Elara's Point of View
The scent of iron and smoke filled the air.
What was supposed to be a peaceful patrol had turned into chaos.
We'd been ambushed.
One moment, Kael was cracking jokes about Nolan's endless training drills. The next, arrows rained from the trees. Rogues — dozens of them — came charging from the shadows.
"Protect the Alpha!" someone yelled.
Nolan shifted midair, his wolf massive and dark as midnight. His growl shook the forest.
I followed, my own wolf barely beneath the surface, muscles tensed. The sound of snapping bones, snarls, and screams filled the night.
But the moment I saw Nolan surrounded, something inside me snapped.
He was outnumbered. Three rogues leaped at him from behind. I didn't think. I moved.
My claws tore through flesh, my wolf's growl echoing across the trees. I felt blood splatter my face — warm, sticky — but I didn't stop until they were down.
"Elara!" Kael's voice rang out, but I couldn't hear him.
All I saw was Nolan, pinned by another rogue twice his size.
I lunged, catching the rogue's neck between my jaws, twisting until I heard the crack. Nolan fell back, bleeding from a gash on his side.
My human form returned as I knelt beside him. "Nolan! Stay with me!"
He coughed, wincing. "It's… it's nothing."
"Nothing?" My hands pressed against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "You're bleeding out!"
He managed a faint grin. "I've had worse."
"Don't joke right now!" I snapped, tears stinging my eyes.
He groaned softly, hand rising to cup my cheek. "You're shaking."
"I almost lost you," I whispered. "I can't—"
Before I could finish, the bond surged. A rush of energy, hot and electric, flooded through me. My wolf howled in my mind — not in fear, but awakening.
Nolan is ours.
My vision blurred white. The ground trembled beneath us.
The rogues still standing froze, sensing the shift.
Power — raw and ancient — crackled around me like lightning.
"Elara…" Nolan whispered weakly. "Your eyes…"
They glowed gold.
Not Beta gold.
Alpha gold.
The air grew heavy, suffocating, as every rogue dropped to their knees instinctively. My voice came out deeper, layered with my wolf's.
"You dare attack my pack?"
The rogues whimpered, their courage evaporating. Some turned to run.
I raised my hand — and the forest wind obeyed. It roared through the clearing, sweeping the rogues back as though the land itself was fighting for me.
When the last of them fled, silence fell.
I stared at my trembling hands, heart hammering. "What… what did I just do?"
Nolan's lips curved faintly. "You found yourself."
Then he passed out.
---
Nolan's Point of View
When I opened my eyes, I was in the infirmary. My body ached, my side bandaged.
Kael sat nearby, polishing his dagger. He smirked when he saw me awake. "You really know how to make an entrance, Alpha."
"What happened?" I rasped.
"What happened," he said, leaning back, "is that your little healer turned into a storm goddess. She wiped out an entire rogue pack in minutes."
My heart skipped. "Elara?"
"She's fine. A little shaken. But I've never seen anything like it. Her power—it wasn't Beta. It was Alpha-level. Pure dominance. Even my wolf felt it."
Alpha-level.
The words sank deep.
So the whispers about her bloodline were true.
I remembered the way she'd glowed — gold eyes, voice commanding the very wind. It wasn't just strength. It was divinity.
And she had no idea how powerful she truly was.
I swung my legs off the bed despite the pain.
Kael sighed. "You're supposed to be resting."
"I will," I muttered, "after I see her."
---
Elara's Point of View
I stood by the window, staring at the forest beyond the packhouse.
Everything felt… different. The bond between me and Nolan pulsed stronger, deeper. My body thrummed with unfamiliar energy.
When I closed my eyes, I could hear the forest — the heartbeat of the land, the whispers of the wolves.
My wolf purred softly, "You've awakened, Elara. No more hiding."
But instead of feeling proud, I felt terrified.
I wasn't supposed to have Alpha blood. My parents never told me. Why? What else had they kept hidden?
"Running away again?"
I turned. Nolan stood in the doorway, pale but smiling.
"You should be resting," I said softly.
"So should you."
He stepped closer, his scent grounding me instantly — cedar, rain, and something warm that reminded me of home.
