The door burst open and a maid braced herself against the frame, her chest heaving.

I clutched the edge of my cloak, my heart racing. "W-what... what happened?!"

She took a shaky breath before speaking, "Luna, my name is Lydia. Alpha just received an urgent battle report about a dispute at the border of our territory. A rival pack crossed the boundary, seized our supplies, and injured our troops. Alpha had to go and handle it personally, so today's bonding ceremony... has to be postponed. Although the ceremony is postponed, Alpha instructed us to treat you as Luna and respect you."

My mind went blank for a beat, then I answered on instinct, "It's okay. The territory and the pack come first. The ceremony can wait."

Lydia stepped closer, her smile cautious and apologetic. "Please don't take it to heart, Luna. Alpha had no choice. If this drags on, more of our pack members will be hurt, and it would damage the pack's authority."

I shook my head. "I really don't mind. If the conflict grows, the losses would be far worse. That would be the real problem."

When she saw that I truly wasn't angry, Lydia finally relaxed. She led me upstairs to a guest room on the second floor.

Late that night, a Warrior came by with a message. They needed to send the Alpha's spare clothes to the front lines. When I opened the wardrobe, I noticed several pieces were worn thin. One shirt even had a faint, dried, old brown stain on the shoulder that looked like blood.

My chest tightened. Kyler must have been through countless fights out there.

I hurried to the kitchen and baked several loaves of bread and a batch of muffins myself, planning to send them along with his clothes. By the time everything was ready, dawn was close. Exhaustion hit me all at once, and I fell asleep at the table, still hugging the folded clothes and meal box.

Half-awake and still groggy, I felt as if someone had been sitting beside me for a long while, then gently lifted me into his arms. The warmth and calm of his presence wrapped around me, making me feel drunk with comfort, safe, and completely at ease.

As I was laid softly onto the bed and a plush blanket pulled over me, I never woke up. I only heard the door close quietly, and his low voice speaking to the maid outside.

"Elder Luna will arrive tomorrow afternoon. She's impatient by nature. Keep a close eye on Luna and don't let her be upset."

When I woke up that morning, Lydia helped me brush my hair, and her voice was bright with laughter.

"Luna, Alpha came back late last night. He kept picking up the suit you pressed and the armor you prepared, inspecting them over and over. Also, he couldn't bring himself to eat the muffins and bread you baked."

She grinned. "Everyone around him was laughing. They said they had never seen Alpha treasure anything like that before."

Hearing that made my heart melt, and I quickly turned to Lydia. "Can you help me ask if there are any old, damaged pieces of armor or scrap cloth? Alpha's armor always has a few small nicks, and it feels like a waste to throw it away. I want to try mending it and maybe add some small pockets to hold first-aid supplies."

As I was speaking, footsteps sounded at the door.

The butler, Oscar Smith, stood there and politely asked, "Luna, Alpha asked me to check if you are settling in well at the manor. If you need anything at all, just tell me."

I pointed toward the empty courtyard. "It would be nice to plant a few fruit trees and some flowers out there."

Remembering how Kyler used to think I was troublesome, I twisted the edge of my dress and whispered, "If it's inconvenient, that's okay. It was just a suggestion..."

But Kyler was more thoughtful than I expected. That very afternoon, servants arrived carrying fruit saplings and trays of flower seedlings. Oscar came in with a fluffy kitten in his arms, saying the Alpha had chosen it himself.

The moment the kitten touched the ground, it rolled at my feet, rubbing against my skirt and leaving tufts of fur behind. The ticklish warmth made my heart ache in the sweetest way.

Before long, raised voices suddenly echoed from downstairs.

An elderly she-wolf's voice, sharp and shrill, cut through the air, "She's only just become Luna and she's already causing trouble! Why are you dragging piles of useless junk into the courtyard? This isn't just a waste of effort to clean up, it's pure chaos!"

I looked down from the stairs, where Lydia was helping an elderly she-wolf steady herself. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, her hand gripped a wolf-fang cane, and her face was a mask of iron.

Lydia tried to smooth things over, saying, "Elder Luna, Luna isn't being wasteful. She's trying to give Alpha—"

"Silence!" the old she-wolf cut her off, striking the cane sharply against the floor. "Do you have any right to speak here?"

I immediately guessed that this had to be Kyler's mother. Lydia had told me she usually stayed at the old pack den. She had come specifically for the bonding ceremony, though her flight had been delayed by the weather.

