Adelaide, the daughter of the Alpha of the Shadow Fang Pack, used to live a very happy life until her father and brother died in the battle for the Lycan King. She followed the agreement between the packs and became the Luna of Ulric, the Alpha of the Blood...
Chapter 1
Adelaide's POV
The council hall of the Bloodmoon Pack hummed with cedar and damp.
I shrugged off my sweat-drenched silver fox cloak, my fingers absently tracing the Moon Goddess pendant at my throat.
The bronze throne beside me yawned empty—Alpha Ulrik's seat.
Boots echoed on stone steps before the door burst open, snowmelt and pine scent flooding in.
I knocked over the mead jug, rising to greet him, amber liquid pooling over the sheepskin map.
"You're finally back," I managed, my voice catching.
A year ago, we'd pledged ourselves as mates before the pack. Then the Lycan King summoned him north.
He never even marked me.
Now, as I looked at him, my mind was a tangled web.
My wolf let out a faint, rebellious snarl, catching a tangle of scents on Ulrik’s trail that made its hackles rise.
Now Ulrik stood armored and alive, his jaw set in that familiar stubborn line.
"Adelaide, the Lycan King's declared Velda will join the Bloodmoon Pack. I'll mark her."
My wolf snarled low in my ribs, scenting the musk of another female on him.
"Lycan Luna swore Velda was a warrior through and through. Will she kneel as a breeder?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Ulrik's cedar scent, laced with his Alpha aura, swept over me like a tidal wave.
He strode past me toward the throne, the tail of his sword scabbard scraping water-soaked stone and scraping up dark red moss.
"I'm marking her as my mate," his voice carried a sharp edge of anger. "She'll be my second Luna, just like you—equal in the Bloodmoon Pack."
The silver chain snapped in my fist. The moonstone pendant clattered toward a rain puddle.
"Two Lunas? The Moon Goddess would rage, and Bloodmoon would weaken..." I ground the shattered gem beneath my heel. The rain pounding outside the Packhouse suddenly roared in my ears. "Last year, on this day, you swore before her statue that my eyes were brighter than midsummer's—"
"Those were pheromones talking!" he roared, slit pupils narrowing as lightning flashed.
His sword hissed free, the tip lifting my damp collar. "Look at your neck. Even the temporary mark's fading."
He sheathed the blade with a metallic sigh. "Velda and I fought side by side in the north. I admired her. I used my campaign merits to petition the Lycan King for her place here. As my mate. Truth is, I didn't need your approval."
I stared at my flushed face reflected in the blade, memories flooding back of the East Wing collapse during the dry season
Those sweltering nights hauling basalt in the heat—Ulrik's messengers always claimed war made replies impossible.
Turns out, the cornflower seeds in the battle reports were never for me.
I let out a soft laugh, but when I spoke again, my voice was laced with sarcasm. "So you 'admire' her? What about the promises you made before you left for the northern tribes? You said if I fulfilled my duties as Bloodmoon's Luna, you'd use your merits to help save Frostfang Pack."
Ulrik's expression turned awkward.
He looked away, his voice tight. "Let's just forget those words. When we pledged to be mates, I hadn't met Velda yet. You were always suited to be a Luna... and now, I need something real."
I watched him, noting the tenderness in his eyes whenever he spoke of Velda.
Soon, he turned back to me. "She's unlike any she-wolf I've ever met. I love her."
I felt like I'd swallowed a fly—disgusted, but I pushed through the lump in my throat.
"And the elder Alpha and Luna—they agree?"
"Of course. It's the Lycan King's decree. My father, as former Alpha, understands its weight. Besides, they adore Velda."
They actually agreed? How ironic.
After all I'd done for Bloodmoon this past year, this was my reward.
"Is she already here? Why can't I sense her?"
I frowned, my wolf snarling in my mind as its tail lashed against my spine.
"No intruder's scent," it growled back.
