POV: Sophia
My fork clattered against my plate as Logan's hand brushed mine, sending electric sparks up my arm.
"Sorry," he said with that awkward smile that made my heart race. "I was reaching for the salt."
"It's okay," I managed to say, trying to sound casual even though my heart was pounding. Three weeks until my eighteenth birthday. Three weeks until I'd get my mate mark and finally know which of the Blackwood boys was meant to be mine.
The trouble was, I wanted all three of them.
Ethan sat across from me, his gentle green eyes crinkling as he laughed at something his father said. He was so kind and smart—he'd make a great mate. But then Logan flexed his muscles as he passed a heavy serving dish, and I remembered how safe I felt when he was around. And Kai... when the future Alpha looked at me with those golden eyes, I felt like the most important girl in the world.
"Sophia, you're glowing today," Kai said, making me blush. "That dress brings out your eyes."
"Thank you," I smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. My mother had spent an hour this morning making sure I looked perfect for lunch with the Alpha family. As the Beta's daughter, I had a reputation to keep.
"Have you thought about what you want to do after your birthday?" Ethan asked. "Besides becoming Luna, of course."
My stomach fluttered at his words. Everyone in the pack knew I'd mate with one of the triplets. It was basically decided before I was even born. My parents had been planning for this my whole life.
"I'd like to help with pack management," I said carefully. "Maybe work with the other packs in our territory."
"That's perfect," Kai nodded approvingly. "A Luna needs to understand politics and alliances."
"And I could teach you about healing," Ethan added. "Every Luna should know basic medical care."
"I'll make sure you can defend yourself too," Logan said with a protective growl. "My mate needs to be strong."
My heart soared. They were all talking like I was already their Luna! But then I noticed something that made my happiness crack like thin ice.
Maya Rivers was looking at us from the kitchen doorway.
That little omega had been watching the triplets all morning, and it made my skin crawl. What right did she have to look at my future mates with those dreamy eyes? She was nothing—a servant who cleaned and cooked and stayed out of sight where she belonged.
But lately, Maya had been looking more and more. During pack meetings, at dinner, even when I walked through the courtyard with the brothers. Always looking, always wanting what she could never have.
"Is something wrong?" Ethan asked, noticing my frown.
"Nothing important," I said, faking a smile. "Just thinking about pack security."
I watched Maya serve soup to the other tables, her hands shaking slightly. Good. She should be nervous around her betters. Some omegas forgot their place and needed telling.
"You know," I said sweetly, loud enough for Maya to hear, "I've been thinking about the pack order lately. How important it is for everyone to know where they belong."
"What do you mean?" Logan asked.
"Well, some wolves get ideas above their station," I continued, looking meaningfully at Maya. "They start thinking they're equal to alphas and betas. It's dangerous for pack structure."
Alpha David nodded seriously. "The old ways exist for good reasons. Order keeps everyone safe."
"Exactly," I agreed. "Imagine if servants started thinking they could be leaders. Or if omegas felt they deserved the same respect as higher ranks. It would be chaos."
Maya's face turned red as she rushed past our table. Perfect. She'd gotten the message.
"You're very wise for your age," Kai said admiringly. "You understand pack politics better than most adults."
My chest swelled with pride. This was why I was meant to be Luna—I knew how to keep order and make hard choices. Maya might dream all she wanted, but wishing wouldn't change reality.
After lunch, I walked with the boys through the pack gardens. Maya was there too, of course, tending to her valuable herbs like they were made of gold. She looked up when we passed, and I saw something in her eyes that made my blood boil.
Hope.
Why did she look hopeful? What could a weak omega possibly have to hope for?
"Maya grows the best healing plants in the territory," Ethan said, waving at her. She waved back with a shy smile that made me want to scream.
"They're just plants," I said dismissively. "Anyone can grow them."
"Actually, it takes real skill," Logan disagreed. "I've tried growing herbs for my training injuries. They all died."
Even Logan was defending her! What was wrong with these boys? Couldn't they see how Maya was trying to get their attention?
"Maybe I could learn from you sometime," Ethan called to Maya.
Her face lit up like the sun, and she nodded eagerly. "I'd love to teach you!"
"I'd love to teach you." The words echoed in my head as we walked away. Why was she so happy? And why were the brothers being so nice to a servant?
That evening, I sat in my room brushing my hair and thinking about Maya's strange behavior. She'd been acting different lately—more confident, more... eager. Like she was waiting for something to happen.
But what could someone like her possibly be waiting for?
A soft knock stopped my thoughts. "Come in," I called.
My mother entered with a worried face. "Sophia, we need to talk."
"What's wrong?"
She sat on my bed and took my hands. "There are tales in the pack. Whispers about... strange things happening."
"What kind of unusual things?"
"Some of the elders are talking about old tales. Ancient mate marks that haven't appeared in decades." Her grip tightened. "Marks that could change everything we've planned."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
"There are stories about special marks that show early, before a wolf's eighteenth birthday. Marks that can... complicate things."
"That's impossible," I said, but my voice sounded weak even to me. "Mate marks only appear on birthdays."
"Usually, yes. But legend says the moon sometimes picks differently when a pack needs special guidance." My mother's eyes were dark with worry. "If such a mark appeared now, it could ruin everything."
"Who would get a mark like that?" I whispered, though I was afraid of the answer.
"The moon chooses who it chooses," she said sadly. "We can only hope it chooses wisely."
After she left, I paced my room like a caged animal. Special marks? Early mate marks? What if someone else had been picked for one of my brothers?
I pressed my face against my window, looking out at the servants' rooms where Maya lived. Her room was dark, but something made me keep watching.
Then I saw it—a soft, silver light glowing from her window.
My heart stopped. That light... it looked like moonlight, but the moon was hidden behind clouds.
"No," I breathed, holding the windowsill. "It can't be."
But as I watched, the silver light grew brighter, beating like a heartbeat. And I knew, with horrible certainty, that everything I'd planned for my entire life was about to be ruined.
Maya Rivers—the useless little omega I'd dismissed as nothing—was glowing with the light of a mate mark.
A mate mark that had appeared three weeks too early.