THE ALPHA'S FORSAKEN LUNA

The Luna's First Act

The pack did not know what to do with me. I was not the Luna they expected. I did not sit quietly in the Luna's quarters. I did not host tea parties for the elder's wives. I did not smile and nod when the Alphas made decisions without me. I attended war councils. I trained with the warriors. I visited the Omegas in their quarters and listened to their complaints. I learned every wolf's name, every wolf's story, every wolf's wound. "Your Luna is strange," I heard a young wolf say to Kael.

"She is not strange," Kael replied. "She is what this pack has needed for a long time."

The weeks passed. Winter came. The pack settled into an uneasy peace. But I knew it would not last. Rogues had been sighted near the northern border. Not my rogues, not Darius's wolves. Different rogues. Wild rogues. The kind that killed without reason.

"We need to attack," Marcus argued at the war council. "Strike first. Show them we are not afraid."

"Attack?" I raised an eyebrow. "And kill wolves who have done nothing but cross an invisible line?"

"They are rogues."

"So was I. Three months ago. Would you have killed me, Marcus?"

He had no answer. Kael watched the exchange with hooded eyes. He had been quiet lately. Distant. Something was eating at him, something he would not share. After the council, I found him in his office. He was staring out the window at the moon.

"What is wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Do not lie to me. I can feel you through the bond. You are afraid."

He turned to face me. "I am afraid of losing you."

"You are not going to lose me."

"You do not know that. The rogues are getting bolder. Every night, I dream of finding your body in the forest." I crossed the room and took his face in my hands. "Look at me." He looked. "I survived your rejection. I survived exile. I survived three months in rogue territory. I am not going to die to some wild wolves who do not know my name." I kissed him, soft and fierce. "I am going to lead this pack. With you or without you. But I would rather do it with you." He pulled me into his arms. "You are terrifying." "Good." I smiled against his chest. "That is the point."