Chapter 12 – The Night Before the Full Moon
1362 Words
The pack did not sleep that night.
Hadassah felt it the moment dusk fell—the restless energy humming through the territory, the way wolves paced instead of resting, the way whispers clung to the air like fog. The full moon was less than twelve hours away, and everyone knew what it meant.
A challenge under lunar law could not be delayed.
Blood would be spilled by dawn.
She stood alone on the balcony outside her chamber, arms wrapped tightly around herself as the cool night breeze tugged at her hair. Below, torches burned along the stone paths, guards stationed at every corner, their silhouettes tense and alert.
This was her fault.
If she had never crossed into this territory…
If she had never sought revenge…
If she had never—
Her wolf stirred restlessly.
Stop, it growled. This path was chosen the moment they broke us.
Hadassah closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.
She was no longer the girl who collapsed in the dirt while her mate rejected her before the pack. She was no longer the discarded Luna who fled in shame.
She had survived.
And survival always demanded a price.
A soft knock sounded behind her.
She didn’t turn.
“Come in,” she said quietly.
The door creaked open.
Eliakim’s presence filled the space before she even heard his footsteps. The bond reacted instantly—tightening, humming low and dangerous, as if sensing the storm drawing closer.
“You should be resting,” he said gently.
She gave a humorless smile. “So should the entire pack. Yet here we are.”
He stepped beside her, leaning against the stone railing. For a long moment, they stood in silence, watching the moon rise slowly over the trees—huge and luminous, already heavy with promise.
“Tomorrow,” Hadassah said softly, “someone dies.”
Eliakim didn’t deny it.
“Tomorrow,” he replied, “truth is tested.”
She turned to him sharply. “You’re too calm.”
His jaw tightened. “I’ve lived with the full moon long enough to know fear doesn’t stop what’s coming.”
Her gaze dropped to his hands—scarred, strong, steady.
“Abner will fight you,” she said. “Not because of me. Because of pride.”
Eliakim’s lips curved faintly. “Pride is often more dangerous than love.”
She swallowed. “He knows pack law. He knows how to provoke.”
“So do I.”
She hesitated. “And Miriam?”
A shadow crossed Eliakim’s face. “She won’t stay on the sidelines.”
“No,” Hadassah agreed. “She never does.”
The memory of Miriam’s whispered threat still burned in her mind. Leave Eliakim. Disappear.
Hadassah clenched her fists.
“I won’t run again,” she said firmly.
Eliakim studied her profile. “I wouldn’t ask you to.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words.
Finally, Hadassah spoke. “If tomorrow ends badly—”
“It won’t,” he interrupted.
She shook her head. “You don’t know that.”
“I know the risks,” he said quietly. “And I accept them.”
She turned to him fully now, frustration flaring. “Why?”
His eyes met hers, dark and unwavering.
“Because you are not expendable,” he said. “And I will not let pack politics decide your worth.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“You barely know me,” she whispered.
“I know enough,” he replied. “I know you walked into my territory broken and still chose to stand. I know you could have played the victim, but instead you sharpened yourself.”
He stepped closer.
“And I know my wolf has never been wrong about what is mine.”
The bond surged violently, heat rushing through her veins.
Hadassah staggered back a half-step, breath catching.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Not tonight.”
Eliakim froze.
She pressed a trembling hand to her chest. “If we acknowledge it now… it will only make tomorrow harder.”
His expression softened.
“You’re afraid.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Not of dying. Of losing myself again.”
He nodded slowly. “Then we wait.”
Relief flooded her, mingled with something deeper.
Thank you, her wolf whispered.
Eliakim straightened. “The elders will convene at midnight. Final terms will be set.”
She frowned. “Without me?”
“You are not required to attend,” he said. “And I’d rather you didn’t.”
Hadassah bristled. “This concerns me.”
“It concerns you,” he agreed. “But it endangers you too.”
She searched his face. “You’re trying to protect me.”
“Yes.”
“And if I say no?”
His lips curved faintly. “Then I’ll argue with you until sunrise.”
Despite everything, she laughed softly.
“Fine,” she said. “But I won’t hide.”
He inclined his head. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
They parted shortly after, each carrying the weight of what dawn would bring.
Hadassah returned to her chamber, but sleep refused to come. She paced, then finally sank onto the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.
Her wolf paced inside her mind, restless and sharp.
We should fight too, it said.
She exhaled. “This isn’t our challenge.”
Not yet, her wolf replied.
A sudden chill brushed her skin.
The candles flickered.
Hadassah’s head snapped up.
The shadows near the far wall shifted.
“Miriam,” she said flatly.
The woman stepped into the candlelight, her expression calm, almost serene.
“You really should start locking your doors,” Miriam said lightly.
Hadassah rose slowly. “You’re bold.”
“I’m desperate,” Miriam corrected. “There’s a difference.”
Hadassah folded her arms. “You came to threaten me again?”
“No,” Miriam said. “I came to warn you.”
Hadassah laughed bitterly. “You?”
Miriam’s gaze hardened. “Abner is not planning to fight fair.”
“That surprises no one.”
“He intends to provoke Eliakim into breaking challenge law,” Miriam continued. “If Eliakim strikes first, the council will intervene.”
Hadassah’s stomach dropped.
“You’re lying,” she said.
Miriam shook her head. “I don’t want him dead. I want him disgraced.”
“And me?”
Miriam hesitated—just a fraction.
“You’re collateral,” she admitted quietly.
Rage flared hot and sharp.
“You ruined my life,” Hadassah said through clenched teeth. “And now you pretend concern?”
Miriam stepped closer. “I did what I had to do to survive.”
“So did I.”
Miriam studied her carefully. “You love him.”
Hadassah didn’t answer.
“You don’t even realize it yet,” Miriam continued softly. “But tomorrow, when the moon rises… the bond will no longer let you hide.”
Hadassah’s voice trembled. “Why tell me this?”
Miriam’s eyes flickered with something almost human.
“Because if Eliakim dies,” she said, “you will never forgive yourself. And neither will I.”
Footsteps echoed outside the chamber.
Miriam stepped back. “Choose carefully, sister.”
Then she vanished once more.
Hadassah stood shaking.
Moments later, the door opened.
Eliakim entered, eyes immediately locking onto hers.
“She was here,” he said.
“Yes,” Hadassah whispered.
“What did she say?”
Hadassah met his gaze. “That Abner plans to bait you into breaking the law.”
Eliakim’s jaw tightened. “I suspected as much.”
She took a steadying breath. “Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“No matter what he says tomorrow… don’t let him control you.”
Eliakim stepped closer, lifting her chin gently.
“I fight with my head,” he said. “Not my pride.”
Her wolf sighed in relief.
Outside, the moon climbed higher—full now, blazing silver and merciless.
The pack stirred.
The night was almost over.
And by the time the moon reached its peak, fate would demand its due.
- Writer
