Augusta immediately dropped to her knees. "Your Grace, the Ivory Spirit Fox was indeed felled by my arrow."
The moment our words landed, the Alpha Heir's expression shifted. He stared at me, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Seraphina, there's no way you missed that shot."
"Your archery, your horsemanship. You don't miss. What kind of game are you playing?"
Luna Supreme Lenora's face changed the instant she heard the fox had been Augusta's kill.
Augusta caught the Alpha Heir's tone and turned to him, eyes reddening with wounded hurt. "Does Your Highness not believe I made the shot either?"
Aldric realized his blunder and quickly helped her to her feet. "Of course I do. I was simply so stunned I couldn't believe it at first. Your archery has truly improved, my dear."
The Luna Supreme studied Augusta, still kneeling, then turned her gaze to me with a thin smile. "Seraphina, you are the trueborn daughter of the Alpha Sovereign of Ironhold. No she-wolf in the capital can match your skill on horseback. How could you possibly lose?"
This Mate Selection Hunt was dressed up as a fox hunt, but every great pack house had received word beforehand. It was nothing more than a grand performance to crown me as the Alpha Heir's Luna.
In all the capital, who could outride or outshoot me? But this time, I had no intention of winning.
I lifted my head and let out a regretful sigh. "I beg Your Grace's pardon. My horse grew temperamental for reasons I cannot explain and threw me from the saddle. I injured my left shoulder and could not draw my bow with any force."
"But my elder sister's marksmanship was superb. I accept my defeat without reservation."
Augusta stood beside the Alpha Heir, tilting her delicate face up at him. "Your Highness, are you not pleased that I brought down the Ivory Spirit Fox?"
Aldric smiled and took her hand. "Don't be silly. I'm delighted."
The Luna Supreme beckoned her head attendant forward. "How did Seraphina take such a fall? Go at once and see whether she's been hurt."
"If anything has happened to her, her parents will hold me responsible for not looking after her properly."
The Luna Supreme's personal attendant helped me to my feet and led me away to be treated. She lifted the edge of my sleeve gently; my left shoulder was scraped raw and swollen red.
The attendant gasped. "What a terrible fall."
When the salve had been applied and I returned, the attendant gave the Luna Supreme a confirming nod. Lenora exhaled at last, but she was far from ready to let the matter rest. "Seraphina is the Alpha Sovereign of Ironhold's trueborn daughter, unmatched in archery and horsemanship. Today's loss came only because she was injured. The contest was hardly fair to her. Why not wait until she has recovered and hold a second match?"
The words had barely left her lips before Augusta's eyes turned red again. She bit her lower lip and looked to the Alpha Heir. "Your Highness, my sister is the Alpha Sovereign's trueborn daughter. The title of Luna was always meant to be hers."
"Does it even matter that I shot the fox? In the end, the position will go to Seraphina regardless."
Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls slipping from a broken string.
Her little speech had the opposite of its intended effect on the assembled she-wolves. Resentment rippled through the crowd. The competition was supposed to be fair. Why was the Luna Supreme so blatantly favoring me?
Discontented murmurs swelled. "This isn't right. Augusta was the one who made the kill."
"Exactly. Seraphina got hurt. That's just how it goes. A loss is a loss."
Their reasoning was simple: losing to any other she-wolf would sting, but letting Augusta take the title was a different calculation entirely. A lesser-born daughter no one respected becoming Luna posed no real threat.
Aldric wiped Augusta's tears with a tender hand, clasped her fingers tightly, and stepped forward to face the Luna Supreme. "Mother, the rules of this selection were set well in advance. Every pack in the capital knows them. Augusta brought down the Ivory Spirit Fox. She is the Luna."
"The High Alpha's word is law. It cannot be undone."
"I care for Augusta, and I wish to take her as my bonded mate."
Augusta flushed scarlet, her face tilted up toward the Alpha Heir. "I would gladly remain by Your Highness's side, never to part."
