Loving Luna

The Council's Judgment

The word "executed" just kept replaying in Luna's head, like a broken record. For a second, everything else just disappeared – the fancy furniture, the sunbeams, even the nice coffee smell. All of it just faded away, replaced by one huge, terrifying thought: she'd only made it through one night, and now a bunch of strangers were going to decide if she'd see another.

Luna pushed herself up from her chair, her hands shaking on the polished wood like the whole room was tipping.

"I'm leaving," she announced.

Nobody moved. Nobody even looked surprised, which honestly felt worse.

"I'm serious," she said, her voice a bit stronger this time, but still full of disbelief.

"I'm not sitting here while people I've never met vote on whether I live or die."

Darius met her eyes, completely calm, like he'd totally expected this.

"If you leave this estate, you'll be dead before you even get to the gates."

"You don't know that."

"I do." His certainty was so annoying, like he was talking about the weather.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

Luna crossed her arms tight, trying to get a grip.

"I've spent twenty-four years taking care of myself."

"You survived," Darius corrected quietly, his tone final, but not unkind.

"There's a difference."

She frowned, a mix of annoyance and something else she didn't want to deal with.

"What difference?"

"You survived without knowing the monsters hunting you." His face got a little darker, and the air around him seemed to chill. "They know now."

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the room, like even the walls were holding their breath. Finally, Evelyn stepped forward.

"The Council isn't your enemy," she said, her voice soft but firm.

Luna looked at her intently, trying to find some reassurance.

"Then why are they deciding if they kill me?"

Evelyn paused, her silence speaking volumes. She glanced at Darius, like she was asking permission.

"They're afraid."

"Of me?"

"Of what you might become."

Luna let out a short, hollow laugh.

"I don't even know what I am."

"No," Darius said, his voice lower now. "But they remember the last person who carried your power."

The words hung there, heavy. Luna’s stomach twisted.

"What happened to them?"

Still, no one spoke. The silence was louder than any words. Luna looked from Darius to Evelyn to Mason, trying to figure out what made sense. Nobody wanted to say it. Her stomach clenched tighter as a cold dread started to creep in.

"They started a war," Darius said at last.

A few minutes later, Luna followed them through the long, winding hallways of Blackwood Estate. It felt more like a castle than a home, with endless, cold stone walls that seemed to swallow every sound. Old portraits lined the corridors, generations of Blackwood Alphas staring down at them as they passed, all with that same calm, proud, dangerous look Darius had.

One portrait really caught Luna's eye. It was of a woman, not in armor, but in a flowing silver dress under a painted full moon. On her wrist was the same golden mark Luna now had. She stopped, her breath catching.

"Darius."

He turned, sensing the change in her voice.

"Who is she?"

Darius looked at the portrait, and for the first time, a hint of something human flickered across his face.

"Sienna."

"She has my mark."

"Yes." The simple answer held so much meaning.

"What happened to her?"

His jaw tightened, like he was holding something back.

"She died."

The finality in his voice shut down any more questions. Before Luna could even feel the ache in her chest, he started walking again. Conversation over.

Two massive wooden doors, covered in ancient carvings, stood at the end of the hall. Two guards bowed as Darius approached.

"The Council is waiting, Alpha."

Darius nodded, not slowing down. Then he looked at Luna.

"No matter what happens in there…" His voice softened, meant just for her. "Stay beside me."

She studied him for a moment, looking for any sign of hesitation.

"You really think they're dangerous?"

"I know they are."

His answer was instant and unwavering.

The doors opened. The chamber beyond made Luna freeze. It was a huge, three-story circular room, overwhelming in its size. Marble pillars reached up to a domed ceiling painted with shimmering stars. Twelve carved stone seats formed a perfect circle, and every single one was occupied. Men and women, young and old, all exuding a quiet, undeniable authority. And every single pair of eyes turned to Luna at once. She suddenly felt tiny, like she'd stumbled into a place she didn't belong.

A silver-haired woman in the center slowly stood up, commanding attention effortlessly.

"So…"

Her voice carried smoothly through the chamber.

"The Hidden One finally shows herself."

Luna frowned, refusing to shrink under their stares.

"I'm standing right here."

A few council members exchanged subtle, amused glances, as if her defiance was either expected or irrelevant.

The woman didn't smile.

"My name is Selene Ashcroft. High Chancellor of the Council."

She walked down the steps deliberately, stopping just a few feet from Luna. Her pale eyes, sharp with intelligence, studied Luna like she was an exhibit. Then Selene reached for Luna’s wrist.

Darius stepped in front of Luna instantly, blocking her.

"You will not touch her."

The tension in the room snapped tight.

Selene met his gaze, completely unfazed.

"You forget your place, Alpha."

"No," Darius said, his voice calm but firm. "I remember it perfectly."

A heavy silence fell. Then Selene smiled, a cold, sharp smile like a glint of light on a blade.

"You're already getting protective."

Her attention never left Luna.

"Tell me…"

She paused.

"Do you know why your Alpha can’t stop watching you?"

Luna blinked, caught off guard.

"My Alpha?"

Darius’s shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly, but Luna noticed. Selene noticed too.

"So," she nodded slowly, as if confirming something. "It’s already started."

Luna looked between them, confusion tightening her chest.

"What has?"

The Chancellor’s smile widened slightly, though it held no warmth.

"The mating bond."

The chamber went completely silent. Luna’s eyes widened in shock. She turned to Darius, searching his face for denial, for correction, for anything to make it less real. He didn't deny it. He didn't confirm it. He just looked at her with those impossible gray eyes, steady and unreadable. And for the first time, Luna realized the pull she felt whenever he was near wasn’t just her side. He was fighting it too.