Ulrik's gaze flickered, then he snapped, "She'll be my mate soon. I've already given her a temporary mark."
My wolf erupted in a snarl of fury.
Though Ulrik hadn't fully marked me, our vows before the Moon Goddess had forged a mate bond.
Giving another she-wolf a temporary mark was betrayal plain and clear.
Sensing my rage, he sheathed his sword with a metallic screech that startled the starlings nesting outside.
His ironclad armor slammed into me, knocking me back. The bronze candelabra behind me thudded as I collided with it.
"I know you feel wronged," he said, silhouetted against the light, "but it's the Lycan King's command." He paused at the stone door. "You're still the nominal Luna—until the pack grows familiar with Velda."
I forced a smile. "Then have Velda come see me. I have questions for her."
Ulrik refused flatly. "No need. She's not like the simpering she-wolves you know. A warrior through and through, too proud for petty jealousy."
I countered, "What does that make the she-wolves I know? Or what does it make me, in your eyes?"
Chapter 2
Adelaide's POV
"Alpha Ulrik, you seem to forget I'm the daughter of the Frostfang's Alpha. Alpha blood runs through my veins..."
Ulrik cut me off with a snort. "You grew up shielded by your parents and pack. You've never seen war's teeth, never faced a real battle. Velda despises soft wolves like you. I'm sparing you the humiliation of her tongue."
I almost laughed. Soft?
He had no idea what I’d fought through. What I’d become.
Born into Frostfang, I had brothers—enough that I'd never inherit. Yet Dad, Alpha Bentley, still sent me to train.
At fifteen, I found my wolf and shifted for the first time.
My father sent me to Shadow Peaks, where only warriors came out alive.
In Shadow Peaks, I learned hunting, fighting, strategy—from the shifter elders themselves.
The scent of iron and sweat surged in my memory—Training Camp, year fifteen. I still remembered the look in that boy’s eyes when I pinned him down and tore his throat out mid-shift. He was older. Stronger. But I was faster—and hungrier.
The instructors didn’t flinch. They nodded.
That week, I trained until my claws cracked and my lungs bled. I hunted blindfolded in the snow, disarmed full-grown males twice my weight, and stood howling over the broken bodies of wolves who underestimated a girl born last in a bloodline of warriors.
But when I got back, Frostfang was shattered. Alpha Bentley and my brothers—all gone in that same damn battle.
Mom's wolf withered without her mate.
Clutching me, she whispered, "Find a strong Alpha. Birth strong pups under the full moon. You're my last moonbeam."
My heart felt carved out. No tears—just a howl stuck in my throat.
I trained to be the Luna who watches over the Alpha, the one who cares for every wolf in the pack.
Then my mom chose Ulrik for me—all because he swore to make me his Luna and honor our bond.
I was forged for war, not for this—begging for a title before a man who’s already betrayed me. But my mother’s last wish chains me to this farce.
I lifted my chin, letting the cold fire in my chest shape my words.
My voice cut through the air like a blade drawn in frost.
"If she insults me, I'll let it slide. Keeping the bigger picture in mind is Luna's first duty, isn't it? You said yourself I'm perfect for the role."
He raked a hand through his rain-damp hair. "Why court trouble? The Lycan King's orders stand. Even as my Luna, Velda won't interfere with pack management. She disdains everything you value."
"Do I cling so desperately to being Bloodmoon's Luna?" I countered, fingers tightening around the comb in my grip.
Ulrik was a fearless fighter, but managing a pack? It was not his strong suit.
The former Luna's wolf was failing—Digby's potions were the only thing keeping her alive, and they were expensive.
Running the pack cost a fortune—food, medicine, everything.
Bloodmoon's accounts were practically empty.
For the past year, it had been my Frostfang assets keeping them afloat.
And this was the thanks I got?
Ulrik lost his patience. "Forget it. I'm done talking. I just had to inform you—you can agree or not, but it won't change a thing."
