Chapter 68. Under the Wolf Moon

Lotus’s POV

The palace hums with life tonight.

For weeks, it’s been a place of whispers and grief, a fortress weighed down by war. But now it glows; candles flickering in every window, banners of silver and white rippling like starlight against the stone.

Every corridor I pass through smells of pine, smoke, and melted wax. Every face I see carries the same expression, cautious hope, but hope nonetheless.

The Luna Ceremony. My ceremony.

The words still don’t feel real. I was meant to be nothing more than a breeder to the Winter Alphas, but they quickly claimed me as theirs. Now, I am expected to rule by their side.

When I enter the preparation chamber, I almost forget to breathe. My gown hangs by the firelight, glimmering like a second skin, the fabric looks like it was spun of frost and moonlight, stitched with threads of silver and faintly pulsing magic. The triplets’ sigils have been woven into the bodice, three wolves mid-howl forming a