The Luna’s Decision
1464 Words
The wind rattled the windows all night, as though the world itself was trying to tear down Blackthorne fortress.
I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Kade’s mark burning against my neck, reminding me of what I had said before the Council, of what he had made me swear.
Loyalty.
Obedience.
Submission.
The words still tasted like poison on my tongue.
As the gray light of morning broke through the curtains, I pushed myself out of bed, every muscle aching. The Luna’s gown from the night before lay discarded on the floor, a black pool of silk that felt like a shroud.
I stepped around it, determined not to touch it again.
My wolf was restless, prowling just under my skin. I felt her anger, her frustration, her rage that we had been caged. But beneath that, a deeper fear simmered, a fear I didn’t want to name.
Fear of what I was becoming.
Fear of what Kade was making me feel.
I splashed cold water on my face, trying to chase away the memories of his hands, his mouth, the way he’d looked at me after the Council forced him to claim me again.
It should have disgusted me.
It should have broken me.
But instead, it had set something smoldering in my chest, a dangerous heat that scared me far more than his threats ever could.
I heard footsteps in the hall before the knock came.
“Come in,” I called, already bracing myself.
Kade stepped inside, dressed in a simple black shirt and slacks, his hair still damp from a shower. He looked younger like this, less terrifying, almost human.
For a moment, I hated how my heart skipped at the sight of him.
“We need to talk,” he said, voice tight.
I crossed my arms, spine straight. “About what? The next Council circus you want me to dance through?”
His jaw twitched, but he ignored my bitterness. “About yesterday. About us.”
I froze. Us. There was no us. There couldn’t be.
“There is nothing to talk about,” I snapped. “You marked me. You paraded me. You made me swear my loyalty in front of them like a trained dog. What else do you want from me, Kade?”
He flinched, just barely, but enough for me to see it. “I want you to survive,” he said. “I want you to understand.”
I shook my head. “Understand what? That you own me now?”
His eyes went dark, and he took a step closer. I stood my ground, even as my wolf shivered inside me.
“I do not own you,” he said, voice barely controlled. “I protect you. There is a difference.”
I laughed, raw and cold. “Funny. It feels exactly the same.”
He sighed, a weary sound, and ran a hand through his hair. “The Council is testing me. Testing us. They want an excuse to tear you apart, Raven. I won’t let them.”
His voice cracked on those last words, and for a second I saw the boy he had once been the boy who had laughed with my brother, who had sneaked me sweet cakes from the kitchen, who had looked at me like I was something precious.
That boy was gone.
“What if I don’t want your protection?” I challenged.
He stepped forward, so close I could smell the pine and smoke of him, feel the heat rolling off his skin. “Then you will die,” he said, so blunt and harsh that my breath caught. “They will kill you. And I will burn down every pack that lays a hand on you.”
My throat tightened.
“You think I want that?” he demanded, voice rising. “You think I want to keep you here, caged like a bird?”
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. “Then let me go.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw, and for a second I thought he might actually consider it. But then he shook his head. “I can’t.”
I hated him for it.
I hated myself for hating him.
Silence stretched between us like a blade.
Finally, he reached out, cupping my cheek so gently it almost hurt. “I will not lose you,” he whispered. “Even if you hate me for it.”
His touch burned. My wolf whimpered, confused by the soft note in his voice.
“Kade,” I rasped, tears pricking my eyes, “I can’t live like this.”
His forehead dropped to mine, breath ragged. “I know.”
For one brief, impossible moment, I thought he might let me go. That he might choose love over power.
But then he straightened, the Alpha mask snapping back into place. “Get dressed,” he ordered quietly. “We’re meeting the Council again today.”
My shoulders slumped. “What do they want this time?”
He hesitated. “They want to test your power.”
My heart stuttered. “What power?”
“The Moon’s chosen blood,” he said. “They will push you until you break.”
I went cold all over. My mother’s blood. The legacy I had never asked for.
Kade’s eyes softened, just for a breath. “I’ll be with you,” he promised.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
I dressed in silence, my hands trembling as I tied back my hair. The dress they’d given me this time was white, the color of sacrifice, of purity or of surrender.
When I stepped into the hall, Kade was waiting, arms crossed, jaw tight.
He nodded once. “Ready?”
No. I would never be ready.
But I stepped forward anyway.
The Council was waiting in the training yard, their faces as cold and unmoved as the carved statues that lined the walls.
They formed a circle around me, wolves in human skin, predators barely restrained.
“Luna,” the oldest one said, voice carrying like a blade. “Show us what you are.”
I felt my knees go weak. “I… I don’t understand.”
He sneered. “Call your wolf. Let us see the Moon’s chosen.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I don’t know how.”
“Then you are worthless,” another snapped.
Kade growled, stepping forward, but they raised their hands, halting him.
“Let her try,” the first Alpha commanded.
Panic gripped me. My wolf scratched at my insides, confused, terrified. I closed my eyes, searching for her, for that quiet place where we usually met, but everything was chaos.
I felt Kade’s voice, low and steady, cut through the noise. “Raven. Breathe.”
I tried. Air rattled in and out of my lungs, thin and painful.
“Feel me,” he murmured. “Feel the bond. Let me anchor you.”
Against everything, I reached for him. For the strange warmth of our link, even though I hated it.
My wolf stirred, drawn to him, drawn to his steady power.
I felt her rise, silver and wild, the spark of something ancient in her bones.
Gasps broke around the circle as a faint glow shimmered over my skin.
“There,” Kade breathed. “That’s it.”
The oldest Council member leaned forward, hungry for more. “Shift,” he ordered.
But the moment shattered. My wolf shrank back, too afraid, too confused. The glow flickered and died.
“Pathetic,” one of them spat.
Shame burned through me, hot and vicious.
Kade stepped in front of me, a snarl twisting his face. “Enough,” he roared.
His power rolled out like a tidal wave, forcing even the Council to recoil.
“She is Luna. You will respect her.”
They held their ground, but I saw fear in their eyes a crack in their armor.
The oldest one’s mouth twisted. “Very well. For now.”
They turned and left, robes snapping in the cold wind, their disappointment thick in the air.
My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the dirt.
Kade was there in an instant, arms around me, holding me close.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m not strong enough.”
He pulled me tighter, his heartbeat steady against mine. “You will be,” he promised. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Part of me wanted to shove him away. Part of me wanted to stay in his arms forever.
I closed my eyes, fighting the tears.
I was Luna. I was claimed.
And if I was going to survive, I had to learn how to be both.
- Writer
