Moon's Beloved

SERIN:

The air was tense, the murmurs of the gathered alphas and betas rippling through the hall like a swarm of irritating insects. I stood just beyond the heavy wooden doors, my hand resting lightly against the cool surface.

My youngest brother, an alpha, named Inseo, had been whispering updates to me through the mind-link. He was just 19, but his built was not much difference than those alpha's that trained a lot. I told him to go to his classes but he refused to leave me alone.

"There are several alphas and betas waiting inside" Inseo informed me. "Two of them are openly ridiculing you. The others are snickering like pups in heat."

I rolled my eyes, suppressing the annoyance rising. Typical.

"And the most powerful one?" I asked, my voice steady.

Inseo hesitated. "He's… unsettling. He hasn't said a word, but the energy he's radiating makes everyone uneasy. It's like he's ready to tear someone apart at any moment."

Unsettling? I straightened my back, curiosity sparking through me. Whoever this silent alpha was, he had my attention.

"Stay alert" I said through the link, cutting off any further commentary.

I pushed open the doors and stepped inside. All conversation ceased instantly.

The room was grand, its high ceiling and intricate carvings meant to intimidate, but to me, it was just another space filled with entitled fools. My gaze swept across the room, landing briefly on the two alphas who had been mocking me. They sneered as I entered, their smugness barely contained.

One of them leaned toward the other, whispering just loud enough for me to hear, "What kind of leader can an omega possibly be? She's probably just a pretty face hiding behind her magic."

The other chuckled. "Pathetic. A disgrace to our kind."

I didn't hesitate. "Oh, please" I said loudly, cutting through the silence. "If you're going to insult me, at least do it with some originality. Reusing the same tired insults makes me think your brains are as underwhelming as your pheromones."

A low, almost inaudible chuckle rippled through the room, not from the snickering crowd but from one individual. My gaze shifted to the far side of the room, where the silent, powerful presence sat. His black hair was slightly tousled, his sharp jawline set like stone, and his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine. There was no smirk, no reaction to my words—just quiet, consuming intensity.

The moment our eyes met, something shifted.

My heart skipped, and my wolf, Persephone stirred. Mate.

A surge of heat rushed through me, and for a moment, I couldn't move. Persephone screamed the word again, her voice echoing in my mind. My vision blurred as my eyes changed,gold streaked with white, the signature of our bond to the Moon Goddess.

He didn't speak. He didn't move. But his eyes told me everything: Calm. Steady.

And I did.

The connection between us was electric, but I forced myself to look away, grounding myself as the two arrogant alphas from before finally took offense.

"You dare insult us?" one of them barked, his face red with fury. "You're nothing but an omega! You should submit to your betters!"

"Submit to your pack" the other growled, his pheromones rolling off him in waves as he tried to assert dominance.

I laughed, genuinely amused. "Is that the best you've got? Intimidation? Pheromones? How utterly predictable." I stepped forward, meeting their glares without flinching. "You may not have noticed, but your pheromones have no effect on me. Perhaps you're just weak. Or maybe…" I smiled coldly, "…you're not real alphas after all."

The room fell silent, the tension thick as the alphas recoiled in shock.

The truth was, I was immune to their pheromones. None of them could touch me, not with their hormones, their intimidation, or their pathetic attempts at dominance. I was only vulnerable to one person.

My mate.

My gaze flickered back to the silent alpha across the room. He was watching me with that same quiet intensity, his body utterly still, but the weight of his presence pressed against my very soul. Something about him seemed like I knew him, my heart recognizes him. But in all this commotion, I couldn't place a finger to it.

KAIRAN:

The hall of the jeon mansion buzzed with tension. Two of my council members, both alphas, whispered cruel jabs about the omega we were about to meet. Every word dripped with contempt, their arrogance thick in the air.

"She's probably all bark and no bite" one said, his tone mocking.

"An omega leading a pack? Laughable. She probably can't even handle a real alpha" the other snickered.

It took every ounce of control not to react, my hands gripping the armrests of my chair so hard the wood creaked under the strain. My wolf, Hades, growled low in my mind, urging me to stand up and teach them their place. But I reined him in. I had learned long ago the value of patience.

And then, the wait ended.

The doors swung open, and she entered.

Luna.

I instantly recognized her as she was not much different then the girl I knew, just more confident.

She was a vision, commanding the room with a confidence that silenced even the most defiant snickers. She wore a sleek black vest over a crisp white shirt, paired with high-waisted trousers that elongated her already graceful figure. Her boots clicked sharply against the marble floor, and her accessories, silver hoops, were simple yet undeniably powerful. Her hair was tied in a neat bun, drawing attention to her sharp features and those piercing brown eyes that seemed to hold the weight of a thousand storms.

Her gaze immediately found the two alphas who had been mocking her, and her lips curled into a smirk.

"Oh, please" she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you're going to insult me, at least do it with some originality. Reusing the same tired insults makes me think your brains are as underwhelming as your pheromones."

A chuckle escaped me before I could stop it. It was typical serin. She knew how to put someone in their place.

She didn't even glance in my direction, but I could feel the way her presence shifted the energy in the room. My amusement faded as our eyes finally met.

Her gaze froze me, and in that instant, something deep inside me stirred. A mix of gold and silver bled into my vision as my wolf, Hades, surged forward, growling one word with unshakable certainty:

Mate.

It was her. It had always been her.

Her eyes changed as well, flashes of gold and white breaking through the brown, and I could feel her wolf screaming the same word in her mind. For a moment, I saw her body tense as her emotions threatened to spiral.

Calm, I willed her with my eyes, pouring every ounce of my energy into steadying her.

And she did.

That small act, the way she trusted me without question, stirred something in me I hadn't felt in years. It was refreshing, even intoxicating, to know I could still have such an effect on her after all this time.

But the moment didn't last long. The two alphas, clearly stung by her earlier remark, stood abruptly, their faces contorted with anger. They started spewing some nonsense again. And I was moments away from killing them as one of them released he pheromones. I was brought back by her rich laugh.

She laughed, a light, mocking sound that echoed through the room like a challenge. "Really? That's all you've got? Pheromones? How underwhelming." She stepped forward, her gaze cutting into them like a blade. "It's almost embarrassing how little of an effect you have. Maybe you're just weak. Or maybe…" She tilted her head, her smirk widening. "…you're not real alphas at all."

Her words were a blow to their pride, and I couldn't help but admire her poise. She hadn't lost that fiery spirit, the one that used to drive me mad and make me laugh all at once.

But I couldn't focus on the alphas' stunned silence for long. My eyes were locked on her, my thoughts consumed by one undeniable truth.

I had found her.

And nothing in this world would take her away from me again.