The Luna Reborn

Chapter 5

The bed suddenly felt cold with Kristina gone.

I sat up, the bedsheet dropping from my waist, her scent still clinging to my skin. It should’ve faded by now. But it didn’t. Kristina’s essence lingered—sweet, musky and delicious.

A smile appeared on my lips as I remembered last night. Boy, had she drained me of everything. She was good, too good.

I stood and stretched, the morning light sipping through the curtains. I had a meeting scheduled with three Alphas from distant packs. They were coming to talk territory, trade, and treaties. I already knew they’d walk away with their tails tucked. My pack was more powerful than all three of theirs combined. But it wasn’t just strength. Power came in layers. And mine ran deep.

I pulled on black slacks, threw on a crisp charcoal shirt, and ran my fingers through my tousled hair. My reflection in the mirror smirked back at me—sharp jawline, cold blue eyes, and a smile that meant nothing good. I didn’t bother buttoning the shirt. I wouldn’t be needing it for what came next.

I crossed the room, barefoot, and pressed my palm against the right side wall. Click.

The sound was soft, but sure.

A moment later, the wall creaked and slid open, revealing the hidden door behind it. The air that drifted out was thick and conc with herbs, rot, and something sick. Or someone sick.

I stepped inside.

The room was low-lit, walls lined with vials, roots hanging from the ceiling, and books older than my bloodline stacked in every corner. The scent of magic was woven into every crack. It was the kind of place that made weaker wolves shiver. I breathed it in.

She sat on a wooden stool in the far corner. Her brown hair hung limp, her body thin and trembling beneath a cloak that had once been white but was now brown and dirty. Kristin.

Her grey eyes met mine as I entered. Dull and silent. Almost lifeless.

She didn’t speak. She never did until I asked something of her.

I moved around the room, fingers grazing over jars and bottles, each one labeled in a script only she could read. She watched me, as always, like a prisoner watches their captor—and yet, there was something more.

Something defiant.

Finally, I turned to her. My smile curved slowly, cold and sharp. The smile that made men fear me and women doubt their instincts.

"Do you have it?" I asked.

Gretha didn’t nod. Didn’t blink. Just reached under her table and pulled out a small vial filled with a thick, deep purple liquid. The color of bruises and blood mixed in moonlight.

She held it out. Her hand trembled.

I took it without hesitation and drank. The taste was bitter, stinging, as it slid down my throat.

Power.

Liquid strength that coursed through my veins, woke my wolf, and dulled the last bit of humanity I had left.

Gretha finally spoke, her voice dry and cracked like old paper. "What about Vickie?"

I stilled.

Of course she’d ask. She always did.

"She's fine," I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "You’ve done your part. She's alive."

Her fingers curled around the edge of her seat, knuckles turning white. Her gaze didn’t leave mine.

"That wasn’t the deal. She said—"

"She said a lot of things," I cut in. "You did what I asked because you care about her. And as long as you continue doing it, no harm is going to come upon your sister. But I wonder, do you take your time to think if she cares about you too?"

Gretha’s eyes flickered.

I leaned closer, lowering my voice like a whisper wrapped in poison. "She helped lock you in here, Gretha. She wanted your power out of the way. Wanted to play Luna to the big bad Alpha. You think she didn’t know what would happen when she lured you to my compound that night?"

Her breath hitched, just a fraction.

That was enough.

Truth didn’t need to scream. It just needed to land.

"You’re lying," she said, but there was no conviction in her voice.

I shrugged. "Believe what you want. You’ve made me stronger, and your sister’s sleeping in silk sheets while you rot in shadows. You do the math."

Silence.

The kind that wraps around your throat and squeezes.

Then Gretha's lips moved, barely. "Your time is coming."

I paused. "Is that a threat or a vision?"

She didn’t answer. Just looked at me with those grey, faded eyes that somehow saw more than anyone else ever could.

"You won’t see it coming," she whispered. "But it’s close. She’s close."

I rolled my neck, sighing like I was bored. But my wolf growled low inside me.

"You’re always so dramatic," I muttered. "Maybe you should spend less time predicting the future and more time bathing."

I turned and walked out.

The door clicked shut behind me, sealing her back in that dungeon of potions and secrets. Let her stew. Let her curse me. I had a meeting to attend. I had lands to rule. I had enemies to intimidate.

And I had a mate who might be a little bit of a problem with the kind of life I was living. And she actually loves me.

Cute.

The smile returned to my lips as I walked down the corridor, darker now. Sharper.

Kristina didn’t know it yet, but she’d started a fire in me.

And I don’t put out fires.

I feed them.