"Here it is, my lady."

Nina took the box from Moreen and opened it. Her eyes immediately fell on the moonstone ring resting in the middle. She lifted it out and slid it onto her finger before drawing a slow breath, her gaze darkening as she stared at her reflection.

"Bring my shoes."

Once she had put them on, she turned toward the doors and headed for Rodrigo’s quarters.

"My lady, you cannot see the Alpha before the coronation," Moreen said as she followed behind her.

Nina didn’t slow down. Her fingers remained fisted in her dress as she crossed the hallway, her heels striking sharply against the floor. A few guards stood outside the quarters, and they bowed the moment they saw her.

"Luna."

"Where’s the Alpha?" Nina asked.

"He’s left for the coronation, Luna."

Nina stopped abruptly.

"How long?"

"Just now."

For a second, she simply stared at them. Then she turned and hurried back down the hallway, Moreen rushing after her.

The staircase led into the courtyard, where a white-and-gold carriage already stood waiting with the horses prepared.

Nina came to a stop and scanned the grounds.

He was gone.

Her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"Luna, what is the problem?" Moreen asked as she caught up.

Nina didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze shifted to the carriage while her thoughts raced. If she left now, she could still reach him before the ceremony began.

"Let’s go."

She headed straight for the carriage. Two guards pulled the doors open as she approached, and she stepped inside without hesitation. Moreen climbed in after her, and moments later the carriage lurched forward.

Nina sat rigidly with her hands folded in her lap, watching the estate disappear behind them through the window.

"Luna," Moreen said carefully. "Is anything the matter?"

Nina remained silent, her gaze fixed outside.

What would happen if Sabrina got there first and told everyone?

Her fingers tightened around her skirt.

Would the Alpha cancel the marriage?

She closed her eyes briefly and forced herself to think.

Her legs trembled beneath her dress as she searched desperately for a way out. If she lost her place in the Pack’s house, she would never get the Vothraki.

The ride felt endless, far longer than a journey of twenty minutes should have. By the time the moon shrine finally appeared through the trees, Nina felt as though hours had passed.

The carriage slowed and came to a stop.

A guard opened the door, and Nina stepped onto the stone path. The shrine rose ahead of her, wide and white beneath the morning light, flowers lining the steps while candles burned along every surface. Voices drifted from inside, the low murmur of a crowd that had already gathered.

Three priestesses approached and bowed.

"This way, Luna."

"Where is the Alpha?" Nina asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady.

"He is already waiting inside, Luna."

Nina’s gaze settled on the doors.

Her hands pressed together at her sides as reality sank in. The rites had already begun. There was no more time to speak to him.

And even if there were, would he still choose her?

"Luna."

The priestess gestured gently toward the entrance.

Nina remained where she was for another moment, staring at the doors before lifting her chin and smoothing the front of her dress with both hands.

Then she walked forward.

The doors opened.

The shrine hall was crowded with nobles, and nearly every head turned in her direction. Nina forced a smile onto her face as her eyes moved through the crowd, searching row after row until she finally found her parents seated in the front.

Her father watched her with a blank expression. Beside him, Marjorie wore a faint smirk.

Nina’s gaze shifted to the empty seat beside them.

Sabrina wasn’t there.

She knew what Sabrina was capable of, but there was no way out of this now.

Her eyes lifted across the hall and met Rodrigo’s.

He stood beside the raised podium with his hands clasped behind his back. The moment his grey eyes found hers, Nina felt her breathing steady.

The noise around her seemed to fade.

There was only him.

Only one chance.

Only one way out.

She had to believe that when the moment came, he would still choose her.

Nothing else mattered.

Nina stopped before him and lifted her gaze to his face. His expression revealed nothing.

Her attention drifted back to the crowd again.

Still no Sabrina.

The high priestess, an elderly woman with thick grey hair, stepped forward and began to speak, but Nina barely heard a word. Her eyes continued moving across the hall, searching every face.

"Are you okay?" Rodrigo asked quietly.

Nina looked at him and forced a nod.

"Yes," she whispered.

His gaze lingered on hers for a moment before she glanced away.

The priestess opened a black box and presented it to Rodrigo.

Inside rested the moonstone crown.

Nina’s breath caught as her eyes fixed on it. Gold and diamonds had been woven together in an intricate design, every detail carefully crafted. It was beautiful.

Her eyes turned to Rodrigo as the high priestess spoke.

"Alpha, take this crown and place it on the head of the woman you’ve chosen. With this bond, she stands as your Luna in strength, balance, and power—yours and hers—until death."

Nina’s heart pounded as she looked from the crown to Rodrigo.

He was staring at it.

And he wasn’t moving.

A tremor ran through her hands.

Had Sabrina reached him first?

Nina parted her lips to speak, but before a word could leave her mouth, the doors slammed open.

The sound echoed through the hall.

Her head snapped toward the entrance, and all the color drained from her face.

Sabrina stood in the doorway, her chest rising and falling from exertion as her eyes locked onto Nina. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth before she stepped forward.

"The Luna you are about to crown is a fraud," she announced, pointing directly at Nina. "She deceived the pack and lied about her true identity."

The hall erupted instantly.

Gasps sounded from every direction as nobles twisted in their seats and voices rose into a confused roar.

Nina wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Instead, she stood perfectly still.

Drawing in a slow breath, she forced every trace of panic from her expression and kept her eyes on her sister.

"She is not Sabrina Storm. I am."

Sabrina turned slowly, making sure every person in the hall could see her face.

The reaction was immediate.

Voices exploded around the room as people stared between the two women.

Nina remained rooted to the spot, her expression blank. Only her clenched hands betrayed her.

"She took my place, and now she wants to become the Luna of the Vermont Pack under false pretenses!"

A tear slid down Sabrina’s cheek as she spoke.

The noise grew louder and louder until it became a dull roar in Nina’s ears.

For a long moment, she stared at her sister.

Then she slowly turned back to Rodrigo.

He was already looking at her.

His face remained unreadable as his gaze moved across her features, studying her with unnerving focus. Slowly, his eyes dropped to her hand and settled on the ring resting on her finger.

Nina stopped breathing.

"I am the real Luna chosen by the pack," Sabrina continued. "Alpha, you did not choose that woman. I will not let her deceive the entire pack. It is my duty to tell the truth."

When she finished speaking, she folded her hands in front of her and waited.

The entire hall waited with her.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Nina could hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest as she stared at Rodrigo. Tears gathered in her eyes, blurring the edges of her vision, but she refused to blink.

She refused to look away.

Her fingers dug into her palms until she felt the sting of broken skin.

Still, she waited.

Everyone waited. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Then Rodrigo moved.

Without a word, he turned and took the crown from the box.

The hall fell even quieter.

Nina’s heart seemed to stop altogether as he stepped toward her.

One step.

Then another.

He stopped in front of her.

For a single suspended moment, neither of them moved.

Then Rodrigo lifted the crown and placed it on her head.

Silence swept through the shrine.

One second.

Two.

Then the hall erupted into complete chaos.