Today was the day of the joint hunting party held between the Ruby Hill Pack and the Onyx Sky Pack. For centuries, the two packs had histories of disputes. However, the recent rogue attack had made each pack try to rebuild an alliance that was broken in the past, including our pack.

‘Today will be different, Lisette,’ Orla said inside my mind, which woke me up.

I couldn’t help but ask her, ‘What do you mean, Orla?’

‘Today will be the start of something … that never happened,’ my wolf said, almost prophetically.

When I heard her saying that, I could feel a flicker of unease. Somehow, I could sense that she was right even though I couldn’t understand why. However, I quickly focused on myself by getting out of bed and dressed quickly as my mind already racing with all the things I needed to do.

Oscar, my husband, was already sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast. However, it was quiet. It was different from any of our breakfasts where it would be pretty noisy. That was when I realized that Gloria sat next to the Alpa.

Everyone who ate at the dining hall didn’t make any noise, which showed their silent protest of the Luna of the Onyx Sky Pack’s behavior. It seemed the woman also noticed because she then moved to the seat meant for the honored guest. Unlike my husband who never cared about it.

Frankly, it wasn’t a surprise. After all, she had made it her daily mission to be as close to Oscar as possible. Nevertheless, I would never expect her to be this bold.

“Good morning, Alpha,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and even.

Oscar didn’t look up as he coldly greeted me, “Morning.”

Gloria flashed me a smile, but it was more of an arrogant smile than anything genuine.

“Good morning, Luna Lisette. Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“I slept fine,” I answered politely.

She looked at me before she let out a smirk as she tried to provoke me by making remarks, “You look a little tired, no? Shouldn’t the Luna of the Ruby Hill Pack keep up with her appearances?”

“Thank you for the reminder, Luna Gloria. I’m attending to the needs of my pack. As you know, our warriors were injured yesterday. I hope you’re also attending to your pack’s needs, Luna Gloria,” I calmly told her as I looked at her.

I was done with her arrogant behavior, so I decided to waste no time on her sarcastic remark.

‘If she wanted to provoke me, I’d make sure to make her shut her mouth,’ I thought to myself, which my wolf agreed wholeheartedly.

Gloria went quiet. Her face was red with embarrassment. Meanwhile, our pack members quietly murmured as they agreed with what I said.

Seeing that his fated mate was unhappy, Oscar cleared his throat as he tried to divert the attention and ordered me with his Alpha voice, “Lisette, we have guests arriving tonight. Make sure the preparations are complete.”

“Of course, Alpha,” I said quietly.

Oscar nodded, returning his gaze to his food. It was the same every day. My husband expected me to serve him dutifully, and keep everything in order, while he barely acknowledged my presence unless it suited him.

Still, I noticed that there was something strange from the Alpha. It seemed as if he was uncomfortable. Could it be because Gloria’s husband was coming to us?

Alpha Elliot Darrington, the Alpha of the Onyx Sky Pack, was known to be ruthless among us werewolves. Not to mention, the relationship between the Ruby Pack Hill and the Onyx Sky Pack wasn’t known for being at its best due the past disputes. However, there was another reason.

It was Gloria. The Luna of the Onyx Sky Pack said that she was abused by his Alpha, which was the reason she often came here. My husband definitely took the role of the knight for her, which worsened the relationship between the two packs.

Thus, the task of mending the bond fell to me.

‘What a coward!’ Orla angrily yelled inside of me.

Soon enough, the day had turned into the night. Our pack was ready for the arrival of the Alpha Elliot. He already sent us a letter, announcing that he would come tonight.

The Alpha told us that he accepted the Ruby Hill Pack’s warm gesture to mend the bond as well as telling Gloria to come back to her new pack as she hadn’t been fulfilling her duties as his Luna. It seemed he was growing tired of her neglect. Obviously, this had become a hot topic.

Nevertheless, I didn’t have enough time to care about it.

Our warriors had informed that Alpha Elliot was due to arrive soon. I couldn’t help the nervous flutter in my stomach. To my surprise, Orla did something I had never even known of.

‘Soon, it’ll happen,’ my wolf said.

Without further ado, I asked her, ‘What do you mean?’

Unfortunately, Orla quickly disappeared before I could get an answer. Still, it made me curious. What would happen soon?

Eventually, Alpha Elliot arrived at the Ruby Hill Pack’s castle. Immediately, his presence filled the room. The man was tall with sharp features and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see straight through everyone. I stood with Oscar to greet him. Meanwhile, Gloria was nowhere to be found.

