"Bring forth the future Luna!" Elder Rowan called out. His voice carried over the crowded plaza, silencing the chatter of the Blackwood Pack.

I stood at the bottom of the marble stairs. My fingers brushed against the soft fabric over my lower abdomen. A tiny, secret life grew inside me.

"Are you ready?" Elder Rowan asked, offering me an encouraging nod.

"I am," I replied. "I have wonderful news for him. I plan to tell him as soon as the ceremony ends."

"The Alpha will be overjoyed," the Elder noted.

"I hope so," I murmured.

I walked up the dais. Adrian Hawthorne stood at the center, tall and imposing. I smiled at him, expecting him to extend his arm to welcome me to his side.

He kept his hands firmly at his sides.

"Vivian, come here," Adrian commanded.

I froze.

My best friend stepped out from the front row. She wore a crimson dress, a stark contrast to my white gown. She walked past me without a single glance and placed her hand directly into Adrian’s open palm. He laced his fingers through hers.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Adrian ignored me. He raised their joined hands toward the night sky.

"I announce," Adrian shouted, his voice echoing across the silent plaza, "that from today onward, the only Luna of the Blackwood Pack will be Vivian Sinclair!"

Dead silence fell over the crowd. Nobody cheered. Nobody moved.

"Adrian?" I choked out. "Why?"

He finally turned his head. His eyes held zero warmth. "Look at yourself. You are a wolfless waste. You have no strength. You have no right to stand beside an Alpha."

"We are mates," I argued. "I gave you everything."

"You

My eyelids fluttered open. The scent of pine and burning firewood filled the air, replacing the damp rot of the forest floor. I pushed myself up against a wall of rough-hewn logs. The mattress beneath me was soft, covered in thick furs.

A shadow moved near the hearth.

I scrambled backward, pulling a heavy wool blanket up to my chin. My spine hit the wooden headboard with a thud.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice cracking.

The figure stepped into the amber light of the fire. Broad shoulders, a sharp jawline, and piercing gray eyes.

Lucien Hawthorne.

The former Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. He had vanished a year ago, handing the title to his younger brother, Adrian, without a single explanation. Rumors said he had gone mad. Others said he left to avoid a war.

"Are you here to finish it?" I asked. I pressed a hand over my stomach, shielding my unborn child. "Did he send you to kill me?"

Lucien stopped a few feet from the bed. He held a steaming wooden bowl in his large hands. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have left you in the snow."

He extended the bowl toward me. "Drink. It's yarrow and sweetgrass. It will stop the internal bleeding and heal the frostbite."

I stared at the dark, swirling liquid.

"I have no interest in punishing you," Lucien added. His tone was flat, completely devoid of the malice I expected. "Drink."

My hands trembled as I took the bowl. The heat seeped into my icy fingers. I tipped it back and swallowed the bitter broth. Warmth bloomed in my chest, chasing away the bone-deep chill of the exile lands. My muscles untensed.

Lucien pulled up a wooden stool and sat. He rested his forearms on his knees, his gray eyes studying my face.

"Why are you in the Deadlands?" he asked.

I lowered the empty bowl to my lap. "I was exiled."

"Exiled." He tasted the word, his brow furrowing. "You are Adrian's mate. He should be tearing the forest apart to find you, not throwing you to the rogues."

A bitter laugh scraped my throat. "He threw me out himself."

Lucien’s posture stiffened. "Explain."

"The Luna ceremony," I started, staring at the empty bowl. "I thought it was for me. I walked up the dais. I had a secret to tell him." I touched my abdomen again, my fingers tracing the curve. "I'm pregnant."

Lucien’s eyes dropped to my stomach, then snapped back to my face. "He banished his pregnant mate?"

"He didn't know about the pup," I said. "He didn't give me a chance to tell him. He called Vivian up instead. He held her hand."

"Vivian."

"My best friend," I clarified, the betrayal tasting like ash on my tongue. "He announced her as the new Luna. Then he looked at me and called me a wolfless waste."

I gripped the edge of the blanket, my knuckles turning white. "He severed the bond right there on the altar. The elders dragged me to the border and shoved me into the Deadlands."

Silence stretched between us, heavy and thick.

Lucien didn't offer pity. His jaw locked. The muscles in his neck strained against his collar. A low rumble vibrated in his chest. Pure, unadulterated anger.

