Maria and Jas were still deep in conversation, their voices low and filled with warmth, when Laura walked over to where they sat.
After greeting Jas politely, she sat down at a nearby table without saying much. Sensing her presence, Jas gave Maria a parting smile and stood up.
"I’ll see you around," he said gently, then turned and walked away.
Maria watched him leave with a smile plastered across her face, her eyes lingering on him longer than she realized.
Lost in the mont, she didn’t notice Laura watching her closely until Laura gave her a light tap on the shoulder.
"You really like Jas, Maria. And it’s very obvious!" Laura teased, grinning.
Maria blinked in surprise and turned to her with her mouth slightly open, caught off guard.
"What? I don’t like him more than just as a friend! And besides, you guys were the ones who told to apologize to him. Now you’re turning around and saying I like him?"
She quickly looked away, clearly trying to dodge the topic.
"Co on, stop playing mind gas with yourself," Laura said, her tone turning more serious. "You need to be honest. Liking Jas isn’t wrong. But you know as well as I do, you need your freedom first. Nothing else should co before that."
Maria lowered her head, placing both hands on her forehead. Her thoughts tangled up with emotions, but she knew Laura was right.
There was no use denying it.
"I know you’re right... I won’t lie about that. But I can’t let anyone especially not Jas, know about how I feel. Not until I fix what’s in front of ," Maria admitted, her voice quieter now.
Laura gave a small, understanding nod.
"Don’t stress too much. Just take everything one step at a ti. Oh, and maybe try not to get lost in your dreamy thoughts with that big smile on your face when he’s around," she added with a playful smirk.
They both laughed softly at that. Maria shook her head at the joke, and for a mont, things felt light again.
After a while, Maria checked the ti on her wristwatch. Her brows furrowed slightly. "Have you seen Cassandra today?"
"No, I haven’t." Laura shook her head. "Actually, I ca looking for you two earlier, but I didn’t find either of you—until now."
Maria’s face showed a flicker of concern. She had no way to contact Cassandra since her phone had been damaged in the accident.
She hadn’t gotten around to replacing it yet.
Laura, sensing her worry, pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Cassandra’s number. To their relief, Cassandra picked up right away.
"Hello, Cassandra! Are you okay? Why didn’t you co to college today?" Laura asked without hesitation.
"I’m fine, Laura. Sorry for not informing you guys earlier," Cassandra’s voice ca through the speaker. "My mom needed to attend a seminar with her. I won’t be back until the weekend."
"Alright, that makes sense. Maria’s here with , by the way, we were both worried," Laura explained, and the three of them exchanged pleasantries before ending the call.
Once the call ended, Maria and Laura headed back to their classroom, but part of Maria’s mind still lingered on Jas... and on how much more complicated things might get.
---
Elsewhere, Beta Gilbert was in his room, pacing while holding a phone to his ear. His voice suddenly rose in frustration.
"I believe I’m just paying you all for nothing!" he barked. "You have three days—three!—to co to with the kind of information I’m asking for!"
Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call abruptly, his jaw clenched.
"I need to handle this before it spirals out of control," he muttered to himself, eyes dark with anger. "There’s no way I’m going to share what I’ve built over the years with anyone. Not now, not ever."
After a brief silence, he grabbed his phone again and made another call.
"Hello, Sandro. Where are you right now?" Gilbert asked, his tone sharp.
"I’m in Italy, boss. What’s the task?" ca the reply, laced with an Italian accent.
"I need you on the next flight to Scotland. Tomorrow. There’s sothing important I need you to do. It can’t wait," Beta Gilbert ordered firmly.
"Got it, boss. I’ll be there," Sandro responded without hesitation, and the call ended.
Beta Gilbert stood up and made his way to his wine shelf, hoping for a drink to calm his nerves. But just as he reached for a bottle, he noticed sothing off in the room.
Sothing had been moved. Sothing felt... different. Still, he dismissed the thought. His rage and urgency drowned out any lingering doubt.
---
Back in her room that night, Maria was deep in sleep when a chilling scream escaped her lips.
"I can’t die here... I’ll fight you with everything I have!" she cried out, bolting upright in bed, her body drenched in sweat.
Her breathing was heavy, her eyes wide with fear. It took her a mont to realize it had only been a dream—but it felt too real.
"What are these nightmares?" she whispered, trembling. "Why do they keep haunting ?"
Despite the air conditioning, her body was soaked in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest.
"I need to move faster with my plans," she muttered to herself, getting out of bed. "These dreams... they feel like warnings. I just hope they’re not signs of sothing worse."
Her eyes burned with a new intensity. There was no ti to waste. Ti, she realized, wasn’t on her side anymore.
And she refused to die like her parents...
***
Maria was in her room, carefully preparing for the eting she was ant to accompany Bernard to at the packhouse.
Her mind was busy, half-focused on what to expect, when a knock on the door startled her.
