"I don't know what you're talking about."

My voice comes out calm, even though my heart is racing. I keep my shoulders straight. I don't step back. I refuse to look weak, even though my palms are damp and my pulse won't slow.

Jodan is still standing at the front of the lecture hall. His eyes don't leave me. Not for a second. It feels like he's peeling layers off my skin without touching me, like he already knows every lie I've ever told.

Lucien is the first to break the silence. He lets out a soft laugh, smooth and careless, like nothing here matters. "Wow. Straight denial. I like her already."

Riven doesn't laugh. His lips curl back slightly, like he's holding in a snarl. His eyes are sharp, focused, and dangerous. "She's lying."

"I'm not," I snap, before I can stop myself.

The word echoes louder than I expect.

Every head in the room turns. Whispers ripple through the rows. Alphas shift in their seats, curious now, alert.

Eryx moves closer, slow and careful, like I might shatter if he moves too fast. "Are you feeling okay?" he asks. His voice is gentle. Too gentle. "Your scent is unstable."

My suppressants burn like acid under my skin. Heat crawls along my spine.

"I said I'm fine."

Jodan lifts one hand.

The room obeys him instantly. Conversations stop mid- sentences. Chairs scrape as people sit back down. Even Riven stills, though his eyes never leave me, his jaw tight with restraint.

"Sit," Jodan says to the others.

Lucien raises a brow but takes his seat, still watching me like I'm entertainment. Riven stays standing for a moment longer, chest rising and falling hard, then turns away with a sharp breath. Eryx returns to his place, though his concern doesn't fade.

Jodan finally sits down too, but the weight of his attention doesn't lessen. It presses against me like gravity.

The professor clears his throat, sweat shining on his forehead. "As I was saying..."

No one listens.

I stare at my desk and count my breaths. One. Two. Three. My hands shake slightly, so I curl them into fists under the table. I don't look up again until the bell rings.

When the lecture finally ends, I stand up too fast. My chair scrapes loudly against the floor, the sound sharp in the sudden movement.

I don't make it three steps before they're there.

Lucien appears at my side, leaning casually against the aisle seat like he's been waiting. "Running already? We were just getting acquainted."

"Move," I say.

Riven steps in front of me, tall and solid like a wall. His scent crashes into me, hot and sharp, making my head spin. "You shouldn't be here."

Selene's fingers dig into my sleeve behind me. "April," she whispers, panicked. "This is bad."

Eryx looks between us, tension clear. "She needs space."

Jodan says nothing. He just watches, eyes unreadable.

"I need air," I say, forcing the words out. My chest feels tight. "Now."

Jodan finally speaks. His voice is low, steady, commanding. "Stay close."

It isn't a request.

I push past Lucien and head for the door. Selene hurries after me, nearly tripping. I don't look back, but I feel them behind me. Their presence presses against my back like heat, impossible to ignore.

The hallway outside is packed. Students stop pretending not to stare. Whispers follow us like shadows.

"That's her."

"The omega."

"What did she do?"

"Why are the alphas...."

Selene keeps talking, her voice rushed and tight, trying to drown them out. "This is really bad. Royals don't notice omegas unless something is wrong. Or valuable. Or dangerous."

"I know," I mutter.

We turn a corner toward my next class.

They're already there.

Lucien is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smiling like this is all a joke. Riven stands in the middle of the hallway, blocking the path. Jodan is at the far end, calm and unmoving, like a king guarding territory. Eryx lingers near the window, watchful.

"You're following me," I say.

Lucien shrugs. "Walking. Following. Depends on perspective."

"This isn't funny."

"I disagree."

A student bumps into me from behind, hard enough to make me stumble forward.

Riven moves instantly.

He grabs the guy by the collar and slams him into the wall. The sound echoes down the hallway, loud and violent. Everyone freezes.

"Touch her again," Riven growls, teeth bared, "and you lose your hand."

The student nods frantically, terror is clear, and Riven releases him like trash.

Jodan steps in front of me, placing his body between mine and the crowd. His presence is overwhelming. Safe. Dangerous. Both at once. My heart reacts before my mind can stop it.

"You should be careful," he says quietly, not looking at me. "People are watching."

Lucien leans closer, his voice low and teasing. "I could escort you. Protection has its perks."

"I don't need any of you," I snapped.

Lucien's smile fades, just a little. His eyes darken. "You sure?"

I shove past them, my skin crawling, pulse racing. Selene follows, nearly running now, her breath uneven.

The rest of the day blurs together. Every hallway feels too small. Every classroom feels watched. Every alpha scent feels too sharp. My suppressants burn hotter with every hour, like my body is fighting them, rejecting them.

By the time night comes, I'm exhausted.

Our dorm room is quiet. Selene talks herself to sleep, nervously rambling about schedules and security and how this year is already cursed.

I lie awake, staring at the ceiling, heart still racing.

Then it hits.

Heat.

Sharp. Suddenly. Wrong.

I gasp and sit up, clutching my chest. My skin feels too tight. Too hot. My breath comes fast and shallow.

This isn't normal.

My heart pounds hard.

Then I feel it.

Thump.

Not mine.

Thump.

Another.

Thump.

Another.

Thump.

Four heartbeats.

Echoing inside my chest.

Connected to me.

I press a hand over my heart, terror flooding me.

"What's happening to me?" I whisper into the dark.

The room stays silent.

But I know, deep down...

This is only the beginning.

The full moon ceremony happens at midnight.