"He broke the bond," Lucien stated, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Yes."

"He has no idea what he just threw away." Lucien stood, pacing the small cabin. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "My brother is a fool."

"He threw away a wolfless runt," I muttered. "I have no wolf. I have no strength. He was right about that."

Lucien stopped pacing. He turned and pinned me with his stare. "Do you honestly believe that?"

"It's the truth."

"It is a lie fed to you by blind elders," Lucien countered. He stepped closer, towering over the bed. "Tell me, when did the Blackwood Pack become the strongest in the region?"

"Two years ago," I answered.

"And when did you mate Adrian?"

"Two years ago."

"Do you think that is a coincidence?"

I blinked, confused. "Adrian is a strong Alpha. He trained the warriors. He secured the borders."

"Adrian is mediocre at best," Lucien interrupted. "I trained him. I know his limits. The power that fuels this pack doesn't come from him. It comes from you."

I shook my head. "That's impossible. I can't even shift."

"You possess an ancient energy," Lucien explained. "Older than our wolves. The elders couldn't sense it because they only look for fur and fangs. But I felt it. The moment you bonded with Adrian, your power flowed into him. It bled into the soil of our territory. You are the battery keeping the Blackwoods alive."

I looked down at my pale hands. They looked so ordinary. So weak.

"I'm a monster," I whispered.

"You are a savior," he corrected.

"If I'm so powerful, why couldn't I stop him from rejecting me?" I challenged, my voice rising. "Why did I freeze on that stage?"

"Because you gave it all to him," Lucien said. "The bond acted as a siphon. You emptied yourself to make him a king. And now that he severed the tie..."

"The power stops," I realized.

Lucien nodded. "The Blackwood Pack will wither. The protection is gone. Adrian doomed them all."

I dragged my gaze from my hands to his face. "Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to use me too? Do you want my power?"

"I left the pack because I refused to rule over a den of blind fools," Lucien said. He took a step closer, closing the distance between us. He knelt by the bed, bringing himself down to my eye level. "You don't need a wolf to have value. The one who should be exiled is the boy who destroyed his own kingdom."

He held out his large, calloused hand.

"I am asking you to stay with me," Lucien said.

I stared at his open palm. "Stay?"

"Be my Luna," Lucien said. The words hung in the warm air, echoing off the wooden walls.

"I'm pregnant with your brother's child," I reminded him, my voice shaking. "I carry his blood."

"I don't care about his bloodline," Lucien replied firmly. "I will claim this pup as my own. I will protect you. I will protect the child. No one from the Blackwoods will ever touch you again."

Tears pricked my eyes. I searched his face for any sign of deceit, any hidden trap. There was only quiet resolve.

He believed in me. He didn't see a broken, wolfless girl. He saw a queen.

"Why?" I asked, a single tear slipping down my cheek.

"Because you deserve someone who sees you," he answered.

I reached out. My fingers brushed his.

He closed his grip around my hand, his hold firm and warm.

"I accept," I whispered.

A sudden, sharp pain pierced my skull. I gasped, doubling over.

"What is it?" Lucien asked, catching my shoulders.

"I don't know," I cried out.

A blinding white light erupted from my chest, illuminating the entire cabin. The wooden beams groaned under an invisible pressure. Outside, the wind howled, unnatural and fierce.

The power Adrian had discarded was returning to me.

And it was hungry.

The journey back took less than an hour. Lucien didn't waste time. He kicked open the heavy oak doors of the pack council hall.

The massive iron hinges shrieked.

Dozens of heads snapped toward us.

Adrian stood at the head of the long maple table. He held a golden coronation chalice, his arm wrapped tightly around Vivian’s waist.

She wore a gown of spun silver. A crown of white winter roses rested on her blonde hair. Servants froze midway through hanging celebratory banners for her final Luna blessing.

The chalice slipped from Adrian's fingers. It clattered against the stone floor, spilling dark red wine across the gray slate.

"You," Adrian spat.

I kept my chin high. I didn't shrink away.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here," Adrian snarled. He marched past the elders, stopping ten feet from us. "I banished you to the Deadlands."

"I didn't come back for you," I replied.

"Then why are you standing in my hall?" Adrian demanded. "Did you crawl back to beg for scraps?"

"I don't need your scraps," I said.

Vivian stepped out from behind him. She pressed her hands to her chest, feigning a gasp of relief.

