ALPHA TRISTINE’S POV Princess Kira straightened her spine, confidence radiating from every inch of her posture.
She locked eyes with me, her golden-rimmed brown eyes unwavering.
I slowed my breathing, bracing myself for whatever she was about to say.
“Send for the Alpha’s chief maiden and ask her to bring the proof of my purity.
Then see for yourself just how pure I am,” she declared, her voice firm and steady.
Her words hit me hard, and for the next few seconds, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her blazing gaze.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, the tension in my shoulders easing.
Even so, I wasn’t completely at ease.
While I was relieved she had found a way to save our marriage, I had also caught a glimpse of another side of her – a calculating one.
‘Isn’t that a good thing?’ Knox interrupted my train of thoughts.
‘After all she found a solution…
something you couldn’t.
You should be glad!’ I totally ignored him and locked him away from my mind.
I needed to think rationally and he wasn’t helping at all.
“That won’t be necessary,” my mother stated, breaking the thick tension in the air.
The resignation in her voice made Knox howl in triumph.
“Good,” she continued in a tone I had never heard from her before.
“I just wanted to confirm.” She pulled her gaze away from Kira, her expression softening ever so slightly.
“It’s high time we crowned you Luna,” she murmured, almost to herself.
Hearing that my mother had accepted her made my heart swell with relief.
“It seems you’ve truly found favor with the Moon Goddess to be granted this once-in-a-year opportunity,” my mother continued.
Her words instantly extinguished the excitement rising within me, and my brows drew together.
“Fortunately, it is the Moon Ascension Season.
In five days, the first full moon after spring will rise.
You will undergo the Trial of Ascension to prove that you are worthy of the Luna Crown—and that both you and the child have earned the Moon Goddess’s blessing.” The weight of her words settled over me, igniting urgency within.
“That’s too dangerous!” The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
But Kira caught my mother’s words.
“What test?” she asked, her brows furrowing as she looked from me to my mother.
From the slight crease between her brows, I could tell she was confused, but I wasn’t about to let her take the test – not after the rumors.
“It’s nothing, Kira,” I replied quickly.
“You don’t have to worry about it.” “But she has to be crowned before the end of her first month of pregnancy.
Otherwise, she risks both her life and the child’s,” my mother retorted, her voice firm and unwavering.
“What other test could be more suitable than this?” “The fact that she conceived during the Moon Ascension Season already indicates that the Moon Goddess wants her to take this test.” “It doesn’t indicate anything, Mother.
It just happened to be so,” I shot back, my voice rising with desperation.
Knowing how stubborn Kira was, I feared she might actually want to go through with it.
The thought alone made my skin crawl.
“What are you talking about?” Princess Kira insisted, her voice laced with curiosity, the furrow between her brows deepening.
I saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she waited for our response.
“Noth…” “Moon-Veil Blossom!” My mother’s words cut me off.
“You need to retrieve this flower, which blooms once every two years under the first full moon after spring.” My eyes flew open as anger surged within me.
“Mother!” I snapped.
The fact that she was giving Kira more information about it only fueled my growing desperation.
“She’s not taking that te…” My mother’s head whipped toward me.
“Tradition cannot be broken!” she snapped, her voice echoing through the room.
Silence followed, but the pounding of my heart sounded even louder.
Every fiber of my being wanted to talk Kira out of it, even though I knew my mother was right.
“Where is it located?” Kira asked, her gaze hardening with firm resolve.
I shook my head and reached out to her.
“Kira, no!
You’re not risking your life just to prove a point.” My voice broke, my heart racing at the thought of the danger that awaited her.
“It is located at the heart of the West Wood,” my mother said, her firm voice drowning out mine.
“But are you really sure you want to take this test?” My mother’s words made my brows knit together.
“Exactly!
She shouldn’t!” I replied.
At that moment, the only thing that mattered to me was her safety.
Princess Kira’s gaze turned inward.
She looked as though she was deep in thought.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked after a few seconds, snapping back to the present.
A breath I hadn’t realized I was holding escaped my lips.
Finally!
At that moment, I knew I had to tell her about the danger and make her understand why she should settle for another test.
“There’s a rumor about a Blood Fang lurking in the West Wood,” I replied as calmly as I could, locking eyes with her.
“Over the last five years, those who dared to enter the woods claimed they heard the wailing of a ghost.
They described it as a massive shadow with blood-red, thirsty eyes.” My mother scoffed and shook her head.
“Rumors,” she muttered under her breath.
Princess Kira’s expression went blank, making it impossible for me to read her.
I couldn’t even begin to fathom what was going through her mind.
“I know you’re worried about your wife, Alpha, but you need to have some faith in her,” my mother began again, her voice much calmer this time.
“When the elders eventually find out that she missed this rare trial and settled for a lesser one, they’ll lose faith in the future Luna and the heir, and it could create unrest within the pack.” But the words had barely left her lips when Princess Kira’s voice cut through the room.
“I’ll take the test!” she declared.