Chapter 3: The Luna's True Bloodline

The next morning, Northmere woke beneath a pale silver moon.

Today was supposed to be the day I became Luna.

Instead, I stood in front of a mirror wondering whether I even wanted the title anymore.

The silver-white dress my brother had chosen for the ceremony hung perfectly from my shoulders.

A delicate moonstone necklace rested against my collarbone.

Everything about the outfit was elegant.

Perfect.

Powerful.

Yet my mind kept returning to one thought.

Falcon didn't even have my number saved.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

My brother entered.

His expression was unusually serious.

"We're leaving in ten minutes."

"I know."

He looked at me carefully.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not really."

"Liar."

I smiled.

"Maybe a little."

He walked toward me and adjusted the silver pin in my hair.

"Sloane, there's something you need to remember today."

"What?"

"You don't need Falcon to prove your worth."

I looked at him through the mirror.

"I know."

"Good."

"Because what happens today may change more than your marital status."

I turned around.

"What do you mean?"

He hesitated.

"The elders have agreed to reveal your bloodline."

I frowned.

"What bloodline?"

"Your mother's."

My heart skipped.

"I thought she was simply from an old Alpha family."

"She was more than that."

"Sloane, our family carries a bloodline older than most of the current packs."

"It's why your aura is so strong."

"And it's why I was so determined to keep you away from the neutral lands for too long."

I stared at him.

"You knew?"

"I've always known."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted you to grow without the weight of a title."

"Today, unfortunately, the world will learn who you are."

Before I could ask anything else, a guard hurried into the room.

"Chairman Lunebom."

"The elders are waiting."

My brother nodded.

"We're coming."

The ceremony grounds were already crowded when we arrived.

Hundreds of werewolves from Northmere and neighboring territories had gathered.

Silver banners decorated the courtyard.

A massive moonstone altar stood beneath the open sky.

At the center was a raised platform where the Alpha and future Luna would stand.

Falcon was already there.

He wore a black ceremonial coat embroidered with silver thread.

He looked like the Alpha everyone feared.

Powerful.

Calm.

Untouchable.

His eyes found mine immediately.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he approached.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

His gaze shifted briefly toward my brother.

Then back to me.

"Are you ready?"

"I don't know."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"At least you're honest."

"I usually am."

"I've noticed."

Before the ceremony could begin, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Falcon!"

Julia stepped forward.

She was dressed in a stunning crimson gown.

A diamond necklace covered her collarbone.

She looked as though she had come to the ceremony expecting to be the bride.

Several people whispered immediately.

"Why is Julia here?"

"She's been with Alpha Falcon since childhood."

"Maybe she's part of the ceremony."

Julia approached Falcon.

"I wanted to wish you luck."

"Thank you," Falcon replied.

Her gaze then moved toward me.

"And you must be very excited."

"I'm sure you are."

I smiled politely.

"I'm less excited about crowns than I expected."

A few people laughed quietly.

Julia's smile tightened.

Before she could respond, the ceremony elder raised his staff.

"The mating ceremony will now begin."

Falcon and I stepped onto the platform.

The crowd fell silent.

The elder looked toward Falcon.

"Do you accept Sloane Lunebom as your chosen mate and future Luna of Silvermoon?"

Falcon looked at me.

His eyes were steady.

"I do."

Then the elder turned toward me.

"Do you accept Falcon Sterling as your mate and Alpha?"

I opened my mouth.

But before I could answer...

A powerful pressure suddenly swept through the courtyard.

Every wolf froze.

My breathing changed.

The air around me became unnaturally still.

Then my aura erupted.

Silver light spread beneath my feet.

The moonstone altar began glowing.

The crowd gasped.

Falcon stepped backward in shock.

The elder's staff trembled in his hand.

"The ancient bloodline..."

"It can't be..."

My brother remained completely calm.

He had known this would happen.

"What is happening?" Falcon asked.

The elder looked at me with disbelief.

"Sloane Lunebom carries the First Moon Alpha bloodline."

Whispers exploded through the crowd.

"Impossible."

"That bloodline disappeared centuries ago."

"She's the descendant of the First Luna."

"Her aura is stronger than any Alpha here."

Julia's face went completely pale.

"No."

She stepped backward.

"That's not possible."

I stared at my hands.

Silver energy moved across my skin.

I had felt this power before.

During childhood.

When I had been angry.

When I had been frightened.

I had always thought it was simply strong Alpha blood.

It wasn't.

It was something much older.

Something the entire werewolf world had forgotten.

The elder turned toward my brother.

"Chairman... why was this hidden?"

My brother's voice remained cold.

"Because power attracts people who want to control it."

His gaze moved toward Julia.

She immediately lowered her head.

Falcon looked at me.

The expression in his eyes had completely changed.

He wasn't looking at me as an arranged mate anymore.

He was looking at me as something beyond his expectations.

"You knew," he whispered.

"No."

"I didn't know the details."

"But your brother did."

I nodded.

"Yes."

Falcon took another step toward me.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't need you to treat me differently."

"And now?"

"Now everyone already knows."

His eyes remained locked with mine.

"I won't treat you differently."

"We'll see."

The elder raised his staff again.

"The ceremony cannot continue until the First Moon bloodline is formally recognized."

"The laws require a council review."

The crowd erupted into whispers.

Julia immediately stepped forward.

"This is ridiculous."

"Her bloodline doesn't make her fit to be Luna."

The elder looked at her coldly.

"Her bloodline alone places her above every rank in this territory."

Julia's face turned red.

"But Falcon—"

"Enough," Falcon said.

The entire courtyard became silent.

Julia stared at him.

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"She isn't even from your pack."

"She's my mate."

"That's enough."

Julia's eyes filled with tears.

"You choose her after everything we've been through?"

Falcon looked at her.

"What we've been through doesn't give you ownership over me."

That sentence shattered the confidence she'd carried all morning.

I watched her carefully.

For the first time, Julia understood that Falcon's childhood friendship with her didn't guarantee anything.

Then Falcon turned back toward me.

"Sloane."

"Yes?"

"I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"If the ceremony is postponed... will you still accept me as your mate?"

The entire courtyard seemed to hold its breath.

I looked at him.

The man who had forgotten my number.

The man who had failed to recognize me.

The man whose childhood sweetheart had stolen my crown.

But also the man who had finally stood up for me when the entire crowd was watching.

I didn't have an answer yet.

"I don't know."

Falcon nodded.

"That's fair."

My brother placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come with me."

We stepped away from the ceremony platform.

Behind us, the crowd continued whispering.

The arranged mating was no longer a simple alliance.

It had become a political event capable of changing the entire werewolf hierarchy.

And Julia Stone...

Had just realized that the woman she had humiliated in a jewelry shop was not a nobody.

She was the one wolf in Northmere who might one day stand above them all.