Goddess truth

The ceremony reached its peak as the Blood Moon hung directly overhead, casting the entire courtyard in a deep, crimson glow. The air hummed with raw, ancient energy, so thick you could almost touch it. Every wolf present fell silent, heads bowed in reverence, as Selene stood at the very center of the altar, her feet planted on the stone where she had been born, where her true power had slept for years.

Amora was fully awake now, radiant and immense. Golden light began to seep from Selene’s skin, wrapping around her like a cloak. It was the pure essence of Mother Sera — healing, potent, and boundless. This was the blessing the Stellar Pack had awaited for generations.

But amidst the awe and silence, soft, broken whimpers began to sound from the front row.

Rica Salvador stood close, leaning heavily on Ace’s arm, her face pale and drawn, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. She looked every bit the fragile, wronged woman — innocent, helpless, and burdened.

“Ace… oh, Ace, it’s so strong,” she whimpered, her voice trembling, loud enough for the High Priestess and everyone nearby to hear. She clutched her stomach, bending over as if in terrible pain. “I feel it… it’s pulling at me. I know I don’t deserve it. I know she hates me because I carry what she couldn’t… but I only wanted our child to be strong. I only wanted to be worthy of you.”

She looked up at Selene with eyes full of feigned desperation, her lip quivering. “Please… Selene… I’m sorry I took your place. I’m sorry I have what you lost. Don’t let this power hurt my baby. I beg you… if you are truly blessed, share just a little bit with us… I am so weak compared to you…”

To everyone watching, she looked like a victim begging for mercy. Only inside her mind did her true self speak, “Shine brighter, little light. Open yourself wide. I am drinking you in, drop by drop. You think this is a blessing? It is a gift to me now.”

Unseen by all, her fingers — hidden in the folds of her dress — glowed with a dark, violet magic. She had positioned herself exactly where the golden stream of power flowed strongest, and with every sob, every plea, she was siphoning it away. Draining Selene’s life force, her energy, her very essence, pulling it toward herself and the child she claimed was heir.

Marco, standing at the edge of the circle, saw the shift instantly. He saw how Selene’s skin turned pale, how the golden light flickered and dimmed, how she swayed unsteadily under the weight of the theft. His eyes turned sharp, and he moved to step forward, to rip Rica away and shield Selene.

“Get away from her! She is draining her!” Marco roared, pushing past the crowd.

But before he could take even two steps, a wall of heavy, crushing pressure slammed into his chest, throwing him back several feet.

Ace stood between them, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes blazing with Alpha authority and protective rage. He had unleashed his full power, an invisible force that commanded submission, that screamed “Mine to protect, none to challenge.”

“Stay back, Alpha Marco!” Ace’s voice boomed, deep and unyielding. He didn’t even look at Selene; his entire focus was on the woman clinging to his side. “Can’t you see she is suffering?! Selene’s power is too wild, too overwhelming for someone as gentle and pure as Rica! She is hurting because of it, and you dare accuse her?!”

He turned his glare toward the altar, his face twisted in disappointment and anger. “Is this what you are now, Selene? Using the Goddess’s gift to torture the woman who replaced you? To hurt the child that should have been yours but wasn’t? You truly are cruel.”

Rica sobbed louder, burying her face in Ace’s chest. “Don’t be angry with her, Ace… she is just hurt… I’ll endure it. I’ll take whatever she gives, just for our son…”

Ace stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head, completely blinded by his own bias. “You are too good for this world. You are the only one who deserves this power. You and my heir.”

The flow intensified. Rica’s skin began to glow faintly with stolen gold, her posture straightening, her pained expression shifting into one of hidden ecstasy. She felt incredible — stronger, faster, healthier than she had ever been. The power was flooding her veins, rewriting her very being. She could already taste the victory: soon, everyone would see her as the blessed one, her child as the chosen heir, and Selene as nothing more than a vessel she had used up and discarded.

It was almost done. The connection was complete. The golden stream was rushing straight into Rica, ready to merge permanently.

But then—

“That is enough.”

