Blackwood Pack.
Everyone was getting ready for the night.
The full moon would rise soon.
Wolves moved quickly through the big pack house.
Some checked their clothes.
Others practised their howls.
Young ones ran around with bright eyes, hoping this would be the night their wolves finally appeared.
Hazel sat on the edge of her bed and could not look away from her phone.
The time kept changing.
Every minute made her heart beat faster.
Her hands felt cold.
She was nervous.
More nervous than she wanted anyone to see.
She stood up and decided to visit her mother.
Luna Charlotte always knew how to calm her down.
Hazel walked down the quiet hallway and stopped outside her mother’s bedroom door.
She raised her hand to knock—but then she heard a soft voice inside.
“What do you mean I should let her go for her to know the truth?” Luna Charlotte whispered.
“Isn’t that too risky…”
Hazel’s eyes widened.
She pushed the door open a little.
“Mother?”
Luna Charlotte turned around fast.
For half a second, her face looked worried.
Then she forced a bright smile.
“Hello, my princess,” she said as Hazel stepped inside.
Hazel tried to smile back, but it came out bigger than she felt.
“I’ve been wondering why I am a princess when I’m not even a royal werewolf.”
Luna Charlotte blinked once.
Her smile stayed in place, but it looked a little too careful.
“Of course you are, sweetheart. You are the first daughter of the Alpha. That makes you a princess.”
The words sounded nice, but they were not completely true.
Hazel decided not to ask further about it; she didn’t know if Luna Charlotte kept the real reason locked behind her gentle eyes or not.
Hazel walked closer and let her shoulders drop.
“I’m here because I’m nervous about tonight. Everything feels… heavy.”
Luna Charlotte’s face softened.
She opened her arms and pulled Hazel into a warm hug.
She rubbed slow circles on her daughter’s back.
“It’s going to be all right,” she whispered.
“Whatever happens under the moon, you are still my girl. You are still strong.”
They stayed like that for a moment.
Then Luna Charlotte stepped back.
She placed one hand on her own flat stomach and smiled in a soft, secret way.
“It’s a baby boy.” She chuckled.
Hazel froze, and her eyes dropped to her mother’s stomach.
It still looked the same as always.
Then Hazel’s face lit up.
She spun in a small circle and clapped her hands happily.
“A baby brother!” she laughed.
“Father is going to be so happy! He’s been waiting for a male heir for so long!”
Luna Charlotte laughed too, but the sound was quiet.
“Have you told Father yet?” Hazel asked.
Her mother shook her head.
“You are the first person I told.”
Hazel’s fingers moved up to the silver necklace she always wore.
A small moon pendant hung from it.
She touched the cool metal, closed her eyes, and gently laid her other hand on her mother’s stomach.
Luna Charlotte clasped her hands together and waited.
Her smile stayed, but her eyes looked nervous.
After a few seconds.
She quickly opened her eyes, pulled her hand back and gasped.
Luna Charlotte grabbed her wrist immediately.
“Please, tell me… what did you see?”
At the doorway, Emily stood very still.
Her eyes were narrowed as she watched her older sister’s face.
Hazel swallowed.
Then she forced a small chuckle.
“He’s going to be the strongest wolf in Blackwood Pack. Stronger than his father… but…”
Charlotte’s voice dropped.
“But?”
“He’s going to be very stubborn and tough.”
Luna Charlotte let out a long breath and put a hand over her heart.
“Is that all? Fair enough.” She rubbed her stomach with a soft smile.
“I don’t mind. He’s the future Alpha anyway.”
Hazel gave her mother one more quick hug and stepped back into the hallway.
The moment the door closed, a hand came out from nowhere and grabbed her arm.
She was pushed her into the corner near the wall.
Hazel frowned and looked up.
Emily stood in front of her and looked at her seriously.
“What?” Hazel asked.
Emily’s frown grew deeper.
“What did you see?”
Hazel rolled her eyes.
“See what?”
“You know you can’t fool me,” Emily said.
Her voice stayed low.
“What you told Mother was a lie.”
Hazel blinked.
She’s not even a mind reader.
She thought she could just pull truths out of thin air with the way she asked!
“He’s going to be a great Alpha who wins many battles. That’s what I saw.”
Emily’s fists tightened at her sides.
“That’s not why you looked surprised. You’ve looked into many things before. You’re lying.”
Hazel rolled her eyes again and stepped past her sister.
“I don’t know what you’re expecting. He’s a very strong and successful Alpha. That’s all.” She walked away without looking back.
Emily stayed in the corner and watched her go.
Her frown only grew darker.
“She’s lying…” she whispered to herself.