"Oh, thank the Goddess you're alive," Vivian cooed. Her voice carried a sickly sweet tone.

I glared at her. "Cut the act, Vivian."

She pouted, leaning her head against Adrian's shoulder. "I'm only trying to help you. I know how hard it must be out there. A wolfless girl, all alone in the cold."

She turned her big, doe eyes up to Adrian. "Alpha, please. Let her stay."

Adrian frowned. "She defied my order."

"But she's pregnant," Vivian pleaded loudly. She made sure the entire hall heard her. "We can't let a pup freeze. Let her work in the kitchens. She can serve us. For the child's sake."

Serve them. My stomach churned.

"Generous as always, my Luna," Adrian praised her. He shifted his gaze back to me, raking his eyes over my dirt-stained clothes.

"You heard her," Adrian said. "You can scrub the floors. Wash our clothes. Prepare our meals."

"I won't serve you," I stated firmly.

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Then what do you want? Gold? A warm bed?"

He took a step closer, his gaze dropping to my waist.

"If you're that desperate for my attention, I can make an arrangement," Adrian offered.

"What arrangement?" I asked.

"You can stay in my private quarters," Adrian said. "As my mistress. You won't have the title of Luna, of course. But you'll be comfortable."

"Adrian!" Vivian gasped, her fake smile faltering.

"Hush, Vivian," Adrian commanded. He looked back at me. "It's a generous offer. A runt like you won't find a better deal."

"I would rather freeze," I spat.

My nails bit into my palms. I opened my mouth to curse him again.

Lucien moved first.

He didn't shout. He didn't bare his teeth.

Lucien simply reached out and laced his fingers through mine.

The warmth of his grip anchored me.

"She will not be serving anyone," Lucien stated. His voice carried a low, rumbling authority that rattled the glass in the windows.

Adrian laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Are you giving orders in my hall, Lucien? You abandoned this pack."

"I am reclaiming what is mine," Lucien answered.

He lifted our joined hands high into the air.

"I present to you your true, and only, Luna," Lucien announced. "My Fated Mate."

The hall plunged into absolute silence.

No one breathed. The crackle of the hearth fire sounded like thunder.

Adrian's smirk vanished. The color drained from his face.

"Are you out of your mind?" Adrian demanded. He pointed a shaking finger at me. "She is a reject! She has no wolf! I threw her away!"

"You threw away a diamond because you were too blind to see it shine," Lucien replied smoothly. "The Moon Goddess led me to her. I have found my true mate."

"She was mine first!" Adrian roared. "You can't claim her! She is tainted!"

"The only taint on her is the memory of you," Lucien shot back.

"The elders will never accept this," Adrian argued, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "She is a weak, useless burden."

"The elders will accept their true Alpha," Lucien stated. "And they will respect the Luna the Goddess chose for him."

Adrian took a threatening step forward. "I am the Alpha of this pack!"

Lucien's eyes flashed a terrifying, glowing silver. A heavy, suffocating aura exploded from him.

The sheer force of his command forced Adrian to his knees.

"Not anymore," Lucien commanded.

Vivian shrieked and scrambled backward, leaving Adrian kneeling on the cold stone.

Elder Rowan stepped out from the crowd of stunned pack members. He stared at our joined hands, then looked up at Lucien's glowing eyes.

The old man lowered his head. He dropped to one knee.

"We welcome you, Alpha Lucien," Elder Rowan rasped. He turned his head toward me. "We welcome our Luna."

One by one, the other elders followed.

Knees hit the floor. Heads bowed.

A wave of submission rippled through the hall until only Lucien and I remained standing.

My chest tightened. No one had ever bowed to me. No one had ever looked at me with anything but pity or disgust.

Now, they offered me complete reverence.

I glanced down at Adrian.

He knelt in the spilled wine, his hands trembling. His eyes darted wildly around the room, taking in the bowed heads of his most loyal followers.

His chest heaved. The realization hit him like a physical blow.

He wasn't in control anymore. He had lost the pack.

Adrian looked up at me, his expression twisting into something ugly and desperate.

"You think you've won?" Adrian hissed, his voice trembling with venom.

Before I could answer, a sharp, agonizing scream ripped through the hall.

It wasn't Adrian.

It was Vivian.

She collapsed onto the stone floor, clawing at her own throat, her eyes rolling back into her head.