A voice rang out, calm, cold, and absolute, cutting through the hum of magic and Rica’s fake cries.

From the steps behind the altar, Luna Jaz stepped forward. She was Selene’s mother, usually soft and kind, but now her eyes were like silver steel. She raised one hand, and suddenly, the air around Rica and Selene snapped.

With a sharp, cracking sound like a whip striking stone, invisible blades of pure lunar energy sliced through the link. The violet magic holding them together was severed instantly, cut cleanly from both ends.

“NO—!” Rica gasped, the cry of shock slipping out before she could mask it.

The moment the connection broke, Selene crumpled.

Her knees gave way, and she collapsed onto the cold stone floor, lying limp, chest rising and falling in shallow, lifeless breaths. Her skin was ashen, her eyes rolled back, the golden light completely vanished from her form. She looked empty, hollow, drained of every drop of strength she had possessed.

“Selene!” Marco shouted, scrambling to get past Ace’s barrier, fighting against the crushing weight of the Alpha’s power.

Ace looked down at Selene’s fallen form, but there was no concern in his eyes — only disdain. He turned back to Rica, who was now standing tall, glowing beautifully, looking radiant and powerful. She felt wonderful. The stolen energy was already coursing through her, making her feel like a goddess herself.

“She couldn’t even handle her own magic,” Ace scoffed, wrapping an arm around Rica’s waist, ready to turn away and leave her there on the ground. “Come, Rica. You are the one who truly absorbed the blessing. You are the one worthy to stand here. Let’s go; this place has nothing left for us.”

Rica smiled, a secret, triumphant smile, leaning into him. “Yes, Ace. It feels so warm… so right… this power was meant for me all along.”

But just as Ace began to lead her away, and the crowd whispered in confusion, Alpha Aris and Luna Jaz threw their heads back and roared — not in grief, but in absolute, thunderous joy.

They rushed to Selene’s side, falling to their knees beside her body, their faces glowing with pure, overwhelming happiness.

“She did it!” Aris shouted, tears streaming down his face, grabbing Selene’s limp hand. “The Goddess has spoken! The blessing was never meant to be taken… it was meant to be planted!”

Luna Jaz grabbed Selene’s other hand, turning her palm upward for everyone to see.

There, glowing brighter than the moon, brighter than any magic before it, was a symbol — a blooming lotus woven within a crescent moon, burning with such brilliance it made everyone shield their eyes. It pulsed rhythmically, matching a heartbeat that was not Selene’s alone.

“Look!” Luna Jaz screamed, her voice echoing over the entire pack. “She is blessed! Not just with power… but with life! Selene carries a child — a child conceived and blessed directly by the Moon Goddess herself!”

Silence. Complete, utter silence.

Even Ace froze in his tracks, turning slowly, his mind struggling to process what he was hearing. Pregnant? Selene? Impossible… the doctors said she was barren…

And then, the energy that Rica thought she had successfully stolen — the energy she had been feeling so wonderful and powerful from — suddenly shifted inside her body.

It didn’t settle. It didn’t stay.

It began to burn.

At first, it was a warm tingle. Then a heat. Then a searing, agonizing fire spreading through her veins, her bones, her very soul. The golden light inside her turned violent and sharp, rejecting her, fighting against her false claim, scorching her from within.

Rica gasped, clutching her chest, her eyes going wide with horror and pain. The beautiful glow turned into a blinding red warning mark all over her skin. It felt like she had swallowed the sun, and it was trying to claw its way back out.

“Ace… it burns… it burns me!” she shrieked, no longer acting, no longer pretending. Real, terrifying pain was tearing her apart.

Ace looked back and forth — from Rica writhing in agony, to Selene lying on the ground with that blinding, holy mark on her hand, to Aris and Jaz celebrating the miracle he never thought possible.

The energy that was supposed to be hers exploded outward in a wave of rejection, knocking Ace back a step, separating him from Rica.

And as the flames grew hotter around Rica, and the light grew brighter around Selene, the truth hung heavy in the air, waiting to be revealed.