THE UNTAMED LUNA

THE NIGHT GATHERING

My phone’s alarm is so loud, like a warning bell, ripping me from sleep this morning. I shut the alarm with trembling fingers and swung my legs off the bed.

I should not be late today.

And today, I will finally meet the rest of Marvin’s pack. His family and whole Southern pack.

The word alone made my chest tighten.

Nervousness curled deep in my stomach, coiling with a strange excitement. I dressed quickly, barely tasting breakfast as I forced myself to eat. Every second felt like it was ticking toward a trial I could not escape.

After that, Luna Jolina and I picked up Mom, and we headed to the mall. Both of them leaning forward with a non stop laughing, eyes bright, voices overlapping like excited girls half my age.

“So. Tell us everything.” Luna Jolina said.

I told them about our first date, about the way Marvin looked at me as if I were the only soul in the world. I told them how, at last, he had taken my hand.

My fingers curled unconsciously at the memory.

“It felt like coming home,” I admitted softly.

Their reactions exploded at once.

“Did he kiss you?” Luna Jolina demands an answer.

Heat rushed to my face. “Ah—yeah…”

Mom leaned in, eyes sharp with curiosity. “Where?”

I lifted my hand and pointed to my cheek.

“Ohh ” they laugh suddenly, teasing me softly.

The whole ride inside the car was loud with laughter, but underneath it, my thoughts raced through the forest like wild animals.

Inside the mall, I finally found the dress.

It hugged my figure without exposing too much of my body.. elegant and formal. The color was a deep bluish blue, rich and calm, like moonlight reflected in water. Like Alpha Marvin’s eyes.

When I stepped out of the dressing room, Mom froze.

Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes glistening.

“That’s the one,” she said, voice trembling with certainty.

Luna Jolina nodded immediately. “No doubt.”

As if fate itself had chosen it.

We returned to the Southern Pack house. Mom and Luna Jolina went straight to the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, moving with practiced urgency. Every ingredient was already prepared, every step planned, as if this night had been waiting for me long before I knew it existed.

I helped where I could, but eventually they waved me away.

“Go,” Jolina insisted gently. “We’ve got this.”

I hadn’t seen Alpha Marvin all day, and I couldn’t sense him nearby. That absence gnawed at something deep inside me, an instinct that looking for a reason.

As I finished my makeup, my hands shook.

Mom entered quietly and stood behind me, smoothing my curls with tender care. Her touch grounded me.

“You are so beautiful, sweetheart,” she whispered. “I see so much of your father in you.”

I caught my breath.

“I never told you that. I’m sorry... I thought hiding the pain would protect you.” she continued with her breaking voices.

I turned to her.

“It’s okay, Mom. I understand.”

Emptiness pushed inside of me. Just like my mother, I can't imagine how she suffered that pain without my father.

Mom pulled me into her arms. We held each other tightly, two hearts bound by love and loss. When she pulled back, she cupped my face and looked straight into my eyes.

“He will protect you. I see it. And I know you love each other" she said firmly.

“I’ll be fine,” I promised, even as fate thundered in my chest.

After one last embrace, she left to change into the dress she had brought. She told me Dad would be attending as well. That thought warmed me, like unseen approval from beyond.

Then..

I felt it. A presence surged through the Southern pack house, my heart pounded that I was like to run after him, it's unmistakably powerful bond.

Alpha Marvin had arrived?

I inhaled sharply, smoothing every jagged nerve, anchoring my soul. My body responded before my mind could, while my shoulders relaxed. Finally, he's here..

"He’s here.” Mom smiled widely. She noticed my reactions instantly.

I heard his footsteps downstairs... slowly, and commanding. Each step echoed like a drumbeat in my chest.

Mom slipped out of the room, sending me one last understanding smile.

Voices murmured in the hallway. Greetings exchanged. All the attentions attended well with respect.

Then... there's a knock on my door.

And with that single sound, the world narrowed to my breath, and the man waited on the other side... is the Alpha who would change my fate forever.

