Luna of the Golden Moon

Luna Fredrica

"Take me to him."

I was trembling slightly, feeling exposed and vulnerable as they all gave me strange looks, striding down the corridor away from Caleb's bedroom, the three tall men following closely, their presence making me feel small and scared, thankful they hadn't caught Kyle yet.

The betas weren't happy to see me march towards the door with the golden plaque on, getting used to matching Caleb's steps by now.

They believed me a traitor to my mate, to this pack, snarling before we stopped before the massive door, knowing that their behavior against me wouldn't be tolerated in public. Still, here in the long march against my own uncle, everything was fair game.

"Head Alpha," I said, the title breathless, stepping into the big office, my heart racing inside my chest, the man who looked like my mate, only older and far more destructive, sitting behind his desk, in a position of power, where people like me, even as the future Luna, could not reach him.

"Emilia…, please. Take a seat." Alpha Terrence gave me a smile, giving me no comfort; the whole of him was just a deep dive into everything I wasn't, cold and arrogant, power-hungry.

I sat down silently, my eyes on Alpha Terrance, feeling the weight of potential punishment pressing down, knowing the consequences wouldn't just fall on me but threaten Caleb and my... I stopped myself from seeing his friendly face, hiding what he was really feeling right now, hate towards me, for everything.

"… and Kyle… is that who you were going to say? Your Beta lover?" He snickered more with my hands curling up underneath the mahogany, trying not to let go of the blank face with my eyes twitching. My wolf was pushing out, like she could feel it, same as me, how wrong he really was for this pack, for my mate, and yes, for Kyle!

"You don't think running away with Beta Kyle was heartless, or did you forget the suffering you have splattered over this pack – my pack, since your first step inside my borders?!"

I flinched; he had an edge in his voice, since he was infuriated with me, just as Caleb was angry about me for running away. He didn't even care. I came back here on my own, forcing me to wander all the way back in my human form since I wasn't allowed to shift and show my true form!

Alpha Terrence's face shifted, showing a slight expression of surprise, before it was drowned in his stiffness, just like Caleb would, hearing me call out my pain to him, about being treated like nothing, about the wounds and grim covering my body, about making it back here. It was all his, just as everything else in my life was; it was all his fault!

"I would not make the future Luna of the Golden Moon through the woodlands. Why would I do that? You are the future with my son, Emilia. I would not let anyone defile my legacy. The Luna is to be worthy of the respect of the room, no matter how much trouble she is causing!"

Alpha Terrance's eyes shifted, just for a short second, as the Betas outside started to whine, grown men exhaling grunts of distress, the cold charcoal eyes staring at the closed door, like he saw them behind the walls, making me even more freaked out. What on earth was he doing to them??

"Uncle, please!" I was begging him to stop hurting the men outside the door, the snarling from the Betas who were submitting, breaking my heart. Alpha Terrence wanted answers. The men wouldn't give them, too scared to admit that punishing me without orders was his way of breaking us all down, making wolves obey in blind fear or retribution.

My wolf was starting to break out, and his eyes shifted, showing the gold-green eyes taking over. The tall Alpha before me switched his eyes back, and I stood up and stared at him. He was supposed to protect, not dominate and punish his own pack!

Alpha Terrance slowly got out of his seat, staring at me with his eyes, not charcoal anymore, but yellow, pushing out all his power on me, since he had enough, wanting me to stop being trouble for him all the time.

My breath got caught, feeling the power crushing me, and I stumbled back, my eyes widening in fear over what he could do to me.

"You think I care about you? About any of the stupid rebellion you are trying to start. Think again, Niece!" Alpha Terrance was still holding me with all his Alpha power, with me suffocating, pinned down. I didn't want to die, but I wasn't going to submit. The only person in the world whom I would give that to was my mate, not him, not Kyle, not anyone!

I growled softly, wanting to fight back, my eyes breaking free from his hold, shaking from the sweat on my face, only to see the amusement of my uncle, giving me a tired look back suddenly, like he had enough of playing games.

He growled deep and menacing, making the Betas outside whine louder, with every hair on my body standing right up. Alpha Terrance looked different, dangerous; his wolf was out, his body position like he was ready to attack, but he wouldn't. The moment he laid his hands on me, Caleb would kill him!

"Caleb…." Alpha Terrance smirked, his eyes still hostile and yellow, leaning lower. I had never been frightened before, my heart pounding in my throat.

Yes! That was right, Caleb! He was my male, and he would slice through Alpha Terrance with ease. He was younger, stronger, everything his father wanted him to be, but he was also sweet, caring, and loving. He wanted to have a pup with me because he loved me, not because of duty!

That's why Alpha Terrance was disappointed in me, in Caleb, in everyone in this pack that didn't follow him blindly and crushed everyone in their way; that was not what an Alpha was supposed to be!

"…my heir…you ruined him… I spent my whole life leaving a perfect legacy, and now, you are showing me just how much I should have made him take that mark off your neck, before it was too late!"