"You saved us," he said. "Saved me."
I looked away. "I didn't mean to. It just… happened."
"Your power responded to your heart," he said gently. "You were protecting your pack."
"My pack?" I gave a small, humorless laugh. "You mean your pack."
He frowned, stepping closer until there was barely space between us. "No, Elara. Ours."
My breath caught.
"You think this bond is one-sided?" he murmured. "Every time you fight, I feel it. Every time you hurt, I feel it. You're already a part of me."
"Nolan…"
He cupped my face, thumb brushing my cheek. "You were born to lead, Elara. Maybe fate brought you here not to hide, but to rise."
Tears welled up again. "You don't understand. The last time I believed in fate, it destroyed me."
He leaned closer, forehead against mine. "Then let me rebuild what fate broke."
My heart stuttered, breath catching between us. The bond pulsed again — steady, warm, alive.
For the first time, it didn't scare me.
---
Nolan's Point of View
Her scent was intoxicating.
Every instinct screamed to claim her — to mark her as mine, to make the bond complete. But this wasn't about instinct. It was about choice.
And she needed time.
So instead of kissing her, I whispered, "Rest. Tomorrow, we talk about what your awakening means."
Her eyes searched mine, as if trying to read my thoughts. Then she nodded.
"Goodnight, Nolan."
As she turned away, my wolf growled softly in my mind. "You're holding back."
She's not ready, I told him.
But she's ours.
I know.
And that was the problem.
---
Elara's Point of View
Sleep didn't come easy that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of golden light, wind tearing through the forest, rogues kneeling before me.
When I finally drifted off, I dreamt of a woman standing under the moon. Her hair was silver, her eyes glowing like mine had during the fight.
"Who are you?" I whispered.
Her voice echoed softly, "The power within you is not a curse, child. It is a legacy."
"Legacy?"
"Your father was not merely Beta. He was born from the Alpha bloodline of the Celestian Wolves — the first protectors of the Moonstone Realm. You carry their strength."
I shook my head. "No, that's impossible—"
The woman smiled. "Awaken, Elara Grey. The storm within you will either save or destroy the one you love."
I gasped and woke, heart pounding.
---
Nolan's Point of View
The next morning, I gathered the council.
Kael, the healer Mira, and the pack's historian, Elder Rowan, stood around the long table.
"Elara's power," I began, "is beyond Beta lineage. She might be connected to the Celestian wolves."
Rowan's eyes widened. "That bloodline was thought extinct."
"Apparently not."
Kael whistled low. "That explains the lightning and the glowing eyes."
Mira frowned. "If she's truly descended from them, the Moon Goddess might have chosen her for something bigger."
I clenched my jaw. "Which means she's in danger. Power like that never stays hidden long."
Rowan nodded gravely. "Then protect her, Alpha. With your life."
I already intended to.
---
Elara's Point of View
Later that day, I found Nolan outside near the training ground, instructing warriors despite his bandaged side.
"You should rest," I called out.
He looked up, smiling faintly. "You sound like me yesterday."
I rolled my eyes, walking closer. "You're impossible."
"Maybe," he said, "but you're smiling. So it's worth it."
I realized I was. For the first time in years, I wasn't afraid.
When he handed me a wooden blade, I blinked. "Training? Again?"
"Always," he said. "A Luna should know her strength — not just in battle, but in belief."
I took the blade, and our fingers brushed.
A spark shot through me — not painful, but electric.
Our wolves howled together in the distance.
And in that moment, I knew: the bond wasn't just fate. It was choice.
My choice.
---
Later That Night
The moon hung full and heavy, its glow silver against the treetops.
I stood on the balcony, the wind tugging at my hair.
Somewhere deep inside, the storm that had always terrified me finally felt calm.
When Nolan joined me, silent and steady, I didn't pull away.
He said nothing at first — just stood beside me, the warmth of his presence enough to chase away the cold.
Then, softly, he said, "When the time comes, and you're ready… I'll stand by you as your Alpha. Not before."
My throat tightened. "And if I never am?"
He smiled, eyes full of patience. "Then I'll grow old waiting."