The Luna's Crown

Chapter 4: The Betrayal Revealed

"Stay inside," Wyatt commanded, but I was already pushing past him.

"No. This is my fight."

The wolves surrounded the cabin, at least thirty of them. They shifted one by one, revealing familiar faces. My former packmates. People I'd grown up with. And at the center, Wyatt—the other Wyatt, my ex—stood with Natalie clinging to his arm.

But it was the two figures behind them that made my blood freeze.

My parents.

"Charlotte," my mother called, her voice syrupy sweet. "Come home, darling. We're so worried about you."

"Worried?" I laughed, but it came out sharp, bitter. "You poisoned me for twenty years."

"We protected you," my father said. "You don't understand the danger—"

"I understand perfectly." I stepped forward, feeling my wolf's strength singing through my veins. "You were scared of what I could become. So you kept me weak."

"You were safer that way," my mother insisted. "Do you know how many packs would kill for a Lunar Wolf? How many would force you to—"

"To what? Be their weapon? Their breeding machine?" My hands clenched into fists. "Instead, you made me everyone's victim."

The other Wyatt stepped forward, his brown eyes gleaming with something I'd never seen before—greed.

"Charlotte, I made a mistake," he said, his voice smooth. "I shouldn't have rejected you. I was confused, angry. But now I understand what you are. What we could be together."

Natalie's grip on his arm tightened. "Wyatt, what are you doing?"

He shrugged her off like she was nothing. "Shut up, Natalie. You were just a distraction."

The shock on her face might have been satisfying if I wasn't so disgusted.

"You want me back?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "After humiliating me? After throwing me out like trash?"

"I want my true mate back," he said, moving closer. "The Moon Goddess chose us for a reason. You're a Lunar Wolf. I'm the future Alpha. Together, we could rule not just Blue Moon, but every pack in the territory."

"The Moon Goddess didn't choose anything," I spat. "You rejected that bond. It's broken."

"Bonds can be reformed," Alpha Marcus said, stepping out from behind his son. "With the right ceremony, the right... persuasion."

The threat in his voice was clear.

Behind me, I felt Wyatt—my Wyatt—move closer. His presence was like a warm shield at my back.

"Charlotte is under Shadow Ridge protection," he announced, his Alpha voice carrying across the clearing. "Touch her, and you declare war."

Alpha Marcus finally noticed him, and his eyes widened. "Alpha Wyatt. What are you doing here?"

"Protecting what's mine."

The younger Wyatt snarled. "She's not yours. She's my mate."

"Was," my Wyatt corrected. "Until you threw her away. Rather publicly, from what I heard."

"This doesn't concern Shadow Ridge," Alpha Marcus said carefully. Everyone knew Shadow Ridge was three times the size of Blue Moon, and Wyatt's reputation as a fighter was legendary.

"It does when you threaten my mate."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"That's impossible," my mother gasped. "Charlotte is mated to—"

"To no one," I said, finding my voice. "The rejection broke that bond. And as for this one?" I gestured to Wyatt behind me. "That's my choice to make. Not yours."

"You belong to Blue Moon," Alpha Marcus said, his tone hardening. "You were born here. You owe us—"

"I owe you nothing!" The words came out with so much force that several wolves stepped back. My eyes had started glowing silver, I could feel it. "You suppressed me. Abused me. Threw me away. And now you want me back because I'm useful?"

"Charlotte, please," my mother tried again. "You don't understand the responsibility that comes with being a Lunar Wolf. The burden. We were trying to spare you—"

"You were trying to control me." I took another step forward, and this time, my power leaked out. The temperature dropped ten degrees. Frost spread across the ground at my feet. "But you can't anymore."

"Enough games," Alpha Marcus said. "You're coming home, Charlotte. One way or another."

His wolves started moving closer, tightening the circle.

Wyatt's hand touched my lower back, a gentle reminder that I wasn't alone. "Say the word," he murmured, "and my pack will be here in minutes."

"No," I said. "This is mine to handle."

I closed my eyes and reached for that power inside me. The Lunar Wolf stirred, eager to be released.

When I opened my eyes, they were pure silver fire.

"Kneel," I commanded, and my voice wasn't quite human anymore.

Every single Blue Moon wolf dropped to their knees instantly, including the Alpha. Only my former mate remained standing, though he swayed, fighting against the compulsion.

"How?" Alpha Marcus gasped from his knees.

"Lunar Wolves can command any wolf," I said, walking through the kneeling crowd. "Didn't you know that when you decided to suppress me? Or were you so afraid that you didn't even research what you were destroying?"

