Chapter One - The Eve of the Full Moon

The wind whispered through the Vale estate, thick with the scent of moonflowers and anticipation. The full moon would rise in hours, and with it, Aria Vale would bind herself - body, blood, and spirit - to Jace Whitlock. It was more than a wedding. It was a merging of legacies. A unification of two ancient houses once torn by bloodshed.

But in the eye of that storm, Aria clung to a gentler truth: love. Or what she believed love should be.

Jace stood by the balcony, shirt half-buttoned, the glow of the moonlight etching golden fire along his jaw. Aria leaned against the doorframe, watching him quietly. He had always looked like he carried war on his shoulders, but tonight, he looked... peaceful.

"Do you ever think about the future?" she asked softly.

He turned, his dark eyes catching hers. "All the time. It used to scare me. Now... I see only you in it."

Aria stepped forward, reaching up to straighten the collar of his shirt. "Even when everything changes?"

"Especially then."

His fingers found hers. He held her hand with a careful strength, the kind she used to mistake for restraint, but now saw as reverence. Jace bent his head, resting his forehead against hers.

"We were born for this night," he murmured. "Under the moon. In front of the packs. They'll see what we are together."

"They'll see more than that," she whispered. "They'll see what peace looks like."

---

The halls of the Vale manor pulsed with activity. Seamstresses floated through corridors, adjusting gowns and garments. Cooks shouted over simmering pots. Enchanted roses bloomed in time with the music playing from the great ballroom. The estate, usually serene, now beat like a living heart.

In the main chamber, Aria stood on a raised platform, surrounded by mirrors and moonlight. Her gown shimmered like starlight - an heirloom laced with silver runes and soft threads of wolf fur from her maternal line.

Her mother, Elara Vale, circled her slowly.

"Chin higher. Shoulders back. You're not just marrying into the Whitlocks, Aria - you're defining history."

"I'm marrying Jace, not writing a treaty."

Elara's gaze was sharp. "Same difference."

A seamstress gently adjusted the hem while Aria exhaled. "It's all so much."

"You were raised for 'so much.'" Her mother stepped closer, brushing a curl from her daughter's face. "You'll be the first Vale woman in decades to stand beside a rival Alpha. Don't let them see a girl trembling. Let them see the wolf."

---

Later that evening, Aria found her father in the observatory. Garrick Vale stood with his hands behind his back, staring out the wide glass panels at the valley bathed in moonlight. He didn't turn when she entered.

"You're ready?" he asked.

"Mostly," she said, stepping beside him. "You've been quiet."

"I've been remembering your first shift. You cried because the stars looked different as a wolf."

She smiled faintly. "They did."

Garrick turned to her now, eyes somber. "You've grown strong. Smarter than I ever hoped. But this - this bond with Jace..."

"He loves me," she said gently.

"He loves power more."

"Father - "

"I know his kind. He looks at you like you're a crown." Garrick stepped forward, voice low. "If I'm wrong, then I'll bow before him and admit it. But Aria, promise me you'll be ready if I'm not."

Her throat tightened. "I trust him. I trust my heart."

Her father studied her, then placed a hand over her heart. "Then may the Moon guard it fiercely."

---

Far from the Vale estate, deep in the Northern Pines, Axel Nightmoor sat in his study. Books lined the walls like sentries, and a single silver candle burned at his desk. The billionaire Alpha wasn't one for celebrations or alliances. He preferred quiet calculations, movement in shadows.

The butler entered with a black velvet envelope embossed in gold.

"From the Vale household, sir."

Axel didn't look up right away. When he did, his eyes scanned the invitation slowly.

Aria Vale & Jace Whitlock, under the full moon.

He exhaled through his nose. "So it's true."

He tossed the envelope onto the desk and leaned back, gaze distant.

"Will you be attending, sir?"

Axel stared out his window, his voice cool. "No."

The butler nodded but hesitated.

"Something else?" Axel asked.

"I... thought perhaps you'd want to go. You spoke of the girl once."

Axel's jaw flexed. "She stood before a council of patriarchs and didn't flinch when they barked. She's steel wrapped in silk. A Vale in name, but something more."

He stood, walking to the window. Snow began to fall, soft and soundless.

"She doesn't need me watching her. Not yet."

But he didn't order the invitation burned.

---

Back at the estate, the moon crept higher.

In the gardens, cousins whispered gossip about the seating arrangements, while Elders from other packs murmured their doubts. Tension moved like smoke - unspoken but thick.

Inside, Aria changed into her evening robes. The ceremony would begin at midnight.

Jace found her alone by the fountain in the east courtyard. His smile was softer now, tinged with something unreadable.

"We're almost there," he said.

She looked up at him, voice quiet. "Do you ever wonder if we're ready?"

He knelt beside her. "I don't wonder. I know."

She reached for his hand. He squeezed it gently.

"You're everything, Aria," Jace said. "Everything I've fought for."

The wind stirred, carrying a howl far in the distance.

Somewhere, a wolf mourned.

And the night thickened with something that wasn't joy. Not quite.

But Aria, in that moment, still believed.

Still hoped.

Still loved.