Jayden blinked once. Twice. His mind hadn't fully caught up to the sight before him.. the silver-haired woman standing with her sly smile and glimmering amber eyes. It was Miss Kate, but... not the Kate he remembered.

The Kate he knew always carried herself like a secret... modest, casual, more like a mentor than anything grand. But here, with her hair glistening silver beneath the golden chandeliers, her lips painted with confidence, and her dress draped elegantly around her frame, she radiated an aura of command.

Jayden's lips parted slightly. "You look... different," he muttered, almost breathless.

Miss Kate tilted her head, her smile curling a little deeper as her eyes scanned him in return. "Funny... I was about to say the same thing to you," she replied smoothly. "You've grown sharper... less boy, more wolf. It suits you. But first, how have you been, Jayden?" she asked. Her words made his chest tighten slightly, though he masked it with a shrug.

"I've been doing okay," Jayden answered after a pause. "Just... a little clueless since you left."

Kate swirled the wine in her glass, her amber eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light. "I didn't just leave, Jayden. I was forced out. As punishment for helping you that night—I had no choice. They dragged me back to Beta." She gave a small, ironic chuckle, but her tone was laced with resignation. "Back to the family. Back to the life I'd walked away from."

Jayden frowned, his chest tightening with guilt. Before he could respond, movement drew his attention.

A tall man in a crisp white tuxedo stepped onto the grand stage beside the orchestra. His polished shoes gleamed under the light, and with the casual air of someone used to commanding entire rooms, he took a microphone. The music softened, then died, and the buzzing conversation in the grand hall slowly hushed until silence fell.

The man smiled broadly, his voice booming across the marble hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests... we welcome you tonight to a celebration most rare. A night not merely of music and masks, but of honor, achievement, and power." His eyes scanned the sea of faces before him, and his tone deepened with reverence. "Tonight, we gather to celebrate a special someone. Someone who has risen beyond the ranks of the common soldier, beyond the title of mere mercenary, to claim their rightful place among the elite. Tonight... we honor a new S-Rank Pioneer of the Lunaria family!"

Applause broke out immediately, thunderous and unanimous. The chandeliers quivered faintly from the roar.

Jayden glanced at Kate, who didn't flinch. She leaned casually against the table, sipping her wine as if the announcement had nothing to do with her. His brows knitted.

The announcer raised his free hand dramatically. "Please, raise your glasses in acknowledgment of none other than—Katherine Lunaria!"

The hall erupted again, glasses clinking, voices shouting her name, nobles bowing their heads in reverence as they turned to acknowledge Miss Kate.

Jayden froze. His gaze whipped to Kate. She was still calm, almost smug as she muttered under her breath with a chuckle, "I hope he's not expecting me to walk up there... because I won't." she said, her voice etched with amusement.

Jayden nearly choked on air. He laughed faintly out of disbelief, but his amusement vanished instantly as the truth crashed into him like a blow.

Katherine Lunaria.

The name burned through his mind. The woman standing beside him.. the Miss Kate he knew, wasn't just a mentor. She was the celebrated figure this entire party had been built around. She was the reason every influential figure in the room had gathered tonight.

Miss Kate was Katherine Lunaria.

And not just that. The man had said she was an S-Rank Pioneer.

Jayden's breath hitched. His heart pounded as his thoughts unraveled. He knew of pioneers, they weren't just celebrities, they were legends in flesh.

Pioneers were the apex of power in every major organization, family, and faction across the five planets. They were elite contract warriors, special operatives who answered to no one but the hand that signed them.

They were recognized worldwide, and their value went beyond money or influence. Every soldier, hunter, and field op aspired for the title. It was a great achievement.

Unlike regular troops, pioneers were symbols. Their names carried weight. They were fewer than stars in the night sky, each one a singular force capable of changing the balance of power.

To even be considered for pioneerhood, one had to surpass level 50, a threshold most fighters never touched in their lifetime. And those who did were ranked, their strength and accomplishments measured meticulously: from B-Rank, the foundation, to the mythical SSS-Rank, the stuff of history and ballads.

And Miss Kate.. Katherine Lunaria, had just been revealed as S-Rank. A title reserved for the extraordinary, for those whose strength could rival entire battalions, whose reputations stretched across worlds.

Jayden's chest tightened again, but this time not from awe.. this was pure admiration.

But beneath the awe was something sharper: her name.

Lunaria.

The word stirred an avalanche of recognition. The Lunaria family was not just powerful, they were the ruling dynasty of Beta, one of the human planets. Their name was carved into the foundations of galactic history. Castor Lunaria, the patriarch, was Beta's ruler... a man whose reputation carried the same weight as the heavens themselves.

Jayden inhaled sharply. His mouth went dry as he whispered, almost without realizing it: "Wait... y-you're a Lunaria?"

Miss Kate chuckled at the raw disbelief in his tone. She lifted her glass delicately, the crystal catching golden light as she swirled her wine. "Yes. Kate Ryker was just a name I gave myself when I wanted to disappear, to start over on Earth." She sighed, her expression softening as her amber eyes flickered with something like nostalgia. "But Catherine Lunaria... that's who I've always been. And who I always will be."

Jayden was stunned. His mind raced. He'd always wondered about Miss Kate's life, her power, her secrets.. but never, not once, had he imagined she belonged to a family this influential, this central to the universe itself.

"Wow..." he muttered, his lips tugging into a half-smile of stunned amusement and admiration. "I... I didn't know that."

Kate's smile softened into something faint, wistful. "Most people don't. And that was the point. For once, I was able to live quietly, in peace, away from the politics... away from the crushing expectations of being heir." Her eyes lowered slightly, the edges of her voice carrying a quiet sorrow. "But of course... that didn't last long." She exhaled slowly, her shoulders easing down as if laying down the weight of a truth long hidden.

Jayden exhaled too, his chest aching. He remembered her earlier words... that she'd been punished for helping him, dragged back home. Guilt gnawed at him, sharp and unrelenting.

"I... I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice heavy. "I didn't mean to put you in trouble."

Miss Kate's amber eyes lifted back to him, and she smiled faintly, warmth glowing through the regal mask of her aura. "It's not your fault, Jayden. Don't carry that weight. I had stayed away for too long from home anyway... it was only a matter of time before I was whisked back." She let out a breath, and her tone shifted suddenly, playful, almost mischievous as she leaned closer. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you."

Jayden blinked, startled by the sudden change.

Miss Kate's lips curved into a smirk. "So tell me..." she paused deliberately, her amber eyes glinting. "Have you been able to transform without a full moon?"