Chapter 2: The Harvest Moon's Promise (2)
My hands shake slightly as I braid flowers into my dark hair.
What if tonight really is my night?
The gathering grounds are already filled when I arrive, the entire pack assembled in their finest clothes. The ceremonial bonfire roars in the center, casting dancing shadows across eager faces. I find a spot near the back, appropriate for my rank, and try not to let myself hope too obviously.
Alpha Lucian stands on the raised platform beside my father, and even from here, his presence makes my breath catch. He's twenty-three, newly ascended after his father's death last winter. Dark hair, amber eyes that glow like honey in the firelight, shoulders broad enough to carry pack burdens. He's everything an Alpha should be—strong, decisive, commanding.
And completely out of my league.
Diana positions herself near the platform, laughing too loudly at something one of the Betas says, her hand touching Lucian's arm with casual familiarity. My stomach twists, but I force myself to look away.
The Moon Goddess chooses our mates. It's not about ambition or manipulation. It's about fate.
The full moon rises over the trees, enormous and silver, and Alpha Kael raises his hands to signal the ceremony's beginning. Silence falls over the gathering like a blanket.
"Pack of Sunstone," my father's voice carries across the grounds, "we gather under the Harvest Moon to honor the Moon Goddess and receive her blessings. Tonight, she will reveal fated bonds to those she has chosen. Open your hearts. Open your souls. Let her will be done."
The moon reaches its apex, and power floods the gathering like a wave. Every unmated wolf gasps as the Moon Goddess's magic washes through us, searching for connections, for matches, for fate's design.
And then I smell it.
Cedarwood. Smoke. Alpha musk.
The scent that marks your fated mate, overwhelming and intoxicating and right. It fills my lungs, my mind, my entire being with certainty.
I look up.
Straight into Alpha Lucian's eyes.
The bond snaps into place like lightning, a golden thread connecting our souls, visible to my suddenly enhanced senses. His eyes widen with shock and recognition, his wolf calling to mine across the distance with urgent recognition.
Mine.
The word echoes in my mind, in my blood, in every cell of my body.
Lucian moves. He strides through the crowd, wolves scattering from his path, his gaze locked on me with predatory focus. The entire pack watches in stunned silence as their Alpha crosses the gathering grounds to stop before me—small, quiet Selene.
"You." His voice is rough, his wolf close to the surface. "It's you."
I can't speak. Can barely breathe. The bond hums between us, golden and perfect and real.
Lucian takes my hand and pulls me forward, up to the platform where everyone can see. His grip is warm, possessive, claiming. When we reach the top, he turns to face the pack and declares in a voice that carries to every corner of the grounds:
"Mine. The Moon Goddess has chosen. Selene is my fated mate."
The pack erupts. Cheers, gasps, excited chatter flooding the night air. I stand beside Lucian in shock, feeling the bond glow warm and golden in my chest, finally—finally—validated. Chosen. Wanted.
Alpha Kael looks stunned but quickly offers congratulations. Betas bow their heads in respect. Even the elders smile their approval.
Diana's face has gone white.
I see her in the crowd, her expression twisted with something ugly before she forces a smile and disappears into the mass of celebrating wolves.
But I push the worry away. The Moon Goddess chose me. She chose me for her most powerful Alpha.
Lucian keeps my hand in his throughout the celebration, presenting me to pack members, his touch warm and constant. I float through it all in a daze, the bond humming contentment, wrapping around my heart like a promise.
This is real. This is happening.
I'm going to be Luna.
Late in the evening, as the celebration begins to wind down, I slip away from Lucian's side just for a moment to catch my breath. The happiness is almost too much to contain.
I pass near Lucian's private quarters on my way to the gardens and catch a strange scent—floral, cloying, distinctly feminine and familiar. Diana's perfume.
I pause, frowning at Lucian's door. Why would Diana's scent be here?
But then Finn calls my name from across the compound, waving excitedly, and I let the question drift away. It's probably just residual from the ceremony. Diana's always hovering near the Alphas.
Tonight is perfect. I won't let suspicion ruin it.
I fall asleep in my quarters with one hand pressed over my heart, feeling the warm golden glow of the fated bond, and whisper my gratitude to the Moon Goddess who had finally, finally chosen me for something wonderful.
**