I had only met Kyler's mother once when I was very young. The memory was already fuzzy. But whenever she sent Kyler homemade treats, she always included something for me. In my heart, she had always seemed kind.

I hurried down the stairs and slipped my arm through hers. "Mother! You're here!"

However, she jerked away from me and turned to the sofa with a look of pure disdain.

She sat down and scrutinized me from head to toe. "You've just become Luna, and already you're ignoring proper duties. You skip important tasks to mess with scraps no one wants. I think you're only trying to waste the pack's resources."

"No, Mother!" I said quickly, bringing forward the results of my morning's work. "Look! I patched the worn areas on the armor. It strengthens it without restricting movement. The little pouches for medicine don't leak, and they hang at the waist for easy access. All this was made from discarded scraps. It saves so many resources!"

The Elder Luna froze, her expression stiffening slightly. "Is this stuff... actually useful? Don't tell me it just looks good but falls apart in real combat."

I nodded hard. "I gave it to a Warrior to test. He said it's practical and convenient!"

The Elder Luna's gaze shifted to the courtyard. Spotting the newly planted fruit trees and flower seedlings, she let out a cold snort, pointing toward the yard.

"Even if these things save resources, I heard you had the servants plant trees and flowers. Do you even know how much effort and resources it takes to maintain a manor?" she asked.

"I just wanted to make the courtyard lively," I said softly, tugging on her sleeve. "Mother, imagine flowers and fruit all around, the breeze carrying their scent. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Did you ever make flower crowns when you were a pup? When the flowers bloom, I'll make one for you. Wearing it will make you happy."

She said nothing and just stared at the courtyard, lost in thought.

I pressed on, "If you don't like flower crowns, we could pick the fruits instead. When it ripens, we could even make honeyed dried fruit! I wonder if Alpha likes to eat it."

Lydia was standing beside us, her shoulders shaking slightly. I knew she was holding back a laugh. The Elder Luna took a deep breath, gripped her cane, and straightened up.

"How can a Luna call her mate 'Alpha'? Don't you understand the rules of the pack?" she snapped.

With that, she stormed off. Lydia and the others hurried to escort her downstairs.

I turned back to my room, leaving the door slightly ajar, and went back to tinkering with the remaining scraps of leather, turning them into bracers. Not long after, the door pushed open. A werewolf I didn't recognize poked his head inside.

When he saw me, his eyes flickered with something strange, and he quickly said, "Luna, I'm Beta Dorian Sharp. Alpha sent me to fetch something."

His tone was polite, but his eyes kept darting around the room, as if searching for something. I raised my gaze, studying his unfamiliar face with suspicion.

Beta Dorian Sharp? Something about him felt off.

I frowned. "What did Alpha tell you to fetch?"

"It's an important document in the drawer in your room. I can go get it," he said, stepping toward the inner room with quick, urgent strides.

I stood up immediately to block him. "Wait. That drawer is locked. I'll get the key. You stay here by the door."

With that, I hurried out of the room to find Oscar. I explained to him that a suspicious werewolf claiming to be Dorian was waiting outside my room, saying he had been sent by the Alpha to retrieve something.

Oscar's expression darkened immediately. He called over several skilled Warriors without a word. By the time we reached my room, the werewolf was rifling through my things, clearly searching for something.

Oscar's eyes sharpened the moment he saw him. He recognized the fake Beta at once and ordered the Warriors to subdue him and take him away under strict guard.

Later, I overheard hushed voices by the door. It was another maid, Mia, whispering to Lydia.

"Honestly, this Luna is hard to read. She ignores the respectable duties of a Luna and fusses over scraps. She seems so clumsy. But then, the way she exposed the fake Beta just now... maybe she's not so dumb after all. She's strange, really."

Lydia's voice turned icy as she replied, "Is it our place to judge our Luna? And don't think I don't know about your little schemes, Mia. I suggest you keep yourself in line."

Mia didn't respond. She only cast a quick, strange glance toward my room.

The next afternoon, Mia showed up again. This time, she was with two werewolves. One of them opened a box he was carrying, which was filled with jewelry.

He smiled. "Luna, I heard you wanted to add a few things to the manor. This is just a small token from us. There's one little favor we hope you can grant... Please release Gideon."

I froze. "Gideon? Who is that? Does Alpha know?"

