CHAPTER 51: THE SECOND MOON CEREMONY IS APPROACHING.

Meanwhile, back at the Ashford Mansion, Mirabel sat quietly beside her maid...no, more like a sister whom she had grown up with since childhood. Both women wore rejuvenating face masks on their faces while their legs were dipped into large porcelain bowls filled with warm, perfumed water. A blend of floral-scented soaps and oils had been mixed in, creating a fragrant, relaxing aroma. All of this was part of their beauty ritual meant to soften the legs and soothe the nerves.

"That fool actually escaped the grasp of Alpha Auren," Mirabel hissed, her voice low but venomous, as hatred clouded her tone. Her agitation caused the edges of her face mask to peel away. She ripped it off altogether in frustration, crumpling the sheet in her fist. "She used me as a scapegoat. That little bitch made a complete fool out of me."

"Calm down, my lady," Ariana, the maid replied gently, her tone soft yet steady. "I set all of this up precisely so you could feel at ease. The perfumes in this room are laced with herbs known to relax the nerves." She reached up and slowly removed her own face mask, folding it neatly and placing it aside. Her expression remained composed, even as her eyes flickered with concern.

"You don’t understand what that idiot did to me, Ariana," Mirabel snapped, her breathing shallow with rage. "Alpha Auren is brutal in bed. Extremely brutal especially when he’s taken that godforsaken stimulant he uses to heighten his urges. He may appear to be the calm and responsible type in public, but behind closed doors, I’m the one he’s been fucking all this time. Not regularly, mind you, because I know just how intense....how dangerous he can be when he’s under the influence of that drug."

She inhaled sharply, her shoulders trembling as she added through clenched teeth."But that useless Victoria I had set up for him slipped away and left me to bear the consequences of his lust."

"I understand you, my lady," Ariana said with a nod, her voice calm yet laced with hidden contempt. "Who would’ve guessed she had a pepper spray and an electric shock device hidden under her dress? And who in would have predicted that Alpha Auren would fall for her trap so easily? But still, all of this is only working to our advantage. Alpha Auren despises her now. All he thinks about is how to bring her down."

Ariana paused, then added with a calculating smile, "As for Alpha Zephyr, you’ll need to work on turning him against her too. The same goes for Alpha Darius. Once the three Alphas all hate her... her days at this academy will be numbered. No one will dare protect her. Even the Ashford brothers won’t be able to save her then unless they want to be punished alongside her."

"You’re right," Mirabel murmured, her lips curling into a cruel grin. "The other students are only watching from the sidelines right now. They’ve done nothing because the Alphas haven’t made their moves yet. But once they do... the rest will follow like sheep. And Victoria? She’ll be torn apart."

"Well," Ariana continued with a smug tilt of her head, "did you hear about the incident with the academy’s notice board?"

"Oh, you mean the sexual misconduct board?" Mirabel chuckled dryly, leaning back in her chair despite the wince that followed. "I heard about it. I wanted to see it with my own eyes, but I couldn’t walk properly. My pink enclave is sore... I’ve barely been able to stand since that night."

Ariana swallowed hard. "Alpha Auren must have really lost control."

"You have no idea," Mirabel muttered, her face tightening. "But I also heard that more announcements will be posted soon. And this time, Victoria might not be able to talk her way out of it. She’ll be held responsible and when that happens, there’s a good chance she’ll be expelled once the school authorities find out."

Ariana’s brows lifted in interest. "Are you the one behind the board postings?"

"Of course not," Mirabel replied with a slight scoff, tossing her damp hair over her shoulder. "But someone clearly is. Victoria’s managed to gather a growing list of enemies, and it’s becoming harder to trace who’s doing what. All the better for us. With so many hands at play, the chaos surrounding her will only grow."

Ariana nodded thoughtfully. "Then we shouldn’t waste energy trying to identify the culprit. Once our plan is in motion, she’ll regret ever stepping foot into this mansion let alone daring to get close to the Alphas."

Mirabel’s expression darkened, her voice dipping low as a sinister smile touched her lips. "Once the virus spreads fully... once she’s expelled and disgraced, Mother and I will begin draining her blood to make the pills. She may have come back in this second life, but she won’t last. She died in her first life, and now, she’ll die again."

Her eyes glittered with cruel satisfaction.

"Pathetic," she added coldly. "She never should’ve been reborn."

"Anyway," Ariana began, adjusting the collar of her robe as she looked toward the open window, "the second moon ceremony is approaching. You know....the one that’s held for every werewolf who has just turned eighteen, and also for those who are already above that age."

She turned her gaze back to Mirabel, her expression now marked by a seriousness that immediately drew Mirabel’s attention.

"Just like Victoria," Ariana continued, "you haven’t been bonded to your mate either. Neither have the Alpha heirs... or even your brothers. A bond with one’s destined mate can solidify one’s future as either an Alpha or a Luna. It’s a sacred sign."

Mirabel, who had been idly swirling her foot in the bowl of fragrant water, paused and looked up. Ariana’s tone had shifted completely....it was now low, intense, and almost reverent. That alone made her pay closer attention.

"You’ve already awakened your wolf, but she hasn’t." Ariana continued. "She’s nineteen now, while you’re twenty. The Alpha heirs...Darius, Auren, and Zephyr are twenty-one. I personally believe that even if a wolf isn’t awakened or a mate isn’t found during the first moon ceremony, both of those things can still happen during the second. That’s usually the turning point. But if someone still fails to awaken their wolf during the second gala... it means they were never a werewolf to begin with."

Her voice dropped, growing colder.

"And if no mate bond is sensed during the second gala," she added grimly, "it means their mate is either not within their vicinity... or worse, they don’t have one at all."

Mirabel’s face paled. Her fingers tensed on the armrest as an anxious frown settled between her brows.

"That’s what scares me, Ariana," she admitted, her voice unsteady now. "It’s been three years since I awakened my wolf. And it’s been four years since Darius, Auren, and Zephyr awakened theirs. But during the first moon ceremony this year... nothing happened. We didn’t bond. I couldn’t feel any connection....no mate pull. It was like none of them were destined for me."

Her breath hitched slightly as she pulled her legs out of the now-cooling water. Drops slid down her calves as she stood and began pacing the length of the luxurious room, each step making her frustration more visible.

"I don’t want to believe that nonsense," she continued bitterly. "Not after everything I’ve done. I gave my heart... my body... to all three of them. Any one of them could become the future Alpha or maybe even all three together. That kind of alliance would be monumental for my family. It would cement our power. I can’t accept the idea that I might not be their fated Luna."

She turned sharply, facing Ariana with pain etched deeply into her features.

"So many other werewolves at the academy and in neighboring regions found their mates. They bonded during the first moon ceremony. But me? Nothing. Now the second moon ceremony is approaching fast... and I’m terrified, Ariana. What if nothing happens again? What if the heirs truly aren’t my mates?"

Her voice broke slightly.

"What if my mate isn’t even in this pack? Could it be someone from another territory? Would I become a laughingstock if the bond still doesn’t form?"

Ariana stood slowly, walking toward her with calm, calculated grace. She reached for Mirabel’s hands and held them gently but firmly, locking eyes with her.

"That’s impossible, my lady," she said with unwavering confidence. "The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. I believe she deliberately delayed your bonding. Perhaps she’s testing your patience or perhaps she’s orchestrating events behind the scenes. It’s either you’re destined to one of them... or all three."

Her eyes narrowed.

"No one else can stand beside the Alpha heirs as Luna but you. And don’t forget...Victoria wasn’t even supposed to be here. In your past life, she never attended the academy. But in this life, for some reason, she did. There’s meaning behind that."