The scent of pine and old stone lingered in the Alpha's den — a lodge built deep in the northern woodlands of Ravenridge, far from campus chatter and curious eyes. Inside, thick logs formed the walls, old claw marks etched into corners like relics of wolves long gone. A fireplace burned low in the background, casting flickers of orange across the polished wooden floor.
Liora stood near the window, arms crossed, her fingers pinching the fabric of her sleeve. She hadn't been summoned here in years. Not since her father's death.
Alpha Garran leaned against the edge of his desk, posture straight, hands clasped before him. He was a large man, not just in muscle but in presence — every room felt smaller when he entered it. His beard was trimmed, his gaze sharp, but something colder lay beneath: the weight of disappointment, or maybe desperation.
"I assume you know why I've called you," Garran said, voice smooth but heavy.
Liora didn't answer at first. She kept her gaze on the forest outside. "You said it was urgent."
"It is," he replied. "I've waited long enough, Liora. The time has come for me to take a Luna. And it must be you."
Across the room, Storm stood silently near the door — arms behind his back like a soldier. His eyes flicked between them, unreadable.
Liora's throat tightened. "I always knew this day would come," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Then you understand what's at stake," the Alpha said, stepping forward. "You are of the Blackfang bloodline. Your heritage is power. Wolves outside Ravenridge are beginning to question my strength — that we're too small to hold territory. That we're fading."
There was a pause, almost imperceptible, as his pride caught in his throat.
"I've heard whispers," he added. "Old Alphas from the east mocking our numbers. Comparing us to ghost packs. I won't let them speak that way. I won't let my pack fall behind."
Liora turned to face him slowly. "So… I'm your answer to their taunts?"
Garran's eyes narrowed. "You are the future of this pack. I will not be challenged by those who confuse numbers for legacy. Together, we'll remind them who we are."
Storm's jaw shifted slightly. He looked down, like something bitter had passed through him.
"I need time," Liora said.
The Alpha blinked. "Time?"
"I didn't expect it like this. I need to… think."
The pause that followed was cold and sharp.
"I expected acceptance," Garran said, voice dropping lower. "Not hesitation."
Liora's lips parted but no words came. She looked at Storm instinctively, but he was staring at the floor, unmoving.
Garran took a step closer, eyes hard. "Do you not want to be Luna? Or is something… distracting you?"
"I've given you my answer," she said quietly. "Let me think."
The Alpha nodded once, but not in agreement — in finality.
"You'll come to the right decision," he said. "Because this isn't just about you. It's about every wolf who depends on us."
Liora exhaled, bowed her head slightly, and left.
The door closed behind her.
Storm remained where he stood, though his eyes now rose to meet the Alpha's.
"She hesitated," Garran muttered. "I didn't think she would."
Storm's voice was even. "She's always been stubborn."
Garran turned slowly toward him. "Do you know why she's uncertain?"
Storm hesitated — just long enough to be noticeable.
"There's been… something between her and Kael. She trains with him too often. They talk. Watch each other."
The Alpha's face hardened.
"Kael?"
Storm gave a slow nod.
Garran growled. "He's an outcast no one knows the origin of. How can she prefer that to me?"
Storm didn't answer. But his jaw clenched again, and in his silence, something bitter flickered.
"She'll see sense," Garran said, voice like thunder now fading. "But Kael… Kael needs to be reminded of his place."
The basketball court echoed with the sharp squeal of sneakers, the hollow thud of the ball against polished wood, and the occasional grunt of effort from players far more invested than Kael.
He hated it here.
Always had.
Team sports were just another reminder that he didn't belong — that when you passed the ball, someone had to catch it. When you fell, someone was supposed to help you up. That was never Kael's life. He had no team. Not in the pack. Not on campus.
But here he was, standing at the edge of the tryout line, hoodie off, jaw clenched, muscles tight beneath a sleeveless shirt.
He hadn't touched a basketball in years.
"But why are you really doing this?" Jason asked, eyebrows raised as he bounced beside him.
Kael didn't answer right away. His eyes scanned the gym — but she wasn't there. Liora.
He had barely seen her all day. Not in the halls. Not at lunch. Not even near the clearing where they usually trained. And the quiet absence twisted inside him like wire.
"I need to be seen," Kael said finally.
Jason blinked. "Seen? Dude, you're literally six-foot-two and built like an action figure."
Kael's gaze hardened. "By the pack."
That shut Jason up.
The whistle blew, and Kael stepped onto the court. The ball came at him fast — a sharp pass — and he caught it with ease, pivoted, and shot. It hit the rim, bounced, and dropped in.
Not perfect. But good enough.
He moved through the drill silently, focusing on balance, movement, positioning. His body remembered more than he thought it would. Not that it mattered. This wasn't about skill.
It was about standing tall. About being seen as more than the quiet one, the nobody with no lineage.
It was about proving that whatever ran in his bloodline, it didn't make him weak.
And maybe — just maybe — it was about standing close enough to Liora without needing to hide anymore.
When the drill ended, he wiped sweat from his brow and glanced again at the gym entrance.
Still no sign of her.
But someone else was watching.
Storm.
Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes cold.
Kael's chest tightened. If he was here, then…
Something was shifting. And not in Kael's favor.
