Another batch out of the oven, Andreia thought as she pulled the muffins free, setting the tray on the counter to cool. She owned a small, modest bakery in a town far from everything she'd ever known, everything she'd ever lived through. Anonymous. Silent.

Over the years, Andreia had learned that silence could be a form of survival. Far from the packs, far from the name she carried in her blood, she'd built a simple life in a small house surrounded by trees and the constant smell of damp earth.

Here, no one called her the Alpha's daughter, or the rejected Luna, or her father's shame. She was just Andreia — mother, woman, a wolf in hiding.

Her father had been one of the most powerful Alphas to ever live, respected and feared. But power demands a steep price, and Andreia had paid hers the moment she discovered that, for him, tradition mattered more than love.

The past had become a wound too raw to heal. So she left. Pregnant in secret, wounded, and determined never to bow to anyone again.

Kim was the reason for everything. At four years old, freshly turned, the girl was a tiny hurricane of dark curls, curious eyes, and easy laughter. Until now, Andreia had believed she had time.

Time to explain who they were. Time to teach control. Time to protect her daughter from the world that had rejected them. But fate, as always, had other plans.

"Kim, honey, don't run inside the house!" Andreia called from the kitchen, stirring a pot on the stove.

The answer came as a burst of giggles, followed by a thump far too strange to be just a fall.

Andreia dropped everything and rushed to the living room. A quiet child meant trouble — but nothing could have prepared her for what she found. Again.

In the middle of the rug, where her daughter had been standing seconds ago, there was now a small light-grey wolf pup with ears too big for its head and a tail wagging out of control.

The eyes were the same as Kim's — wide, bright, full of surprise — except they glowed a vivid red, like her father's.

"Moon protect me," Andreia murmured, pressing her hand to her mouth.

The pup tried to stand, slipped on its own paws, and flopped onto its belly with a small, irritated yelp. Then it sneezed.

A sneeze so tiny and adorable that Andreia had to fight the urge to laugh and panic at the same time.

"Kim?" she called softly. "Sweetheart, how did you turn into a little wolf again?"

The pup tilted its head as if it understood and tried to respond. What came out was a thin, off-key howl that sounded more like a broken whistle.

"Oh, heavens..." Andreia knelt in front of her. "I knew this day would come, but not today. Not for another ten years."

Kim — or whatever she was at that moment — tried to run to her mother, but the tiny paws still wouldn't cooperate.

She tripped, rolled, and bumped gently into the base of the couch. Annoyed, she nipped at the furniture and immediately grimaced, shaking her head as if regretting the decision. Andreia couldn't help but laugh.

"That's not a toy, young lady."

Slowly, the laughter gave way to worry. Kim was awakening far too early. Much too early. New wolves didn't usually shift until adolescence, and even then, only with training. This wasn't normal. This was too powerful for a girl so small.

"Breathe, Andreia," she whispered to herself. "You can do this."

She extended her hand slowly, letting the pup catch her scent. Kim padded closer, sniffed her mother's fingers, and — satisfied — lay down on her foot as if it were the safest place in the world.

A gentle warmth spread through the little wolf's body. Within seconds, the form began to dissolve — bones and fur retracting until a small, naked girl sat on the floor again, hair a mess, face bewildered.

"Mommy..." Kim said, looking around. "Did I turn into the puppy again?"

Andreia pulled her into a tight hug, feeling her daughter's heart pound hard against her own.

"You did, sweetheart," she answered, fighting to keep her voice steady. "But it's okay. Mommy's here."

"I didn't mean to," Kim said, a little frustrated. "My tummy got all tingly... and then poof."

Andreia closed her eyes for a moment. There was no denying it anymore. Her daughter wasn't just a wolf. There was something different in her — something ancient, something that could draw far too much attention. And in the world of the packs, attention was dangerous.

As she rocked Kim in her arms, Andreia felt a chill run down her spine, as though the moon were watching them even in broad daylight.

The past she'd buried was starting to knock at the door, and this time, there would be no running from it.

Andreia bathed her daughter, dressed her, and finished packing up the day's orders. Then they headed to Luna's Bakery.

It was a small, cozy place that had been keeping them afloat. Kim played on the floor while her mother worked.

After six o'clock, Andreia locked the doors, closed out the register, and wiped everything down. When she'd gathered their things, she scooped Kim into her arms and stepped out into the evening.

As they walked home, Andreia felt the wind shift — blowing differently than before. She still had many of her old abilities, and right now every instinct told her something was wrong. An unfamiliar presence.

