Chapter 6 The Moon Festival

• Rowan's POV
• I stood at the window and watched the sun set over Black Fang.
• Tonight was the Moon Festival. The most important celebration in our pack's year. Music would fill the square. Fires would burn until dawn. Wolves would dance and feast and remember that we were alive, that we were pack, that we were still standing.
• But standing was getting harder.
• Three years. Three years since I became Alpha. And instead of inheriting a peaceful pack, I inherited a curse. A strange illness had been spreading through Black Fang. It didn't choose its victims. Children. Warriors. Elders. Anyone could fall sick. The healers could only slow it down. No one could stop it.
• I'd watched too many pack members die.
• I still blamed myself.
• Two years ago, Mira had called me to her hut. The Pack Witch's eyes were ancient, clouded with visions I couldn't see.
• "The Moon Goddess has not abandoned Black Fang," she said.
• I'd almost laughed. "Then why are we dying?"
• Mira had taken my hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "When the true Luna of Black Fang enters this pack, the curse will begin to break."
• I'd stared at her. "You're telling me the answer is my mate?"
• "The answer is your mate." She'd released my hand and turned away. "When she comes, everything changes."
• I'd spent two years searching. Nothing. No one. The bond never stirred. As time passed, most of the pack assumed I simply didn't have a mate. Others started believing Selene would eventually become Luna. She'd always been by my side. Always loyal. Always waiting.
• I never encouraged those rumors. But I never stopped them either.
• Then Lyra appeared.
• Not as a guest. Not as an ally. As an assassin, with a silver blade aimed at my heart. The moment the mate bond awakened, everything changed. I finally understood Mira's prophecy. Lyra wasn't just my mate. She was Black Fang's answer. The cure to our curse. The hope we'd been waiting for.
• That was why I refused to execute her. Not only because she was mine. But because fate had finally answered our prayers.
• Now I just had to earn her trust. And I knew that wouldn't be easy.
• ---
• I turned from the window. The dress I'd prepared for Lyra was already in her room. Deep blue silk. Gold embroidery. It had belonged to my mother. I'd kept it all these years, waiting for the right woman to wear it.
• I didn't expect Lyra to accept the invitation.
• I didn't expect her to come.
• ---
• The festival began at dusk.
• I stood before my pack, ready to give my opening speech. Torches flickered around the square. The scent of roasting meat filled the air. My wolves were laughing, dancing, celebrating the moon's rise.
• Then the crowd parted.
• Lyra walked into the gathering.
• The entire square fell silent. I forgot what I was about to say. Forgot my speech. Forgot everything except her. She wore the dress. My mother's dress. It flowed around her like water, the blue silk catching the firelight, the gold embroidery gleaming like scattered stars.
• She looked nothing like the assassin who'd broken into my room.
• She looked beautiful.
• I simply stared. I couldn't help it. Every wolf in the square was watching, and I couldn't stop looking at her. My wolf stirred. The bond pulsed between us, warm and golden and undeniable.
• Someone coughed. An elder. I realized I'd been silent for too long.
• I cleared my throat and forced myself to speak. "Welcome. Tonight, we celebrate the moon. We celebrate life. We celebrate each other."
• The words came out. The crowd cheered. But my eyes kept drifting back to Lyra.
• ---
• I made my way toward her. Her expression was guarded. Uncomfortable. She was surrounded by strangers, and she didn't know how to exist in a world where she wasn't hunting.
• "Thank you for accepting the invitation," I said quietly.
• "I didn't have anywhere else to go," she replied.
• I almost smiled. "You could have stayed in your room."
• "Could I?"
• "No." I stepped closer. "But I'm glad you came."
• She didn't answer. But she didn't step away either.
• ---
• The festival continued around us.
• Music swelled. Wolves danced in circles around the fire. Children ran between the elders' legs, laughing. I stayed close to Lyra, close enough that she could feel my presence, far enough that she wouldn't feel trapped.
• I watched her watch my pack. Watched her take in the laughter, the joy, the simple celebration of being alive. Her expression shifted. Confusion flickered in her eyes. She'd spent her whole life believing Alphas ruled through fear. Seeing my pack happy didn't fit that narrative.
• I didn't explain. She'd figure it out on her own.
• Mira caught my eye from across the square. She smiled. A knowing, ancient smile that made my wolf settle.
• The prophecy was beginning.
• ---
• The music changed to something slower. Wolves paired off, swaying together beneath the moon. I extended my hand to Lyra.
• "Dance with me."
• "No."
• "Afraid?"
• She glared at me. "I'm not afraid of anything."
• "Then prove it."
• She hesitated. Then, slowly, she took my hand.
• I pulled her into the circle. Her movements were stiff. Unguarded. But she didn't pull away. We swayed together, her body close to mine, the bond humming between us like a living thing.
• I caught her scent. Pine and something sweet. Something that made my wolf want to howl. I held her tighter. She didn't resist.
• For a few moments, I forgot she'd tried to kill me. Forgot the curse. Forgot everything except her.
• Then the dance ended, and she stepped away.
• ---
• After the festival ended, I needed air.
• The garden was quiet. Cool. The stars were bright overhead. I stood beneath the ancient oak and breathed.
• Footsteps behind me.
• I turned. Selene walked toward me, her face pale in the moonlight. She'd been watching me all night. I'd seen her. I'd chosen to ignore her.
• "Who is she to you?" Selene asked quietly.
• I didn't hesitate. "She's my mate."
• Selene's face turned white. She shook her head. "No. She can't be."
• "She is."
• "She came here to kill you, Rowan. The pack will never accept her. How can someone who tried to murder you become Luna?"
• I said nothing. I didn't need to.
• Selene stepped closer. Her eyes were wet. "You've been looking for your mate all these years. But I'm here. I've always been here. I've waited for you. I've loved you."
• She placed her hands on my chest. Then she stood on her toes and tried to kiss me.
• I stepped back.
• Slowly, gently, I removed her hands.
• "I'm sorry, Selene," I said. "My heart has already chosen."
• She stared at me. Her eyes glistened. For a moment, I saw the pain behind her mask. The years of waiting. The hope she'd built.
• Then the mask returned. She forced a smile. "I understand," she whispered.
• She walked away.
• I watched her go. Guilt settled in my chest. I'd never encouraged her. I'd never given her false hope. But I'd never stopped her either. And now she was hurting.
• I turned back to the garden.
• Behind me, Selene paused at the garden's edge. She looked toward the Alpha House. Toward Lyra's room.
• Her voice was barely a whisper. But I heard it.
• "She will never become Black Fang's Luna."
• I felt the cold settle in my bones. Selene was loyal. Selene was patient. But jealousy was a poison, and I'd just watched it take root.
• I didn't know then how deep it would grow.
• Or what it would cost us all.