Loss Unleashes Luna's Fury

Synopsis

The dawn light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across Emma's cherubic face as I gently slipped the white ceremonial dress over her head. Today, my baby girl turned five. Five precious years of being my entire world, my reason for breathing in a pack where I was merely tolerated. "Hold still, sweetheart," I whispered, carefully arranging the crown of moonpetal blossoms in her dark curls. The flowers glowed with a faint silvery light, their petals releasing a sweet scent that made Emma giggle. "They tickle, Mommy!" Her small hands reached up to touch the delicate crown, eyes wide with wonder. I knelt before her, straightening the sash of her dress. "These are special flowers, Emma. They only bloom under the full moon, and they're picked just for special little girls on their birthday." "Like me?" she asked, her smile revealing the gap where her front tooth had fallen out last week. "Exactly like you." I cupped her face, memorizing every detail—the constellation of freckles across her nose, the amber flecks in her hazel eyes, the dimple in her left cheek.