‘I guess she’s running from her duty again. No wonder Alpha Elliot is mad,’ I thought to myself.

When Alpha Elliot met me, I respectfully bowed at him as I let out a polite smile and greeted the man, “Welcome to the Ruby Hill Pack, Alpha Elliot Darrington.”

However, I was struck by how his gray eyes were looking at my green eyes. The man let out a polite smile before he kissed my hand gently, which shocked everyone, even Oscar. He then bowed back at me.

“My pleasure, Luna Lisette Harroway. It’s a pleasure to be here,” the Onyx Sky Pack’s Alpha said.

I nodded politely. As I was about to pull my hand, Alpha Elliot stopped me. The man looked at me intensely. However, what he would say sent a shiver down my spine.

Alpha Elliot said, “If only my Luna is as dutiful as you are.”

The only thing I could do was to nod politely. However, I could sense that Oscar was unhappy with what Alpha Elliot had said. Somehow, I felt that my husband was looking at me strangely. Without further ado, he quickly diverted the Onyx Sky Pack’s Alpha attention from me by bowing.

Oscar then politely said, “We’re happy to have you here, Alpha Elliot.”

After that, both Oscar and I led Alpha Elliot to the dining hall. Soon enough, we could see Gloria already sitting on the guests’ seats. Since the woman was Alpha Elliot’s Luna, she obviously would sit next to her husband while Oscar and I sat next to each other.

Seeing Gloria and Alpha Elliot felt very mismatched, like watching me and Oscar. However, it seemed that the Luna of the Onyx Sky Pack already found out about how her husband had treated me earlier. It was because I could see the flicker of jealousy in her eyes.

Throughout the dinner party, Alpha Elliot’s gaze was steady on me throughout the meal. Every time I spoke, he listened intently. in fact, his eyes were never leaving mine. It was a strange feeling like he was seeing me in a way no one else ever did.

Gloria, sitting beside him, didn’t seem to appreciate the attention I was receiving. Her smile was tight. Every now and then, she would glance at me with a look that could kill anyone.

‘Gloria is not happy,’ my wolf told me.

I couldn’t help but let out a slight smile as I said to her, ‘I can tell.’

As the dinner party continued, Oscar shifted in his seat. My husband was clearly uncomfortable with the way Alpha Elliot kept looking at me. I could feel the tension building between the two men, the unspoken rivalry simmering just beneath the surface.

Gloria noticed, too. Her jealousy was practically palpable. The Luna of the Onyx Sky Pack tried to talk to her husband but to no avail. The Alpha of the Onyx Sky Pack barely responded as his eyes were still on me.

To everyone’s shock, including mine, Alpha Elliot then asked me, “Luna Lisette, I’ve heard you’re a good musician. Why don’t you play something for us, Luna Harroway?”

I could only blink as I was very surprised by his request, but I quickly responded, “Sure, Alpha Elliot. I hope you don’t mind my lackluster playing.”

Soon enough, I stood and made my way to the harp that had been set up in the corner of the room. The moment my fingers touched the strings, I felt a surge of calm. Music was the one thing that always brought me peace.

The room fell silent as the soft, haunting melody filled the air. My hands moved easily over the strings, the music flowing like a river. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, and for once, I didn’t mind. When the last note faded, there was a moment of silence before Alpha Elliot clapped first.

After that, everyone followed suit.

“That was beautiful, Luna Lisette. Your talent is truly remarkable. I wish to hear you perform more,” the Onyx Sky Pack’s Alpha said, praising me.

The moment I heard it, my cheeks flushed, “Thank you for your praise, Alpha Elliot.”

Meanwhile, Oscar shifted again uncomfortably in his seat as he praised me, “It’s … it’s a nice piece.”

My husband wasn’t happy, I could tell. As for Gloria, the woman clapped politely. But there was no warmth in her applause. She was staring at her husband and Oscar, waiting for them to look at her. But none were looking at her, which made the Luna of the Onyx Sky Pack unhappy.

‘Serves they right!’ Orla happily exclaimed.

I lowered my head, trying to block out the tension in the room. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I had done something for myself. But I could already tell that it was making things worse.

The dinner finally ended. Fortunately, the atmosphere between the two packs had eased up with my music. However, I couldn’t help but notice how often Alpha Elliot’s gaze kept looking at me. Somehow, I had a feeling that this would only complicate things further.

