The Lost Luna

CHAPTER 5: New Life

Life in the Northern Forest Pack was nothing like the quiet world Lyra had known with Robin and his wife. Every moment here was charged—wolves training in the yard with feral intensity, children racing through the halls with wild laughter, women moving with purpose as they carried out duties that seemed written in some invisible order.

And everywhere she turned, eyes followed her.

Some looked with suspicion, others with cold amusement, and a rare few with pity. But never warmth. Never welcome.

Lyra told herself she could bear it. That she only needed time. But each whisper that was silenced when she entered, each mocking smirk, chipped away at her courage.

By the third morning, she went to visit the healer in her cabin, and the old woman was about grinding some herbs so she offered to help. The older woman watched her fumble with the pestle, her stern expression unreadable.

“You are not useless,” Maera finally said, breaking the silence. “But you are soft. The forest will harden you, if you let it.”

Lyra flushed, unsure if it was comfort or an insult. She simply nodded.

Later, she drifted to the training grounds. The c***k of fists against wooden posts, the grunts of sparring wolves in human form, the feral gleam of their eyes—it unsettled her. Yet she couldn’t look away. These wolves belonged here, bound by strength and discipline.

And then she felt it. That prickle at the back of her neck, that weight of someone’s gaze.

Mary.

The dark-haired woman stood across the yard, arms crossed, watching Lyra with an expression as sharp as a blade. Her amber eyes glittered, and when Lyra shifted nervously under her stare, Mary smirked.

Lyra turned away quickly, her pulse racing.

“Do not let her rattle you,” a low voice murmured beside her.

She was startled to find Lucian standing there, his presence steadying and overwhelming all at once. His blue eyes cut across the field, lingering briefly on Mary before returning to Lyra.

“She doesn’t like me,” Lyra whispered.

“She doesn’t matter,” Lucian said simply. But his tone carried something darker, an undercurrent that told Lyra Mary mattered more than he admitted.

As if summoned by his words, Mary approached. The crowd of trainees slowed, sensing the storm.

“Well,” Mary said sweetly, her eyes never leaving Lyra, “the little stray thinks she can watch warriors train.”

Lyra’s cheeks burned. “I was only”

Mary cut her off with a laugh, sharp and cruel. “Only what? Learning how to fight? Please. You could barely stand when he dragged you here.”

Lucian’s aura flared faintly, his wolf bristling. “Mary,” he warned, voice edged like steel.

But Mary ignored him, circling Lyra slowly, like a predator toying with prey. “Do you even know why you’re here, girl? Do you think you belong? This pack has rules. Order. A Luna chosen by the Goddess herself.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “And that Luna is me.”

Lyra’s breath caught. The word struck her like a stone “Luna”. She didn’t understand all of it, but she understood enough to know Mary claimed a place Lyra could never touch.

“I never asked to come here,” Lyra said softly, her voice shaking.

Mary leaned in close, her perfume suffocating. “Then leave. Before he grows tired of playing saviour.”

Something stirred deep inside Lyra then hot, sharp, instinctive. Her wolf, restless, rising in protest. Her hands trembled, her vision flickered with silver light.

Lucian stepped forward quickly, his body a shield between them. His dominance rolled out like thunder, forcing Mary back a step despite her sneer.

“That’s enough,” he said, his voice a command that brooked no disobedience.

The air held stillness, thick and charged. Mary’s eyes darted from Lucian to Lyra, fury simmering beneath her painted smile.

“As you wish, Alpha,” she murmured, bowing her head with mock obedience. Then she turned on her heel and strode away, her laughter trailing like poison.

The courtyard buzzed again as whispers erupted. Lyra stood frozen, her body still trembling from the surge of something she couldn’t explain.

Lucian’s hand brushed her arm briefly, steadying. His voice dropped low, only for her. “Do not let her break you. You are stronger than you know.”

You just need to find yourself and be prepared to train with the wolves.

Lyra searched his eyes, the pull in her chest tightening, confusing, terrifying. “But what if she’s right? What if I don’t belong here?”

Lucian’s jaw hardened, but his gaze softened just slightly. “Then fate has made a mistake,” he said quietly. “And fate does not make mistakes.”

That night, the whisper didn’t stop

As Lyra walked through the hall, Mary cornered her again, this time with nobody watching or an audience. Her amber eyes glittered like fire. Don’t mistake his protection for affection, she hissed. You are nothing but a burden. He’s mine, always has been, and always will be.

Lyra froze, she gazed at Mary with words caught in her throat. Her wolf growls softly inside her, unsettled and restless.

Mary leaned closer to her. “You’ll learn soon, little stray, if the pack doesn’t chase you out I will”. She slipped away like smoke, leaving Lyra trembling in her shadow.

In the office, Lucian faced Darius, who stood stiff and unyielding.

“She is tearing the pack apart already,” Darius said. Mary’s claim grows louder, the wolves are restless, and you

“She stays,” Lucian cut him off. His voice thundered, final.

Darius’s eyes narrowed. “Then tell me why. Tell me why you defy tradition, why you defend her so fiercely. Unless…” His gaze sharpened. “Unless she’s more than she appears.”

Lucian’s wolf stirred, growling low. He said nothing. Silence was safer.

But Darius’s suspicion lingered, heavy as a storm cloud.