"Who are you?" she asked.

"Harry. I mean, Henry Everheart, future Beta of the Blood Moon Howlers. Who are you?"

"Ciara Sinclair, Omega Carlisle's oldest daughter. You're from the Blood Moon Howlers? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my sister and I found my mate."

"Sister?"

Aiden and Carlisle started laughing as I approached the two.

"Yeah. Hi. Um, I think we're going to be sisters-in-law." I smiled at her.

Her face dropped as she looked between Harry and me. "You have to be kidding me."

"Nope. That's Harry. My big brother."

She groaned and turned to look at her mom.

"There's a problem?"

"Ciara doesn't like me much."

"Oh," Harry said. "Will that be a problem?"

"Not from me," I said.

Ciara took a deep breath and sighed. "I guess I don't have a problem anymore."

I smiled at her and wrapped her into a tight hug. "Sister!"

I let the girl go as Saunders walked in.

"What did I miss?" he questioned. "Who's that guy?"

"A lot," Aiden said. "I'll make an announcement at dinner."

"Are there a lot of people who come to this kind of thing?" Harry whispered to Ciara.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Dinner is ready," one of the cooks called as we made our way towards the dining room.

As we settled into dinner, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement and curiosity. Harry, seated next to Ciara, was the center of attention, his every move and word sparking whispers and covert glances among the gathered wolves. He navigated the attention with a mix of boyish charm and genuine interest, clearly out of his element yet eager to connect with Ciara and her pack.

The table was a spread of delicious dishes, each one a testament to the skill of the pack's kitchen staff. Harry's enthusiasm was palpable as he sampled everything, praising each dish in turn.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the hum of conversation, Aiden rose to his feet, a signal for silence that spread quickly through the room. "May I have everyone's attention, please?" His voice, strong and commanding, cut through the din, bringing all eyes to him.

"I have an announcement to make," Aiden continued, his gaze warm as he looked at Ciara and Harry. "Today, we celebrate a union that brings joy to our pack. Ciara Sinclair, daughter of Omega Carlisle, has found her mate." Applause erupted around the table, cheers filling the air.

Aiden held up a hand, smiling. "But that's not all. Her mate is none other than Harry Everheart, soon-to-be Beta of the Dark Moon Howlers, our own Elara's brother." Murmurs of surprise rippled through the crowd.

Harry's face turned as red as a tomato while Ciara was beaming from ear to ear.

"Oh, can we have our ceremony on the Blood Moon too?" she gushed.

"Absolutely not!" Carlisle shouted. "You can pick another day. It absolutely will not be the same day as our Alpha."

She rolled her eyes and pushed her food around on her plate.

"Why would you want our ceremony on the same day as Alpha Aiden and my sisters?" Harry asked.

"I dunno. To be special," she mumbled.

"No, Ciara. We're not taking away from their special day. We'll have our own. A day where you won't outshine my sister and where she won't outshine you."

She pursed her lips and side-eyed Harry.

"I may be a future Beta of another pack, but I won't overstep my place with the Alpha of your pack."

She sighed heavily. "I guess."

"No guess."

"Fine. I'll pick another day."

"Thank you." He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Did....did Ciara give in without a fight?" Laura whispered.

"Yeah, I think she did," Carlisle mumbled back.

"Oh my Goddess. I don't think that's ever happened before."

Harry winked at me as he took a long sip of his cider. The evening continued with laughter and stories, the tension from earlier melting away like the setting sun. Harry amused the pack recanting stories from our childhood. One thing he was good at was telling stories. He was always so animated and took liberty with a lot of minor details.

"So, anyway Elara was running down the street near the creek that was by the school. She had no idea that it was me chasing her. I'd just started shifting and she hadn't seen my wolf yet. She fell right into the creek. She came crawling up covered in mud."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Oh, not that story! It's not even that funny, Harry." I rolled my eyes at him.

"It was hilarious."

I shook my head and turned back to my dinner. Harry and Ciara stole glances at each other. They were cute.

The night grew darker, but everyone was still talking and laughing.

"Well, I hope everyone enjoys their evening, but I think it's time we call it a day. Harry, I do hope you plan to stay the night. Marshall can show you to the guest room."

Aiden reached out for my hand. I happily took it, feeling his warmth transfer from his palms to mine.

"Want to go for a walk before we go to bed?"

Nodding my head, I followed close behind as he led me through the front door.

"Do you need an escort, Alpha?"

"That won't be necessary, Marshall. Would you be able to show Harry to the guest room?"

"Of course, Alpha."

"Thank you."

Aiden and I walked down the driveway, veering off to the right and down a path that we hadn't explored together before.

"Want to run?" he asked.

I smiled, shifting quickly and running down the path.

"No fair!" Aiden shouted before shifting and catching up to me quickly.

We ran through the forest eventually coming to a meadow that was bathed in moonlight and covered in wildflowers. I sat down near a small creek and lapped up the cool water. Aiden stood next to me, licking the side of my face before flopping over. I sat beside him and we just stayed there in silence for most of the night watching the moon as it moved across the sky.

Aiden eventually stood and nudged my shoulder motioning back towards the trail leading towards home. I nodded my furry head and followed as we ran back towards the manor. Slowing to a trot, Aiden took the lead since the guards recognized his wolf.

The man at the door opened it for us. We walked up the stairs in our wolf form making our way down the hallway towards our room.

He gently pushed the door ajar, and we both reverted to our human forms.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Aiden asked softly, a touch of amusement in his voice.