I stopped in front of my parents. They knelt side by side, tears streaming down my mother's face.

"Twenty years," I said. "Twenty years of pills. Of being told I was weak, broken, defective. Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"We loved you," my father choked out.

"You feared me. There's a difference."

I moved to the younger Wyatt, who was now on one knee, still fighting my command. His face was red with effort.

"You said I was frigid," I reminded him. "Boring. Worthless. A bargaining chip."

"I didn't... I didn't mean..."

"You meant every word." I leaned down so we were eye level. "And now you know what you really rejected. How does it feel?"

His eyes flickered between brown and gold, his wolf fighting to surface. "Please..."

"Please what? Take you back? Be your Luna? Let you use my power for your ambition?" I straightened. "I'd rather die."

"You're making a mistake," Alpha Marcus managed to growl from his knees. "Other packs will come for you. Vampires. Witches. You need Blue Moon's protection."

"No," I said simply. "I don't."

I released my hold, and they all gasped, stumbling to their feet. Several of them shifted immediately and ran. Others stood frozen, staring at me like I was something out of a nightmare.

Or a dream.

"Leave," I commanded, not using my power this time. Just my voice. "All of you. And if any of you come near me again, I won't be so gentle."

"This isn't over," Alpha Marcus said, backing away. "The Council will hear about this. About you."

"Good," Wyatt said behind me. "Let them come."

They left slowly, reluctantly. My parents lingered, trying to catch my eye, but I turned my back on them. The younger Wyatt was the last to go, Natalie pulling him away while shooting me a venomous look.

When they were gone, I collapsed.

Wyatt caught me before I hit the ground, scooping me up easily. "You did too much too fast," he said. "Your body isn't ready for that level of power."

"I had to," I mumbled against his chest. "Had to show them."

"You did. You were magnificent." He carried me into the cabin, setting me gently on the bed. "But you need to rest now."

"They'll come back."

"Let them. My pack will be here within the hour."

I grabbed his hand as he turned to go. "Why are you really doing this? And don't say the mate bond. You could have any wolf you want."

He sat on the edge of the bed, his thumb tracing circles on my hand. "You want the truth?"

I nodded.

"My sister, the one I saved from my father? She was born different too. Not a Lunar Wolf, but an Oracle. She could see glimpses of the future." His jaw tightened. "My father wanted to sell her to the highest bidder. Use her gift for profit and power."

"What happened to her gift?"

"She still has it. But she hides it. Only uses it when absolutely necessary." He looked at me, his golden eyes soft. "I've spent three years protecting her secret. I know what it's like to guard someone with a power others would kill for."

"So I remind you of your sister?"

"No." He leaned closer. "You remind me that there are still things worth fighting for. People worth protecting. And maybe..." He paused. "Maybe you're the key to keeping all of us safe. Not just from the vampires, but from ourselves."

"That's a lot of pressure."

"You just made an entire pack kneel with a word. I think you can handle it."

I squeezed his hand. "What if I can't? What if the power corrupts me?"

"Then I'll stop you," he said simply. "That's what mates do. Keep each other human. Keep each other sane."

"We're not mates. Not officially."

"No," he agreed. "But we could be."

Before I could respond, his phone rang. He answered immediately.

"What is it, Marcus?"

His expression darkened as he listened. "How many?" A pause. "I'll be right there."

He hung up, his face grim.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"My sister. She had a vision." He stood, pacing. "Blue Moon isn't giving up. They're calling in old alliances. Three other packs are mobilizing."

"To fight Shadow Ridge?"

"To take you." He turned to me. "They're planning to attack at dawn. All of them."

My blood went cold. "How many wolves?"

"Over two hundred."

I stood up, ignoring the dizziness. "We need to run."

"No." His voice was firm. "We fight. It's time the packs learned that Lunar Wolves aren't prizes to be won."

"Wyatt, that's suicide. Even with your pack—"

"My sister saw something else in her vision." He moved closer, his hands cupping my face. "She saw you standing in a field of snow, eyes glowing silver, with a hundred wolves bowing before you. Not from fear, but from respect."

"That doesn't mean—"

"She saw you winning, Charlotte. But only if you stop running and start fighting."

I looked into his golden eyes and made my decision.

"Then we fight."

He smiled, dangerous and beautiful. "That's my Luna."

"I'm not your Luna yet."

"No," he agreed, pulling me closer. "But you will be."

This time, when he leaned down, I didn't pull away.