Dad stood there shaking. The color completely drained from his face.

"What happens now?" Alpha Bryce questioned, his voice tinged with worry. "What do we do?"

"The Moonstone will shatter. I don't think there's any way we can stop that," Aiden said, his voice heavy with resignation.

"Wh—what's a Moonstone?" Dad asked, his gaze darting between Aiden and the others.

"It's a gemstone that we found. It's part of the prophecy," Aiden explained, his tone steady but his eyes betraying the anxiety he felt.

"I, uh, have the book over here." Harry stood, his legs shaking as he fumbled for the book. "In the time of the Blood Moon, an alpha will rise amidst shadows and the cries of the fallen. This alpha, marked by the stars, will possess the courage of a lion and the wisdom of the ancients. Known as the Lycan King, he will unite the fractured packs, forging bonds of brotherhood and restoring balance.

The prophecy begins with the shattering of the sacred Moonstone, hidden deep in the ancient forest. Its breaking will awaken the spirits, guiding the Lycan King on his journey. Led by visions, he will collect the Moonstone fragments, each piece enhancing his power and teaching him leadership. With trusted companions, he will face perilous paths and formidable foes, proving his worthiness as the destined leader."

"Okay. Let's say I believe all of this, why isn't the Moonstone being guarded?" Dad questioned, frustration evident in his voice.

"It is. I have some of my top guards watching it, but Goddess Selene didn't seem to care much about the protection of the stone and was insistent that it would shatter. Tonight." Aiden rubbed his temples, the stress of the situation evident on his face.

"Can I see it?" Dad stood up straight, his eyes scanning the room with a determined look.

I watched the tension in the room, feeling it wrap around me like a suffocating cloak. The air crackled with unease. Dad's voice broke through my thoughts, sharp and demanding, and I could see the confusion and fear in his eyes. It was a look I knew well, one that mirrored my own apprehension.

"The Moonstone," Dad said, his voice trembling, "where is it?"

Aiden hesitated, glancing at Alpha Bryce and then back to his father. His jaw was clenched tightly, the weight of the prophecy and the looming crisis clearly etched on his face. "It's downstairs in the vault," he finally said.

"I need to see it," Dad insisted, stepping closer to Aiden. "If this prophecy is true, then we need to understand what's happening. Maybe there's something we can do."

I stepped forward, placing a hand on Dad's shoulder. "Dad, we don't even know what's going to happen when the Moonstone shatters. It might be dangerous."

Dad looked at me, his eyes filled with fear. "Elara, I need to understand. If this prophecy is real, then we're all in danger. I can't just stand by and do nothing. There are a lot of things going on that I don't understand and I don't like not understanding things."

Aiden looked between us, his expression torn. "Alright, but we need to be cautious."

As we made our way downstairs, the tension in the air was almost palpable. Morgan was pacing the hallway, her face a mixture of frustration and confusion.

"What's wrong?" Dad asked her, trying to keep his voice calm despite his own visible distress.

"I'm being manhandled and left out of everything. Meanwhile, Elara is getting everything. This isn't fair, Daddy. I want to know what's going on! I want a crown!" Morgan's voice cracked with a mix of desperation and defiance.

"Wow, the world doesn't revolve around you, Morgan," I told her sharply. "You need to get over yourself."

She opened her mouth to retort when Marshall appeared at my side, his expression stern.

"Morgan, she's right. I spoiled you. I admit that, but right now there are things that are so much bigger than both you and me going on. You need to find your mother and you need to grow up," Dad ordered, his voice firm and final.

My eyes grew wide as saucers, and I looked over at Harry, who stared in disbelief. Dad never corrected Morgan so sternly.

"Dad, what are you saying?" Morgan stopped, her face pale with shock as she looked around in confusion.

I saw her sniffing the air, her expression shifting from frustration to something else entirely. She pushed past us all, heading toward the stairs leading down.

"Where are you going?" Aiden called out, his voice filled with concern.

"Don't you smell that?" she said, her tone mechanical as she walked down the stairs with an almost trance-like focus.

"You can't go down there," Marshall called after her, his voice laced with worry.

"Then stop me, big man," she yelled back defiantly.

We all followed her, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to process what was happening. Morgan moved with a determined speed, making her way down a corridor toward a thick door at the end.

"That's the vault," Aiden said, his voice tinged with urgency. "It's in there. That smell is in there. Let me in there!"

"Could one of the guards be her mate?" I whispered to Harry, who was close behind me, his face a mask of concern.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I hope not."

Just then, a loud explosion echoed through the corridor, shaking the walls and making us all stumble. The sound was deafening.

"Shit. The Moonstone!" Aiden shouted, his voice filled with panic.

We ran down the hallway, forcing open the door to the vault. The scene before us was chaos. Guards were laying on the ground, their bodies sprawled in various positions. I couldn't tell if they were alive or unconscious. The door to the actual vault was hanging on by the hinges, and there was a gaping hole blown in the wall behind it.

Without hesitation, I ran through the hole, my heart racing as I emerged on the other side. There, a man dressed in all black stood, the Moonstone clutched in his hand. He spun on his heels, sniffing the air with a predatory grace.

