From Silent Princess to S-Rank Luna Chapter 04

From Silent Princess to S-Rank Luna Chapter 04

I grabbed my suitcase and checked into Solmere Moonshore Academy without a hitch.

Three months passed in the warm sunlight.

No more endless put-downs. No more comparisons. My life felt lighter than it ever had.

I joined Moonshore’s territorial design studio and took first place in the freshman portfolio review.

My mentor valued my work and put me in charge of the juvenile wolf refuge redesign project, a collaboration between the academy and Tidecross Pack.

I spent my days in the studio and archives-busy, but fulfilled.

On weekends, I’d go to Solmere Harbor with my roommate for seasalt caramel ice cream and watch the sunset along the coast.

Iris loved it here too.

The sea breeze, the tides, the howls of wolves in the distance at night-it all soothed her.

Cillian and Nessa’s names no longer existed in my world.

And two thousand miles away in Northreach, things weren’t going so well.

I pieced together bits from old high school group chats.

Nessa’s college life was a disaster-she’d always been coddled and had everything done for her, and she couldn’t handle independence.

Dorm drama: constant fights with her roommates.

Her botany observation reports were repeatedly rejected. Her shifting stability training was failing.

She called home crying every day, and Cillian kept putting his own life on hold to comfort her.

As the next Beta, Cillian’s own coursework and training were demanding enough. Alpha was

already fed up with him because of Nessa.

Then Northreach got hit by a heavy snowstorm. Cillian came down with a fever.

Lying in his apartment bed, he called out automatically toward the door.

“Maren, bring me the medicine.”

The room was dead silent.

No footsteps. No hand reaching in.

No girl who’d stay by his bed all night and wake him on time for his meds.

Cillian’s eyes snapped open. He stared at the empty room, head pounding.

He grabbed his phone and clicked the pinned chat thread, almost by reflex.

“I have a fever.”

He scrolled up. Three months of silence. Not a single reply.

Three months ago he’d run home to tell Mom and Dad, but they’d just said Maren was throwing tantrum and would crawl back once she’d had enough.

But she hadn’t.

She hadn’t just not come back-she’d cut off all contact entirely.

The door creaked open. Nessa walked in, bringing a wave of cold air with her.

“Cillian, are you feeling any better? My roommate was so mean to me again today-can you go yell at them tomorrow?”

She didn’t even glance at his pale face. She just launched into her own complaints.

Cillian looked at her-and suddenly remembered how Maren used to take care of him.

Quiet. Attentive. Never complaining.

“Get out.”

Cillian closed his eyes. His voice was hoarse.

“What?”

“I said GET OUT!”

His voice cracked like a whip.

Nessa’s eyes reddened in fright. She slammed the door and ran out.

The room went quiet again.

That afternoon, Cillian bought a plane ticket to Solmere.

I walked out of the academic building in the late afternoon, a stack of blueprints tucked under my

arm.

“Maren-want to grab dinner tonight?”

Rafe Ellison-future Alpha of Tidecross Pack, top student in Combat Studies.

We’d met through the Council-University Development Project. He’d even directly offered me a position at Tidecross Pack after graduation.

“Maren, the exterior wall you designed for the refuge center is incredible-it blocks the tides and doesn’t interfere with wolves’ scent perception during the full moon.”

“Dinner to celebrate? My treat.”

Rafe’s smile was wide and bright.

I nodded. “Sure.”

We walked side by side toward the main gate, discussing the next design details.

Just as we stepped outside, the smile froze on my face.

Under an oak tree not far away, Cillian stood holding a bouquet of sunflowers.