His Warrior Luna

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The silk ribbon fluttered to the ground like a dead butterfly. I stared at it through my wolf's eyes, watching eighteen years of dreams die with each twist of the fabric.

The silk threads – meant to bind us together for eternity – now hung in tatters, just like my future.

“I reject this mating.” Joffrey's voice cut through the silence. Every word precise, practiced, like he'd been rehearsing this moment. Maybe he had been. “I will not tie myself to a red wolf.”

Red wolf. The words hit harder than any physical blow. I stood there in my massive red wolf form, still unable to shift back, watching my perfect world crumble. Wolves backed away from me like I was diseased.

Someone laughed. Actually laughed. I turned my head to see Eliza — the real Silver Pack heir — stepping forward, her perfect silver fur catching the moonlight as she shifted back to human form. She already carried herself like an Alpha's daughter, head high and shoulders back. Everything I'd pretended to be.

I tried to shift back, to defend myself, to say something — anything. But my wolf wasn't having it. She'd been caged for eighteen years, and now she was done playing nice.

Caroline and Rebecca, my so-called best friends since childhood, whispered behind their hands.

“Look at her,” Caroline whispered loudly to Rebecca. “Red like blood. Wasn't there a prophecy about cursed wolves?”

“Did you see how violent her shift was?”

“They say red wolves are cursed…”

“No wonder, she was always so… different.”

Different. Right. Because now everything about me made terrible sense. The aggression. The power. The way my wolf never quite fit into their perfect silver world.

“Shh!” Rebecca grabbed her arm. “Don't let it hear you. Who knows what it might do?”

It. Not her. Not Clara. Just… it.

I searched the crowd for a friendly face. Grace? Gone. Melissa? Avoiding my eyes. Mother — no, Luna Alice was already fussing over Eliza's ceremonial dress, cooing about how it would need to be adjusted.

“The ceremony will continue,” my fa- no, Alpha Jason announced. Not my father anymore. Never really was. He didn't even look in my direction. “Elder Margaret, please proceed with the true heir's blessing.”

True heir. Right. Because that's what Eliza was. And I was…nothing.

I tried to shift back again, to defend myself, to say something. Anything. But my wolf had taken over completely. Probably for the best. What could I possibly say?

My mother wouldn't even look at me. She fussed over Eliza's hair, straightening the ceremonial crown that should have been mine. Eighteen years of tucking me in, teaching me pack laws, preparing me to lead – all erased instantly.

“The rogue attack,” Elder Margaret was explaining to the crowd. “Two pups brought to safety. In the chaos…” She trailed off, but everyone understood.

They'd raised the wrong child. Trained the wrong heir. Loved the wrong daughter.

Except they hadn't really loved me, had they? They'd loved what I represented. The perfect Silver Pack princess. The flawless future, Luna.

What a joke.

My wolf surged forward, muscles coiling with power I'd never felt before. “Run”, she urged. “Run NOW.”

For once, I agreed with her.

I burst through the ceremonial circle, scattering the silver lanterns that lined the path. The shattering glass was oddly satisfying. Let them clean up my mess.

The forest swallowed me whole. Trees blurred past as I ran faster than I'd ever moved before. This body, this red wolf they all despised, was powerful. Each stride covered an impossible distance. Each breath brought a thousand new scents – earth, prey, predator, things I had no names for yet. Everything was different in this form. The earth pulsed beneath my paws. Small animals scattered at my approach. The moon sang in my blood.

“This is what we are”, my wolf purred. “Not some painted doll in a silver cage.”

Tears blinded me, but my wolf knew where to step. Away. Just away from the whispers, and the crushing weight of eighteen years of lies.

A new scent cut through everything else. Musk, lightning, something ancient that made my wolf try to stop dead in her tracks. Every instinct screamed IMPORTANT.

WHAM!

I slammed into what felt like a brick wall, the impact nearly sending me sprawling. Strong hands caught me, steadying me before I could fall.

I looked up. And up. And up.

Holy moon goddess.

He had to be close to seven feet tall, built like a warrior god, with an aura of pure authority that made even my typically dominant wolf want to roll over and show her belly.

But it was his eyes that caught me — dark and intense and flashing red.

Red like my wolf.

Red like me.

The scent hit me fully then, and my wolf went crazy. MATE, OURS, she howled. MATE, MATE, MATE. The word echoed through every cell of my body.

The recognition must have shocked me enough to finally shift back because suddenly, I was human and very naked. The transformation smooth, natural, like my body finally knew what it was meant to be. Without a word, the stranger shrugged off his jacket, draping it over my shoulders. The fabric carried his scent – that intoxicating mixture of power and something I couldn't name.

“Than — thank you,” I managed, wrapping it around myself. It smelled like him — pine and rain and power.

He didn't speak, just watched me with those intense eyes. I should have been scared. This was obviously a Blood Pack wolf — their warriors were legendary, feared throughout the region. But something about him felt… safe.

Shouts echoed through the trees. The search parties were forming. I caught fragments of their calls.

“Find the red abomination!”

“Don't let it escape!”

“It could be dangerous!”

It. Not her. Not Clara. Just it.

The stranger's jaw clenched at their words. His hands curled into fists, and I felt power roll off him in waves. This was no ordinary wolf.

His scent carried markers I recognized from pack lessons – Blood Pack. Warriors. Protectors. The wolves other wolves feared.

I should have been scared. Should have run from this predator who radiated lethal grace. But my wolf trusted him completely.

I didn't.

I stepped back, pulling his jacket tighter around me. He made no move to stop me, just watched with those knowing eyes.

The search parties were getting closer. I had to choose – face them and their judgment, or run deeper into the forest. Away from everything I'd ever known.

“You're running from something,” he said, his voice deep and knowing. “But you're running toward something too, aren't you, little red wolf?”