I nodded, leaning into him. "Yeah, it was nice. I love just being able to run."

"Me too, my love. Shower?" he suggested.

"Definitely! I smell like a dog," I laughed.

Aiden chuckled before turning to me, taking my hand in his. His thumb caressed the back of it before he traced his fingers up my bare arm, sending shivers down my spine. He pulled me closer, his lips meeting mine in a tender kiss that spoke volumes of our unspoken connection. Scooping me up effortlessly into his arms, he carried me into the bathroom. Setting me down gently under the warm spray of the shower, he joined me, the water cascading over us both.

With a soft smile, he turned on the hot water and began to help me wash away the traces of our night's adventure. His hands moved with gentle care over my skin, each touch affirming our closeness and love. In the intimate space of the shower, the world outside seemed to fade away, leaving only the sound of water and the warmth between us.

As he washed my body, his touch was both tender and passionate, each caress a silent declaration of his desire and affection. I leaned into him, revelling in the safety and comfort of his embrace. The steam rose around us, wrapping us in a cocoon of shared intimacy and unspoken promises.

Together, we stood beneath the shower, immersed in each other's presence and the quiet joy of being together, knowing that this moment was ours alone.

Afterward, we dried off and made our way to the bedroom. Aiden pulled me into his arms as we settled into bed, the sheets cool against our warmed skin. He pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead before murmuring softly, "I love your smell."

I nestled against him, his hot skin flesh against my own. The rest of the night passed in a blur of passion.

In the quiet aftermath, as we lay entwined beneath the covers, I traced patterns on his chest with my fingertips, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath. Our hearts beat in unison.

Sleep finally claimed us as the sun began to rise on the horizon.

The next afternoon, sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room. I woke to find Aiden beside me, his features softened in the morning light. He stirred as I shifted closer, his arm instinctively pulling me closer to him.

"Afternoon," he greeted with a smile, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"Afternoon," I replied, returning his smile.

We lingered in bed a while longer, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the afternoon before starting our day.

"Do you have plans for today?" I asked.

"Yeah. We have pack meetings and training to go through today," he said. "What about you?"

"Um, I'm not sure," I laughed. "I guess I should check on Harry. Make sure he gets home."

"If you want, there are a few books in the library about Luna's responsibility if you want to read those."

"There are books about how to be a Luna?" I asked, shocked.

"There are. They were my mothers, who got them from her mother, and her mother, and her mother and so on and so forth."

"So a lot of knowledge."

Aiden nodded his head.

"I'll do that. I enjoy reading."

"You're going to be an amazing Luna."

"I really hope so."

I rolled out of bed, stretched, and shuffled to the closet to dig out something to wear. I slid into a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt.

"See you downstairs, love," I called as Aiden slowly dragged himself out of the bed.

Walking past the guest room, I pounded on the door as hard as I could and ran down the stairs. I could hear Harry cursing and falling out of the bed. I giggled, making my way to the kitchen for some kind of lunch or brunch.

"Hi, Reuben!" I called to the freckled red-headed boy who was kneading a dough ball.

"Hi, Elara! You hungry?"

"I am. Anything laying around I can grab?"

"I can make you something," he said, wiping his hands on his apron.

"No, no. You're busy. I don't mind fixing myself something to eat. I'm not so used to people doing things for me."

"Sure. You can have whatevers in the fridge."

"Great, thanks!" I said.

I made a sandwich and grabbed an apple before heading off for the library to start digging into the books that Aiden told me about.

I put the plate of food on the table in the library and started browsing the books. There were so many I didn't even really know where to start. Sitting in Aiden's chair, I spun it around and stared at the first bookshelf directly behind his desk.

I guess just grab one.

A dark brown, leather-bound book stood out amongst the rest of the black and red books. I grabbed it and plopped it on the desk. Flipping through the pages, I looked for anything that might stand out.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, sitting in one of the chairs across from me.

He grabbed the sandwich on my plate and started eating as I stared at him.

"Rude. That was my lunch."

"Well, I'm hungry," he said, his mouth full of sandwich.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I mumbled. "And I'm hungry too. That's why I made the sandwich."

He shrugged his shoulders and tore off a corner of the crust. "Here you go."

I sighed and shook my head. "So, what are you doing?"

"Reading up on how to be a luna."

"Homework, eh?"

I nodded my head and skimmed the page I was on. "I just started, so I don't even know what to look for."

I nodded and continued to skim the text. My fingers traced the faded ink as I tried to decipher the ancient words. The text was dense and archaic, but a passage caught my eye:

The Luna bears not just the mantle of leadership but the weight of the pack's soul. Her duties are many, from safeguarding the well-being of the pack to guiding it through the shadows of uncertainty. A Luna must be the heart when hearts falter, the wisdom when reason fades. And when the time of prophecy arrives, it is she who must...

The text trailed off, the ink smudged and illegible. I frowned, trying to make sense of the fragment. Something about a prophecy, something important, but the rest of the page was too damaged to read.

"What's it say?" Harry asked, his tone more serious now.

"It's about the duties of a luna," I murmured, my thoughts lingering on the mention of the prophecy. "And something about a prophecy, but I can't make it out."

Harry leaned forward, his earlier amusement gone. "A prophecy? About what?"

"I don't know," I admitted, flipping the page to see if there was more, but the rest of the text seemed mundane in comparison. "But whatever it is, it's important."

A sudden draft blew through the room, ruffling the pages of the book. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as a sense of foreboding washed over me.