Hybrid Luna to the Alpha

Underdogs

Ivy’s Pov:

He was gone. I woke up and he wasn't beside me. The room still had a faint trace of his scent, so instead of sulking that he was gone, I inhaled the most of what I could of his smell.

I sat up slowly, the ache in my muscles reminding me that I hadn't imagined last night’s event. My wrists throbbed, and I noticed faint bruises already formed where the rogue had grabbed me. I ran a thumb over them, shivering slightly.

Kieran left without a word, of course, it wasn't like he was obliged to tell me when he was leaving. It stung me, I didn’t know why it did. It wasn't like I expected anything more, he'd only spent the night with me because the pack house was infiltrated.

After dressing, I stepped into the hallway. The guards posted at my door gave me a stiff nod and nothing more than that.

I made my way toward the dining hall, my stomach tightening with unease. A small part of me hoped to see him there, thinking that there might have been a slight chance that I’d misread everything.

But there was no sign of him nor Raya at breakfast, everyone else finished their meals on time leaving me alone with my half full plate. It was obvious that everyone was going on and about their duties whilst dealing with the infiltration but something felt off kilter to me. Everywhere was quiet—too quiet.

It didn't occur to me until one of the helpers came over to clear the table and shot me a dirty look. I expected to hear a nasty remark from her, but I didn't. Then I realised, it was the mindlink. It had gone off and I felt normal again, although I knew it'd come back again, it malfunctioned the most in the mornings, and left me nearly insane at night.

I left the dining room, unsure of what to do nor where to go, the pack house was massive but having no one to talk to made the space suffocatingly larger.

“You seem lost.” A voice startled me and I turned around to find Kael walking up to me.

“Hello, No– I'm not lost, I was–um, just giving myself a tour, you know, to get familiar with the place.” I lied, trying to suppress my nerves, he didn't have to know I felt lonely.

He gave me a scrutinizing look and then smiled, “You know I don't have to be a Blue Moon wolf to tell that you're lying. You're quite terrible at it.”

“Maybe, it's because I've never had a reason to lie.” I replied, meekly.

“Cute, but you'll never be a good leader if you can't throw in a lie here and there.” He shrugged his shoulders, but his look of amusement remained, it was like it was permanently etched on his face to be amused. I began to wonder if he died laughing in his past life. It also didn't help that he was the exact replica of Kieran.

“You think I'm a leader?” I asked, not going over the fact that he called me a leader.

“Unless Kieran has another mate, I don't know any other Luna's in line to lead our pack.” A genuine smile plastered over his face at the end of his statement and I returned it. It was nice to know someone other than Raya believed in me.

“Walk with me,” he added, and I found myself nodding before I even realized it.

We strolled side by side through the halls. His presence was easy—light, almost distracting in a good way. Not like Kieran who was always broody and cold. Kael was warm.

He led me through a side door that opened to a long pathway curving through the trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, leaving golden rays on the ground.

“This way leads to the training grounds,” Kael explained. “Figured you’d want to see where all the fighting and biting happens. ”

“Oh joy,” I muttered.

He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you only break one or two bones. Anything more would be irresponsible.”

I chuckled softly, and to my own surprise, I actually meant it. I hadn’t laughed since arriving here—at least not genuinely. But Kael made it easy.

The trees opened up, revealing a wide, dusty field bordered by trees on three sides and a low wall on the fourth. Training dummies stood in rows, their limbs battered, scratched and scorched. A few wolves were sparring off to the side, but the place was mostly quiet.

Kael walked us toward a bench beneath a broad tree at the edge of the field.

“Not many out today,” I observed as a few wolves sparred with each other, unlike my pack, it wasn't all males, there were female wolves training as well.

He nodded. “Yeah, they’re still doubling border patrols after last night. Everyone’s on edge.”

I lowered myself onto the bench, staring at the scuffed ground. “Kael, how often do things like… last night happen?”

He sighed, sitting beside me. “Not often. Kieran’s kept the territory locked tight for years. But now someone is selling the pack out, Rogues don’t just walk into the pack house unless someone opens the door for them.”

My stomach churned at last night's memory. “You think someone from the inside helped him?”

“I don’t think. I know.”

I swallowed. “And no one knows who?”

Kael shook his head. “Not yet. But Kieran’s working on it. Quietly though. He doesn’t want to cause panic.”

“Too late for that,” I muttered.

A breeze rolled in, brushing strands of hair across my face. I tucked them behind my ear, trying to keep my hands from trembling.

Kael glanced down at my wrists and frowned. “Does it hurt?”

I looked away. “I’m fine.”

He tilted his head. “You’re a terrible liar, remember?”

I gave him a small smile and instead of a response, my attention shifted to a group of men standing near the far end of the field. They weren’t sparring. They weren’t training. They were just watching … watching me.

I frowned. “Kael, who are those men?”

He followed my gaze and stiffened slightly. “They’re council members. Or their messengers, at least. They like to observe from the sides.”

“They’ve been staring since we got here.”

“Yeah,” he said, his tone losing some of its humor. “They’re trying to figure out what to do with you.”

I blinked. “With me?”

“They’re not thrilled, Ivy. Kieran having a mate is one thing. But a mate who’s… from a different pack, unranked, untrained and—worse, sorry if this will hurt but, barely a wolf?” He shook his head. “They see you as a liability to the pack.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not,” he agreed. “But neither is power. The Council don't worry themselves about rogues or border patrols. They’re mostly worried about bloodlines. About the power hierarchy. About keeping the power within the pack or increasing the pack's power.”

“And I'm not a fit for their standards.”

“You’re a disruption,” he said simply. “A wild card. And that scares them.”

I looked down at my hands, curling my fingers into fists. “You know, I never asked for any of this.”

“I know.” Kael leaned back, resting one arm along the bench. “But maybe, just maybe you’re exactly what this pack needs.”

I turned toward him slowly. “Why are you being nice to me?”

He looked at me with a lopsided grin. “Because, you're an underdog, and I like underdogs. Also because Kieran asked me to look out for you.”

“Of course he did.”

I rolled my eyes and looked away, but I couldn’t stop the way my chest tightened at the thought of Kieran asking Kael to protect me. It wasn’t nothing. Even if he hadn’t said anything to me this morning, he still cared enough to make sure someone was watching out for me.

Still… it stung.

“Earlier you said, lying would make me a better leader,” I said, eyes still fixed on the training field. “Why lie? Why would lying make me a better leader?”

Kael leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he picked up a small rock and tossed it between his hands.

“Because sometimes the truth does more harm than good,” he said carefully. “Like now, for example—if the whole pack knew a rogue managed to get into the Alpha’s home, that someone inside helped him, what do you think would happen?”

“They'd panic,” I murmured.

“Exactly. People would stop trusting each other. The younger wolves would be scared, and the older ones would start calling for blood. Kieran knows this. That’s why he’s keeping it hidden for now. Sometimes a good leader tells half-truths—or none at all—to keep control. To keep people safe.”

I frowned. “But isn’t that manipulation?”

“Maybe. But it’s also survival.” He shrugged. “I’m not saying you should lie about everything. Just… choose wisely. You’re not just an omega anymore, Ivy. You’re Luna. Whether they accept you or not. And that means learning when to speak… and when to stay silent.”

“I don’t think I can do this,” I admitted softly. “I used to be a dust fang in my old pack, I wasn't exactly raised to be a leader.”

“Remember earlier when I said, I like underdogs?” Kael said, looking over to the training wolves. “It's because I'm an underdog myself.”