Luna screamed as another wave of pain hit her. The silver light around her body flickered like a dying torch.
"Breathe," Vera whispered, holding Luna's hand. "The baby isn't really coming yet. It's just reacting to danger."
"Make it stop," Luna begged, her whole body shaking.
Above them, Kaelen's heavy footsteps moved across the floor. Dust fell from the tunnel roof with each step.
"I know you're down there," Kaelen called. "You can't hide forever."
Aric pressed his hand against Luna's stomach. The moment he touched her, the silver light calmed and the pain eased.
"How did you do that?" Luna gasped, looking up at him with wonder.
"The soul bond," Aric whispered. "It connects us. All of us." He glanced meaningfully at her belly.
Luna wanted to ask more questions, but Vera stopped.
"We need to move," she hissed. "This tunnel leads to the west side of the forest. We can make it to the old cabin before dawn."
Aric helped Luna to her feet. She felt strangely better now, stronger somehow. The baby had settled too, as if eased by Aric's touch.
They moved quietly through the dark tunnel. Luna could hear Serena's voice above them, sharp and angry.
"Find the trapdoor! They must have gone underground."
"Run," Aric whispered, pushing Luna ahead.
They ran as fast as they could, the tube seeming endless. Just when Luna thought her legs would give out, she saw a faint light ahead.
"There!" Vera pointed to a wooden ladder going up to another trapdoor.
Aric climbed up first, pushing against the door. It opened with a groan, showing a star-filled sky. He reached down to help Luna climb out.
The cool night air hit Luna's face as she emerged from the cave. They were in the middle of the forest, far from Vera's house.
"This way," Vera said, pointing to a road barely visible in the moonlight.
They rushed through the trees, every sound making Luna jump. Was that Kaelen behind them? Or just an animal?
After what felt like hours, a small wooden house came into view. It looked old but strong, with thick walls and small windows.
"It's not much," Vera said, unlocking the door, "but it's safe. The walls are lined with mountain ash. No wolf can break in unless invited."
Luna collapsed onto a worn couch, her body finally giving in to tiredness. Vera busied herself lighting candles and making a fire in the small fireplace.
Aric sat beside Luna, his amber eyes reflecting the rising firelight.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Luna nodded, though she wasn't sure if she was okay at all. Her whole world had been turned upside down again. First Kaelen's betrayal, then meeting Aric, and now this talk of soul links and silver light.
"Why me?" she whispered. "Why is all this happening to me?"
Aric took her hand gently. "There's something I need to show you."
He rolled up his sleeve, showing a mark on his forearm—a crescent moon with a small star beside it. Luna gasped. She had the exact same mark on her shoulder blade, a scar she'd had all her life.
"How did you get that?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"I was born with it," Aric said. "Just like you. It's the mark of our bloodline."
"Our bloodline? What are you talking about?"
Vera joined them, sitting in a chair across from the couch. "Luna, what do you know about your parents?"
Luna shrugged. "Not much. My mother died when I was a baby. My father raised me until I was ten, then he disappeared. My brother Jax took care of me after that."
"Your father didn't disappear," Vera said quietly. "He was killed. By Kaelen's father."
Luna felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. "What? No, that can't be true. Kaelen would have told me."
"Would he?" Aric asked, his eyes sad. "Think about it, Luna. Why would he tell you that his family murdered yours?"
Luna's mind raced. Could it be true? She'd never questioned what happened to her father. Jax had always said he'd gone away on pack business and never returned.
"But why would Kaelen's father kill mine?" she asked.
"Because of who you are," Vera responded. "Because of what you and your baby represent."
"And what's that?"
Aric and Vera traded looks. Finally, Aric spoke. "You're not just an omega, Luna. You're the last descendent of the first werewolf queen. The silver light, the powers you're developing—they're part of your heritage. And your baby will be even more powerful."
Luna laughed, a harsh sound even to her own ears. "That's crazy. I'm nobody special."
"You are," Aric maintained. "And Kaelen knows it. That's why he mated with you, even though he was promised to Serena. He wanted your power for his pack."
"But he left me when I got pregnant," Luna said, the old pain rising in her chest.
"Because Serena threatened to expose his plan to the other packs," Vera stated. "He had to choose between you and his position as Alpha."
Luna felt sick. Had everything with Kaelen been a lie? Had he never loved her at all?
