Like I said, Dad sent the entire battle team with us on the four-day hike.
Daniel was miserable about it because his father—Beta Damon—was part of the trip, which meant there would be no sneaking drinks or reckless fun like he originally planned. I honestly felt bad for him. He was the only male pup in our friend group, and being the eldest son of the Beta came with way too much pressure.
Still, the second we arrived at the Appalachian Mountains, every complaint vanished from my mind.
The place was breathtaking.
Towering mountains stretched endlessly toward the sky while silver mist drifted between the trees like wandering spirits. The air smelled ancient—clean, untouched, and strangely familiar.
Mom had gifted me this trip for my birthday, though getting permission to come here had been a battle all on its own. Ever since I was twelve, I'd been obsessed with the Appalachian Mountains, and my parents never understood why.
The truth was…
I couldn't explain it to them.
Not without breaking their hearts.
Serenity had always known this place mattered to us. She'd whispered about it in dreams for years, promising that one day we would come here—whether for college, vacation, or fate itself.
"Alright everyone," Beta Damon announced loudly. "Since I suck at navigation, Yui's leading the way."
I could already tell being out here made him happy. Mostly because it gave him another excuse to lecture Daniel about Beta training.
Daniel, however, had zero interest in becoming the next Beta. His dream was to become either a doctor or a lawyer in the human world. He'd been saying it for years.
"Alright," I said, slipping naturally into my Luna tone. "We're heading west toward the river. There's a campsite about twenty yards from here. If anyone needs a break, speak up now because I refuse to still be out here near midnight."
"Yo, Yu," Daniel groaned, "what's with you and midnight?"
"It's my curfew," I answered calmly. "And it's when everything changes before daybreak. When the moon reaches its highest point… I'm never fully asleep."
That shut him up quickly.
The hike itself only took fifteen minutes because everyone kept pushing forward like they were in some survival movie.
Even Beta Damon looked exhausted by the time we reached the campsite.
Since it wasn't dark yet, I volunteered to gather firewood and fresh water. Before I could leave, Beta Damon stepped into my path.
"You know your parents want you close to the group at all times," he said carefully. "Why not let someone else handle the heavy lifting?"
I stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"I know I'm the princess of the pack," I replied firmly, "but I'll be damned if I let everyone do things for me that I can do myself. Do you understand me, Beta?"
He immediately backed up and lowered his head slightly in surrender.
"Told you, Dad," Daniel laughed as he walked over.
"What exactly did you tell him?" I asked suspiciously.
"That trying to control you would fail miserably," Daniel smirked. "You're stubborn like Alpha Marcel and independent like Luna Rebecca. You hate sitting around looking pretty."
I punched him in the shoulder while laughing because annoyingly enough…
He was right.
Eventually we split up to handle our assigned chores.
That was when Serenity spoke again.
"Yui… we need to talk tonight."
Her tone instantly made my stomach tighten.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something here you need to know."
"How exactly are we supposed to talk privately? Kayla's sharing the tent with us."
"She sleeps like a dying cow," Serenity replied dryly.
I almost laughed.
Then her tone shifted.
"This place is connected to our mother."
I blinked.
"What do you mean our mother? Mom's from Spain and Italy."
"No," Serenity whispered. "Not Rebecca."
A cold shiver crawled down my spine.
"The Moon Goddess."
I stopped walking.
"The Moon Goddess is every wolf's mother."
"No, Yui," Serenity corrected softly. "We are of her direct bloodline."
My breath caught.
Suddenly every difference between me and my family replayed inside my mind.
My appearance.
My gifts.
Serenity herself.
Even the glowing moonlight from the night I was born.
Before I could process any of it, a faint cry echoed through the forest.
A little girl crying for help.
Serenity instantly took control.
We ran through the woods faster than the wind itself until we reached a small clearing.
There, trapped inside a deep hole, was a little wolf pup.
She looked terrified.
And strangely familiar.
Serenity immediately rushed toward her.
"Wait," I whispered. "Who is she?"
Serenity ignored me completely while helping the child climb free.
The little girl smiled sweetly once she was safe. Then she handed me a strange object shaped like a crescent moon. Ancient writing covered its surface, but I couldn't understand any of it.
The moment I took it—
She vanished.
