The forest was quiet again.
Too quiet.
After the assassins disappeared into the darkness, the warriors searched the trees and cliffs around the clearing. Torches flickered like restless fireflies as they moved through the shadows.
But the attackers were gone.
As if the night itself had swallowed them.
Aria stood beside the Moon Altar, her fingers still trembling. The glowing mark on her wrist had begun to fade slightly, though it still pulsed softly beneath her skin.
She kept staring at it.
The crescent moon.
And the tiny star inside it.
"Stop staring at it."
Kael's voice came from behind her.
Aria quickly lowered her hand.
"Sorry, Alpha."
Kael walked past her and examined the ground where the fight had taken place. His movements were calm, controlled, like a wolf who had already learned to expect danger.
"You didn't choose the mark," he said. "So don't apologize for it."
Aria looked at him, surprised by the words.
For a man known for coldness, he spoke with unexpected calm.
"But everyone thinks it's wrong," she said quietly.
Kael glanced at her.
"Everyone also thought the world was flat once."
She blinked.
"That's… not the same."
"It is," he replied. "Ignorance is simply knowledge that hasn't arrived yet."
Aria remembered something her grandmother once told her.
Education is light. The more you learn, the less darkness controls you.
She used to think those words meant nothing in a werewolf pack where strength mattered more than wisdom.
But tonight, everything felt different.
The elder approached them carefully.
"Alpha," he said. "The warriors found tracks leading north."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"The Blood Fang Clan rarely retreats after failing a contract," the elder continued. "Which means someone must have paid them extremely well."
Aria hugged her arms.
"So they'll come back?"
Kael answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
The word fell heavy in the air.
Aria swallowed.
"Because of me."
Kael looked at her.
"No."
She frowned.
"But—"
"They came because of power," he said. "You simply happen to carry it."
Aria looked down again.
Power.
The word still felt strange when connected to her.
For years she had been told the opposite.
Weak.
Useless.
Omega.
But the moon had chosen her.
And apparently that meant something.
Suddenly Kael stepped closer.
"Give me your hand."
Aria hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because I asked."
She slowly extended her wrist.
Kael gently turned her hand, studying the mark again.
Up close, the glow was stronger.
Almost alive.
His fingers brushed against her skin.
Aria felt a strange warmth spread through her chest.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something softer.
Her wolf stirred quietly inside her.
Mate.
The word whispered faintly in her mind.
She quickly pulled her hand back.
Kael noticed.
But he said nothing.
Instead, he looked toward the forest.
"The Blood Fang Clan won't be the only ones coming."
Aria's heart sank.
"What do you mean?"
"News travels quickly in the werewolf world," he replied. "By morning, every Alpha will know a Moon Vessel appeared in my territory."
"And that's bad?"
Kael looked at her seriously.
"Power attracts curiosity."
He paused.
"And curiosity often turns into greed."
Aria suddenly understood.
Other Alphas might come.
Not to help.
But to claim her power.
The thought made her stomach twist.
"What will happen to me?" she asked quietly.
Kael studied her for a moment.
Then he said something that surprised her.
"That depends on you."
"On me?"
"Yes."
He folded his arms.
"You can spend your life hiding behind the word omega."
The word sounded sharp in his voice.
"Or you can learn what that mark truly means."
Aria looked at the moon above them.
"How?"
Kael's expression softened slightly.
"By learning."
He pointed toward the pack territory.
"Leadership is not just strength. It's knowledge."
Aria tilted her head.
"You're… going to teach me?"
Kael shrugged.
"If you're the Moon Vessel, the pack will expect a Luna who understands more than fear."
Aria felt something unexpected bloom inside her chest.
Hope.
Maybe for the first time in her life, someone believed she could become something more.
But before she could speak—
A sudden cold wind rushed through the clearing.
The torches flickered violently.
Aria gasped.
The mark on her wrist suddenly burned.
Bright.
Painful.
She clutched it.
"Alpha—"
Kael turned sharply.
"What is it?"
Aria's eyes widened.
She wasn't just feeling pain.
She was hearing something.
A whisper.
Soft.
Ancient.
Like a voice carried by moonlight itself.
The vessel awakens…
Aria's breath caught.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Her heart pounded.
"The voice."
Kael frowned.
"What voice?"
Aria looked at the glowing moon above them.
The whisper came again.
Danger approaches.
Her voice trembled.
"The moon… is warning me."
Kael stared at her.
For the first time since the ceremony began…
The powerful Alpha looked slightly unsettled.
Because if the Moon Vessel had begun hearing voices—
Then the ancient legends might be real.
And if the legends were true…
The werewolf world was about to face something far greater than assassins.