THE LUNA WHO WASN'T WANTED
1701 Words
Lyra attends the Moon Hall gathering beside her mate, Alpha Kael Arden, unaware that he is about to publicly announce a decision that will destroy their bond.
---
The first thing Lyra noticed was that Kael had stopped touching her.
It was such a small thing that no one else would have noticed.
For three years, his hand had always found some excuse to rest against her. At council meetings, his fingers would settle around her wrist beneath the table. During ceremonies, he would stand close enough that the heat of his shoulder brushed hers. When they walked through the village, he used to place his palm against the small of her back whenever another wolf came too near.
Tonight, there was nothing.
Not even an accidental touch.
Lyra stood beside him beneath the enormous silver arches of Moon Hall, her hands folded neatly in front of her while the clan gathered around them.
The hall smelled of pine smoke, polished cedar, and the sharp sweetness of crushed juniper scattered across the stone floor. Hundreds of candles burned along the walls, their flames trembling whenever the mountain wind slipped through the narrow windows. Above them, suspended from iron chains, hung seven Lunar Crystals.
They were ancient stones, each one the size of a man's fist, glowing with a pale blue-white light.
Lyra had always hated those crystals.
They made her feel watched.
Every full-moon gathering, the elders liked to say that the crystals recognized the strength of the wolves standing beneath them.
Lyra had never seen hers do anything.
Not once.
Her own Lunar Mark rested just beneath her left collarbone, hidden beneath the dark blue fabric of her dress. It was supposed to glow when a wolf reached adulthood, revealing the strength of their lunar blood.
Lyra's had appeared when she was sixteen.
A thin silver crescent.
Weak.
Barely visible.
The other girls had received elaborate patterns that spread across their shoulders, backs, or ribs. Some glowed bright enough to illuminate their skin.
Lyra had received a line no wider than a thread.
The elders had called it unfortunate.
The children had called it a dead mark.
Kael had called it beautiful.
At least, he had once.
She glanced at him.
He was staring toward the elders.
His jaw was tight.
His hands were behind his back.
And he had not looked at her for nearly twenty minutes.
Lyra swallowed.
"Kael."
His eyes flicked toward her.
"What?"
The single word was quiet.
Too quiet.
She forced a small smile.
"You've been avoiding me."
"I haven't."
"You haven't looked at me."
His expression hardened slightly.
"We're in the middle of a ceremony, Lyra."
"So?"
His gaze shifted toward the gathering wolves.
"Not here."
There was something in his voice that made her stomach tighten.
Lyra lowered her voice.
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
"Then why have you been acting strange since we left the house?"
"I'm not acting strange."
"You haven't eaten."
"I'm not hungry."
"You changed your shirt three times."
His eyes finally snapped toward her.
"Are you keeping count?"
She almost smiled.
Almost.
"I live with you."
A muscle moved in his cheek.
For one second, the old Kael seemed to return.
The man who used to laugh when she caught him staring at her.
The man who once claimed he could recognize her footsteps from halfway across the village.
The man who had kissed her forehead on the night of their mating ceremony and whispered that he would choose her in every lifetime.
Then the expression vanished.
Kael looked away.
Lyra's fingers tightened against one another.
Around them, the clan continued talking.
Women from the eastern families sat in embroidered gowns. Young warriors stood near the pillars, their arms crossed over broad chests. Children had been pushed toward the back by impatient mothers who wanted to hear the elders speak.
Everyone was dressed for celebration.
Lyra didn't know what they were celebrating.
That bothered her.
She looked toward the raised platform at the end of the hall.
The clan's council elders sat there in a curved row, their ceremonial silver collars catching the candlelight.
Beside them stood Selene Arclight.
Lyra had seen Selene many times.
Everyone had.
It was difficult not to.
Selene came from one of the oldest Alpha bloodlines in the northern territories. Her family had ruled three neighboring packs before the current borders were drawn, and she carried herself with the effortless confidence of someone who had never once been asked to prove that she belonged somewhere.
Tonight she wore white.
Not ivory.
Not cream.
Pure white, embroidered with silver thread.
Her dark hair fell in loose waves down her back.
A thin chain rested around her throat, holding an emerald that belonged to the Arclight family.
Lyra looked away.
She didn't know why Selene was standing with the elders.
She didn't know why three of the council members had already congratulated her.
And she definitely didn't know why Kael had looked at Selene four times since entering the hall.
Five.
Lyra counted the fifth without meaning to.
Her chest tightened.
"Kael."
He sighed.
"What now?"
"Why is Selene here?"
Silence.
Not long.
Only a heartbeat.
But Lyra felt it.
She turned toward him.
Kael's eyes remained fixed ahead.
