Lucian's POV
The morning sun slipped gently through the tall arched window, touching the edges of the curtains like a shy visitor. The scent of pine and smoke filled the room, blending with the faint echo of the forest outside. Lucian stirred in his sleep, his mind still lingering in a dream that felt too real to let go.
In that dream, Selene was there. Her hand brushed his hair, her voice soft like moonlight itself.
"Selene," he murmured from his slumber, his lips forming her name. "Please give me a few more minutes."
Lyra's brows shot up in surprise. "Selene?" she whispered to herself, blinking.
She leaned closer, giving her brother a playful shake. "Brother, come out of your dream. This is reality."
Lucian groaned, turning on his side before his eyes fluttered open. The golden morning light greeted him and he blinked until Lyra's face came into focus. He frowned slightly, confusion flickering across his features as he looked around for Selene. But the space beside him was empty.
"Where is…" He stopped, realizing it was his sister who had woken him.
"Good morning," Lyra said, crossing her arms. "You were calling someone's name. Selene, was it?"
Lucian sat up, rubbing his face with a tired sigh. "Just someone… special."
Lyra raised a curious brow. "Special? Wait, have you met your mate?"
Lucian chuckled softly and swung his legs off the bed. "No, Lyra. I have not. And honestly, I do not care whether the Moon Goddess ever grants me one."
"Lucian," she said with mock sternness, "you should not say things like that. Every wolf has a destined one. You may not want it now, but one day you will."
He shrugged, the corner of his lips twitching upward in amusement. "Perhaps. But for now, I have enough on my plate."
Lyra pouted in that way she always did when she wanted to scold him but chose patience instead. "Fine then. Get up. The villagers are all gathered in the hall, waiting for your address. They have been standing there since sunrise."
Lucian sighed, his voice low and calm. "I will be there shortly."
She smiled and began laying out his clothes on the bed. The deep gray tunic and the black leather vest embroidered with the Moonfang crest looked both regal and fierce. "Wear this. It suits the Alpha they all missed."
When she left, Lucian went into his bath chamber. The cold water ran over his skin, steadying his thoughts. Selene's image still lingered in his mind, her soft eyes, her gentle voice, the way her hand had calmed the beast inside him. He closed his eyes and let the memory drift like smoke before stepping out and dressing quickly.
By the time he arrived in the dining hall, the aroma of freshly baked bread and roasted meat filled the air. Lyra was already there, speaking with the cooks.
"Where is Darius?" Lucian asked as he sat down.
"He and Alora should be on their way," Lyra replied.
True to her words, moments later, Darius entered the hall with his mate, Alora. The Beta's tall frame carried both pride and loyalty, while Alora's graceful step spoke of strength hidden behind gentleness.
"Alpha," Darius and Alora greeted with a respectful bow of their head.
"Darius. Alora," Lucian said warmly. "Please, sit."
Alora smiled, her auburn hair catching the morning light. "Welcome home, Alpha. The pack is already singing your return."
Lucian nodded, his tone softening. "You have my thanks, Alora. And forgive me for keeping your husband with me all this while. He was needed."
Alora shook her head quickly. "There is nothing to forgive. If it were Darius in your place, I know you would have done the same for him."
Lucian smiled faintly. "You always were the heart of this pack. Your parents would have been proud of you."
Her eyes glistened for a moment, the memory of her fallen warrior parents flickering in her heart. "Thank you, Alpha," she whispered.
They ate together in quiet companionship, the kind that spoke of trust built through years of battle and loss. When the last bite of food was gone, Lucian rose, his gaze turning toward the great doors that led to the hall.
"It is time," he said simply.
Darius nodded. "The pack awaits."
The four of them walked together, the morning wind sweeping through the open corridor. As they stepped into the hall, the noise dimmed and all eyes turned to the Alpha like someone who had returned from exile or from death.
Lucian stood tall, his presence commanding yet calm. The villagers and warriors bowed their heads and a wave of relief rippled through the crowd.
He stepped forward to the center platform. "My people," he began, his voice steady but deep with emotion. "It has been many moons since we stood together like this. Many of you have suffered. Many have lost family, friends, and faith. But you endured. You stood strong."
He paused, letting his gaze move across their faces, young and old, broken yet proud.
"I was betrayed by my own brother," he continued, the room falling silent. "Caius — my brother — turned against our kind, against the very laws that bind us to the Moon Goddess. He sought power through darkness, through cruelty, through death. And yet, even at the verge of death, there was light."
He drew in a breath, his eyes distant for a moment. "That light came from someone you all feared. Selene, the witch you shunned, the last true witch that her coven cursed our kind. When I was dying, it was she who saved me. Not with spells of destruction, but with courage and compassion. She risked her life to heal me, though she knew what I was."
The murmurs began at once, whispers passing through the crowd like wind through grass.
Lucian raised a hand, silencing them. "Yes," he said firmly, "a witch. The same woman many of you distrusted. Yet she saved your Alpha. Tell me, my people…..what does that make her? A curse or a blessing?"
Silence filled the room. Then, slowly, an elderly woman stepped forward from the crowd. "If she saved you, Alpha, then perhaps we have been wrong about her."
Lucian nodded with quiet gratitude. "She has done more for me than some who called themselves loyal. And because of her, I stand before you today, not as a broken man, but as your Alpha reborn."
The crowd stirred with emotion. Lyra stood beside him proudly, her eyes shining.
Lucian turned to his warriors. "Darius," he said, "you stood by me when the world turned its back. You never doubted, even when hope was a whisper. You are not only my Beta, but my brother in every way that matters."
Darius bowed deeply. "I live to serve the pack, Alpha."
Lucian's voice grew stronger. "And to all of you — to the Gamma, the Delta, our healers, our warriors — to those who stayed behind and kept faith when it was easier to surrender. You have my eternal gratitude."
He looked at Alora. "And to Alora, who tended to the wounded even when her own heart was uncertain, thank you. You remind us all that strength is not only found in battle, but in love."
The crowd cheered softly, their hearts lifting.
Lucian raised his hand again, his tone turning solemn. "We have lost much. But we have not lost ourselves. The Moonfang Pack stands not upon blood, but upon unity. Let no division, no curse, and no darkness tear us apart again. From this day forward, we will rebuild, stronger than ever."
A deep howl rose from the back of the hall, one wolf, then another, until the entire room echoed with the song of the pack.
Lucian stood among them, his chest swelling with pride and pain all at once. He had seen war, betrayal and death. But this, this was life returning.
When the noise faded, Lyra leaned close to him and whispered, "You spoke like Father would have."
Lucian looked at her, a small smile curving his lips. "Then perhaps he is still guiding us."
As the villagers began to leave, Darius approached. "Alpha, what will you do about Caius?"
Lucian's jaw tightened. "The gods will decide his fate. For now, my focus is here, on my people."
Lyra glanced up at him with mischief in her eyes. "And on Selene, perhaps?"
He gave her a look that made her laugh. "You dream, sister."
But when he turned away, his gaze drifted toward the horizon through the tall window. The moon was faint even in daylight, a pale ghost watching over them.
And in that silent moment, Lucian whispered to himself, "Wherever you are, Selene, I hope you can feel it, the peace you helped me find."
He stood there long after the hall had emptied, his heart heavy but whole, unaware that miles away, Selene sat beneath the same moonlight, whispering his name to the wind.