The Luna they threw away

Chapter 2

Hart POV

I don’t know how long I sat out there by the trees.My face felt sticky from crying, my chest hurt, and honestly… I just felt stupid. Stupid for hoping. Stupid for dreaming. Stupid for thinking the Moon Goddess would ever give me something good.

Astra still wasn’t saying much.She was hurting worse than me.

“Astra?”Nothing.

Great. My wolf was heartbroken AND silent. Perfect birthday.

I wiped my face with my sleeve and let out a shaky breath. “Happy birthday to me, I guess.”

Then out of nowhere—

HOOOOOOOWL.

I jumped so hard my whole body jerked. This wasn’t a normal wolf howl. Our pack wolves sound… normal. Hungry. Annoyed. Sometimes loud. But this?

This one sounded like it came from the earth itself. Deep. Heavy. Like something ancient just woke up pissed off.

“Astra… what was that?” My voice actually shook. I’m not proud.

She stirred a little. “I… I don’t know.”Which scared me more because my wolf always knows everything.

Then I heard it—Footsteps.

Not running. Not rushing.Steady. Heavy. Getting closer.

“Okay… no,” I whispered, taking a step back. “Nope. Nope. Not tonight.”

Astra whispered, “We can’t shift. I’m too weak.”

“Oh perfect, great timing,” I muttered.

The footsteps got louder. My heart was beating so hard I felt it in my teeth. I pressed my back against a tree and tried to see through the dark.

“Who’s there?”My voice sounded tiny. Pathetic.

No answer.Just deep breathing. Like a giant wolf was standing ten feet away.

Then slowly… I saw them.

Two glowing golden eyes in the dark.

I froze.Not the little freeze you do when you’re scared.The full-body, “I’m about to die” freeze.

The wolf stepped out enough for me to see its size, and I swear my knees almost gave out. It was HUGE. Bigger than any Alpha, bigger than Kade, bigger than anything I’ve ever seen in my life.

Astra gasped hard.

“Luna… that’s an Ancient.”

My stomach dropped.

“No. Those aren’t real. Those are bedtime stories,” I whispered.

“Well… one is standing right in front of us.”

My whole life suddenly felt like a joke.

The wolf stared at me like it knew me. Not like prey. Not like danger. Like… recognition? I don’t know. It tilted its head, then lowered it slightly.

Bowed.It actually bowed.

“To me?” I whispered. “Why? I’m nobody.”

Before I could say anything else, I heard voices crashing through the woods.

“Kade! Over here!”

The Ancient wolf tensed, looked at me again, then took off so fast the trees shook. Gone in seconds.

Fantastic. Now I was alone again, shaking like a leaf.

Kade burst into the clearing with two warriors. His eyes found me instantly, and instead of asking if I was okay, he growled:

“What are you doing out here by yourself? There’s something dangerous moving around.”

I almost laughed because if anything was dangerous tonight, it wasn’t the wolf. It was the Alpha who shattered my heart and then acted like he owned my safety.

“You don’t get to ask me that anymore,” I said quietly.

His jaw clenched. He hated hearing that. Good.

One of the warriors sniffed the air. “Alpha… the scent here is weird.”

Kade frowned. “Weird how?”

“It’s not pack. Not rogue either. It’s… older.”

Kade stiffened.Then very slowly turned to stare at me.

Like I somehow caused whatever was out there.

Oh wonderful.As if tonight couldn’t get any worse.

I folded my arms. “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t summon anything.”

But deep down…I knew something was changing.

And whatever it was?The pack wasn’t ready.