"And how do I know you're not lying to me too?" she asked, pulling her hand away from Aric's. "How do I know this isn't just another trick?"
Aric looked hurt, but he didn't try to touch her again. "The soul bond can't lie, Luna. Feel it. Really feel it."
Luna closed her eyes. Deep inside, beyond the fear and anger, she felt something warm and steady—a link that pulled her toward Aric like a magnet. It felt nothing like what she'd had with Kaelen. That had been all fire and need. This was deeper, like their souls were two halves of the same whole.
"I feel it," she admitted softly, opening her eyes. "But I'm scared, Aric. I trusted Kaelen, and look what happened."
"I know," Aric said. "I don't expect you to trust me right away. But I will prove myself to you, Luna. Every day, for as long as it takes."
The earnestness in his voice made Luna's eyes fill with tears. Could she dare to hope again? To think that someone might truly love her for herself, not for her power or what she could give them?
A howl cut through the night, close enough to make them all freeze.
"Kaelen," Luna whispered.
Vera quickly checked the windows. "We're safe in here. He can't get in."
But even as she spoke, Luna heard something else—a familiar voice calling her name.
"Luna! Luna, are you in there? It's me, Jax!"
"My brother!" Luna jumped up and ran to the window. Sure enough, Jax stood outside, his tall figure obvious in the moonlight.
"Don't!" Aric grabbed her arm. "It could be a trap."
"That's my brother," Luna declared, pulling away. "He would never hurt me."
Before Aric could stop her, Luna ran to the door and flung it open.
"Jax!" she cried, ready to run into her brother's arms.
But Jax wasn't alone. Standing beside him, his hand on Jax's shoulder, was Kaelen.
"Hello, little sister," Jax said, his eyes not quite meeting hers. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Jax?" Luna's voice broke. "What are you doing with him?"
Kaelen smiled, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "Didn't you know? Your brother has been working for me all along."
Luna felt the world tilt beneath her feet. She grabbed the doorframe to steady herself.
"That's not true," she whispered. "Jax, tell me that's not true."
Jax finally looked her in the eyes, and what Luna saw there made her heart stop. Guilt. Shame. And underneath it all, a terrible truth.
"I'm sorry, Luna," Jax said softly. "But there's something about your baby that you don't know. Something I should have told you long ago."
Luna stumbled backward as Kaelen stepped forward, his hand reaching for her.
"Come home, Luna," he said. "For the sake of our child."
A strong arm wrapped around Luna's waist, pulling her back inside the house. Aric stood in front of her, his body protecting hers.
"She's not going anywhere with you," he growled at Kaelen.
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "Who are you to stand between an Alpha and his mate?"
"Her true mate," Aric answered, his voice steady. "Her soul bond."
Jax gasped, looking from Aric to Luna with wide eyes. "It can't be. The prophecy..."
"What prophecy?" Luna asked. "Jax, what aren't you telling me?"
But before Jax could answer, the air around them crackled with energy. Luna felt a burning pain in her chest, like something was being torn from her. She fell to her knees, crying out.
At the same moment, Kaelen doubled over in pain too, holding his chest.
"What's happening?" he roared.
Vera's face went pale. "The mating bond," she whispered. "It's breaking."
Luna felt it—the ties that had bound her to Kaelen for so long breaking one by one. With each break, the pain eased, and a new feeling rushed in—freedom, mixed with something else. Something stronger.
The silver light appeared again, moving from Luna to Aric, weaving around them both.
"No!" Kaelen lunged forward, but an invisible barrier stopped him at the entrance. He couldn't enter without permission.
Luna looked up at Aric, who was glowing with the same silver light. Their eyes met, and in that moment, Luna knew the truth. Whatever this bond was between them, it was real.
"You can't hide in there forever," Kaelen warned, his face twisted with rage. "And when you come out, I'll be waiting. That child belongs to me!"
Jax stepped forward, his face troubled. "Luna, please listen. The baby you're carrying—it's not what you think. According to the prophecy, your child will bring either salvation or destruction to all werewolves. And there's something else you need to know..."
Luna held her breath, waiting for the rest. But Jax paused, looking torn.
"Tell her, Jax," Kaelen ordered. "Tell her the truth about her child."
Jax looked straight at Luna,
his eyes filled with tears. "The baby," he said softly. "It's not Kaelen's. It never was."