"Mine," he growled in my direction, his voice low and menacing.

"Oh the hell I am!" I yelled, feeling a surge of defiance.

"Not you. Goddess. Not everything's about you," Morgan growled, her voice surprisingly steady. "Mine."

"You have to be kidding me!" I exclaimed, my shock evident. "Your mate is the thief."

"Come with me," The thief said, his tone commanding as he extended a hand toward Morgan.

She reached out, taking his hand with a mixture of awe and confusion. I lunged at him, trying to pull off the mask on his face as Aiden and Marshall finally caught up, their faces grim with determination.

"Who are you?" I screamed at him, my voice filled with anger and desperation.

He smiled a sinister smile. "Roderick. Alpha of the Nightstalkers."

"The who?" I asked, struggling to make sense of his identity.

"Thanks for finding this for me," Roderick sneered, holding up the Moonstone triumphantly.

The hole was thankfully located at the training grounds. I quickly ran to the archery equipment, grabbing a bow and an arrow. My mind raced with Minerva's words: You're a natural. Well, let's see how natural I am in a pinch.

I knocked the arrow and let it fly, my breath held in anticipation. The arrow hit the Moonstone with pinpoint accuracy.

The impact was instantaneous and devastating. The Moonstone, struck dead center, erupted in a brilliant burst of light. The explosion was deafening, sending shockwaves through the air and knocking everyone off their feet. The vault's walls trembled as the Moonstone fragmented into dozens of shards, each piece rising into the night sky like a scattering of stars before vanishing into the darkness.

"Oh shit," I muttered, my voice barely audible over the chaos.

The ground around the explosion rippled, and a wave of energy surged outward. The light from the Moonstone's shattering illuminated the entire training grounds with an otherworldly glow, casting eerie shadows and making it impossible to see through the haze. It felt as though the very essence of the forest was being torn apart.

Morgan, still clutching Roderick's hand, was thrown back by the force of the explosion. She landed a few feet away, dazed but conscious. Roderick, however, seemed to absorb some of the impact with an unnerving calmness. He turned towards Morgan, his eyes glinting with malicious glee.

"Come on," Roderick urged, pulling Morgan to her feet. "You're my mate. We can rule this world together."

Morgan, though stunned, followed Roderick, her confusion mixing with an unfamiliar thrill. They began to move swiftly away from the wreckage, disappearing into the shadows of the night. The sudden shift in loyalty and the bond forming between them was both palpable and unsettling.

Aiden, Marshall, and I stumbled to our feet, brushing off debris and trying to make sense of the chaos. The vault was now a gaping hole, the Moonstone's energy dissipating into the ether. The once-sacred and protective gem was gone, its purpose now set into motion by its destruction.

"Dammit!" Aiden cursed, his face pale as he surveyed the wreckage. "Who was that? What happened to the Moonstone? Did your sister just go with him?"

"It's my fault. I'm why the Moonstone shattered. I started the prophecy. I didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry," I said, my voice a frantic rush of guilt and panic.

Aiden walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, trying to offer comfort despite his own turmoil. "It's okay. Selene said it would happen. She told us he couldn't get his hands on the stone. Was that the heir of Lucien?"

"I don't know. I think, but he's Morgan's mate!" I cried, my voice breaking with the weight of realization.

"You have got to be kidding me," Dad said, his voice tinged with disbelief as he stared into the distance where Morgan had disappeared. "Why?"

The night seemed to swallow our questions, leaving us with the chilling knowledge that the prophecy was now unfolding in ways we had never anticipated.

"Now what?" Harry asked.

"First thing we do is get a crew ready to come down in the morning and fix this hole and the vault," Aiden said, looking at Marshall.

"On it, Alpha...or is it Majesty?"

"I don't care," Aiden mumbled. "Second, we should probably check on the rest of the party. Make sure everyones okay and nobody is freaking out."

"My Mom is definitely freaking out," I said.

"Yeah. Mom is absolutely freaking out right now," Harry agreed.

"How do I explain this to your Mother?" Dad asked.

"I really don't know," I told him. "But good luck."

He ran his hands through his hair and turned toward the hill to walk up to the party, mumbling to himself as he walked away.

"I don't think your Dad was expecting this much crap dumped in his lap," Aiden said, putting his arm around my waist.

"I doubt he was." I leaned into his body. "What do we actually do now?"

"I guess we start looking for the moonstone fragments and whoever that guy was."

"Oh, his name is Roderick," I told him.

"Okay, we look for moonstone fragments and Roderick," Aiden said as we followed my dad back to our party. "This is the craziest marking ceremony."

I nodded my head. "But it was amazing."

"That it was."

As we walked back towards our guests I noticed a small, glowing object sitting in the middle of the training grounds.

"Hold on," I said, walking towards it.

"What's up?" Aiden asked.

I bent down and picked it up, staring at the familiar ethereal glow. "A shard of the moonstone."

"So it didn't evaporate?" he asked.

"I guess not."

"I wonder if there are anymore."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno. Worth looking into?"

"Perhaps. For now, let's finish up the night."

He held out his arm for me and we walked back to the guests.