MY SECOND LIFE: The Rejected Luna's Revenge

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: THE CONTRACT WEDDING

I didn’t sleep.

The Moon was full.

Red.

The same moon from the night I died.

Dorm 4C was silent.

No one talked to me today.

They were all at the Ceremony.

Watching.

Waiting for the wolf-less girl to fail.

My phone buzzed at 5:59 AM.

_D.B: East gate. 10 minutes. Wear black._

I was already dressed.

Black dress. Simple. No jewelry.

The old Lyra wore white to beg to be loved.

The new Lyra wore black to bury her past.

Damien was waiting. No hoodie.

Black suit. White shirt. Sleeves rolled up.

The burn mark on his wrist was glowing.

"You look—" he started.

"Don’t," I cut him off. "Contract."

He nodded. Jaw tight. "Contract."

We walked to the Sacred Grounds in silence.

400 wolves were already there.

Standing in a circle around the Moon Stone.

Alpha Marcus at the center.

Celia next to him in white.

Damien Vance behind her.

The whispers started the second we stepped in.

"That’s her."

"Is that Damien Blackwood in a suit?"

"She actually showed up."

We stopped in front of Marcus.

"Lyra Hale," he said. "Do you wish to participate in the Wolfing Ceremony?"

I lifted my chin. "I do."

"Damien Blackwood. Do you stand as her mate for this Ceremony?"

Damien didn’t look at me. "I do."

Marcus smiled. "Then begin."

---

The ritual was simple.

Blood on the stone.

Prayer to the Moon Goddess.

Wait for the shift.

One by one, students stepped forward.

Hands cut. Blood dripped.

Wolves appeared. Brown. Gray. Black.

Celia went.

Her blood hit the stone and silver light exploded.

A beautiful white wolf with blue eyes.

The crowd cheered.

She looked at me. Smiled.

_Your turn, wolf-less._

"Lyra Hale," Marcus called.

My hands were shaking.

I stepped forward.

Picked up the blade.

In my past life, my blood did nothing.

The stone stayed dark.

And they laughed.

Not this time.

I cut my palm.

Blood dripped.

One drop.

Two.

Three.

Nothing happened.

The stone stayed black.

Celia covered her mouth. "Oh no—"

"Wait," Damien said. Low.

The stone pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Then light.

Blue light.

Shooting up from the stone into the sky.

Pain.

White hot pain ripped through me.

Bones breaking. Reforming.

Fur growing.

I screamed.

And fell.

---

I hit the ground on four legs.

Silence.

Total silence.

I opened my eyes.

The world was different.

Sharper. Brighter.

I could smell everything. Fear. Jealousy.

And pine.

Damien.

I looked down.

Silver fur.

Shining like moonlight.

Bigger than Celia’s. Bigger than anyone’s.

Eyes glowing blue.

A gasp went through the crowd.

"Impossible," Marcus whispered. "A silver wolf. Here?"

Celia’s wolf whined and backed up.

I lifted my head and howled.

The sound shook the trees.

The bond yanked.

I turned.

Damien.

His eyes were completely gold.

The mark on his wrist was burning.

He stepped forward.

Slowly.

Like I was a wild animal.

"Lyra," he said. My name in his mouth sounded different.

I shifted back.

Naked.

Shaking.

Before I could fall, arms caught me.

Damien’s jacket around my shoulders.

His smell surrounded me.

"Got you," he murmured. Only I could hear.

The crowd was losing it.

"Silver wolf!"

"That’s a Luna wolf!"

"She’s not wolf-less!"

Marcus raised his hands. "Silence!"

It didn’t work.

"Alpha," one elder said. "The prophecy. A silver wolf born to a Blackwood. It means—"

"I know what it means," Marcus snapped.

He looked at me. At Damien. At our hands.

His face went dark.

"The ceremony is over," he said. "Everyone out."

---

They tried to separate us.

Two guards grabbed my arms. "The Alpha wants to speak to Miss Hale alone."

Damien moved faster than I’d ever seen.

In one second he was in front of me.

"Touch her again and lose the hand," he said. Quiet. Deadly.

The guards let go.

"Damien," Marcus warned.

"She’s my wife, Alpha." Damien didn’t look at him. He was looking at me.

Making sure I was okay.

"By contract. By law. By the Moon."

The last part hit everyone.

By the Moon.

Mate bond words.

Celia was crying for real now. "Uncle, she stole it! She stole my moment!"

Marcus ignored her.

He walked to me.

"Silver wolf," he said. "Do you know what that means, girl?"

"That I’m not weak?" I said.

"It means you’re a threat."

Damien stepped between us again.

"Then you should be scared," he said.

Marcus laughed. Cold. "Of you? The disowned son?"

Then he looked at me. "Or of her? The contract wife?"

"Both," Damien said.

The tension was so thick I could taste it.

"Fine," Marcus said finally. "You want to play house? Play.

But know this. The pack will never accept a wolf-less Luna."

"She’s not wolf-less," Damien said.

"No," Marcus agreed. "She’s worse. She’s powerful.

And power without control is dangerous."

He turned to leave. Then stopped.

"Oh. And Damien? The contract marriage ends in one year.

After that, if there’s no heir, the pack votes her out."

He walked away.

Taking Celia and Vance with him.

---

The grounds emptied in 5 minutes.

Leaving just us.

I was still shaking.

Damien was still holding me.

"Did you know?" I whispered.

"That you were silver?" He shook his head. "No.

But I knew you weren’t nothing."

I pulled back. I looked at him.

"Why did you do that? Back there. ‘My wife.’ ‘By the Moon.’"

His jaw worked.

"Because they needed to hear it."

"And did you mean it?"

The question hung between us.

Damien ran a hand through his hair. Frustrated.

"I don’t know, Lyra." Honest. Raw.

"I don’t know what this is. Contract. Bond. Fate.

But I know I’m not letting him hurt you."

The bond pulled.

Hard.

My hand reached for his without permission.

Our fingers brushed.

Blue light.

Again.

Faint. But there.

We both jerked back like we’d been burned.

"Contract," I reminded him. Voice shaking.

"Contract," he agreed.

But neither of us moved away.

My phone buzzed.

_Pack Group Chat:

DID YOU SEE THE SILVER WOLF???

LYRA HALE IS A LUNA

CELIA IS FUMING LMAO_

_Unknown: You think that changes anything sis?

Wait till the Alpha is done with you 💋_

I blocked the number.

Damien saw it.

"Come on," he said. "I’ll walk you back."

We walked through the empty grounds.

Two people.

One contract.

One bond trying to break it.

At the dorm, he stopped.

"Tomorrow," he said. "Training. 5 AM."

"Why?"

"Because Marcus is right about one thing."

He looked at me. Gold eyes in the moonlight.

"Power without control is dangerous.

And you, Lyra Blackwood, are powerful."

He walked away before I could answer.

I closed the door.

I looked at my hands.

Silver light still faint under my skin.

The girl who died wolf-less

just became the most dangerous wolf in the pack.

And Damien Blackwood was the only one standing between me

and everyone who wanted me dead.

Contract or not.