She turned the corner and froze. Two silhouettes blocked the path — two large men whose yellow eyes gleamed in the dusk. She tried to double back and take another route, but found herself face to face with a ghost from her past.

"Miss me, princess?" Maximo asked, a mocking grin spreading across his face.

FIVE YEARS AGO...

The music still echoed whenever the memory returned. It always returned.

The main pack's great hall had never been so brilliantly lit. Lanterns hung from the surrounding trees, and the full moon blazed high overhead, blessing the night that was supposed to change Andreia's life forever.

She remembered every detail — the simple but elegant dress in blue-grey, chosen to honor the moon. Her racing heart, her hands trembling slightly as she waited. She'd been waiting for the moon's blessing, for the union, for everything she'd been promised.

This was the night. The night Maximo, son of the Alpha King, would formally present her as his future Luna. They'd been together for years.

A love built in secret at first, then accepted — celebrated between whispered promises in the small hours before dawn.

Maximo always told her their destiny was inevitable, that the moon had chosen them. Andreia believed him. Against her fear, against her father's warnings, against everything. She believed him.

"He's going to be a little late," said one of the older she-wolves with a smile. "That's normal, dear. Alphas love making dramatic entrances."

Andreia smiled back, nervous, trying to shake off the strange tightness in her chest. Her eyes kept searching for Maximo among the guests. With every passing second, the anticipation grew — and with it, a creeping unease that felt almost like a premonition.

Then the murmuring began. First whispers, then awkward silences. Finally, every pair of eyes turned to the hall's entrance.

Andreia felt her heart stop.

Maximo walked in with firm steps, his posture impeccable, his expression serious as always. But he wasn't alone. His arm was wrapped around the waist of another woman — tall, fair-haired, wearing a smile far too confident for someone who didn't belong.

The world seemed to lose its sound. Andreia's legs buckled as comprehension refused to take shape.

It didn't make sense. It couldn't. They'd planned this night together. He'd promised. He'd sworn before the moon.

"Maximo...?" she whispered, but her voice was swallowed by the void.

The Alpha King rose from his ceremonial throne, surveying the scene with calculated attention. A satisfied smile settled on his lips.

"Attention!" he announced, his voice echoing across the hall. "Tonight, we celebrate an important union for the future of our pack."

Andreia's stomach turned. He wasn't talking about her. Maximo guided the woman a few steps forward, releasing her only when everyone could see her clearly.

"I present to you Helena," Maximo said, his voice steady. "My moon-chosen companion... and the future Luna of this pack."

The shock was physical. Andreia felt the air leave her lungs as if something had crushed her chest. Voices erupted in murmurs around her — some surprised, some curious, some cruel and satisfied.

She searched Maximo's face, desperate for an explanation, for any sign this was a mistake. When their eyes finally met, she knew.

There was no regret there. Only coldness — and something that looked very much like poorly concealed guilt.

"What...?" She managed to step forward. "Maximo, this isn't funny. Stop this. Now."

A heavy silence fell. Helena observed her with mild curiosity, the way one might appraise something that no longer mattered.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Maximo said at last. "But it was a necessary decision."

"Necessary?" Andreia laughed — a broken, almost hysterical sound. "You promised me! You told me I was your mate!"

The Alpha King descended the steps slowly, his presence bearing down on the room.

"Promises made without approval hold no value," he declared. "Andreia, you are not suited to be Luna of this pack."

Each word cut like a blade.

"Father..." she began, but her voice cracked. "You know me. You know who I am."

"Precisely," he answered, without emotion. "And because I know who you are, I know your place is not beside my son."

Maximo turned away.

That was the final blow.

"So that's it?" Andreia whispered, feeling tears burn her eyes. "Years... everything we lived through... none of it meant anything?"

Maximo took a slow breath.

"It meant something," he said. "But it wasn't enough."

Something inside her shattered in that instant — not just her heart, but her faith, her trust, the love she'd believed would last forever.

Without another word, Andreia removed the necklace Maximo had given her — the symbol of their promise — and let it drop to the floor at his feet.

"Let the moon judge you," she said, her voice steady despite the pain. "Because I won't anymore."

She turned her back on them all — the watching eyes, the whispers, the judgments. Every step out of that hall was a farewell: to the pack, to love, to the future that had been stolen from her. She called silently on her mother for the strength to keep going.

That night, Andreia stopped being merely the daughter of a powerful Alpha. She became the rejected wolf.

And Maximo, without knowing it, had just lost far more than a Luna. He'd lost the future she carried in her womb.

The days that followed the rejection were grey, even under the sun. Andreia left the pack before dawn, carrying only the essentials and a heart too shattered to look back.

