The Forgotten Luna

5 - Departure

[Astrid P.O.V.]

The air in the Dark Moon estate was electric with tension. Not the ceremonial kind that came with politics or Elder traditions, but something far more primal. I felt it tingling across my skin as I stood in the hallway, my spine rigid under the gaze of Kayn, Lucas and Atlas.

Atlas had led me from the summit chamber, only for us to run into these two.

Atlas stood beside me, his energy a steady reassurance. It took everything in me not to lean into him, and the warmth he promised. Juno growled low inside me, a mixture of her own longing and possessiveness.

He’s ours, Juno whispered in my head. Let them try to take us.

Alpha Lucas kept his expression neutral, practiced neutral, but there was something fraying at the edges. It was either panic or the realization that he was no longer in control. To his left stood Alpha Kayn, colder than a glacier and twice as immovable. His eyes flicked over me as if I were a piece of currency, something to be traded, not cherished.

“I was promised a mate. The terms were clear.” Kayn’s voice cut through the silence first.

“She’s not yours to claim,” Atlas said, his voice a low, rumbling warning. “The bond has spoken. She belongs to no one but herself.” I was shocked to hear him say that, as I now belonged to him too. Though, I could sense he was being sincere.

Kayn’s lip curled, but before he could reply. I stepped forward. “I’m not an offering,” my voice was steady despite the thudding of my heart in my chest. “And I will never be yours.”

The words hung in the air like a challenge. For a moment, neither of them spoke, then Lucas broke it.

“You’re making a mistake, Astrid. Do you think the Moon Stone Pack can keep you safe from the consequences?”

Atlas didn’t flinch at the obvious threat. “We don’t intend to keep her safe, we will go to war for her, if necessary.”

That put Kayn and Lucas into a stunned silence. “War over a girl who scrubs floors?”

Atlas bared his teeth in something that is more a snarl than a smile. “War over my mate. Say another word like that and you’ll find out just how serious I am.”

Juno surged forward, pushing me aside and growling in approval of Atlas’s words. The mate bond pulsed between us, euphoric, thickening the air. I pushed Juno back to take control again.

I noticed the guards even shifted, some of them bowing their heads under my outburst.

They feel it, Juno whispered. They all feel it.

I had heard of rare cases where the bond was so strong it resonated beyond the pair, but only in legends. Those bonds were linked to wolves of power, wolves tied to ancient bloodlines.

An Eclipse Wolf, Juno said again. That’s what you are.

“I want Rhea,” I said suddenly, my voice cutting through the silence that had been between us.

Lucas frowned. “That girl is an outsider. She has no place…”

“She’s the only family I have,” I said. “She comes with me.”

Atlas looked at me, studying me then nodded without hesitation. “Done. Hand over the girl, Lucas.”

Lucas gave a single nod though his face darkened at the idea of releasing the girl. Kayn took one final look at me, the kind of look that made my skin crawl as I could see the lust for me in his eyes. He turned sharply on his heel, and left the room without another word. Lucas followed, not even bothering to say goodbye.

As soon as they were gone, Atlas turned to me, his gaze soft… loving. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I looked around the estate. It’s marble floors, the stone staircases I’d cleaned on my knees, the grand chandeliers that dripped with opulence that I was never allowed to touch.

“I have never been more sure of anything.”

By the time we left, the sky was dark with gray clouds that promised snow. Atlas’ convoy was unlike anything I had imagined as the Black SUVs waited us with fully armed guards flanking it. I’d spent my life in the shadows of a pack that clung to tradition, but the Moon Stone Pack was ready for anything.

Rhea slid into the back seat of the lead SUV with me, bundled in a thick coat that Atlas had ordered for her. Rhea’s eyes were sharp, and never stopped scanning the road.

“You okay?” I asked softly, gently squeezing her hand reassuringly.

Rhea smiled faintly. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”

“You knew this would happen?”

“I knew something would.” She looked over at me. “You were always meant for more than the cage that was Dark Moon.”

I felt Juno stir in my mind again. She’s right. We’re stepping into who we are meant to be.

The ride stretched long into the evening. We passed through dense forwards, small towns and stretches of unclaimed territory. The SUVs moved in a tight formation, with scout teams reporting in through encrypted comms every few miles. It felt less like a journey and more like an extraction of military magnitude.

In one moment of quiet, Atlas checked on her through the small panel between the front and the back seats. He had been allowing her privacy with her friend. “You holding up alright?”

I leaned forward. “Yes. Thank you… for everything.”

He gave me a crooked smile, one that had my heart fluttering with happiness. “It’s not charity. I couldn’t leave without you even if I wanted to.”

I swear my heart skipped a beat. The bond buzzing between us like a live wire and the pull was magnetic. I looked away before I could say something foolish.

Later, as the road dipped into a wide curve, only one of the scout teams reported movement along the northern ridgeline, and Atlas’s demeanor shifted immediately.

“Stay alert,” he said and within seconds, the convoy tightened around them.

I leaned closer to Rhea. “Do you think it’s Kayn?”

“I’d be surprised if it wasn’t,” Rhea muttered. “Men like him don’t give up power or possessions lightly.”

The word possessions made my stomach churn. I remembered the look in Kayn’s eyes and shuddered. I was both power and a possession to him, and I didn’t know how far he would know. I just knew that this wasn’t over.