Fate At midnight

Chapter one:the Luna without an heir Selene's POV The night I learned my marriage had an expiration date, the moon shone brighter than I have ever seen it, perhaps it was simply there to witness my humiliation. The Grand Hall of Midnight Fang Pack glittered beneath hundreds of crystal chandeliers. Noble Alphas, powerful Betas, and honored guests filled the room with laughter and conversation, yet despite the crowd, I had never felt more alone. I stood beside my husband, Alpha Kael Draven, the most feared Alpha King in the Northern Territories. He stood there, tall, powerful and untouchable his dark hair was perfectly styled, his silver-blue eyes as cold as winter frost. Women admired him. Men respected him. And I... I was merely his Luna. At least, for now. "Smile, Luna." The voice came from my right. I turned to find Diana Quinn watching me over the rim of her wine glass. A beautiful smile curved her lips, it never reached her eyes. "You look nervous." "I'm not nervous." "No?" she asked sweetly. "Then perhaps you've heard the rumors." I stiffened. There had been many lately, whispers following me through hallways conversations that stopped whenever I entered a room, servants avoiding my gaze. I knew what they were saying, the Luna had been married for three years, yet she had failed to produce an heir. In werewolf society, that failure was unforgivable. Diana leaned closer. "They say the Council is running out of patience." I kept my expression calm. "They can say whatever they wish." "Of course." Her smile widened. "But if the Alpha King remains heirless much longer, the Council may force him to take another mate." The words struck like a blade, because lately they felt less like rumors and more like warnings. I glanced at Kael, he hadn't moved, his attention remained fixed on the guests below, cold and silent as always Exactly as he had been throughout most of our marriage. I wondered if he had heard Diana, I wondered if he cared. The answer hurt more than I wanted to admit. Three years of trying to earn his affection, three years of sharing a home with a man who treated me like a political obligation, three years of pretending I wasn't lonely. My wolf whimpered softly inside me. I ignored her, that had become a habit too, a sudden hush swept through the hall, the conversations stopped, the music faded. Every head turned toward the entrance. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach, something was wrong. The massive doors opened, a group of Council Elders entered, at their center walked Evelyne Garrett. Kael's grandmother. The most influential woman in Midnight Fang, power radiated from her with every step, the room parted for her instantly, even Alphas lowered their heads. Evelyne approached the stage. Her sharp gaze landed on me briefly before moving to Kael, I didn't miss the disappointment hidden in her eyes she never bothered to conceal it. "Alpha Kael," she said. The entire hall listened. "There is a matter the Council wishes to address." My stomach tightened. Kael finally looked at her. "What matter?" Evelyne's expression remained calm. "The matter of succession." The words echoed through the hall, the future of Midnight Fang, every eye shifted toward me. I suddenly felt exposed, like prey surrounded by hunters. Evelyne continued. "The Council has reached a unanimous decision." Something inside me began to tremble. "The future of Midnight Fang cannot remain uncertain." The air felt difficult to breathe, "The Alpha line must continue." My heart pounded, Evelyne's gaze found mine. For a moment, something strange flickered across her face, It disappeared so quickly I almost thought I imagined it. Then she spoke the words that shattered my world. "If no heir is conceived before the next Blood Moon, the Council will dissolve the Alpha marriage and appoint a new Luna candidate." Gasps erupted throughout the hall, i heard every single one, yet somehow they sounded distant. My hands clenched at my sides. The next Blood Moonz thirty days before my marriage could legally end, i turned toward Kael. For one foolish moment, I expected him to object, to defend us or at least me, instead, his expression remained unreadable. And that silence told me everything. The Council had already made its move, and my husband wasn't going to stop them. A chill crawled down my spine, at that exact moment, a sharp pain shot through my chest. My breath caught, the moon-mark on my wrist suddenly burned. I gasped. Nobody noticed, nobody except one person an elderly man standing among the Council, his eyes widened, shock flashed across his face. Then pure fear was written around his face as though he had just seen a ghost. "What is it?" another Elder whispered. The old man's voice shook. "Impossible..." "What?" His gaze remained fixed on me. "The mark..." I instinctively covered my wrist, the burning vanished immediately, but it was too late, he had seen it. And judging from the terror in his eyes... Whatever he saw wasn't supposed to exist. Far above the hall, hidden behind the clouds, the full moon emerged. Its silver light flooded the room. For a brief second, I could have sworn the moonlight bent toward watching me, and somewhere in the darkness beyond Midnight Fang's borders, someone else felt it too.