paths in the hallway.

I tore my gaze away, trembling. My claws were beginning to push through.

I froze as I felt his hand settle on my shoulder. His fingers brushed the glowing mark..now faded. A shiver ran down my spine.

“Lu...cian,” I whispered, before I could stop myself.

The light was gone now, but his touch lingered like fire.

He tilted my chin, lifting my face toward his but I dropped my gaze instantly. Tears streamed down my cheeks, silent and hot.

“I…” I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat.

“What?” Lucian said softly. “That you're a Lunaris?”

I froze.

My heart slammed against my ribcage. He knew. He knew who I was.

Alpha Lucian knew.

I bit my trembling lip, trying to say something. Anything. But I couldn't.

And then, he did the last thing I expected.

He stood.

For a moment, I didn’t move. Until his hand extended toward me.

I looked up.

Deep grey eyes stared down at me.

When I didn’t take his hand, he reached for me anyway, gripping my arm and lifting me gently to my feet.

I stumbled back, head bowed, ashamed.

“You can report me now,” I whispered.

Report you?” he repeated and laughed. A low, amused sound. Then he stepped closer.

His fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling me into him.

A strange heat pulsed through my body.

I shivered at his touch.

His other hand slid around my waist. He tilted my chin again, forcing our eyes to meet.

“Ashley,” he murmured, lips brushing the curve of my cheek. “I don’t want to report you...”

His breath warmed my skin.

“I want you