Wild Moon

Chapter Eight

Lila stood tall, her fingers curled into fists at her sides as she faced her father. Kieran was still beside her, his posture tense but unwavering. The weight of the pack’s judgment pressed against them both, but she refused to back down.

Her father, Alpha Marcus, kept his sharp gaze locked onto Kieran, assessing him like a threat. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Finally, Marcus spoke.

“You say this rogue is your mate,” he said, his voice calm but laced with warning. “You expect me to accept him into our pack? To trust him?”

Lila swallowed but held his gaze. “Yes.”

Her father’s lips pressed into a thin line. He turned to Kieran, his stare piercing. “And what do you have to say for yourself, rogue?”

Kieran didn’t flinch. He met the Alpha’s gaze with steady resolve. “My name is Kieran Blackwood,” he said, his voice even, strong. “I wasn’t born a rogue. My pack was slaughtered.”

A murmur rippled through the gathered wolves, the air shifting with the weight of his words. Lila saw the flicker of surprise in her father’s expression, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Marcus crossed his arms. “Slaughtered?”

Kieran nodded. “I was born to the Shadowfang Pack. We lived deep in the northern forests, far from here. Three years ago, hunters and rival wolves wiped out our entire pack in a single night. I was the only one who survived.” His jaw tightened. “I didn’t choose to be a rogue. I had no other choice.”

The murmurs grew louder, whispers of recognition passing through the wolves. The Shadowfang Pack. A name from distant lands, a tragedy most had only heard of in passing.

Lila saw something shift in her father’s face. His suspicion hadn’t disappeared, but there was something else now—understanding. Respect, maybe.

He studied Kieran for a long moment, as if weighing his words against the instincts that had kept their pack safe for years.

Finally, he spoke. “You’ve survived on your own all this time?”

Kieran nodded. “Yes. But I don’t want to be alone anymore.” He glanced at Lila, his golden eyes softening before he turned back to the Alpha. “I want to stand beside Lila. I want to be part of something again.”

Marcus exhaled through his nose, his gaze flickering between them. Lila held her breath, waiting for his final judgment.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her father spoke.

“You have lost a pack once,” he said, his tone measured. “You understand what it means to be without a home. If you are truly Lila’s mate, then you are family.”

Lila’s heart leapt into her throat.

Her father turned his gaze on her, serious but not unkind. “But make no mistake, Lila. This is a risk. Bringing a rogue into our pack—into our family—is not something I take lightly.”

“I know,” she said softly, her chest tightening with emotion.

Marcus nodded, then turned back to Kieran. “You will train with our warriors. You will learn our ways, our laws. You will earn your place here.” His eyes darkened slightly. “And if you betray this pack, if you harm my daughter in any way... I will kill you.”

Kieran didn’t hesitate. “I would expect nothing less.”

The tension in the clearing finally eased. The murmurs of the pack died down as Marcus gave a final nod. “Then welcome to the Crescent Moon Pack, Kieran Blackwood.”

Lila let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

She turned to Kieran, and for the first time since stepping into the clearing, she allowed herself to smile. He was staying. He was hers.

And no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.