The Moon Ceremony shimmered over the Stormfang territory like an ancient fairytale brought to life.
Silver lanterns floated above the courtyard like low-hanging stars. Long crimson carpets lined the stone paths. Pack members wore their finest—dark velvets, layered silks, and intricate embroidery glowing under the moonlight. Drums pulsed in the distance, echoing like a heartbeat.
But Lyra wasn't here to dance.
She was here to destroy.
She moved through the crowd like shadow and silk, her midnight-blue gown trailing behind her. It was off-shoulder, revealing just enough curve and strength. Moonstones glittered along her collarbone and spine like drops of divine dew.
Every step she took pulled eyes. Some admired. Some envied. And one—watched with clenched fists.
Selene.
Draped in white and gold, Selene had dressed like a Luna. Like a goddess. But tonight, standing across from Lyra, she looked more like a girl playing royalty next to the real queen.
Selene's lips curved in a brittle smile. "Lovely dress," she said sweetly. "You're really making the most of your moment, aren't you?"
Lyra smiled without warmth. "Why not? It might be the first time anyone actually sees you for what you are."
Selene's expression flickered.
Lyra moved past her without looking back.
---
At the front of the gathering, the dais awaited the Alpha heirs. Kael stood tall in black, no cloak, only a leather strap crossing his chest. Every inch of him screamed control—and tension. His eyes locked onto Lyra the moment she stepped into view.
She felt his gaze like heat sliding down her spine.
Darius leaned casually beside him in deep navy, a single moonstone ring glinting on his hand. His expression when he saw her?
Open. Bold. Hungry.
They weren't hiding it anymore.
Neither was she.
But first—Selene's fall would begin.
---
The crowd hushed as Elder Mara rose to speak.
"The Moon shines full tonight, and with it, we honor our bonds. Some will be strengthened. Some... revealed. May the Goddess guide her chosen."
Traditional. Formal. Expected.
But what followed was not.
Mara turned to Kael and Darius. "You've both stood as Alpha heirs without Luna guidance. In honor of the full moon, the Council would like to observe your bonds tonight—with the women of your choosing."
A ripple of tension shot through the crowd.
Selene stepped forward immediately, radiant with rehearsed grace. "Of course. I'd be honored—"
"I haven't chosen," Kael said, eyes on Lyra.
Selene froze mid-step. Her face didn't crack, but her heart did.
"I haven't either," Darius added, smiling as he watched Lyra's lips curve ever so slightly.
Elder Mara raised an eyebrow. "You have until the moon reaches its peak to present your choice. If not, the Council will begin consideration."
Which meant: someone else could be Luna. The entire pack heard it.
Selene's face turned waxy.
Lyra? She simply stood beside the fire, her fingers trailing a stem of crushed blue petals.
Just loud enough for the nearby group to hear, she murmured to the warrior beside her:
"Poor Selene. It must be hard when you decorate yourself in gold... but still aren't the treasure."
A few nearby wolves gasped softly.
Selene heard it.
Her hands curled.
Lyra didn't look her way.
But everyone else did.
---
Later, after the ceremonial dances, Lyra slipped into the forest beyond the estate, needing air. Needing stillness.
Her wolf hummed, restless but satisfied.
Step one complete.
"Running from the spotlight?" a voice asked smoothly from the trees.
She turned slowly.
Darius.
He stepped from the shadows, shirt half-undone, moonlight catching on the line of his jaw, the shimmer of sweat on his throat. His eyes were unreadable—but focused. Only on her.
"I needed quiet," Lyra said simply.
He approached, slow and deliberate, until they stood just a breath apart. "Or maybe you just like making people chase you."
She didn't flinch. "Do you chase women often?"
"I don't have to," he said, voice dark. "They usually fall into my lap."
"Must be boring."
His grin sharpened. "It was."
A charged silence bloomed between them. The forest held its breath.
Lyra stepped sideways, just slightly brushing his chest with her shoulder as she passed. "I'm not falling into anything."
Darius caught her wrist—not harshly, but firmly.
She turned, lifting one brow.
He stepped close.
Closer.
Until her back was against a tree, the bark cool against her shoulder blades. His body didn't touch hers, but he hovered, his heat rolling off in waves. His hand released her wrist and slowly—slowly—slid along the bark beside her face.
"I don't want you to fall, Lyra," he murmured, his voice dipping low and husky. "I want you to choose."
The words slid into her like silk. Dangerous. Honest.
She swallowed.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I've never wanted anything that wasn't handed to me," he said. "But you? You make me want to earn it."
Lyra's breath caught.
His eyes dropped to her mouth.
She didn't move.
Neither did he.
The space between them shrank and swelled with heat, with tension so sharp it almost hurt.
Then—
He leaned in.
Not to kiss her.
But to brush his lips over her throat, just once.
A whisper of contact.
A taste.
And Lyra's body ignited.
His mouth hovered there, not quite touching again, breath brushing her skin as he murmured, "I can smell the bond on you now."
She shivered.
Darius stepped back, hands up.
"I won't rush it. But I'm not backing off, either."
He turned and walked away, his wolf shimmering just beneath his skin.
Lyra stood there, heart pounding, the tree behind her the only thing holding her upright.
Her wolf howled inside her.
And in the distance, someone watched from the shadows.
Kael.
He had seen everything.
And his control?
Fractured.