stood against the Shadow King in front of his entire pack, and I was still breathing. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like the helpless omega everyone had always believed me to be. You're stronger than you know, my mother's voice echoed in my memory. I closed my eyes, trying to understand what she had meant. What did my strength have to do with the strange power awakening inside me? And what was the prophecy my wolf had mentioned? I reached inward, searching for her. She stirred lazily, still exhausted from the fight. What prophecy? I asked. What were you talking about in the training yard? For a moment, she remained silent. Then her voice slipped into my mind. The prophecy from the old texts. The one about the omega who will unmake the Shadow King. My eyes flew open. Unmake him? Do you mean destroy him? Yes. But also save him. A chill travelled down my spine. How can I

ooked away briefly before speaking again. "Your mother was an omega." My body stiffened. "What do you know about my mother?" "More than you think." His expression changed, and his voice lost some of its usual coldness. "Her name was Elena. She was a remarkable woman." My breath caught. Hearing my mother's name from his lips felt like having a door opened into a past I had never known. "How do you know her?" I demanded. "Because I met her before the war. At a gathering between the packs. I was younger then, and she was already known for her unusual abilities. She was a seer, Luna. One of the most powerful omega seers of her generation." I shook my head. "You're lying. My mother never told me anything about being a seer." "Perhaps she was trying to protect you." "From what?" Kael hesitated. For a moment, he looked almost reluctant to continue. "She told me about a prophecy." My heart began to pound. "What prophecy?" He took a slow breath, his eyes fixed on mine. "She said an omega would be born with silver fur and amber eyes. An omega whose power would awaken when the time was right. She said that omega would become my mate." The room seemed to tilt around me. I remembered the silver wolf I had seen in my reflection after my first shift. I remembered the amber eyes and the strange markings that had briefly glowed beneath my fur. "What else did she say?" I whispered. Kael stepped closer. "She said that omega would either become my salvation or my destruction." I couldn't breathe. My mother had known. She had known about the silver wolf, the prophecy, and the bond that connected me to the most feared Alpha in the region. "That's why you killed her," I whispered, the accusation escaping before I could stop it. "You killed her because she knew too much." Kael flinched as though my words had struck him. "I didn't kill your mother." "Then who did?" His expression darkened. For several seconds, he said nothing. When he finally spoke, his words were quiet and heavy. "Your father." My knees nearly gave way. "Marcus?" "He killed Elena because she threatened to expose a secret he had spent years protecting. The prophecy wasn't the only thing she knew. She knew something about your bloodline, something that could have changed everything." I shook my head, struggling to understand. My father had told me my mother died because she was weak. He had never allowed me to ask questions about her death. Now Kael was telling me that the man who raised me had been responsible for it. "What secret?" I demanded. "What did my mother discover?" Kael looked at me, and for the first time, I saw something that resembled fear in his eyes. "It concerns what you are, Luna." My voice cracked. "Then tell me. What am I?" He lifted his hand, hesitating before gently cupping my cheek. His touch was different this time. There was no command in it, no attempt to control me. Still, I didn't forget who he was or what stood between us. "You're the omega from the prophecy," he murmured. "The