Chapter 5 Unexpected Allies

Luna's POV

Two hours passed in tense silence. Every car that drove by made me jump. Every creak of the house settling had me checking the locks on the doors.

I was spiraling, and I knew it. But paranoia felt safer than the naive trust that had gotten me into this mess.

My phone buzzed with another text from Celeste: "Luna, please. I know you hate me right now, but there are things you need to know. Things about our family that go deeper than the bonding potion."

I almost deleted it like the others. Almost.

But something about the word "family" made me pause. Our parents had been healers, respected in our birth pack. Our grandmother had been... what had she been? The memories were fuzzy, like trying to recall a dream.

Before I could second-guess myself, I typed back: "What things?"

Her response came immediately: "Not over text. Can I come over? I'm already in your driveway."

My heart jumped. I ran to the window and sure enough, there was Celeste's silver sedan parked behind my car. She was sitting inside, phone pressed to her ear.

Every instinct screamed at me not to let her in. But I needed answers, and she was the only person who seemed willing to give them.

I opened the front door but didn't invite her in. "Talk."

Celeste got out of her car slowly, like she was approaching a wild animal. Maybe she was. I certainly felt feral enough.

"Can we sit down? This is going to take a while."

"You can sit on the porch steps. I'll stand."

She nodded, settling herself on the bottom step while I remained in the doorway, ready to slam the door and run if needed.

"Where do I even start?" she muttered, running her hands through her hair. "Luna, do you remember Grandmother Moira?"

I frowned. "Barely. She died when I was seven. She used to tell us stories about the old magic."

"They weren't stories."

A chill ran down my spine. "What?"

"Grandmother Moira was a Moon Priestess. One of the last ones." Celeste looked up at me with eyes that were eerily similar to mine. "The bonding potion wasn't just some random spell, Luna. It was specifically designed to suppress your inheritance."

"My inheritance?" The word came out as a whisper.

"You're not just a healer. You never were just a healer." She took a shaky breath. "You're Moon-blessed, Luna. You have the potential to be more powerful than any Alpha."

I stared at her, processing the words that seemed impossible. "That's ridiculous. If I was some special Moon Priestess, don't you think I would have noticed?"

"Not if someone was actively suppressing it." She stood up slowly. "The bonding potion wasn't just to create an artificial mate bond with Marcus. It was designed to keep your true nature dormant."

My mind flashed to the broken glass, the Alpha commands that had worked on Marcus, the way wolves had howled in response to my power.

"Why?" My voice was barely audible. "Why would our own mother suppress my abilities?"

"Because she was terrified." Celeste's eyes filled with tears. "Luna, the last Moon Priestess was executed fifty years ago. The Alpha Council declared them too dangerous, too powerful to exist. They hunted them all down."

"But Grandmother-"

"Went into hiding. Changed her name, suppressed her powers, lived as a simple healer." Celeste wiped her eyes. "When you were born and started showing signs, Mother panicked. She thought the bonding potion would keep you safe, keep you human enough to survive."

I sank against the doorframe, overwhelmed. "Signs? What signs?"

"You made flowers bloom in winter when you were three. You could heal injuries just by touching them. Animals followed you around like you were Snow White." A sad smile crossed her face. "And your eyes used to glow silver in the moonlight."

"Used to?"

"Until the bonding ceremony. After that night, you were... dimmer. More normal. Mother said it worked better than she'd hoped."

I thought about all the times I'd felt like I was only half myself, like something was missing. All the times I'd felt disconnected from my own wolf, from my own instincts.

"So Marcus knew?" Rage was building in my chest again. "He knew what I was and helped suppress it?"

"No." Celeste shook her head quickly. "Marcus has no idea. Neither does his family. They just saw a politically convenient match-a skilled healer who wouldn't threaten their power structure."

"Then who else knows?"

"Mother. Me. And..." She hesitated.

"And?"

"Dr. Chen. She was Grandmother's protégé before she left our pack. She's the one who helped Mother create the suppression potion."

My blood turned to ice. Dr. Chen, the woman I'd just called for help, the woman who was driving here right now.

"Luna, what's wrong? You look-"

"I called her." My voice was hollow. "I told her everything. She's on her way here."

Celeste went white. "Oh no. Luna, we have to go. We have to leave right now."

"Why? If she helped Mother, maybe she can help undo it-"

"Because Dr. Chen isn't coming to help you!" Celeste grabbed my arm. "She's coming to make sure the suppression holds. Or worse."

"Worse?"

"Luna, if your powers are breaking through the suppression on their own, if you're already showing Alpha abilities..." She swallowed hard. "The Alpha Council has a standing order. Any Moon Priestess who surfaces is to be eliminated immediately."

"Eliminated?"

"Killed, Luna. They'll kill you before they let another Moon Priestess rise to power."

As if summoned by her words, I heard the sound of a car engine in the distance, getting closer.

Dr. Chen was almost here.

And I was starting to understand that everyone I'd ever trusted had been lying to me.

The question was: was my own sister lying to me now, too?

"We have to go," Celeste urged, pulling on my arm. "Right now, Luna. Grab whatever you can carry and let's go."

I looked at my house, my life, everything I'd built over the past three years.

Then I looked at my sister, who might be my savior or my executioner.

The car engine was getting louder.

I had about thirty seconds to decide who to trust with my life.

And I was beginning to suspect that the wrong choice would be my last.