She settled in an old cabin near the territory's edge — a hideout she'd used before when things got hard. Remote, forgotten by even the most attentive wolves. A place no one thought to check.

There, she tried to piece herself back together, telling herself the pain would fade with time. It didn't.

On the third night, while gathering firewood, the familiar prickle crept up her neck. Instinct screamed before her eyes caught up. Andreia spun, already in a defensive stance.

"You shouldn't be here," she said, her voice firm despite a heart threatening to burst through her ribs.

Maximo stood a few meters away, leaning against a tree as if the encounter were casual. He wore simple clothes, no pack insignia, but his presence still carried the weight of a future Alpha King.

"I needed to see you," he said. "You left without giving me a chance to explain."

Andreia let out a dry laugh.

"Explain what?" she fired back. "That you humiliated me in front of the entire pack? That you threw me away like I was nothing?"

Maximo stepped forward.

"It wasn't like that."

"It was exactly like that," she cut in. "And if you came here to ease your conscience, you wasted your time."

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair — a gesture Andreia knew all too well. It only made her angrier.

"I still want you," he said finally. "What we had isn't over."

Andreia's stomach turned.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Not as Luna," he added quickly. "But as mine. In secret. Nothing has to change between us." He held out the necklace she'd thrown at his feet, hope flickering in his expression as if she might take it back.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

"You're asking me to be your shadow," she said slowly. "Your hidden shame."

"That's not what this is," he insisted. "It's just... complicated. Helena —"

"Don't say her name." Her eyes flashed with fury. "I don't want to hear anything about the two of you."

Maximo hesitated but pressed on.

"Helena isn't just a political match. She's the Daughter of the Moon — the she-wolf from the prophecy."

The words hung in the air like distant thunder.

"What?" Andreia frowned.

"There's a prophecy that's been passed down for generations," he explained. "A she-wolf destined to bring balance, power... someone who'll strengthen the pack and secure our dominance. She told my father that if I married her, I'd become the most powerful Alpha King who ever lived."

Something stirred deep inside Andreia — an ancient, forgotten sensation pulsing beneath her skin. She ignored it.

"So you traded me for a prophecy?" she asked, incredulous.

"I did what needed to be done," he answered. "But that doesn't erase what I feel for you."

He moved closer, close enough for Andreia to catch the familiar scent that had once calmed her. Now it only made her sick.

"Listen carefully," she said, lifting her chin. "You made your choice. And I made mine the moment I walked out."

"Andreia —"

"Don't ever come back here." Her voice came out firm, definitive, charged with something Maximo didn't recognize at first: authority. "If you still feel anything for me," she continued, "leave me in peace."

For a moment, he seemed to understand. He nodded and took a step back.

"I'll respect that," he said. "For now."

Those last two words made her shudder. In the days that followed, Andreia tried to convince herself the encounter was the end.

But the forest began to change. Footsteps that ceased whenever she turned around. Maximo's scent on the wind, always present. At night, distant howls — too long and deliberate to be mere territorial warnings. He was watching.

On the eighth night, Andreia found claw marks on the cabin door. Not aggressive, but unmistakable — too deliberate to be an innocent gesture.

"This isn't protection," she whispered to herself. "This is stalking."

Maximo appeared again two days later, at the edge of the stream where she bathed. He didn't approach this time. He just watched — like a patient predator.

"You're putting yourself in danger," he said. "Out here alone."

"The danger is you."

"My father is getting suspicious," he continued, ignoring her. "Helena senses something strange in this area. If they find out you're here..."

"I haven't done anything wrong. You're the problem — so leave," she said. "And take your prophecy with you."

"I can't. I dream about our promises, our moments together," he replied with a cruel sincerity. "And you won't be able to hide much longer either."

That night, Andreia understood. It didn't matter what she said. It didn't matter what she felt. As long as she stayed, she would be hunted — not out of hatred, but out of desire, control, and secrets she didn't yet fully comprehend.

She began packing before dawn. She buried what she couldn't carry, erased her tracks, masked her scent. Before leaving, she looked at the cabin one last time. She was leaving behind the wolf who had believed in promises.

"I won't be anyone's prize," she murmured.

As she crossed the invisible line that marked the end of that territory, Andreia felt something different stir in her womb.

A gentle warmth, protective. A new instinct — maternal. She didn't know it yet, but she was already carrying inside her the true heir of the moon.

And while Maximo believed he was pursuing an ordinary she-wolf, Andreia was running to save something far greater than herself.

The Daughter of the Moon would not be found. And someone even greater was about to be born.