From Silent Princess to S-Rank Luna Chapter 01

From Silent Princess to S-Rank Luna Chapter 01

“Mom, Dad—I got an S-rank! I can go to Northreach Greywolf Academy with my brother Cillian now.”

The day my admission results came out, I ran into the living room, practically buzzing.

No one answered. The living room was empty.

Three plane tickets sat on the table.

Mom, Dad, and sister Nessa.

Destination: Northreach.

Departure time: this morning.

I stared for a long time before I saw the new video in the family thread.

Mom and Dad and Nessa stood in front of the black stone gate, and Cillian—in his school uniform—handed her a bouquet of sunflowers.

“Congratulations to our little princess Nessa on making it to Northreach!”

They forgot about me. Forgot the promise they’d made to come with me.

The city I’d been running toward with everything I had—they’d already taken someone else there without me.

I went back to my room without a word and changed my application to Solmere Moonshore Academy of Territorial Architecture.

If they only had eyes for someone else now…

then I’d go find my own light.

…

“Do you think Maren will be upset that you all came here without her?”

Nessa asked in the video, holding the flowers, her voice uncertain.

Cillian ruffled her hair. “She’ll be fine. We miss one thing for her, she can take care of herself.”

My father nodded beside him.

“She’s always been independent. Not like you. You’re new to Northreach, so of course we need to look after you more.”

Everyone in the video was smiling.

They remembered to book Nessa’s ticket. Remembered the flowers. Remembered to arrange her housing.

But they forgot that today was also the day my results came out.

And they forgot they’d promised to go to Northreach with me.

I’d prepared for three years to get into Northreach Greywolf Academy.

Countless nights, I stayed up at my desk revising design plans—studying pack territory layouts, full-moon refuge zones, and common spaces for juvenile wolves.

When I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open, I’d hold on to Cillian’s promise.

He said that once I got in, he’d personally take me to every street in Northreach.

My wolf, Iris, paced restlessly in my chest—like she didn’t understand why the familiar scent of our own family suddenly felt so strange.

Then my mother texted me privately.

[Did you get your results? Don’t post them yet.]

[Nessa barely got into Greywolf. If your score goes up, she’ll feel worse again.]

Cillian’s call came right after.

“Saw the video?”

“Yeah.”

“We were going to tell you,” Cillian paused, “but Nessa’s been down about her rating lately. She feels like she can’t measure up to you. She needed the family to boost her confidence.”

“Maren, you’re already S-ranked. Nessa can’t even shift reliably. You’re way stronger than her—you’re not going to fight her over this little bit of attention, right?”

But I wasn’t born strong. I trained like crazy because I wanted my family’s approval in the first place.

My father was the most powerful Gamma in Stonehaven Pack. My brother was a Beta candidate, next in line for Alpha.

I pushed myself to catch up with them—so I wouldn’t let them down.

But ever since Nessa came into our family, everything changed.

I was strong and self-sufficient. Nessa? She was the orphan of the former Beta—lost both parents, couldn’t even shift steadily—like a delicate little thing.

So the harder I tried, the more they frowned—because Nessa would feel insecure and cry.

“Oh, by the way,” Cillian continued, “your scholarship from the first half of the year came through, right?”

“Nessa’s delicate. I’m going to rent her a place near the academy. Transfer that money to her first.”

“No.” My voice was flat. “That’s my living stipend.”

Cillian’s tone turned sharp immediately.

“You can get another scholarship. You can work part-time. Nessa has nothing. How can you be so selfish?”

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Like my strength wasn’t something I’d earned through endless training and near-loss of control—but a permit that allowed everyone to take whatever they wanted from me.

I looked down at the three tickets on the table.

“I understand.”

Cillian assumed I’d agreed.

“That’s the Maren I know. Don’t worry—we’ll be back soon.”

The call ended. The living room fell silent again.

I didn’t transfer the money.

Instead, I went back to my room and opened the Academy Alliance admission portal.

Two offers sat side by side on the screen.

One from Northreach Greywolf Academy.

The other from Solmere Moonshore Academy—two thousand miles away.

Moonshore had also given me an S-ranking, with an offer of a private studio. But it was too far from Stonehaven Pack. No family there.

So I’d put it as my second choice without hesitation.

Now it looked like that was its biggest advantage.

I clicked confirm.

In six days, I’d be leaving Stonehaven.

This time, no one would know my flight destination.