Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Elara:

My hand moved unconsciously toward my hair.

It was currently braided over one shoulder, but the silver strands were impossible to miss. They stood out sharply against the otherwise black length of my hair, catching even the faint light coming through the classroom windows. I had always considered them an unusual feature. I had never imagined they could be connected to an ancient prophecy.

Then there were my eyes - molten silver.

I stared down at my hands, and for several seconds, I didn’t know what to say.

The story sounded too magical to be real. A goddess had cursed an entire race, a prophecy had predicted the birth of a child centuries later, and that child was supposedly destined to return the wolves to Starfall. It sounded like the plot of a fantasy novel, not something that could possibly determine the course of an entire civilization.

But then again, my life had already become more absurd than any fantasy novel.

I had watched people manipulate elements with their hands. I had met a cat who could speak. I had been told I was a princess of a kingdom I didn’t know existed. I’d discovered that my biological mother had placed a magical seal inside my body before she died. I had watched objects fly around me without understanding why.

Nothing about this world was simply a myth anymore. So even if I wanted to dismiss the Moon Child prophecy as an ancient story, I couldn’t.

Not anymore.

”If I’m the Moon Child...” I finally asked, slowly looking up at Professor Fenrith, ”how exactly am I supposed to bring the wolves back?”

He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. ”That’s the problem.”

I waited.

”No one knows.”

My eyebrows drew together. ”You are telling me everyone has spent centuries waiting for the Moon Child to return, but nobody knows what she’s actually supposed to do?”

”The prophecy never explained the method.” He leaned back in his chair. ”It only promised that the wolves would return through her. Perhaps there is a ritual. Perhaps there is a spell. Perhaps it requires the awakening of a particular power. Or perhaps the answer will reveal itself only when you are ready.”

I sighed softly before muttering, ”That’s incredibly vague.”

”Prophecies usually are.” He stated.

”Convenient.”

His lips twitched slightly.

I couldn’t help asking another question. ”But why does it matter so much?”

Professor Fenrith’s expression became serious. ”Because the people of Starfall aren’t simply humans who happen to possess magic. They are descendants of the werewolves who once lived here. Their wolves were part of their identity. Their connection to the Moon Goddess. Their heritage. Their souls.” He paused. ”Losing their wolves meant losing a part of themselves and losing their identity.”

I looked toward the window. ”But they still have magic. So why isn’t that enough?”

”It isn’t comparable.” His answer was immediate. ”Someone can become extraordinarily powerful through elemental magic or magical efficiencies, but none of that replaces having a wolf. For centuries, Starfall’s people have lived with that absence. They inherited the blood of werewolves without possessing the very thing that made their ancestors werewolves.”

I remained silent.

It was strange. I had initially thought everyone here was simply obsessed with the Moon Child because of some ancient religious belief. Now I understood that there was something much deeper behind it. They weren’t waiting for a princess. They were waiting for their lost identity.

I was about to ask another question when something suddenly clicked in my mind.

A memory.

Reign standing in front of me in that dark hallway during our first encounter.

You are standing in front of the only werewolf to exist in centuries.

My eyes widened.

”Professor...”

Fenrith looked at me.

”Reign Valemont.”

His expression didn’t change at the mention of Reign’s name. But he seemed to already know what I was about to ask.

”Does he...” I hesitated. ”...actually have a wolf?”

Professor Fenrith nodded. ”Yes.”

I stared at him. For a moment, I honestly wondered if I’d heard him correctly. ”You are serious?”

”Completely.”

”But how?” My voice rose despite myself. ”You just said wolves disappeared centuries ago. You told me the last werewolf died hundreds of years ago.”

”And yet Reign was born with one.” He confirmed.

I couldn’t stop staring. ”How?”

”No documented explanation exists.” Professor Fenrith folded his hands on the desk. ”Mr. Valemont’s birth is considered one of the greatest supernatural anomalies in modern Starfall history. His parents had no wolf. Neither did their parents. There was no known bloodline that should have produced one.”

”So he just...”

”Appeared with it.” He confirmed.

I blinked.

”People simply call it a miracle,” Professor Fenrith continued. ”Some believe the Moon Goddess restored a single wolf as a sign of her eventual forgiveness. Others believe Reign’s birth is connected to the Moon Child prophecy. There are countless theories.”

I slowly leaned back in my chair. ”And that’s why he’s so important.”

”One of the reasons.” Professor Fenrith’s expression became almost thoughtful. ”Mr. Valemont isn’t simply the strongest Alpha born in centuries. He’s the first known person in generations to possess a true wolf. His elemental power is extraordinary. His beast dominion is extraordinary. His physical strength is extraordinary. He comes from the most powerful family in Starfall.”

He paused before adding, ”And if he has children, there’s a significant possibility that they may inherit his wolf.”

My mind immediately connected the pieces. Everything suddenly made sense.

His arrogance. His confidence. The way people looked at him. The way he carried himself like the entire world belonged beneath his feet. Before I had returned, Reign Valemont had apparently stood alone at the pinnacle of Starfall’s supernatural hierarchy. He’s the strongest Alpha in centuries. The only werewolf. A living miracle. The future Regent. The prodigy everyone admired.

And then I appeared.

The lost Crown Princess. The Moon Child. The girl supposedly destined to restore the wolves. The one person whose existence could potentially make his greatest miracle no longer unique.

I almost laughed.

So that was it.

Maybe that was why Reign looked at me like I was a thorn lodged beneath his skin. Maybe my arrival hadn’t simply introduced another heir into his world. It had stolen something from him. His uniqueness. His glory. His position as the only living miracle of Starfall.

Before I came back, he had the realm’s attention all to himself. Now there were two of us.

The strongest werewolf in centuries... and the Moon Child.

I let out a soft sigh. Honestly, he could keep the glory. He could have every admirer, every title, every person who wanted to worship him for being special. Because I didn’t want any of it.

I had never asked to be the Moon Child. I had never asked to be a princess. I had never asked for this world, this academy, this prophecy, or the expectations being placed on my shoulders.

But something told me Reign wouldn’t care about any of that. He wouldn’t believe me if I told him I had no interest in taking his place. And perhaps that was the most frustrating part.

I didn’t want his throne. I didn’t want his fame. I didn’t want his position. I just wanted to become strong enough to protect myself.

And eventually, strong enough to make the people who destroyed my family pay.

If that happened to make me stand beside Reign Valemont at the pinnacle of Starfall... well, that wasn’t my problem.

It was his.