I watched him turn and leave without a backward glance. Bitterness flooded me.
I walked back to my cottage through the storm.
The house, a short distance from the Packhouse, felt lonelier now. I used to wonder why Ulrik never invited me into his home.
Now I understood.
Beata, my omega from Frostfang, was waiting inside.
After showering and changing out of my rain-soaked clothes, I sat at the vanity to comb my golden hair.
I filled Beata in on what had happened.
Beata sniffled, her voice trembling with both sorrow and disbelief.
“Luna Adelaide… Alpha Ulrik is such a jerk. How could he do this to you? After everything—after Frostfang opened its gates to him.”
She clenched her fists, eyes burning. “Did he forget how he got you in the first place? Back then, every eligible Alpha in the northern provinces was fighting for your hand—strong, rich, respected Alphas. And yet you chose Ulrik. Or rather—Frostfang gave him a chance.”
“I remember him kneeling before Luna Airella, swearing on his wolf’s name that he’d cherish you, protect you, honor the bond. He said you were the key to peace, to strength, that he'd never want another by his side.”
She turned to me, tearful and angry.
“And now—he dares replace you with Velda?”
“That woman is nothing but a nameless stray he dragged off the battlefield. She has no lineage, no name, no clean past. She clawed her way up through blood and carnage—while you were born the daughter of an Alpha, raised to be Luna for the sake of alliance and legacy!”
She was practically shouting now.
“How dare he? After Frostfang bled for Bloodmoon? After you held this crumbling pack together with your own two hands?”
I said nothing, but the fire behind my ribs burned hotter.
Beata’s voice cracked. “You’re not just anyone. You’re Alpha Bentley’s daughter. The last moonbeam of Frostfang. And he treats you like you’re disposable?”
"Knock it off," I snapped, shooting her a glare. "He never marked me. That temporary bite on my neck? Just a scratch. He's not my real mate. Now fetch the Frostfang asset ledger."
"Why the ledger?" Beata wiped her eyes.
I tapped her ear. "Dense much? If Bloodmoon's Alpha treats me like dirt, why stick around as their lackey?"
Beata rubbed her ringing ear. "But the alliance—Luna Airella arranged it. Alpha Bentley wanted pureblood pups from you."
Her name hit me like a slap. Luna Airella. My mother.
The last time she held me, she smelled of pine smoke and loss.
She used to braid my hair in silence, always too strong to cry—but I could feel the weight in her hands.
Six months ago, Frostfang was hit again.
They didn’t just kill us—they butchered us. Elders with snow-white pelts, pups still drinking blood-milk. My youngest nephew was nailed to the moonlight altar.
By the time I returned, all I found were my mother’s and grandmother’s bodies.
Now, I’m all that’s left.
The tribal elders laugh behind their teeth when I speak of restoring Frostfang. To them, I’m just a symbol—an ornament. An unmated female with no worth beyond her womb.
But Velda? She wasn’t like them.
She tore through a northern warlord, left his blood on her claws, and claimed the Bloodclaw Medal—the first female to do so.
With her standing beside Ulrik, his claim was solidified.
No wonder the Tenar Clan let her join Bloodmoon as Luna.
Let them crown Velda. Let them forget who I am.
I’ve played the dutiful daughter, the patient Luna, the quiet survivor long enough.
Now it's time I played myself.
Chapter 3
Adelaide's POV
Beata brought the Frostfang asset list. "You've covered six million in Bloodmoon's operating costs this year alone. The mines, houses, estates? untouched. All of Luna Airella's bank accounts and property deeds are locked in the vault."
I stared at the list. Airella had prepared all this to ensure my happiness—how heartbreaking my current situation must be to her memory.
My wolf whined, pain lancing through me.
"Where can we even go, Adelaide?" Beata asked. "Back to Frostfang?"
The memory of Frostfang's plaza, slick with blood, flashed before my eyes.
My heart clenched. "Anywhere's better than here."
