POV: Aira Moonstone
The silence of the early morning wrapped around Aira like a second skin. The party was long over, but the memory clung to her like smoke.
She couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the bathroom—the wrongness of it, the weight of a touch that wasn't meant for her, and the soft, stunned pause that had followed. She hadn't seen Asher since, but his voice still echoed in her ears. His scent. His strength. That twisted moment that could never be undone.
He didn't know it was me.
Her wolf, Nina, had been restless ever since. Growling at shadows. Pacing beneath her skin.
"Soon…" Nina whispered again that morning, her voice low and strange.
Aira tried to push it away. She'd had enough "soons" in her life. Soon, her father would speak to her again. Soon, the pack would see her for who she was. Soon… things would change.
They never did.
She walked to school beside Lila, who was unusually chipper—bouncing and humming like a songbird who hadn't noticed the brewing storm.
"Did you seriously not notice the date today?" Lila teased, nudging her.
Aira blinked. "What?"
Lila grinned, pulling out her phone and flashing the screen. "Hellooo? It's April 5th, you dummy. Tomorrow is your birthday!"
Aira's steps faltered.
Right. Her eighteenth birthday. The age when wolves found their mates. When their wolves grew stronger. When life was supposed to begin.
She hadn't even remembered.
"Don't make that face," Lila said, linking their arms. "It's your day. And don't say no—I already made plans. I'm going to braid your hair, dress you like a goddess, and march you into that stupid ceremony like a damn queen."
Aira tried to smile, but her lips barely moved. "Lila… if I find my mate tomorrow, will you… be with me?"
Lila blinked. "Of course. Why?"
Aira looked down. "I'm… scared. What if he rejects me? What if he doesn't want an omega with no status? What if I feel it—but he doesn't?"
Lila slowed her pace, squeezing Aira's hand. "Then I'll punch him in the face," she said, only half joking. "And remind you that any mate who can't see your worth doesn't deserve you."
Aira's eyes shimmered. "Thank you."
They reached the school building, and as always, the other students barely looked at her. Whispers buzzed around the halls, but not about her. She was still invisible. Still overlooked. Still that girl with too-big hoodies and haunted eyes.
Except for one boy.
Zach gave her a small nod as they passed in the hallway, his glasses sliding down his nose.
"Hey," he murmured. "You good?"
Aira hesitated, then nodded. "Trying."
He gave her a smile that didn't feel pitying—and that was rare.
Later in class, her gaze wandered to the window. The sky was just beginning to shift—lighter in the center, but deep crimson at the edges. A strange tension buzzed in her bones.
The Blood Moon was coming.
Everything was about to change.
"Soon…" Nina whispered again, louder this time."Everything will burn. And rise again."