Chapter 2

• Adelaide's POV
• "Alpha Ulrik, you seem to forget I'm the daughter of the Frostfang's Alpha. Alpha blood runs through my veins..."
• Ulrik cut me off with a snort. "You grew up shielded by your parents and pack. You've never seen war's teeth, never faced a real battle. Velda despises soft wolves like you. I'm sparing you the humiliation of her tongue."
• I almost laughed. Soft?
• He had no idea what I’d fought through. What I’d become.
• Born into Frostfang, I had brothers—enough that I'd never inherit. Yet Dad, Alpha Bentley, still sent me to train.
• At fifteen, I found my wolf and shifted for the first time.
• My father sent me to Shadow Peaks, where only warriors came out alive.
• In Shadow Peaks, I learned hunting, fighting, strategy—from the shifter elders themselves.
• The scent of iron and sweat surged in my memory—Training Camp, year fifteen. I still remembered the look in that boy’s eyes when I pinned him down and tore his throat out mid-shift. He was older. Stronger. But I was faster—and hungrier.
• The instructors didn’t flinch. They nodded.
• That week, I trained until my claws cracked and my lungs bled. I hunted blindfolded in the snow, disarmed full-grown males twice my weight, and stood howling over the broken bodies of wolves who underestimated a girl born last in a bloodline of warriors.
• But when I got back, Frostfang was shattered. Alpha Bentley and my brothers—all gone in that same damn battle.
• Mom's wolf withered without her mate.
• Clutching me, she whispered, "Find a strong Alpha. Birth strong pups under the full moon. You're my last moonbeam."
• My heart felt carved out. No tears—just a howl stuck in my throat.
• I trained to be the Luna who watches over the Alpha, the one who cares for every wolf in the pack.
• Then my mom chose Ulrik for me—all because he swore to make me his Luna and honor our bond.
• I was forged for war, not for this—begging for a title before a man who’s already betrayed me. But my mother’s last wish chains me to this farce.
• I lifted my chin, letting the cold fire in my chest shape my words.
• My voice cut through the air like a blade drawn in frost.
• "If she insults me, I'll let it slide. Keeping the bigger picture in mind is Luna's first duty, isn't it? You said yourself I'm perfect for the role."
• He raked a hand through his rain-damp hair. "Why court trouble? The Lycan King's orders stand. Even as my Luna, Velda won't interfere with pack management. She disdains everything you value."
• "Do I cling so desperately to being Bloodmoon's Luna?" I countered, fingers tightening around the comb in my grip.
• Ulrik was a fearless fighter, but managing a pack? It was not his strong suit.
• The former Luna's wolf was failing—Digby's potions were the only thing keeping her alive, and they were expensive.
• Running the pack cost a fortune—food, medicine, everything.
• Bloodmoon's accounts were practically empty.
• For the past year, it had been my Frostfang assets keeping them afloat.
• And this was the thanks I got?
• Ulrik lost his patience. "Forget it. I'm done talking. I just had to inform you—you can agree or not, but it won't change a thing."
• I watched him turn and leave without a backward glance. Bitterness flooded me.
• I walked back to my cottage through the storm.
• The house, a short distance from the Packhouse, felt lonelier now. I used to wonder why Ulrik never invited me into his home.
• Now I understood.
• Beata, my omega from Frostfang, was waiting inside.
• After showering and changing out of my rain-soaked clothes, I sat at the vanity to comb my golden hair.
• I filled Beata in on what had happened.
• Beata sniffled, her voice trembling with both sorrow and disbelief.
• “Luna Adelaide… Alpha Ulrik is such a jerk. How could he do this to you? After everything—after Frostfang opened its gates to him.”
• She clenched her fists, eyes burning. “Did he forget how he got you in the first place? Back then, every eligible Alpha in the northern provinces was fighting for your hand—strong, rich, respected Alphas. And yet you chose Ulrik. Or rather—Frostfang gave him a chance.”
• “I remember him kneeling before Luna Airella, swearing on his wolf’s name that he’d cherish you, protect you, honor the bond. He said you were the key to peace, to strength, that he'd never want another by his side.”
• She turned to me, tearful and angry.
• “And now—he dares replace you with Velda?”
• “That woman is nothing but a nameless stray he dragged off the battlefield. She has no lineage, no name, no clean past. She clawed her way up through blood and carnage—while you were born the daughter of an Alpha, raised to be Luna for the sake of alliance and legacy!”
• She was practically shouting now.
• “How dare he? After Frostfang bled for Bloodmoon? After you held this crumbling pack together with your own two hands?”
• I said nothing, but the fire behind my ribs burned hotter.
• Beata’s voice cracked. “You’re not just anyone. You’re Alpha Bentley’s daughter. The last moonbeam of Frostfang. And he treats you like you’re disposable?”
• "Knock it off," I snapped, shooting her a glare. "He never marked me. That temporary bite on my neck? Just a scratch. He's not my real mate. Now fetch the Frostfang asset ledger."
• "Why the ledger?" Beata wiped her eyes.
• I tapped her ear. "Dense much? If Bloodmoon's Alpha treats me like dirt, why stick around as their lackey?"
• Beata rubbed her ringing ear. "But the alliance—Luna Airella arranged it. Alpha Bentley wanted pureblood pups from you."
• Her name hit me like a slap. Luna Airella. My mother.
• The last time she held me, she smelled of pine smoke and loss.
• She used to braid my hair in silence, always too strong to cry—but I could feel the weight in her hands.
• Six months ago, Frostfang was hit again.
• They didn’t just kill us—they butchered us. Elders with snow-white pelts, pups still drinking blood-milk. My youngest nephew was nailed to the moonlight altar.
• By the time I returned, all I found were my mother’s and grandmother’s bodies.
• Now, I’m all that’s left.
• The tribal elders laugh behind their teeth when I speak of restoring Frostfang. To them, I’m just a symbol—an ornament. An unmated female with no worth beyond her womb.
• But Velda? She wasn’t like them.
• She tore through a northern warlord, left his blood on her claws, and claimed the Bloodclaw Medal—the first female to do so.
• With her standing beside Ulrik, his claim was solidified.
• No wonder the Tenar Clan let her join Bloodmoon as Luna.
• Let them crown Velda. Let them forget who I am.
• I’ve played the dutiful daughter, the patient Luna, the quiet survivor long enough.
• Now it's time I played myself.