The moonlight shines bright through the tall windows of the Nightfang Alpha Hall. Silver lights reflecting over shinny stones and dark bronze. The ceiling stretches endlessly above. Carved with ancient symbols of Nightfang history... The air smells faintly of iron and pine. It feels good. Too good.
Every wolf in the room is staring at me. They don't even try to hide it. They all whisper through the hall like restless wind. Their whispers echo like restless wind. Low, sharp, cutting.
I can feel their eyes. Judging. Questioning. Doubting. Some curious. Some hostile. Some...already against me. My fingers curl in slightly by my side. I force myself to breathe. Slow. Steady.
Triston stands beside me, holding my hand. Tall and unmoved. Unshaken. Like none of this affects him. Like he expects this.
We walk down the hall to the throne. Our footsteps are echoing louder than they should. Each step feels heavier. Like I'm waking into some sort of judgement. Like I'm walking into something that could either destroy...or make me stronger. My hus grip tightens slightly. Like a silent warning-or reassurance ...He sits and tells me to sit right beside him. I hesitate. just for a second.
Not because I don't want to sit beside him... but because I know what it means. It isn't just a seat. It's a position meant for a Luna. An Alpha's equal. Not someone like me. Everyone's gaze presses harder against my skin.
Watching. Waiting to see if I would overstep. If I would prove them right. For a brief second, I start doubting myself. Do I really belong here? Then ...I obey.
The moment I sit right beside him, I feel it. His aura. His presence alone, takes a strong hold of the entire hall. Heavy. Commanding. Unquestionable.
Even without sight, his authority fills the hall like a storm waiting to break. His hand rubs against mine for a moment. Just a touch. But it is enough to steady my racing heart. It anchored me. It reminds me that I'm not alone. Not anymore.
"I present to you...my mate. Lyra of Nightfang" Silence. Then...The whispers explode.
"What?"
"A common wolf?"
"Of no Alpha linage?"
"That's impossible." The words hit me from every angle. More like a reality check moment. For a few seconds I'm stiff. Then I remember...Alphas only mate Alphas in Nightfang. Of course they will react like this. Of course they will doubt me.
The chair scrapes against the floor harshly. The sound is heard throughout the entire hall. Elder Ragnar rises. Triston tells me he is the oldest of all the elders, and the most difficult to please. Now I understand why.
He towers over the council table; his heavy robes drag across the stone.
"Your mate?" he barks. His voice is sharp and unforgiving.
His eyes so sharp and piercing, they could pierce Triston open.
"Alpha, can you even hear yourself? He continues. This girl is a commoner, and you declare her luna before the entire pack?"
He looks at me. Cold. And for a moment...everywhere is silent. It feels like the entire hall is holding its breath. Triston doesn't hesitate. "She is Nightfang blood," he says calmly. "And she is my mate."
Ragnar's jaw tightens. "That is not enough."
Murmurs spread throughout the hall. This time, more stronger. More dangerous.
"A Luna must come from the blood line of an Alpha, not a common wolf who appears out of nowhere!"
"How do we even know who she is?"
His voice hardens the more. "How do we know she isn't here to cause us harm to us?"
His words hit harder than they should.
I can feel my pulse rise. My chest tightens. But I step forward anyways.
"My name is Lyra," my voice softly echoes in the hall softer than I expect. But it carries. It echoes.
"I'm of Nightfang."
More whispers. But different this time. Less certain. More curious. I feel Triston's attention on me. Waiting...not controlling. Not interrupting. Just...there. Watching.Trusting me to speak-up for myself. That alone gives me strength.
"My parents..." I pause. The memory hits me like a blade. I remember the night-The sky painted red...the smell of blood...my mother's hand slipping from mine.
"...were killed during the blood moon war." A shift. Subtle. But real. Few wolves stiffen. Others look at themselves with uneasy glance. The blood moon war is a perfect reminder of pain and loss.
"I survived. Alone, until now."
Everyone is silent. The silence is heavier this time. Elder Elestria leans forward. She is very sharp minded, known for questioning everything. Though not openly hostile. She doesn't look at me with hatred. She looks at me like a question waiting to be answered. Her voice is calmer than Ragnar's, but her demeanor is the same.
"Do you expect us to just accept you as our Luna," she says, "after living away from your pack your entire life?" She asks, tapping her fingers on the table. In a measuring and controlling way.
"How are we sure that you will protect Nightfang instead of endangering her?
I lift my chin. I choose my words wisely and refuse to stutter. "I'm not asking that you trust me blindly and without reason."
Ragnar scoffs. I meet his gaze directly. "Then what are you asking for?"
I look at him, "a chance." My words hang in the air. Simple but heavy.
Ragnar folds his arms.
"Talk is cheap, girl. Loyalty is..." The door slams open. They sound like thunder as ther slam against the wall. Everything stops. A guard rushes in. His breathing is uneven. His jaws so tight. He carries a wounded pup on his shoulders-
"Help!" he shouts.
"That's Zoe." Someone cries out. The pup is pale. Too pale. He isn't breathing properly. His lips are blue. My heart drops. His chest is barely moving.
"He almost drowned in the lake!" Everyone erupts into panic. But I don't think. I move.
I walk down to him lying on the floor. I'm already beside him before anyone can stop me. I drop to my knees beside him.
"Move." The guard shifts aside immediately.
I place my hands over Zoe's chest. His heartbeat is weak. Fading. Slipping. No. Not another life slipping away in front of me. I close my eyes. Silver warmth flows from my hands, they spread through Zoe's entire body. Soft at first. Then stronger. Spreading. Filling him.
"Stay with me," I whisper to Zoe. The hall is so silent. Completely silent. Even Ragnar. Even the other elders. Everyone stops breathing. Then-
Zoe gasps. A sharp sudden breath. His chest rises. His lungs fill with air. His eyes flutter open.
"He's alive!"
"She healed him!' everyone echoes in the hall. The words spread like wild fire. Shock. Aww. Disbelief. Ragnar stares at me. For once, he has no words. Elder Octavian stands up slowly. He's the wisest and kindest elder. Triston's most trusted. When he speaks, everyone listens.
"Fate rarely chooses wrongly. We have all witnessed her power."
Elder Rowena steps forward next. She is the Elder with the most compassionate heart.
Her eyes are warm. Kind.
"Anyone who saves the life of one of our own...deserves respect," she says.
She turns to the other elders. "I support this union."
Elestria hesitates. Just for a moment. Her gaze shift between Triston and me. Then, she nods.
"Perhaps...we were too quick to judge.' All eyes turn to Ragnar. But Ragnar says nothing. Triston's voice cuts through the silence. "She is my Luna." Triston echoes. His voice carries the weight of an Alpha's command.
"And the pack will honor her." The whispers return. They sound different now. Not rejection . Not doubt. They sound more like acceptance. Then-
The doors of the hall slam open again. Another guard rushes inside.
"Alpha!"
Triston turns immediately. "What is it?"
The guard hesitates to answer. For just a second. Like he's not sure how to say it. The air turns cold. What ever is at the border must be very serious. "There's someone at the border." A pause. The entire hall stills again. Tristons voice lowers. Dangerously calm.
"Who?"
