ARAXIE POINT OF VIEW
The Moon Goddess never warned me that choosing power would feel like betrayal.
Tomorrow, I would become Luna of the Crimson Moon pack.
The thought should have filled me with joy. Instead, it settled in my chest like a heavy weight. Still, I smiled at my reflection, adjusting the pale blue gown laid carefully on my bed. The Luna crest rested on the fabric, catching the light.
It looks so small and beautiful.
I traced it with my fingers, my lips curving upward.
Luna Araxie Vaughan.
I had practiced that name in my head more times than I cared to admit.
The maids moved around me quietly, fixing my hair, offering perfumes and jewels. They looked at me with awe, with envy, with fear. All the right emotions.
A soft laugh escaped me.
Let them think I was happy.
Finally the room became empty, and oddly silent. I walked to the balcony and pushed the curtains aside. The moon hung high in the sky.
I didn't look away.
I felt him before I saw him. Not his face, not his voice. Just the pull.
The bond tightened around my chest, sharp enough to steal my breath. I gripped the railing, my fingers trembling despite my control.
Lucien.
I swallowed.
"I told you to stay quiet," I whispered to the bond, my tone hard. "You lost that right."
The memory came anyway, his mouth against mine under this same moon, his low and calming voice.
'You're mine, Araxie no matter what,' a bloody lie.
I straightened, forcing the thought away. Weakness had no place where I was going.
A knock came behind me, startling me a bit.
"Come in."
A maid stepped inside, her head bowed. "My Lady… Alpha Cassian requests your presence. Now."
That was unexpected.
I studied her face. Her eyes held fear. Interesting, I love when they look at me with fear.
"I'll come," I said calmly.
The walk to Cassian office filled me with a lot of tension. On getting there, I hesitated a bit before entering. His office smelled of smoke and iron.
He stood by the desk, arms crossed, his expression unreadable, not angry or warm. It was calculating.
"My Luna-to-be," he greeted smoothly. "Sit."
I did, but he didn't.
"I met the witch," he said.
My pulse skipped. I didn't let it show.
"Agnes?" I asked.
"She claims the Moon Goddess never chose you for me." He said, his voice harden. "She said, if we force the bond the pack would scatter in our hand."
I chuckled immediately, "And you're scared?" I asked, with a low smirk.
Cassian's gaze sharpened, like I had struck something delicate.
"Fear?" he repeated quietly. "No. I'm cautious."
He leaned forward, resting both palms on the desk. "Agnes claimed something else too."
I tilted my head. "Oh?"
"She said you were already bound." His eyes bored into mine. "That your loyalty was… divided."
The room went still.
I didn't react, didn't blink, neither did I breathe loudly.
"That old woman says many things," I replied smoothly. "Most of them meant to destabilize power."
Cassian studied me for a long moment, searching.
Then he smiled.
"Good," he said. "Because tomorrow, I'll ask you to do something that will prove, without doubt, where you stand."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What kind of thing?" I asked.
"Something meant to be done in public," he replied. "Something that would prove you."
I rose slowly from the chair. "Then I'll do it."
Because whatever he planned…it couldn't be worse than the truth.
LUCIEN POINT OF VIEW
The hall erupted in a loud cheer the moment Cassian entered. I stood still, my fists clenched, watching my brother, my enemy, bask in what he had stolen.
Alpha Cassian Vaughan.
And beside him, was her.
Araxie.
She wore the Luna crest like it had always belonged to her, her hand resting lightly on his arm. She look so calm, beautiful, untouchable and cold. Her face held no emotion.
My wolf snarled.
The bond pulled painfully, confused and furious.
Cassian's eyes met mine. He smirked.
"Tell me, little brother," he said loudly, amusement dripping from his voice, "how does it feel to witness history being made? How do you feel seeing your brother finally getting what he dreamt of, with his baby brother by his side being is beta?"
The hall quieted.
I smiled slowly. "It's inspiring," I replied. "Watching someone finally achieve a position they had to bribe their way into."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Cassian's smile vanished.
He raised a hand, silencing the murmurs. "Enough."
He turned, his grip tightening around Araxie's hand.
"Tonight isn't about rivalry," he announced. "It's about loyalty. About bonds that must be acknowledged."
My chest tightened.
Then he looked at her.
"My Luna has something she wishes to say to the pack."
Araxie stepped forward.
The bond screamed at me, same as my wolf. He knew something was about to happen.
And for the first time that night…I felt fear, real fear.