"She's a guest."
"Of the elders?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Lyra."
"What?"
"Stop."
The word landed harder than it should have.
She stared at him.
He finally looked at her.
His face was unreadable.
"Just trust me tonight."
Lyra almost laughed.
The sound never made it past her throat.
Trust.
She had done little else.
She had trusted him when the healers told her her weak Lunar Mark might mean she would never become a proper Luna.
She had trusted him when members of his council suggested that an Alpha should eventually find a stronger mate.
She had trusted him when Kael said those rumors meant nothing.
She had trusted him when he told her Selene's arrival in the territory was merely a political visit.
And she had trusted him this morning when he kissed her cheek before leaving their house and said:
Wear the blue dress.
I want to see you in it tonight.
Lyra looked down at the dress.
It was the one Kael had given her during their second year together.
She had repaired the torn sleeve herself.
Her thumb brushed over the tiny stitched flower near her waist.
"You asked me to wear this," she said quietly.
Kael's gaze dropped to the dress.
Something flickered across his face.
Guilt.
She saw it.
He looked away immediately.
Before Lyra could ask what it meant, a bell sounded.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Conversation died throughout the hall.
The elders rose.
Every wolf straightened.
The largest of them, Elder Garrick, stepped forward.
His white hair was tied at the nape of his neck, and the ceremonial staff in his hand struck the stone floor with a heavy crack.
"Tonight," he announced, "the Moon watches over a new beginning for the Arden Clan."
Applause rolled through the hall.
Lyra smiled automatically.
Beside her, Kael did not move.
Her smile faded.
Elder Garrick continued.
"Our clan has endured difficult seasons. Borders have shifted. Rival packs have grown bold. And the strength of an Alpha's household has never mattered more than it does now."
A few warriors murmured their agreement.
Lyra's stomach twisted.
She looked at Kael again.
He was staring at the floor.
Not at her.
Not at the elder.
At the floor.
"An Alpha's Luna," Garrick said, "must possess the blood, strength, and standing necessary to protect the future of her people."
Someone behind Lyra whispered.
She couldn't make out the words.
Another voice answered.
Then silence.
Lyra felt suddenly cold.
Her wolf stirred beneath her skin.
Something is wrong.
She closed her eyes for half a second.
"Don't," she whispered beneath her breath.
Her wolf had been restless all evening.
That wasn't unusual.
Nyx had always been quieter than other wolves.
Sleepier.
Weaker.
The healers had told Lyra that some wolves were simply born with a dormant inner beast.
Another defect, they had called it.
Another reason she would never be a powerful Luna.
Lyra opened her eyes.
Elder Garrick had turned toward Kael.
"Alpha."
Kael stepped forward.
The sound of his boots against the stone floor seemed unnaturally loud.
Lyra's heart began to beat faster.
He stopped beneath the largest Lunar Crystal.
Its pale light washed over his face.
The crystal brightened.
A few members of the clan gasped appreciatively.
Of course it did.
Kael was everything an Alpha was supposed to be.
Strong.
Respected.
Beautiful in the infuriating way that made people forgive him before he even apologized.
His Lunar Mark ran from his right shoulder to his chest, a complex pattern of silver lines that glowed beneath his shirt.
The mark of a powerful Alpha bloodline.
Lyra looked at her own hands.
She suddenly wished she could disappear.
Kael turned toward the clan.
"Three years ago," he began, "I accepted the responsibility of leading this pack."
His voice was steady.
Too steady.
"I've always believed that an Alpha's first duty is to protect his people."
Lyra's breathing became shallow.
She knew these words.
Everyone did.
Alpha duty.
Clan.
Future.
Strength.
She had heard them whenever someone wanted to explain why her weakness was inconvenient.
Kael continued.
"Tonight, I have made a decision that will determine the future of this clan."
Lyra stared at him.
He still hadn't looked at her.
A strange buzzing filled her ears.
Someone moved behind her.
Someone whispered her name.
"Lyra..."
She didn't turn.
Kael lifted his chin.
"Selene Arclight."
Selene stepped forward.
The hall erupted.
Applause.
Cheers.
Excited voices.
The scrape of chairs.
Lyra stood perfectly still.
For a moment, she couldn't understand what she was seeing.
Selene walked toward Kael.
Slowly.
Gracefully.
The white fabric of her gown whispered over the stone.
Kael finally looked at Lyra.
Their eyes met.
And that was when she knew.
He wasn't going to explain himself.
He had already decided.
Selene stopped beside him.
Kael turned toward her.
Then, in front of the entire clan, he offered Selene his hand.
Lyra's fingers went numb.
Kael stepped away from Lyra.
He walked toward Selene.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD