When The Moon Hides Her Crown novel Chapter 149

SERAPHINA

My mind spun wildly, conjuring far too many meanings behind his words, each one more alarming than the last. My chest tightened, heart hammering as though it sought escape from my ribs. I was reading too deeply into everything, I knew that, yet I couldn’t stop myself. In a sudden rush of panic, I took a step back.

I did not know why…why even if I wanted to forget Ronan ... .his confession, his anger, his touch, his jealousy, his smile, his lips…. all of that flashed in my mind. My breathing became uneven slightly as I secretly controlled my emotions before looking up to Finn.

“Jealousy is a normal human emotion, Finn,” I forced a smile, trying desperately to smooth the awkward edges of his tone. “It’s okay to be jealous sometimes, especially when it comes to friends.” A laugh bubbled from me, thin and nervous, meant to scatter the heavy tension weighing between us.

His gaze briefly flickered once to my ears, burning hot and no doubt crimson, before returning to my face.

The heat that pooling in my cheeks made things worse. Desperate to escape, I seized on the first distraction I could. “I’m so hungry,” I blurted, letting my eyes dart toward the trees behind him. My words caught in my throat when movement caught my eye. My breath stilled, my eyes widening. “It’s a deer!” I pointed.

Finn spun instantly, sharp as an arrow loosed from a bow. The deer bolted.

“Shit!” we cursed in unison, and then we were running.

“I’ll get it!” Finn barked, and before I could reply, his form rippled, bones snapping into place as he shifted into his massive black wolf and vanished into the trees.

I ached to shift, to let Phina loose, to run free at his side. Only the risk was too great. Too many eyes. Too many secrets. Still, I couldn’t just stand there. My legs carried me in another direction, hoping I could intercept the deer.

But the forest wasn’t what I thought. Paths curved strangely, trees loomed closer, and instead of intercepting prey, I found myself somewhere else entirely. Confusion prickled in me as I explored further without stopping.

The remains of large animals littered the path as I stepped deeper into the untamed stretch of forest. Bleached bones, torn hides, and scattered carcass fragments lay half-buried in the undergrowth, whispering of hunts past.

“Looks like a tiger hunts here often,” Phina remarked from within me, her tone sharp with interest.

“Yeah,” I murmured, scanning the shadows. “That means we’re in the right place to search for prey.”

That was when movement flickered in the distance. My gaze sharpened, and my breath caught.

“A wild buffalo!” Phina’s voice broke into a gleeful growl. I could feel her eagerness clawing at me, the hunger in her bones desperate to break free and run it down.

“Finally…” My lips curled into a grim smile. I locked onto the beast, muscles tensing. Until reality struck hard, charging at a buffalo in my human form, without shifting, would be suicide.

I tore my gaze from the animal and swept the ground with sharp eyes. Bones. Fragments. Splintered remains. Then, exactly what I needed.

A surge of triumph flared through me. Among the mess of old kills lay a broken antler, jagged and sharp like a natural blade. I seized it without hesitation, the rough edge biting into my palm, and sprinted toward the buffalo. My pulse thundered as I raised the weapon, angling it toward the thick column of its neck. The plan was simple: drive it deep, let instinct and momentum finish the job.

Only before I could strike, something moved. It was fast and powerful. A shape burst from the trees opposite me. A shadow with eyes.

My breath hitched. A black wolf!

It was massive, cutting across the clearing with lethal grace, also closing in on the buffalo. For a split second, our gazes collided. My wide eyes locked with its sharp, obsidian stare, unyielding, dangerous. That wolf was hunting the same buffalo.

“No one will move from their place,” my eyes snapped up at the tree near where the voice came. Could the Academy have installed devices in the forest?

“The black wolves you all see,” he continued, his tone calm but grave, “are the Alpha instructors.”

I straightened my back, letting my guard a little down. No wonder they were so incredible.

But I did not recognize their wolves; that meant they were other Alpha instructors not top ones.

At the same time, all of this proved that sending us to hunt was just an excuse. It was a stage for all of this.

“Do you know why they are here?” Alpha Gideon’s voice dipped into something almost casual, which only made it more unnerving. “They came to mark the stage for the task you’ll complete if you want to claim a place in the next trial.”

Phina snarled in my head, “So now we have to pass another task just to reach the trial?!”

My jaw clenched. Surely this wouldn’t be some harmless game like Grace’s. No, this was going to be something far worse.

“Eliminate your competition!” Alpha Gideon thundered.

What?