Chapter 2 BEFORE THE FIRE

First there was smoke. Then came silver light.

Then, a whisper that felt like the moon itself breathing through me.

And now , …nothing.

Darkness folded around me, soft and endless.

For a moment, I thought I was floating between two worlds. One burning and the other untouched.

And in that silence, the Goddess’s voice lingered.

“Power without control will consume what you love.”

The words echoed… until the fire became light.

Warm. Familiar.

And suddenly—

I was home.

⸻

Twenty-four hours earlier.

I woke to sunlight streaming through my window, the air sweet with lavender and pine. The sound of my pack training drifted faintly from outside.

My heart was a drum in my chest. Tonight was the night.

The Luna Ceremony.

My hands trembled as I sat up, fingers brushing the smooth mark that sat between my collarbones: silver, faintly glowing, like moonlight caught under my skin.

The mark of fate.

My wolf, Astra stirred inside me, restless.

“Nervous?”

I teased her. But she didn’t answer, only gave a soft whine that brushed the edge of unease through our bond.

I smiled anyway. “You’re just excited,” I whispered. “We both are.”

Because how could I not be?

Tonight, I would stand before the moon and my pack.

Tonight, Kael Draven would claim me as his mate.

I moved to the mirror. My reflection glowed, my long hair falling around my shoulders like dark silk. My cheeks were flushed with anticipation.

The silver mark on my skin shimmered brighter when the sunlight touched it. It tingled faintly, but I ignored it.

Just nerves. That’s all.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

My father stepped inside, proud and smiling. His silver beard glinted in the light. “My daughter,” he said softly, voice thick with emotion. “You look just like your mother did before her Luna ceremony.”

The mention of her made my throat tighten. “You think she’d be proud?”

He smiled, eyes warm. “She’d be proud beyond words. And so am I.”

He reached forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Kael Draven is a strong Alpha. Together, you’ll make SilverMist unstoppable.”

I wanted to believe that. I wanted to believe Kael loved me the way I loved him.

So I nodded, even as something deep inside me whispered lie.

The day slipped by in a blur of preparation. Wolves came bearing gifts: silver jewelry, white fabrics, flowers that smelled like moonlight.

Everywhere I turned, people smiled at me with admiration. The Luna-to-be.

My stomach fluttered with nervous joy.

But my wolf still paced restlessly in the back of my mind, her fur bristling.

When I tried to ask her what was wrong, she only whispered, “Something isn’t right”.

By dusk, the packhouse buzzed with excitement. Torches lined the path leading to the ceremonial hill, where the moon hung fat and glowing in the sky.

I stood in front of my mirror one last time, wearing the gown my mother had worn on her own Luna night—pure white, embroidered with silver threads.

The moment felt almost too perfect.

Then came the knock.

I turned—and froze.

Kael stood in the doorway.

He looked every inch the Alpha—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair falling across his forehead. His eyes, that familiar storm-gray, found mine.

And for a second, my world stilled.

He smiled. But it didn’t reach his eyes.

Something was off.

“Selene,” he said softly, stepping closer. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” My voice wavered slightly. “I thought I wouldn’t see you until the ceremony.”

He hesitated, glancing past me at the window where the moonlight streamed in. “I wanted to.”

For a heartbeat, I caught something—doubt? Guilt? I couldn’t tell.

I reached for his hand, but he didn’t take it.

Instead, he brushed his thumb across my cheek, almost absently. “After tonight,” he murmured, “everything will change.”

It should have sounded romantic.

It didn’t.

Before I could ask what he meant, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll see you under the moon, Selene.”

Then he left.

And the silence he left behind felt heavy.

My wolf whimpered. “Something’s wrong.”

I placed a hand over my chest. The mark was glowing again, pulsing beneath my skin like it was alive.

It shouldn’t have been. The bond was already formed. The mark only flared when—

“Stop it,” I whispered, forcing a smile. “He loves us. It’s just nerves.”

But when I looked out the window, the moon seemed colder.

Watchful.

Almost… waiting.

Night fell.

The drums began to beat in the distance, slow and rhythmic, calling the pack to gather beneath the sacred oak.

I inhaled deeply, steadying myself.

This was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.

And yet, beneath my excitement, something else stirred—an ache, a warning, a whisper I couldn’t silence.

When I stepped outside, the air was sharp, the wind colder than usual. The moon hung low and bright above the forest, heavy with silver light.

And for the briefest moment, I thought I heard it whisper my name.

“Selene…”

I froze. The sound vanished.

A shiver ran through me.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was the beginning of everything that would burn.