I wondered how much longer I could keep pretending that everything was fine.

‘I hope it won’t be too long,’ I thought to myself.

The air was thick with tension as the joint hunting party began. The Red Hill Pack and the Onyx Sky Pack were attempting to rebuild a fractured alliance that had been strained by past disputes. So, we invited Alpha Elliot to come as well as renew our alliance with the Onyx Sky Pack.

While I actually didn’t wish to attend the hunting party, Oscar had insisted I attend despite the strained silence between us. My husband was always quick to put on his mask of politeness. However, I could feel the growing distance in his cold gaze.

His mind was clearly elsewhere, often drifting to Gloria Turner who had been circling around him like a hawk all evening. I couldn’t ignore how she seemed to grow bolder with each passing minute. Tonight, it was obvious that her patience was wearing thin.

The moonlight bathed the clearing where we had gathered. Its silver glow made everything feel too still, too quiet. The forest surrounding us seemed to close in while the shadows grew darker as the night stretched on.

“We need to stay close,” Oscar told me as he approached.

His eyes flicked to Gloria, who stood not far off, pretending to chat with some of the other pack members. She caught his gaze and smiled, her attention fixed on him. Again, I was ignored.

So, I just nodded and stepped closer to Oscar.

I really wanted to remind him that I was still his Luna and I had a role to play in this pack, but everything in me was telling me that no matter how much I tried, I wouldn’t matter to him anymore.

‘He’s already made his choice,’ Orla, my wolf, muttered in the back of my mind.

She continued, ‘Gloria is the one he’s focused on. And you ... you’re just the duty he’s tired of carrying.’

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting out a slow breath.

‘I know. But I’m not done fighting yet. Not for the pack, and certainly not for myself,’ I replied softly.

The hunt had gone well, but there was a sudden shift in the air as we made our way back to the clearing. Oscar led the group, followed by Alpha Elliot. When Oscar, Alpha Elliot, and I arrived, I noticed Gloria was already watching us. She narrowed her eyes as Oscar spoke to her husband.

As soon as Oscar turned his back, Gloria's gaze shifted toward me. Her eyes darkened with something I couldn't quite place. I had a bad feeling.

It seemed that Orla agreed with me as she warned me, ‘She’s up to something. Watch her carefully.’

When I turned to walk back to where the other pack members had gathered, I felt a sharp prickling at the back of my neck. Before I could react, I heard a faint rustle in the trees behind me. A shadow moved fast, and at that moment, I saw Gloria.

She had her bow out. The arrow was notched, aimed directly at me. Instinctively, I ducked, but I wasn’t fast enough.

The arrow shot forward, I heard it whistle through the air. The sharp tip grazed the edge of my shoulder, causing me to stumble slightly. I gasped in pain, my injured hands aching in the cold air. But the shock wasn’t from the pain. It was the realization of what Gloria had just done.

I turned toward her, my eyes flashing with fury.

“Luna Gloria!” I shouted, but she simply sneered, drawing another arrow.

This time, the woman aimed it more carefully and took her time. Immediately, the rage that boiled inside me surged. Without thinking, I lunged forward. My injured hands trembled as I grabbed her bow, twisting it out of her grasp. She fought back, pushing me away with a snarl. But I didn’t let go.

‘I won’t let you hurt me!’ I thought to myself.

The struggle was short but intense. In a swift motion, I shoved Gloria back. The Onyx Sky Pack’s Luna instantly lost her balance. The arrow she had been aiming at me flew wide, hitting a tree just beyond the clearing. But the movement caused the woman to trip and fall backward.

Gloria collided with the sharp edge of a rock that jutted out from the ground. The woman let out a sharp scream of pain, clutching at her shoulder where she had landed. Blood started to seep from the wound. I knew it wasn’t serious, but it would certainly leave a mark.

I didn’t have time to check on her. My focus was on the fact that I had just defended myself, despite my still-healing injuries. The tension in the clearing had shifted. Pack members were beginning to gather, murmuring, unsure of what to do.

Oscar was the first to react. His face twisted in disbelief as he rushed toward me. However, the man rushed towards me as if he wanted to kill me.

The Alpha quickly shouted at me, “What the hell is going on here? You’re the Luna! How could you hurt Gloria-”

Immediately, I cut my husband off by saying, “Luna Gloria was trying to kill me, Oscar. You saw it. I had no choice.”