Feast of Unity
869 Words
The hall buzzed with voices, the long tables packed with wolves feasting under candlelight. The scent of roasted venison and spiced bread filled the air, but Anya barely touched her plate. Her gaze kept straying to Kane at the head table, surrounded by his warriors.
Mira nudged her. “Eat. People are watching.”
Anya picked up a piece of bread but only toyed with it. “He hasn’t spoken to me since the ceremony.”
“He’s Alpha,” Mira replied. “His whole life is the pack. That doesn’t mean he’s ignoring you.”
“It feels like it.” Anya’s voice was soft, but her eyes betrayed the hurt.
One of Kane’s warriors—Darius—stood suddenly, raising a cup. “To Alpha Kane! Strongest of us all!”
The hall roared with cheers. Cups slammed on tables, ale sloshing.
Mira leaned close to Anya’s ear. “You’ll see. Someone will toast you too.”
But no one did. Not at first.
Instead, another warrior jeered, “And what of our new Luna? Will she lead us into battle, or just teach us how to pick flowers?”
Laughter rippled. Heat burned Anya’s cheeks. She forced herself to rise.
“I may not swing a sword as fiercely as you,” she said, her voice steady though her hands trembled, “but a Luna’s strength is not in steel. It is in spirit. I will not falter.”
The hall quieted. A few murmurs of approval rose.
Kane’s eyes flickered toward her briefly. “Well said,” he murmured, almost too low for anyone to hear.
But Darius smirked. “Spirit doesn’t keep enemies from our borders.”
Anya met his gaze. “And raw strength doesn’t keep a pack united. Both are needed.”
A surprised silence fell. Mira grinned proudly and whispered, “That’s my girl.”
The feast carried on, music filling the gaps. Anya moved among the tables, speaking to elders, smiling at pups, thanking hunters. Every time she felt Kane’s gaze, she turned—but he was always looking elsewhere.
When she finally approached the head table, Kane’s warriors went quiet, as though expecting entertainment.
Anya bowed slightly. “Alpha, may I sit beside you?”
Kane gestured stiffly to the empty chair. “Of course. You don’t need to ask.”
She sat, her heart pounding. For a long moment, silence stretched. Finally, she asked softly, “Did I embarrass you earlier? With my words to Darius?”
Kane’s jaw tightened. “You held your ground. That is good. But a Luna’s tongue can start fires as easily as it can soothe them.”
“And an Alpha’s silence,” Anya replied carefully, “can wound more than a warrior’s blade.”
His eyes flicked to her, sharp but thoughtful. “You speak boldly.”
“Would you rather I remain silent, even when mocked?”
Kane studied her, then leaned closer. “Strength is not shown in every battle of words. Sometimes restraint is power.”
She held his gaze. “Then perhaps we will teach each other.”
For the first time, something softened in his eyes. A spark, fleeting but real.
Later, when the music rose and wolves danced in circles, Anya remained at the edge, watching. Mira appeared with a mischievous grin.
“Go,” she urged. “Dance. This is your night.”
“I don’t think Kane is the dancing type.”
“So what? You are. Show them who their Luna is.”
Before Anya could protest, Mira pulled her into the circle. Laughter surrounded her as the drums beat faster. She let herself twirl with the rhythm, skirts swirling like moonlight. The pack cheered—“Luna! Luna!”
Kane watched from the table, his face unreadable. His Beta leaned over. “They love her already.”
Kane’s lips curved slightly. “She knows how to win hearts.”
“Better than you do, perhaps,” the Beta teased.
Kane didn’t reply. But his eyes never left her.
When the dance ended, Anya slipped outside to breathe. The night air was cool, the moon high. She leaned against the stone wall, closing her eyes.
“You move well.”
Her eyes flew open. Kane stood a few steps away, arms folded, his expression calm but curious.
“You watched?” she asked.
“I watch everything.”
“That must be exhausting,” she said with a small smile.
He tilted his head. “You carry yourself differently when you’re not guarded. Freer. Stronger.”
Anya’s heart raced. “And which version of me do you prefer?”
For a moment, he said nothing. Then, quietly, “Perhaps… both.”
The silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It was charged, alive.
But before either could say more, a howl echoed from the distant woods. Urgent. Warning.
Kane straightened instantly. “Stay here.”
Anya’s blood chilled. “Is it danger?”
He was already moving toward the sound. “If it is, you’ll know soon enough.”
And just like that, the fragile warmth between them was swept into the night, leaving Anya staring at the shadows where her Alpha had vanished.
- Writer