Kael hadn't changed out of his gym shirt. His skin was still damp with sweat as he climbed the steps to the Alpha's den, heart thudding a little too fast. The message had come through Storm — of course it had.
"The Alpha wants to see you. Now."
No explanation. No reason. Just that voice, cold and clipped.
Now, standing at the threshold of Garran's domain, Kael could feel the weight of the space even before he knocked. The heavy wood of the door hummed with pack history — meetings, declarations, punishments.
The door opened before he touched it.
Storm stood there, gaze unreadable, and stepped aside without a word.
Kael walked in slowly. The fire was lit, just like the last time, but this time the room felt sharper, smaller — like it had teeth.
Alpha Garran was behind his desk, hands steepled, eyes locked on Kael the moment he entered.
"You know why you're here," the Alpha said.
"No," Kael answered calmly.
Garran leaned back. "Then let me clarify. You've been circling Liora. I don't care if it's during training, campus hours, or in the damn forest — it ends."
Kael's pulse beat once, hard. But he didn't flinch. "I didn't realize I'd done anything wrong."
"She is my intended Luna," Garran said, standing now. "She will carry the bloodline that secures this pack's future. I don't need her… distracted."
Storm said nothing, but Kael could feel the heat of his gaze from behind.
"And you," the Alpha continued, rounding the desk, "are not even sure of your own blood. You're a question mark, Kael. A reminder that no one ever knew where your strength came from — or if it was earned."
Kael met his eyes, steady — but deep beneath the surface, his wolf stirred. His jaw ached with the pressure of restraint, canines threatening to lengthen.
"Maybe you should ask yourself why that threatens you."
The silence that followed was like a blade unsheathed.
Garran's voice dropped to a growl. "Stay away from her. This is your only warning."
Kael turned, jaw locked, and walked out without another word. But inside, his wolf stirred — not in fear, but in defiance.
Kael sat on a flat rock by the river's edge, the fading sun casting fractured gold across the water. It was quiet here, the only sound the steady rush of the current and the occasional chirp of dusk birds in the trees.
This place had always grounded him — ever since he was a kid. The river didn't ask where he came from. It didn't care about bloodlines or titles. It just moved forward, always.
He didn't know how long he sat there before he heard it.
A twig snapped behind him.
He turned, slow, already knowing who it was before he saw her.
Liora.
She stepped out from the trees, hoodie pulled low, strands of hair catching the breeze. Her eyes found his immediately, and they didn't look away.
"You're not easy to find," she said softly.
Kael gave a dry smile. "I wasn't trying to be found."
She walked toward him, arms wrapped around herself like armor.
"I heard," she said. "About the Alpha summoning you."
Kael nodded, looking back at the water. "He told me to stay away from you."
Silence stretched. The river kept moving.
"And will you?" she asked.
He turned his head just enough to meet her gaze. "Do you want me to?"
Liora stepped closer, her voice barely above the wind. "He's going to name me his Luna at the next gathering. Everyone's expecting it."
Kael's jaw clenched. "What do you want?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "All I know is when I'm with you, I don't feel like I'm drowning in someone else's decisions."
She sat beside him, not touching, but close enough that he could feel her warmth.
Kael swallowed hard. "You don't owe me anything, Liora. But I can't lie to you — I feel something between us. Stronger than I've ever known. It's not just... attraction."
"I know," she said. "It's in my bones."
They sat like that, in silence, until the sun slipped below the trees and left the river cloaked in twilight.
The silence between them thickened. Kael's senses sharpened — her scent hit harder. The bond wasn't just emotional. His pulse synced to hers. His claws itched just beneath his skin.
And in that hush, Kael made a decision. Not aloud. Not yet. But it rooted itself in him like stone:
He would not let her be taken.
Even if it meant going against everything — and everyone — he'd ever known.
The moon hung low and luminous above Ravenridge, casting silver across the open field where the entire pack had gathered.
Torches lined the clearing's edge, flickering in the wind. Wolves in human form stood shoulder to shoulder, whispers moving through them like wildfire. The air was thick with anticipation — and something darker Kael couldn't quite name.
He stood near the back, arms crossed, hood up. Storm was by the Alpha's side, rigid and still. Liora stood opposite them, back straight, eyes unreadable.
Garran stepped forward, hands raised. The crowd fell silent.
"This pack," he began, voice clear and deep, "has survived centuries because of strength, loyalty, and legacy. But legacy must be protected. It must be passed on."
He paused, letting the silence settle.
"There are those who look at Ravenridge and see something small. Something fading. They are wrong. We are the flame that does not die — but flames must be fed."
He turned, slowly, eyes scanning the crowd.
"That's why tonight, I announce my Luna. A future that binds strength and legacy. A choice that ensures our line will not weaken."
Kael felt the tension coil in his chest.
The Alpha turned back toward the center of the gathering, and his gaze locked on Liora.
She didn't flinch. But her throat moved as she swallowed hard.
"In two nights, under the next full moon, the Luna ceremony will begin," Garran said.
The pack exhaled — murmurs rising again.
Kael's jaw clenched.
Storm's face was unreadable, but his hands were fists.
And Liora — she turned her eyes away from the Alpha.
Not toward the ground.
Toward Kael.
Their gaze met across the distance — just for a second.
But it was enough.
The Alpha noticed.
And his smile didn't reach his eyes