No one is allowed to miss it. Not students. Not omegas. Not even royals. Mooncrest treats the moon like law, and law does not bend.

That's what Selene tells me as she braids her hair for the third time. She keeps undoing it and starting again like she can feel my nerves crawling under her skin.

"You're shaking," she says. "You've been shaking all day."

"I'm fine," I say.

It sounds weaker every time.

My body feels wrong. Too tight. Too loud. Every sound, every movement feels sharp. My suppressants barely work anymore. The patch on my skin burns like acid, and even that isn't enough. It feels like my skin is holding something back, and whatever it is, it's angry.

Selene glances at my wrist band again. Gray. Her mouth tightens.

"You don't have to stand near the center," she says. "Omegas stay on the outer ring."

"I know."

"You can leave early if it gets bad."

"I know."

She doesn't look convinced.

We walk out together when the bells ring, joining the stream of students heading toward the stone arena behind the main halls. Everyone is dressed darker tonight. Packs walk together. Alphas move like they own the paths.

Torches light the way. Their flames flicker unnaturally, leaning upward like they're being pulled.

The moon is already bright.

Too bright.

The arena is a wide circle carved into the earth. Ancient symbols cut deep into the stone glow faintly under the moonlight. They pulse slowly, like a living thing breathing.

Power hums in the air, thick and heavy, pressing down on my lungs. I have to fight the urge to turn around and run.

Alphas fill the space.

Their scents crash together dominance, heat, aggression. It's overwhelming. My head spins. My vision blurs for a second.

"Omegas to the outer ring," a guard orders sharply.

I move quickly, slipping to the edge of the circle. Selene stays close, her fingers tight around my sleeve like she's afraid I'll disappear.

The whispers start immediately.

"That's her."

"The omega from the lecture."

"Why do the alphas keep watching her?"

"Something's off about her."

I keep my head down. My heart pounds too fast.

At the center of the circle, the alphas push forward. Shoulders collide. Low growls ripple through the crowd.

"I was here first."

"Back off."

"This is my place."

They fight for position like animals, teeth barely hidden, pride sharp and dangerous.

Then I feel it.

The heartbeats.

Slow at first. Distant. Like an echo through stone.

Thump.

I freeze.

Thump.

My breath catches.

Thump.

My chest tightens painfully.

Thump.

Four of them.

Four heartbeats.

Not around me.

Inside me.

Jodan stands near the front, perfectly still, like the chaos doesn't touch him. His posture is calm, controlled, but his eyes move once around the circle.

Then they lock onto me.

Riven paces the edge like a caged predator, jaw tight, fists clenched. His anger is sharp, cutting through the air. Lucien laughs with another alpha, charming and relaxed, but his gaze keeps flicking back to me, calculating. Eryx stands apart from the others, tension clear in his posture, eyes full of worry like he already knows something is wrong.

My chest tightens more.

I take one step back.

No one notices.

Another step.

Still nothing.

My skin feels too hot. My bones ache.

I turn, planning to slip away before anyone can stop me.

Strong fingers wrap around my wrist.

I gasp.

Jodan.

His grip is firm but not rough. That somehow makes it worse.

"Don't," he says quietly.

"Let go," I whisper. Panic floods my voice. I can't stop it.

Riven's head snaps toward us. A deep snarl rips from his chest, loud and feral. "Get your hands off her."

Lucien tilts his head, eyes sharp now, smile gone. "Careful, Jodan. You're drawing attention."

Eryx moves closer, voice low and urgent, trying to ground me. "April, look at me. Breathe. Slow breaths. With me."

"I need to leave," I say. "Please."

Jodan doesn't release me. His eyes are dark now. Focused. "You can't."

The moon crests fully over the arena.

Silver light floods the stone circle all at once.

The symbols ignite.

Pain slams into me without warning.

I gasp, choking on air that won't fill my lungs. My knees buckle violently.

"No," I whisper. "Please...."

The heartbeats explode inside me, loud and clear now. Four rhythms pounding through my chest, my veins, my bones.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Mine.

Not mine.

All at once.

I scream.

The sound tears out of me, raw and broken. Magic surges violently through my body. I collapse, hitting the stone hard as power rips through me like fire.

The ground shakes beneath us.

Students cry out. Someone falls. Torches flicker wildly, flames bending sideways.

"What's happening?"

"This isn't normal!"

"Stop the ceremony!"

Jodan drops to one knee, clutching his chest like something is crushing his heart from the inside. Riven roars in fury, grabbing his arm as if it's burning from within. Lucien stumbles back, shock wiping the amusement from his face completely. Eryx gasps, dropping beside me, hands hovering helplessly over my shaking body.

"April!" Selene screams from the outer ring.

I curl inward, clutching my stomach. My skin burns. It feels like something ancient is trying to tear its way out.

Light bursts across my arms.

For one second

Just one

Glowing markings appear on my skin.

Ancient lines. Symbols older than the school. Older than the packs. Bond marks.

The entire arena sees them.

Then the light vanishes.

I collapse fully, breath shallow, body trembling uncontrollably.

The magic fades.

Silence crashes down like a blade.

No whispers. No laughter. No movement.

Every eye in the arena is on me.

Heavy footsteps break the quiet.

Metal armor. Measured steps.

A Royal Guard pushes through the crowd. His face has gone pale. His eyes are wide, locked on me like he's seeing a ghost.

He stops a few feet away.

Then, slowly, he drops to one knee.

His voice shakes as he whispers the word that shatters everything.

"True Luna..."