Shadows in Moonlight

"In my divine form, I cannot birth an earthly child. There is something approaching my beloved wolves that will require one with god-like abilities to assist."

"The feeling I've been having?" I inquired.

"Yes, my dearest. It is approaching, and you will need to aid the king in saving your kind."

What is it?

She shook her head. "I do not know, my darling. I only sense its impending threat."

"Why me?"

"Because, sweet Ava, you are my child, a part of me."

"That cannot be, Goddess. I was born. I have lived with my mother and father all these years. If I am your daughter, why did you not come for me sooner?"

"To protect you. If others knew of your existence, it would have placed you in peril, along with all the packs."

"How can I help? I am not a warrior. I am small, and I have never fought before."

"You will discover more. Now go, my child. Embrace your true nature and fulfill your destiny." She kissed my cheek, and the bright moonlight enveloped her before darkness reclaimed the void.

The emptiness around me began to recede, and I felt myself being drawn back to the physical world. I opened my eyes to see Eleanor standing before me, her expression filled with concern.

Queen Aurora took a step closer. "Child, are you alright?"

I nodded, my chest heaving with each breath.

"Uh, what is that?" Eleanor asked, staring at my face.

"What?" I queried.

"On your forehead, right below your hairline. What is that?"

I reached up and ran my fingers along my forehead, feeling nothing unusual. I shrugged.

"Ava, what happened?" my mother inquired, rushing toward me.

"Um, I don't know. What is the first shift supposed to be like?" I asked.

"Well, not quite like that."

"What happened?" I asked again.

"You shifted and then collapsed."

"Oh."

I rose and looked around, steadying myself. "I'm fine."

"Honey?" my mother asked.

"Yeah?"

"Eleanor is right. What's on your forehead?"

"I don't know? Nothing? I don't feel anything. What does it look like?"

"It looks like a moon with a bow in it."

"Odd."

"What truly happened during your shift?" she pressed.

"Can we discuss it when we're not in front of such a large audience?" I requested softly.

She nodded in agreement.

"Alright, everyone, let's return to the party and give the girls some space," Alpha Oliver suggested.

"Are you alright?" my mother asked me.

"I think so," I replied, still trying to process everything that had just occurred.

"Come on, let's explore our new forms," I urged.

Eleanor grinned and dashed off, her wolf form sleek and agile. I followed after her, a growing sense of excitement and purpose filling me. This marked the beginning of our journey as werewolves, and I was eager to embrace my destiny. After some time of enjoying the freedom our wolf forms offered, we returned to the gardens and shifted back into our human forms. We quickly dressed in our gowns and headed back to the grand ballroom, where the men had already gathered. I scanned the crowded room for Jayden.

The spark. It should be time.

Desperation and despair gripped me as each second ticked by.

Where is he? Where is Jayden?

Then, I spotted him. He stood near King James and his father, Alpha Oliver, but there was no sign of Prince Edmond. My heart skipped a beat, and I began making my way toward him. But before I could take more than a few steps, I saw him sniff the air and turn around. Suddenly, I felt a spark in my stomach, and a peculiar scent overwhelmed all others.

Is this it? Is this the moment I've been waiting for?

But as Jayden approached, confusion and uncertainty clouded his face. He furrowed his brow and sniffed the air again before shaking his head.

"This is wrong. This is not right," he muttered, pushing me aside and walking directly toward Eleanor.

I stood there in shock, tears welling up in my eyes, as I watched Jayden approach Eleanor. He wrapped his arms around my sister and kissed her passionately. The entire room fell into an eerie silence as they gazed at the two of them, and then at me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and my throat tightened with emotion.

"He's not going to do what I think he's going to do, is he?" Abigail whispered from behind me.

"I-I don't know. It's public. He would never do something so tacky and taboo, right?" I looked at her, tears streaming down my face.

My mouth hung open, my cheeks aflame, and my stomach churned as I felt bile rising in my throat.

But as I watched, my worst fears materialized. Jayden nuzzled Eleanor and then bit her, marking her as his mate in front of everyone.

"Holy... He marked her in public," Abigail gasped.