Alpha's Fall; Luna's Rise

Lucian King’s POV Over the city of Eclipsia, the full moon hung menacingly, giving the thick forest that surrounded the Silvermoon Pack a faint glow. That evening's weight sank on my chest and made breathing difficult. My gut shouted at me, alerting me to everything about this being incorrect. Still, here I was on the brink of making a choice that would change not just my life but the future of the pack as a whole. I was Alpha—strong, relentless, and meant to be the Silvermoon Pack leader. Duty comes before everything, before love, before desire, even before one's soul, I have been told. From the time I assumed leadership, my father, Marcus King, had pounded it into my brain. He pursued my transformation into the leader he thought I ought to be with unrelenting intensity. But tonight, for the first time, I questioned him. I kept hearing the remarks of the seniors. They claimed Ariana was too kind and mild to govern by my side, that her heart was too delicate to lead a pack needing might and control. They asserted she would bring us down. And then there was Morgana, her return like a storm blowing in from the past, rousing emotions I had buried long ago. Her presence unsettled me, but I couldn't dispute one thing—Morgana possessed strength—that the seniors were correct about, merciless might. The pack requires this more right now than it ever has. But I couldn't get rid of Ariana from my thoughts as I stood in the middle of the council chamber and the chilly stone walls closed in on me. Her amber eyes gleamed with compassion, and her laughter could make even my worst emotions lessen. She became my heart. Still, here I was ready to violate hers. The council had rendered a quick decision. Morgana's family was close to the pack and she possessed indisputable influence. A marriage with her would confirm the potency of the Silvermoon Pack and establish our position among the most dreaded werewolf populations. But to consider giving Ariana up was intolerable. Still, I had nowhere to turn. Sacrifices have to be given if the pack survives. "Lucian," my father's voice sliced through my ideas, sharp and forceful. With his gray eyes stern and uncompromising, he stood at the head of the council table. "There has to be a decision taken. The pack requires a Luna, which can guarantee our future. Only Morgana is qualified to accomplish it. I choked hard, staring at the chilly, waiting looks on the elderly people. They were thinking about what I knew. I understood their desires. And their expectations weighted me like a vice. My chest was thumping, each beat more agonizing than the next. My hand became a fist at my side, knuckles white. "Lucians." Once more, the voice of my father returned—this time colder, more determined. "Do not change." Your future determines the fate of the pack. I closed my eyes momentarily to let the stress drop into my bones. For the pack, this was the wise choice. It must be. But the hollow sensation in my chest told me I would always regret this, no matter what I persuaded myself of. "I...." Though I forced them out, the words battled to emerge from my throat. "I split with Ariana Thorne, Luna of the Silvermoon Pack." Stillness enveloped the chamber, dense and oppressive. My father nodded satisfactorily, and the elderly murmured among themselves, content. But I got no respite. Rather, a chilly emptiness swept over me like a piece of my soul had been ripped off. The minute I walked inside the pack house that evening, I felt something was off. The air was heavy and tense, and the smell of treachery stayed like a sour aftertaste. I should have realized it was approaching; Lucian had been aloof, chilly even in the past several weeks. Nothing could have, however, equipped me for what I was about to hear. My heart thumped in my chest, the council room was very softly lit as I walked up. The tone made me shiver; I could hear the low murmur of voices inside, too muted for me to make out the words. When I opened the large wooden door, my stomach dropped at what met me. Surrounded by the seniors, Lucian stood in the middle of the room with his father at his side. His eyes locked with me, yet he seemed to be looking far away. Gone was the love that had always radiated there. Rather, there was frigid resolve. I went inside, swallowing and attempting to control my breath. "What is happening??" My voice just whispered, I asked. Nobody answered for a little instant. The quiet continued, weighty and stifling, until at last Lucian spoke. His voice lacked emotional resonance. It sounded flat. "Ariana," he said, and the sound of my name on his lips felt like a dagger sloppily twisting in my chest. "I have to drop our bond for the benefit of the pack. Luna of the Silvermoon Pack is no longer you. The space whirled. I thought the ground had been wrenched from under me. "What...?," I asked. Like attempting to rouse from a dream, I stammered and shook my head. What are you talking about, Lucian? His jaw closed, and for a split second I saw a flutter of something—regret, maybe hurt. But it vanished as fast as it first showed, replaced by the icy, heartless face he now wore. "It is for the survival of the pack, Ariana," he continued. You are overly nice and sensitive. The leaders have spoken. Morgan will replace you. The words knocked me like a blow to the chest, and I staggered back trying to breathe. Morgon. She was obviously the one. When she came back, I sensed the change in the air—the way Lucian's eyes stayed on her, the way the elders hailed her power and will. Still, I never thought about it. I never would have dreamed he would turn on me this way. Though I fought to allow tears to fall from the corners of my eyes, they burned there. Not found here. Not directly in front of him. "Lucian, please... together we have gone through so much. You are not compelled to do this. Love you... Once more his eyes flicked, but he said nothing. The room was so still that my own heart could be heard thumping. At last he said, his voice hardly audible above a whisper. "Ariana, I'm sorry. This is the way it has to be. Something inside of me broke. With tears blurring my vision and my heart shattering with every stride, I turned and fled the room. Once my abode, the pack house felt like a jail, its walls closing in on me. One thing was also quite clear as I ran: I could never come back here. I watched her go, her form vanishing down the long hall. Every stride she made away from me felt as though it was another nail in my coffin. The room was deadly quiet; the seniors watched me, waiting for their Alpha to display power. But I felt far from robust. I had just made the worst mistake of my life, and yet I could not go back. Morgana moved forward, her presence demanding, and rested a hand on my arm. Her touch made me shudder. She was chilly. Lucian, you have done the right thing. For this, the pack will be more robust. I nodded, although the words were hollow. I had behaved as required of me, as commanded by my father and the seniors. At what expense, though? Ariana was gone, and with her, a piece of me had also perished. Her perfume surrounded me as Morgana approached, and I couldn't get rid of the sensation that I had just handed over everything I had ever loved to a darkness I didn't completely comprehend. Low outside, the moon watched over the forest like a perfect eye. The winds changed as Ariana vanished into the darkness, hugging her secret close. One storm was approaching, one that would rip through the Silvermoon Pack and undermine the basis of what we thought. Simply said, I had no idea when it would strike. Alternatively, how fatal it would be. And I knew too late—I had created the conditions for our collapse—as the dark clouds assembled on the horizon. Could I ever get back to her before it was too late? That torments me now.