Caelia’s POV
Cassian was waiting for me in his office when I finally gathered enough courage to face him. His office was large, lined with shelves of old books and war maps that bore the scars of too many battles. A wolf’s skull hung above the fireplace—a symbol of strength, of victory, of survival.
He was sitting behind the desk, but his posture wasn’t one of authority today. He wasn’t leaning back in arrogance the way most alphas would. No, he looked… heavy. Like a man who carried not only the weight of a pack but the shadows of ghosts as well.
“Caelia,” he said as soon as I entered. His voice was steady, deep, but it carried a softness that only made my stomach twist more. “Sit.”
I did, though my instincts screamed to keep standing, to keep my walls high. I sat across from him, gripping my hands together so tightly my knuckles turned pale.
“I’m not going to waste your time,” Cassian began, locking his dark eyes with mine. “Aside from wanting you to be the mother figure or the twins, I realized I needed a Luna.”
I blinked. Of all the words I thought would come from his mouth, those were not it. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His jaw flexed, but his gaze didn’t falter. “The elders are pressing harder than ever. They want balance restored to the pack. An Alpha cannot stand alone for long, not when he has children to raise and enemies watching for weakness.”
The mention of his children made my heart squeeze. Nathalia and Nathan, their laughter from last night still rang in my ears. The way they curled against me as though I’d been their mother all along. I swallowed hard. “So you think… I could be that Luna? For you? For them?”
“Yes.” His voice was unshaken, but his hand clenched the desk for a moment before he forced it to relax. “I didn’t plan this. Spirits know I didn’t expect to find you again, not like this. But when I saw you, Caelia… something inside me decided. I will not stand by and let you rot under the shadow of Lucien and his mistress. Not when I can give you strength again.”
I shifted in my seat, trying to breathe through the storm of emotions his words stirred in me.
His lips curved in something that wasn’t quite a smile. “So give me your hand as my Luna. Your presence at my side. Be the mother my pups need, and in return… I will see to it that you are made whole again. I will help you regain a wolf core.”
My heart lurched violently. Another core? I thought such a thing was impossible. I thought once stripped, once violated in that way, there was no path to restoration. “You can’t be serious,” I whispered. “You’re promising me something that can’t even—”
“It can,” Cassian cut me off firmly. “The spirits don’t leave a wolf abandoned forever. It’s rare, yes. It’s dangerous, yes. But it is possible. And I will help you avenge what was stolen from you. I will see Lucien and that leech Calista crawl for what they’ve done.”
His words should have lit a fire in me, but instead, they left me trembling. To be a Luna? To stand beside the Alpha of the strongest pack? To gain back the wolf core that had been ripped from me without mercy?
It was everything I thought I wanted. And yet, it terrified me.
“Cassian…” My voice cracked, and I quickly looked away. “I promised myself I would never be tied to an Alpha again. That I would never let my worth be measured by the title of Luna.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. His scent rolled over me, strong and grounding, cedar, smoke, and the faint sweetness of pine sap. “This isn’t about titles. It’s about survival. It’s about justice.”
My breath caught. He knew exactly where to strike. I had felt it too, that strange bond forming already with Nathalia and Nathan. They were innocent, yet they carried so much loss in their small eyes. And I had been weak, letting my heart melt the moment they asked me if I could be their mama.
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping the stone floor. “I… I need time to think.”
“Of course.” Cassian’s voice followed me, calm but heavy with meaning. “But Caelia… don’t take too long. The world doesn’t wait for broken wolves to mend themselves.”
---
That night, I sat in the chamber they had given me. The room was warm, more comfortable than any space I had ever known in Nightborne Pack. A soft fire burned in the hearth, and the walls were lined with tapestries that told stories of Wind Shadow’s victories. I pulled my knees to my chest on the bed, staring at the flames, my thoughts tearing me apart.
A Luna. His Luna. Could I?
Part of me screamed no. I had lost too much, bled too much, been betrayed too much. I didn’t belong in that role.
And yet… what choice did I have if I wanted vengeance? If I wanted my wolf core back?
I let my head fall to my knees. The fire crackled louder, echoing the storm inside me.
I thought of Lucien—his cold smile, his dismissive eyes, the way he had let them rip my wolf core from me as if I were nothing but a vessel to fuel his mistress. The humiliation, the agony, the endless silence of my wolf being gone. I wanted him to suffer. Goddess, I wanted him to beg.
But to do that, I would have to tie myself to Cassian.
My chest ached. I didn’t know if it was because I still mourned the wolf core and the baby I had lost, or if it was because I feared what standing beside Cassian would mean for my heart. He had once been my childhood friend. He had once made me laugh until my sides hurt.
Sleep came slowly, jagged and restless.
By morning, I didn’t even have the chance to settle my thoughts before a knock sounded at my door. One of Cassian’s guards handed me a sealed parchment.
A royal seal.
I broke it open with trembling hands. The words were simple but heavy as stone:
You are cordially invited to attend the Royal Gathering at Mooncrest Hall. Attendance is mandatory for Alphas and their Lunas.
My blood turned cold as I read the final line.
Alpha Lucien of Nightborne Pack is expected to attend. Accompanied by a chosen guest.
A bitter laugh escaped my throat. Of course. Of course fate would play such a cruel trick on me. After swearing I would never cross Lucien’s path again, the Moon Royals themselves demanded it.
Sooner than expected, I would see him again.
And this time… I wouldn’t be the same Caelia who once bowed her head to him.