Completely vanished.
Serenity refused to answer a single question while we headed back toward camp.
Unfortunately, Beta Damon was waiting for me the second I returned.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" he snapped. "Everyone's been looking for you!"
Only then did I realize how late it was.
Midnight was only minutes away.
"I got distracted," I muttered tiredly.
"Oh really?"
At that point, I was too exhausted to argue with him. I simply walked toward my tent and mind-linked everyone else an apology.
Everyone except Beta Damon.
He was getting dealt with tomorrow.
The second midnight arrived, Serenity woke me from sleep.
"Yui," she whispered urgently, "we must speak now."
My spirit rose from my sleeping body.
"The Moon Goddess blessed our existence personally," Serenity explained. "She gave me to you as a gift to your clan. But unlike normal wolves, we will not find our mate at eighteen."
"That's not surprising," I admitted.
"Our mate will come at twenty-one."
Four years away.
"Our mate belongs to the Crescent Moon Tribe of the Appalachian Mountains. He carries the bloodline of the Moon Goddess' elder brother, Jacob Luna."
Serenity and I spoke until dawn.
And the second daybreak touched the mountains, I mind-linked Beta Damon.
Meet me on the trails in ten seconds.
Apparently I scared him badly because he arrived in three.
"Yes, Yui?" he asked nervously. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I replied coldly. "But how dare you speak to me the way you did yesterday? My parents don't even speak to me like that, yet you think you can?"
His face paled.
"You hold the Beta position because your bloodline descends from the Luna Tribe of the Appalachian Mountains," I continued. "Specifically from Twin Aiden—the wolf who once questioned the Goddess herself about loving a human mate."
Then Serenity stepped forward through me.
Golden power radiated through the forest instantly.
"Do not mistake me for a weak wolf," Serenity declared. "I am the daughter of the Moon Goddess—your ancestor. You will show me respect."
Beta Damon immediately lowered himself to one knee.
"You will also stop pressuring Daniel about becoming Beta," she continued. "The Goddess already has a path for him."
Then Serenity retreated, leaving me exhausted.
Afterward, I slept until afternoon.
But even in sleep, my dreams changed.
This time I saw Great-Grandfather Aiden standing beside his brothers near an ancient temple. Beside them stood a young girl around twelve years old with platinum-white hair and crystal blue eyes.
She looked almost exactly like Serenity's human form.
I tried desperately to hear what she was saying—
But suddenly I was ripped awake.
"Ugh… five more minutes, Daniel…"
No answer came.
Instead, Serenity exploded inside my head.
"WAKE UP NOW!"
I jerked awake only to realize someone had thrown me over their shoulder.
"LET ME GO, YOU SON OF A JACKAL!"
"Stop moving, brat," a deep voice growled, "or I'll toss you off the mountain."
Serenity instantly took over.
She hated being manhandled.
The moment the stranger saw her, he froze in horror.
"Why…" he whispered shakily. "Why do you look like my great-aunt's daughter?"
Serenity suddenly stopped fighting too.
Then she inhaled sharply.
And began to cry.
"No…" I whispered in disbelief.
"Matthew?"
The man stared at me like he'd seen a ghost.
"It can't be," he breathed. "Our family split after the Great Battle. We were told Great-Uncle Aiden and Alexander died."
My heart pounded violently.
"I've dreamed about this place since I was a child," I admitted quietly.
Beta Damon suddenly stepped between us protectively.
"How do you know the great Alphas of our pack?"
The stranger straightened proudly.
"I am Alpha Matthew of the Appalachian Mountains. Descendant of Great Alpha Jordan—the eldest brother."
Everything fell silent.
Matthew looked around our camp in disbelief.
"This land has been sacred to my tribe since the Great Battle," he explained. "Every Alpha before me has come here to pray for our bloodline. Yet somehow… our brother tribe chose this exact place to camp."
I immediately bowed respectfully.
"I apologize for trespassing, cousin," I said sincerely. "But the Moon Goddess has been calling me here for years."
Matthew's expression changed instantly.
"The Goddess speaks to you?"
I simply nodded.
Then, without thinking, the words left my mouth.
"Tomorrow is my birthday."
I looked toward the darkening sky above the mountains.
"And I have to be here at midnight."