"Yes, co in," she called out, turning slightly toward the sound.
The door opened, and a maid stepped in, holding a neatly packaged bag in her hands. Maria’s brows furrowed in confusion.
"Where’s that from?" she asked, eyeing the bag with curiosity.
"It’s from Alpha Bernard," the maid replied with a polite nod. "He asked that you wear the gown inside for the eting at the packhouse."
Maria blinked, taken aback. "Bernard sent this... for ?"
The maid nodded once more, handed over the bag, and left without another word.
Left alone, Maria stared at the bag in her hands, then mumbled to herself with a puzzled expression, "Why would Bernard choose an outfit for without telling first?"
She carefully unzipped the bag. Inside was a gown... elegant, and radiating beauty. It was undeniably stunning.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Maria wrestled with her thoughts.
’Should I wear this?’ she wondered. ’Would wearing it an I’ve given in to him, completely?’
After a long pause, she finally stood and slipped into the dress. Sothing about it made her feel seen... chosen. Whether she liked it or not, this gown was a statent—and she was about to make it.
Once she stepped out of her room, she was t with the eyes of Beta Gilbert, Bernard, and his mother, all gathered in the sitting room waiting for her.
Their gazes softened as they took in her appearance.
"You look beautiful," Bernard’s mother said warmly.
Beta Gilbert gave an approving nod, but it was Bernard’s smile that lingered. He didn’t say much, just smiled at her all through the car ride to the packhouse.
His expression made it clear; he was pleased, proud, even that Maria had accepted the gown and was standing by him as his Luna.
**At the Packhouse**
The car pulled up, and the group stepped out with grace. Bernard walked toward Maria and offered his arm, a silent gesture for her to hold him.
Maria hesitated only for a mont before slipping her hand through his arm.
Bernard bead, and they walked side by side into the packhouse. As they passed through, pack mbers bowed their heads in respect—the Alpha and his Luna had arrived.
When they reached the elders’ table, the elders stood and bowed as well. Maria and Bernard acknowledged them with nods and soft smiles.
Maria rembered this kind of greeting, it mirrored how her parents had once been welcod in grand events like this.
They soon took their seats and the eting comnced. One of the elders, standing confidently in front of the crowd, called the gathering to order.
"Good evening, prestigious mbers of the great Blue Moon Pack!" he bood.
The crowd responded with thunderous howls. Maria remained silent amidst the chorus, her quiet presence going unnoticed in the excitent.
The elder continued, "Traditionally, we should all transform into our wolf forms to welco our new Alpha to the podium. But this Alpha..." He paused with a smile, "...is different. He has requested we stay as we are. He appreciates your presence here today!"
The room filled once again with howls as the elder gestured toward Bernard, welcoming him to the stage.
Maria’s heart had nearly dropped when the elder ntioned transforming.
’I still can’t shapeshift,’ she thought in panic. But Bernard’s intervention spared her the sha. She let out a quiet breath of relief.
She watched Bernard intently as he took the stage, delivering his speech with confidence and strength. Every ti he ntioned her na, his eyes found hers—and he smiled.
’Is Bernard truly falling for ?’ Maria wondered. ’Or is he just playing the ga better than I am?’
She frowned slightly.
’Bernard has never been the type to hide his feelings. If he had truly wanted back then, he would have said so. No, he’s playing a ga. He must be.’
Still, she smiled, masking her thoughts behind a composed face.
The crowd erupted in cheers, especially as Bernard delivered the final part of his speech with fiery determination.
"I will not be a weak Alpha! I promise you all, the Blue Moon Pack will be the greatest pack to ever exist! And if anyone, from any pack, dares to challenge us..." He growled, his tone fierce. "...they will answer to !"
Suddenly, before anyone could react, Bernard transford. His body shifted in seconds into a giant white wolf, his eyes glowing blue, the sacred color of the Blue Moon Pack.
Gasps filled the air as Bernard leaped into the crowd with powerful strides. He ran toward the back, fierce and fast, before grabbing a man hiding among the pack mbers.
He dragged the man to the front, back to the podium, baring his sharp fangs. Everyone watched in stunned silence.
"Please! Don’t kill !" the man cried out, trembling as Bernard’s massive form towered over him.
Bernard shifted back into human form in a flash. His voice, though human again, carried raw fury.
"Where are you from? Who sent you here?"
The man stamred, shaking uncontrollably.
"I... I don’t know who he is! He always cos to at night... threatened to kill if I didn’t follow his orders. He gave your picture, described this place. That’s all I know, I swear!"
"So you have no na. No identity. Why should I spare you?" Bernard narrowed his eyes.
"I-I just know that when he visits... his bodyguards, they transform, like you did. But their eyes, they’re not blue. They’re different," the man added quickly.
The word transform echoed through the crowd.
Maria’s chest tightened. The elders exchanged uneasy glances. The implication was loud and clear.
An attack is coming from the rival pack, which ans, war was looming...
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