The Moon Banquet went on, unperturbed by the shockwave that had propagated through it. Music was being performed from the center pavilion, with lantern strings swaying gently in the breeze, casting warm light on carefully laid tables. Venison and fresh bread platters wafted the savory aromas of the fare, but no one was enjoying the feast.
They had no time for conversation.
Mia Thompson
The Alpha did not refute it.
She ran off into the forest, did not even change.
A fateful connection for that young lady and Lucas Greywind?
It is a sign. Or a mistake?
The whispers spread like poison ivy — soft, but relentless. Everyone was talking about Mia, suddenly, when just a few short days ago, most of the pack didn't even know she was alive. She was the omega who mended torn clothes and mopped the infirmary floor. Now, she was the Alpha's fated mate. Or. had been, for a moment.
Beneath the canopy of the banquet tent, Elder Garran met with two other council members, their expressions serious. "He hesitated," Garran complained, swirling his wine. "That is enough to raise doubt."
"We need a public rejection," Elder Vance said. "The pack must witness him walk away from her. In public."
Garran's lip curled. "If we don't act fast, Silver Pine's power will shatter. We can't be vulnerable with Blackridge watching."
On the outer edge of the crowd, someone else listened — and quietly faded into the woods, the soft earth absorbing the sound of the heels on the earth.
Mia had not yet returned home.
She sat, though, alone in the old garden behind the healer's hut — a forgotten corner with moss and wild thyme. Her chest was a strange, aching heaviness. Everything was on repeat in her brain: his eyes on hers, the spark of power across their bodies, the warmth of his hand.
And then the doubt.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Her wolf huddled up inside of her like a wounded puppy. It did not understand logic, nor politics. All it registered was their mate had come close — then moved away. The crunch of footsteps startled her. Mia turned around, expecting another elder to come and order her to be silent — but it was only Ember, the apprentice healer and the only true friend Mia had among the pack.
She sat down beside her, not even requesting, and pressed a warm mug into Mia's hands. "Chamomile," she said. "Shock, or heartbreak."
Mia smiled faintly, her throat tight. "Is it that obvious?"
She playfully elbowed him. "It is the only thing anyone is talking about. Even the puppies know."
Mia clutched the mug firmly. "They're angry. The elders, the pack. They think I lied to him."
"They're scared," Ember said. "Because for once, fate didn't follow their plan."
That made Mia pause.
Ember leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair behind Mia's ear. "You didn't decide this, Mia. But neither did he. And perhaps that's what makes it real."
Mia did not know what to say. She had wanted the connection, but that did not change the fact that she was not what they wanted for a Luna. She had never been.
She sipped the tea and murmured,
"I think I should go."
Ember's eyes grew wide. "Depart from!"
They will not cease watching me, waiting for me to slip up.
And Lucas, he will not choose me, not with the entire pack watching.
"Mia", no one needs you to prove anything. "You were selected by the moon itself."
"That will not be the problem when the council forces him to decide," Mia said, tears burning. "I will not stay here and watch him leave me."
He sat amidst the papers and documents of his deceased father's death, the fire crackling at his back. Silverpine smoke and the scent of old books hung in the air, the same smell that had comforted him as a child.
Now it made his chest tight.
He eyed the scrolls on the desk before him — treaties, hunting grounds negotiations, arranged marriage proposals.
His father had thought of everything.
Unless this one.
He lay back, pinching the bridge of his nose. All his instincts had screamed for him to go after Mia, claim what was his.
But he could still feel the elders' eyes on his back.
Still detect the veiled threat in Garran's voice.
A knock on the door.
"Come."
Beta Cade emerged — lanky, lean, with calculating eyes. Lucas had known the guy since he was a kid. A loyal fighter. A political pragmatist.
"You're out of time," Cade said bluntly. "They're asking for a ceremony of rejection. Tomorrow."
Lucas's jaw clenched. "And if I don't agree."
He looked at him. "You will alienate half the council. Perhaps even more."
Silence...!
Cade continued, his tone softer. "I saw the way you looked at her. Politics isn't the problem anymore, is it?"
He said nothing. He did not have to. Cade nodded.
"You then should make a choice."
"Before they choose for you."