Mia chimed in, "He's the one who was caught yesterday. He got confused and accidentally wandered into your room. He was afraid of getting into trouble, so he played a little joke. He didn't really do anything wrong. Alpha's busy with pack affairs and isn't at the estate right now, so there's no need to alarm him. You're clever. I'm sure you know how to handle it."

I stared at the jewelry. These pieces could be used to craft so many sets of armor. But... Gideon was such a strange werewolf.

I clutched the hem of my dress, my voice barely above a whisper as I said, "I... I can't take these. If Alpha found out, he'd be angry."

Third Person POV

Casper Reed had been tied up with border disputes for ten days straight, unable to return to the manor. However, his thoughts never left his Luna.

On top of that, his mother had just arrived from the old wolf pack den. Stern, old-fashioned, and notoriously picky, he worried she might make things difficult for his Luna, risking the alliance between the two packs.

But the news from his subordinates carried an unexpected twist. The Elder Luna may be sharp-tongued, but she had already secretly accepted the new Luna in her heart.

The first day she arrived at the manor, she complained to Oscar the moment she got into the car. "I hear that she-wolf has only been Luna for a couple days, and she's already got the whole pack running around catering to her every whim. I want to see what kind of she-wolf is that spoiled!"

The next day, Dorian reported that the Luna had caught a spy from a rival pack.

Even the Elder Luna allowed herself a rare word of praise. "That spy thought he could use the new Luna's ignorance of Dorian to steal documents. That she-wolf has some brains. She managed to uncover a spy hiding so deep. Compared to the pack's brutes who only know how to fight, her mind is far sharper."

By the fifth day, Dorian reported that the Luna visited the Elder Luna's room daily, chattering endlessly about forest rabbits and wildflowers in the valleys. She scolded her for being noisy, but had the chef prepare her favorite roasted venison.

On the seventh day, Casper sent someone to check in, only for his mother to snap, "We're just chatting. Why are you poking around?"

Leaning back in his chair, Casper let out a relieved laugh. At last, the worry in his chest eased. He was about to dive into pack business when the office door swung open. Kyler stood in the doorway, travel-stained and weary, exhaustion written clearly in his eyes.

Casper put down his work and gestured toward the sofa across from him. "Looking at you, it seems the Shadow Pack gave you more trouble than you expected."

"Not too much trouble," Kyler replied, tugging at his coat and waving it off. He pulled a gift box from his bag and set it on the desk, smiling. "This is for your bonding ceremony. How does it feel, being bonded?"

Casper let out a sigh. "Honestly, I kind of regret it."

"What are you regretting?" Kyler asked, raising the glass of whiskey on the table and downing it in one gulp.

"I hesitated at first. I've been on the move constantly, and I worried I might make her life harder. But now... now that she's here, I regret it," Casper admitted.

His mind drifted back to the night of the bonding ceremony, when his Luna had fallen asleep at the table, clutching his clothes and the meal box she'd made for him.

His eyes softened despite himself. "I regret not meeting her sooner, waiting instead for the pack to grow strong and stable first... It was pointless."

There was a warmth in Casper's voice, full of affection as he added, "On the day of our bonding ceremony, I had to deal with some territory matters. She didn't cause any trouble at all. Instead, she took the discarded armor and fabrics in the storeroom and repurposed them, saving the pack a lot of resources. The Warriors all said it was incredibly practical."

Kyler jabbed him lightly, a mix of envy and admiration in his tone. "The Moon Goddess really favors you. All the way here, my Warriors kept telling me that Ember Pack's Luna is sensible and capable. When I heard that, I was green with envy."

"Now that the border dispute is settled, let's talk about the alliance at my manor," Casper said, slipping on his coat and heading out first.

The fruit trees in the manor's garden were just budding. The air carried the scent of flowers, far sweeter than the smoke and tension of the borderlands. Before they even reached the garden, a crisp, cheerful laugh drifted through the air like wind chimes.

Kyler caught a glimpse of movement among the blossoms. A she-wolf was chasing butterflies with a maid trailing behind her and a small kitten bounding after them. Sunlight spilled over her, casting a warm golden glow.

That figure, that familiar scent...

It was Elsa! The she-wolf he had been searching for all this time!

Kyler's breath caught. His heart pounded so fiercely he felt it might burst from his chest. He took a step forward, almost shouting her name. But just a few steps from the flowerbed, his arm was suddenly seized.