He crossed the room in three swift strides, as if some invisible force had pulled him toward me.

Before I could speak, Marvin wrapped his arms around me, strong and certain, drawing me against his chest. His breath brushed my skin as he lowered his head, and nuzzled his nose into the hollow of my neck.

He inhaled deeply. The gesture was intimate..

“You look… absolutely beautiful,” he whispered. roughened voices with something barely restrained.

I tilted my head back slightly and met his gaze, trying to hide the way his attention made my knees weak.

“You clean up nicely too, Mr. Albanzo,” I teased softly, though a blush crept up my cheeks under his unashamed appraisal.

He wore a tailored suit that framed his broad shoulders and muscled arms with dangerous elegance. The tie at his throat matched my dress too perfectly.

I glanced at it, “Luna-?”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “She insisted. I should have followed her order"

His fingers, grounding me.

“I can’t wait to introduce you to our family… and our friends,” he said, eyes glowing with anticipation. “They’re going to love you.” he added.

Before I could respond, he lifted my hand and pressed a reverent kiss to my knuckles. His eyes sparkled with pride.

He led me out of my room. Every step down to the stairs, the weight of the night settled heavier on my shoulders. Voices rose from below.. laughter, conversation, the hum of many presences gathered under one roof. My heart raced, but Alpha Marvin’s grip never loosened.

I felt like a princess walking toward my fate.

The moment we entered the hall, all heads turned.

I spotted my step father among the crowd, and his face lit up with a smile so wide it nearly undid me. Pride shone in his eyes. But Marvin guided me forward, positioning us at the center.

Then he spoke.

“May I have everyone’s attention?”

His voice carried... calm, commanding, absolute.

The room fell silent instantly. Conversations ceased. More people filtered in, forming a wide circle around us. I counted quickly, fifthy, maybe fifty-five in total. Elders mostly, their gazes sharp and assessing, their auras heavy with authority.

Marvin nodded once.

Luna Jolina stepped forward. She stood beside me, and her presence was steady and dignified. And there is another man who joined Marvin’s other side...he is tall, composed, and his eyes were alert.

"Alpha Pedro. The second Alpha after my father's death." Marvin told me.

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Marvin began. “This gathering marks a moment I once feared would never arrive.”

His hand tightened around mine.

“I waited for my destined mate. I searched, hoped, endured. And when I least expected it… she found me.”

A murmur rippled through the room.

"I am proud, standing before all of you. And I'm honored, to present my future Luna.” His gaze softened as he looked at me.

“Abby Jezz Urdanzo. Daughter of Beta Robert Sandique and Solidad.”

A hush fell, reverent and deep. All of them can sense that my mother, Solidad is a human.

“Jericho Urdanzo,” Marvin continued, gesturing toward my step father, “ He stood beside Solidad and helped raise this intelligent, resilient female human-wolf. I ask that you recognize them as a trusted human within our pack.”

Marvin inclined his head toward my step father. Dad returned the gesture, visibly nervous, but he stood straight.

Then the applause errupted, thundered around us, voices rising in approval. Relief washed through me as hands reached out, warm and welcoming.

"There is no problem with that" one of the grandsons from the omega family said.

“Knowing that we have a future Luna, I felt being.comfortable" the elder from the Beta family said.

"Welcome, Luna Abby Jezz Urdanzo"

The title echoed again and again as I was embraced, hugged, welcomed. Every touch carried acceptance. Every smile felt genuine. It was overwhelming… and deeply moving.

Marvin never left my side.

As the elders congratulated him, he leaned close, whispering words into my ear, names, ranks, roles. Leaders. Protectors. Friends. I could see it clearly now: these people respected him not out of fear, but the loyalty that was extended today.

“Abby Jezz,” an elder woman asked, her eyes sharp with interest. “When is your eighteenth birthday?”

“Tomorrow,” I answered honestly.

A breath passed through the crowd, like wind passed through tall grasses.

The elder turned toward Marvin. “Then she should receive his mark.”

His mark? My heart skipped.