My mother told me stories of growing up, great Alphas, helping and protecting the weakest, not breaking down, bringing their own men to their knees. There had to be another way!

"There is… I can kill Caleb, and we will start over. You and I have another heir... and then, you are going to spend the rest of your days inside this palace, just like my Fredrica!

She was beautiful, just like you, and she just decided to leave me, leave me with raising my own son when I had a whole f*****g house to care for!" Terrance made another face, with me still not believing he would be willing to kill Caleb, like he said, he spent his life to make sure his legacy wasn't tarnished, and I would rather kill myself than become his mate and have his pup!

"Don't f*****g say that in my head!" I was still trying to make sense of what was happening, with Alpha Terrance looking hurt, suddenly his voice desperate, backing off from me with his Alpha power, giving me room to start breathing again.

My eyes were still glowing golden green against his yellow. What happened to him? What happened to the great Alpha whom I know he was, somewhere?

I knew he was, because Caleb was a great man, mate, and alpha to me, no matter what anyone said. He loved me, just as Alpha Terrance had loved Caleb's mother. I could see it now.

Her death. It broke him, didn't it? She killed herself, that was the rumor.

Oh.

"I'm sorry...." I didn't want to hurt him; there was already too much pain inside this pack, and we needed to change. Couldn't he see that?

Alpha Terrance snarled at my hurt, empathetic eyes, wanting to reach him as he still leaned over the armchair, his hands gripping the dark leather, me looking at him, not knowing how to ease his pain, but I would try.

The betas outside were the first thing we both heard, whining more with the door being slammed open to the old office, the head alpha looking up, he was tired but proud, seeing the tall naked man who was standing there with yellow eyes, jaw open, and blood dripping down his hands and face, making my heart bleed even more.

Caleb.

The beaten old man who was staring at the chair like he really wanted to sit down, just step down and let his son take over, giving me an amused smile when my scared eyes met his determined, knowing he couldn't. Wouldn't.

He wasn't going to let anyone see him step down.

"Caleb, don't!" I was calling him, but he didn't listen, rushing into the room in slow motion, taking a full leap over the desk, his hands taking a grip around his father's shoulders, roaring as the older Alpha was pushed back hard into the wall, the thump making the whole wooden palace shake.

Betas was trying to enter, trying to save their head Alpha, who was gazing inside the eyes of his son, both yellow, making a proud look with Caleb slamming him into the wall another time to his painful grunt. The whole house cried out in pain, feeling the fight, the shift that was about to happen: Caleb was going to kill his father.

"Emilia," I whimpered, hearing Alpha Terrance calling me, dying in his last breath with Caleb at his throat, meeting the yellow eyes, surprising me since they had softness, not for Caleb, not for the pack, but for me. Standing and watching him die, still trying to make sure that no Betas rushed the room and were hurt trying to stop what was happening, with the old Alpha dying.

The shift inside us made me stare right back into his eyes. I couldn't stop Caleb from killing him, the smell of blood filling up the room, but I could give him this, the one thing he never showed anyone. Mercy.

"Protect my legacy…" Alpha Terreance was pushing out his last breaths with Caleb still biting at his neck, his wolf being in a frenzy with me smiling back at the dying Alpha. Yes, I would protect it. With all my power, I would protect his son, and the son I was carrying, my pup.

Alpha Terrance made one last chough, before his eyes drifted off with me still staring at the scene, the splatter of blood and death all over the office, Caleb growling and crying at the same time letting his father slide down to the floor, before finding me, my hands already reaching out for him, my mate, my beautiful powerful mate, who I loved more than anything in the world.

"You are going to be a father, Cay…" I cried along with him, staring at me like he couldn't believe it, my hands still on his face not caring about the blood or the dead Alpha behind us. He had his time, and in the end, he didn't fight back, because we had a new beginning, with Caleb as the Head Alpha, and his legacy would go on.

"Oh Goddess…. Mila….” Caleb's eyes were still full of tears, with me blocking the room, all my power pushing out to seal out anyone else.

It was just us now, him and me, the Alpha and Luna, Caleb and Emilia.

"I love you, Caleb, with all my heart…" My hand was guiding his towards my flat abdomen, where our baby was resting, smiling at his weird laughter, still not believing it, we had a pup, a real one, whom I already loved.

“I worship you Luna… never forget that…” Caleb was standing taller, giving me a look like he really wanted to keep this talk going, in awe of us having a pup. Still, he could feel it, the shift.

I was nodding, smiling proudly, feeling it too, the power that was now pulsating around him, my mate, the head Alpha of the golden moon.

"Delta Vivian, see to it that Alpha Terrence is prepared for the funeral, please," I said calmly and not sad, since this was a new beginning, for us, for the pack, and for our child, who would be raised with love and not fear, since Caleb was nothing like his father.

"Yes, Luna." Delta Vivian was answering me back, submitting, just like the rest of the golden moon, all bowing down to the new power who was going to rule this house.

Nothing was ever going to be the same again.