Episode 7

The cool water of the resort pool was a welcome shock against Luna’s skin. She’d been melting under the afternoon sun, the weight of her impending coronation and the constant demands of her music career pressing down on her. As she floated, a gentle current pulling her along, she noticed the boys from the Sunrise group, and then the Starlight group, beginning to drift towards her. Max, ever the charmer, was the first to reach her side.

“Enjoying the water, Princess Luna?” he asked, a playful grin on his face. Dylan and Ben were right behind him, their eyes also fixed on her.

Luna offered a small smile, but a prickle of unease began to crawl up her spine. Her wolf, Lyra, usually a calm presence within her, was restless. A strange scent, sharp and metallic, seemed to cut through the chlorine and ozone of the pool. It was a scent she hadn't encountered in years, yet it sent a shiver of primal fear through her.