Maya blinks. “No? Bolton, she orchestrated an attack on the pack. She used rogues!”
“I know,” I say, stepping closer, putting my hands on her shoulders. “And she failed. Miserably. You just proved yourself. You just won the pack’s respect in a way no formal challenge ever could.”
I look at the younger wolves, their eyes still wide with awe and admiration. They saw Maya. They saw her strength, her courage, her leadership. They saw their future Luna.
“If we expose Cassie now, it will divide the pack,” I explain, my voice low and steady. “It will create a rift just days before the ceremony. We need them united. We need them strong. Especially with the rogues getting bolder.”
Maya looks at me, then at the younger wolves, then back at the trees where the rogues disappeared. Her jaw tightens, but I see the wheels turning in her mind. She’s weighing the consequences, not just for herself, but for the pack.
“So we just… let her get away with it?” she asks, her voice laced with disbelief.
“For now,” I say. “But she doesn’t get away with it. She lost. She showed her true colors. And you, Maya… you showed yours. The pack saw. They won’t forget.”
I look into her eyes, seeing the conflict there, but also the understanding. She’s not just a fighter; she’s a strategist. She understands the politics of the pack, the delicate balance of power.
“We handle it quietly,” Maya says, her voice firm. “But she needs to know we know. And she needs to know there will be consequences.”
A surge of pride washes over me. She’s not just my equal; she’s my partner. She’s already thinking like a Luna, putting the pack’s needs above her own desire for revenge.
I pull her into a tight embrace, burying my face in her hair. My wolf purrs, a deep, rumbling sound of contentment. The fear, the protective instincts that had gnawed at me, they recede, replaced by a quiet confidence.
She doesn’t need me to protect her. Not anymore.
She needs me to stand beside her.
“We’ll be ready,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “For everything.”
She nods, pulling back slightly, her eyes meeting mine, shining with a newfound resolve. “Yeah,” she says, a fierce, determined glint in her eyes. “We will.”
The sun dips lower, painting the sky in fiery hues. The forest begins to settle, a quiet hum replacing the earlier chaos. The younger wolves, still shaken but now invigorated, start to patrol the perimeter, their steps more confident, their eyes sharper.
Maya, my Luna, my partner, stands beside me, her presence a beacon of strength and hope. And I know, with a certainty that settles deep in my bones, that whatever comes, we will face it together.
Chapter 23
Maya
The night air thrummed with a different kind of energy. Not the nervous static of the last full moon, but a deep, resonant vibration that settled into my bones. Tonight, it was real. Tonight, I was marking Bolton. And tonight, I was ready.
I stood at the edge of the clearing, the familiar ring of carved stone bathed in the impossibly bright light of the full moon. My heart beat a steady rhythm, not of fear, but of anticipation. Around me, the pack gathered, faces illuminated by flickering torches. I saw more than just curiosity now. I saw respect. After the rogue incident, after I’d stood my ground and, even as human, defended the younger wolves, something had shifted. The whispers hadn’t vanished entirely, but they’d been drowned out by a quiet, collective acknowledgment. They saw me, not just as Bolton’s mate, but as a protector. As one of them.
My final doubts, those lingering tendrils of human uncertainty, began to unravel. This wasn’t just duty. This was… destiny. And it was mine to claim.
Bolton stood a little apart, near the Alpha, his gaze finding mine across the throng. His eyes, in the moonlight, seemed to hold all the secrets of the forest, and a deep, unwavering promise. He nodded, a small, almost imperceptible tilt of his head, and a wave of calm washed over me.
Then, a sudden commotion. A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd. My head snapped to the side, my wolf instantly on alert.
“Mom!”
My mother, stood near the edge of the circle, her face pale, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and defiance. And blocking her path, a sneering, triumphant Cassie, flanked by two hulking wolves I didn’t recognize. Rogues. They weren’t the ones from the other day, but their presence pulsed with the same malicious intent.
“I told you, Maya,” Cassie’s voice cut through the rising murmurs, sharp and cold. “I always keep my promises. You think a little mark will make everything go away? You think you can just waltz in and take what’s mine? This pack will never accept a half-breed Luna. And your mother, the runaway Luna, will pay the price for bringing you back into our world.”
My blood ran cold. My mother. She was her target. Not me. Not directly. She knew my weakness.
Rage, pure and primal, surged through me. It wasn’t the slow burn of anger I’d felt before. This was a volcanic eruption, fuelled by years of fear and a sudden, fierce protectiveness that dwarfed anything I’d ever known. This wasn’t about Bolton. This wasn’t about the pack’s acceptance. This was about family. My family.
“Let her go, Cassie,” I snarled, my voice low, dangerous, a growl that vibrated from deep within my chest. The wolves around me recoiled, startled by the raw power in my tone.
