Chapter Nine - The Night The Borders Were Tested
1039 Words
Three days passed.
For Luna, they were the strangest days of her life.
No one shouted at her.
No one threw food at her.
No one ordered her to scrub floors until her hands bled.
Instead...
Every morning, someone asked how she had slept.
Every afternoon, Elara changed the bandage on her ankle.
Every evening, Rosie came running through the village with a new wildflower she had picked just for her.
Little by little...
The fear in Luna's eyes began to fade.
Not completely.
But enough that she sometimes forgot to apologize.
The pack noticed.
So did Kael.
---
The training grounds echoed with the sound of swords clashing.
Warriors sparred in pairs while Beta Damon barked instructions.
"Again!"
A young warrior charged too quickly and found himself flat on his back moments later.
The others laughed.
"You're dropping your left shoulder!" Damon called. "An enemy won't wait for you to fix your mistakes."
At the edge of the field, Kael watched quietly.
Normally, his attention never wavered during training.
Today...
It drifted toward the healer's cabin.
Toward the small figure sitting beneath the old oak tree.
Luna.
She sat with Rosie, weaving another flower crown while the little girl talked excitedly about everything that came to mind.
Every so often...
Luna smiled.
It was still small.
Still hesitant.
But it was becoming more frequent.
Damon noticed where Kael was looking.
"You've checked on her seven times today."
Kael didn't deny it.
"Six."
Damon smirked.
"I counted eight."
Kael sighed.
"I wasn't counting."
"No. You were worrying."
---
Near the gardens, Luna listened as Rosie proudly explained the names of different flowers.
"This one is foxglove!"
Rosie held up a tall purple flower.
"My mama says it's pretty but dangerous."
Luna admired it carefully.
"It's beautiful."
Rosie nodded.
"Just like you."
Luna blinked.
"...Me?"
"Uh-huh!"
Rosie smiled so brightly that Luna couldn't help smiling back.
"You're pretty."
Heat rushed to Luna's cheeks.
"No one's ever said that before."
Rosie's smile disappeared.
"Really?"
Luna shook her head.
The little girl frowned in confusion.
"They must've been silly."
Luna laughed softly.
Maybe they were.
---
That afternoon, Marcus returned from a border patrol.
His horse was covered in sweat.
He jumped down before it had fully stopped.
"My Alpha."
Kael immediately knew something was wrong.
"What happened?"
Marcus's expression was grim.
"We found tracks."
"What kind?"
"Twenty... maybe thirty wolves."
The laughter around the training grounds stopped.
Damon stepped forward.
"Rogues?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
He knelt and spread a rough map across the table.
"They came from Ashwood territory."
Silence fell.
Kael studied the map.
The tracks stopped just outside Blackthorn's northern border.
"They didn't cross?"
"No."
"They just watched."
Damon folded his arms.
"Scouting."
Marcus nodded.
"They wanted to see our patrol routes."
Kael's eyes hardened.
"So Victor's preparing."
---
That evening, the council gathered.
A fire burned in the center of the room as maps covered the large wooden table.
Marcus pointed toward the northern border.
"If Ashwood attacks..."
"They'll come from here."
Damon shook his head.
"Too obvious."
"Unless it's a distraction."
Kael remained silent.
His fingers rested lightly on the edge of the map.
Victor wasn't reckless.
Cruel.
Proud.
But not foolish.
If he attacked...
There would be a reason.
"He wants Luna."
Marcus nodded.
"And if he can't take her?"
"He'll force us into negotiations."
Damon frowned.
"You think he'll actually start a war over one omega?"
Kael looked at him.
"This was never about Luna."
"What do you mean?"
"It's about control."
He straightened.
"If Victor allows one omega to leave..."
"The others will realize they can leave too."
The room fell quiet.
Everyone understood.
Luna wasn't just a girl anymore.
She was proof that Ashwood's victims had another choice.
Victor couldn't allow that.
---
Meanwhile...
Luna couldn't sleep.
She stood on the balcony outside her room, wrapped in the dark cloak Kael had given her the night they met.
The moon hung high above the forest.
Everything was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
She closed her eyes.
For the first time in years...
She wanted tomorrow to come.
That thought frightened her.
Because for so long...
She had wished for the opposite.
A gentle knock interrupted her thoughts.
She turned.
Kael stood in the doorway.
"I thought you might be awake."
She smiled shyly.
"I couldn't sleep."
He stepped onto the balcony beside her.
"The moon's beautiful tonight."
She looked up.
"It is."
For a while...
Neither of them spoke.
Words weren't always necessary.
Sometimes...
Silence was enough.
Luna glanced sideways.
"Do you ever get scared?"
Kael smiled faintly.
"Of course."
She looked surprised.
"I thought Alphas weren't afraid."
"We're afraid."
"We just don't let fear decide for us."
She thought about that.
"I wish I could do that."
"You will."
She looked at him.
"How do you know?"
"Because every day since I found you..."
He smiled.
"...you've been a little braver than the day before."
Her cheeks turned pink.
No one had ever believed in her like this.
---
Far beyond the borders of Blackthorn...
A group of wolves moved silently through the darkness.
They wore no armor.
No pack symbols.
Only black cloaks.
One of them crouched beside the border marker separating the two territories.
"The patrol passed five minutes ago."
Another nodded.
"Good."
The leader stepped forward.
He wasn't from Ashwood.
Nor was he a rogue.
His golden eyes reflected the moonlight as he examined the distant lights of Blackthorn Village.
"So..."
He murmured.
"The rumors are true."
"The Alpha found his mate."
A smaller wolf beside him asked quietly,
"What are your orders?"
The leader smiled.
A cold...
Dangerous smile.
"We're not here for the Alpha."
His gaze remained fixed on the village.
"We're here for the girl."
He reached into his cloak and unfolded an old, weathered drawing.
It showed the faded sketch of a tiny silver-eyed child.
The name written beneath it had nearly disappeared with age.
Luna.
The stranger folded the drawing and looked toward Blackthorn once more.
"After all these years..."
"We've finally found her."
Then, without another word, the shadows disappeared into the forest.
Unaware that someone else had begun hunting the broken omega.
And this enemy...
Was far more dangerous than Alpha Victor.
- Writer