"But won't Ulrik be thrilled if we leave?" Beata fumed.
"Let him," I said flatly. "Staying here would mean a lifetime of watching them fawn over each other. Beata, Frostfang's down to me. I need to live well—to honor my parents and brothers. The Moon Goddess will watch over us."
"Adelaide!" Beata sobbed.
I knew her pain—everyone she loved had died in Frostfang's massacre.
"Is there no another way at all?"
"There is," I said, my voice tinged with a wolfish rasp.
I traced the fading moon-mark on my neck. Moonlight from the bronze sconce cast wolf-shaped shadows on the starstone walls. "I'll go to the Lycan King."
I pricked my finger on the temporary mark, silver-blue blood blooming on my shirt. "I'll use my family's merits to ask him to revoke the decree."
Beata paled. "Don't! The Lycan King won't agree—he'll be furious. He has powers beyond shifters. Don't risk it."
"Think I'm that foolish?" I smiled faintly. "If the Lycan King allowed Ulrik and Velda to bond, he can allow me to leave Bloodmoon."
I wouldn't leave as a deserter or exile.
As the last of Frostfang's Alpha bloodline—one of the mightiest packs in the shifter kingdom—I'd leave with my head held high.
A knock sounded at the door. "Luna Adelaide, Luna Rosemary requests your presence," came the voice from outside.
I suppressed my wolf and rose gracefully. "Let's go," I said.
Sunset bathed the Bloodmoon Pack's plaza, the rain having ceased. Autumn wind swept toward the nearby Packhouse.
Bloodmoon's territory, a gift from the previous Lycan King, once thrived.
Now it faded.
The Tenar family held no sway with the current king, nor seats in the royal council.
Only Alpha Ulrik and his brother Simon fought for the Lycan King.
The former Alpha's brother remained in the pack, refusing to branch out.
With dwindling members, Bloodmoon weakened further.
Beata and I arrived at Luna Rosemary's residence. She looked robust.
She lounged on an obsidian sofa, her claws tapping the armrest in greeting.
Others were present—Simon and his mate Tamara, Ulrik's sister Sabrina, even the elder Alpha's brother.
"May the moonlight bless you, elder kin, loyal companions," I intoned, bowing to expose the healing mark on my neck.
"Come closer," Luna Rosemary beckoned, her silver fur shimmering. "The northern winds have finally returned your mate. Frostfang's blood-debt shall be settled."
I asked calmly, "Have you met Velda today?"
Luna Rosemary's smile faltered, then resumed. "Met her? She's as rough as sandstone, though her looks can't compare to yours."
I held my gaze. "So, you don't approve of her?"
Luna Rosemary forced a smile. "Likes and dislikes come with time. Since the Lycan King has spoken, it's settled. Velda will ride with Ulrik, and you'll manage the pack as Luna. How perfect."
"Perfect indeed," I said, my smile sharp. "A warrior like her reduced to a breeder—what a waste."
Luna Rosemary laughed lightly. "Lycan King's decree makes her a Luna too, just like you."
"Two Lunas? Is that even tradition?"
Luna Rosemary's tone cooled. "You've managed well, Adelaide, but a Luna's duty is to support the Alpha."
"With Velda here, she can easily take over," I retorted.
"But Velda's always at war," Luna Rosemary said. "You're the one here, managing the pack."
I turned to Tamara. "You're a Beta's daughter, trained for this role. You can do it."
Tamara paled. "No, I—I'm not fit. Everyone's happy with how you run things. Let's keep it that way."
My lips curled. Happy because I fund the pack.
But times changed. Once, I genuinely wanted to be Ulrik's perfect mate.
Now? I wouldn't play the fool.
"Enough," I said, rising. "I'll pass on my duties tomorrow. From then on, Bloodmoon's problems are yours."
أُوكَازيُون
أُوكَازيُون
أُوكَازيُون
أُوكَازيُون
