Ashley walked through the servant corridors, her mind still replaying Marion’s warning.

  "Stay away from Coleen, or I’ll make sure you disappear."

  Ashley clenched her fists, frustration bubbling inside her. She had spent years being pushed around, ignored, and treated as nothing more than a nameless servant. But this… this was different.

  Marion was afraid of her.

  Why?

  Ashley didn’t have time to dwell on it. As she rounded a corner, she nearly ran straight into Lena.

  "There you are!" Lena whisper-shouted, grabbing Ashley’s arm. "I’ve been looking for you all night!"

  Ashley sighed, rubbing her temple. "What is it now?"

  Lena glanced around, making sure they were alone. Then, she pulled something from the folds of her apron—a small, silver pendant.

  Ashley’s breath hitched.

  It was hers.

  The only thing she had been found with as a child.

  A thin, crescent-moon pendant with strange engravings along the edges. She had lost it weeks ago, thinking it was gone forever.

  "Where did you—" Ashley started, but Lena cut her off.

  "That’s what I’m trying to tell you! I found it in the forbidden library. Someone left it on one of the bookshelves."

  Ashley’s blood turned cold. "The forbidden library?"

  "Yes!" Lena’s voice was urgent. "I had to sneak in while the head librarian was away. And that’s not even the strangest part."

  Ashley took the pendant from Lena’s hands, her fingers tracing the engravings.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "There was a book open on the table when I found this," Lena continued. "It was about… lost shape-shifter bloodlines."

  Ashley’s heart pounded.

  She had never told anyone about her recurring dreams—the ones filled with fire, screams, and shadowed figures hunting her people.

  But if what Lena was saying was true… was she truly the last royal of Crescent Moon?

  And if so… who left her pendant in the library?

  Ashley couldn’t ignore this. She had to see the book for herself.

  That night, after most of the palace had fallen asleep, Ashley crept through the halls, sticking to the shadows. The forbidden library was located in the eastern wing, near the older parts of the castle that few dared to visit.

  She slipped past the guards, her heart hammering. The door to the library was massive, carved with ancient symbols of wolves and moons.

  Ashley placed her hand against the wood—and the door creaked open.

  The inside smelled of dust, old parchment, and magic. Torches flickered dimly, casting long shadows across the shelves.

  She moved carefully, her footsteps silent on the stone floor. Books lined the towering shelves, some covered in thick, iron chains, as if they contained secrets too dangerous to be read.

  Ashley’s eyes landed on the table in the center of the room. A book lay open, just as Lena had said.

  She approached, her fingers trembling as she traced the faded ink. The title read:

  "The Vanished Bloodline of Crescent Moon."

  Ashley’s stomach clenched.

  She turned the page—and her breath caught in her throat.

  There, sketched in ink, was the royal sigil of Crescent Moon.

  The same sigil that was engraved on the back of her pendant.

  "This… this is proof."

  A loud crash shattered the silence.

  Ashley spun around, her pulse spiking. Someone else was here.

  She backed against the table, her eyes darting through the shadows.

  Then, from the darkness, a voice spoke.

  "You shouldn’t be here."

  Ashley’s blood ran cold.

  A figure emerged from the shadows. Tall. Cloaked in black. Silver eyes gleamed under the torchlight.

  Ashley’s heart nearly stopped.

  It was Coleen

  For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Coleen’s gaze flicked to the book, then to the pendant in Ashley’s hand.

  His expression darkened.

  "Where did you get that?" His voice was low, edged with something dangerous.

  Ashley swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand tall. "It was mine. I’ve had it since I was a child."

  Coleen stepped forward, his presence almost suffocating. "That symbol belongs to a bloodline that was wiped out. The royal house of Crescent Moon."

  Ashley tightened her grip on the pendant. "I know."

  Coleen’s jaw clenched. His eyes locked onto hers, studying her.

  "Who are you?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

  Ashley took a shaky breath.

  "I don’t know."

  But deep down, she was starting to realize the truth.

  She wasn’t just a servant.

  She wasn’t just a nobody.

  She was the lost heir of Crescent Moon.

  And now, Coleen knew it too