Page 36

H azel

I follow Kieran to the courtyard where the other wolves are gathering, ready to receive orders. Elder Darell is there, as are others. Kieran stands before them, his authority rippling off of him. The rising sun on his skin gives him a godlike aura and for a second, it’s hard to look away.

“We all know who the attacker is. Eldon has come to wage war on our land, in our home. This is a reminder of why you chose to be warriors, guards, patrol. Why Ian, my Gamma, handpicked you from the rest. You are here to defend this pack, even if it costs you your life.”

He looks at each of them and I see the power he holds over them. The way he resonates with them. It’s not like he takes advantage of that power. They just know that their say is as important to the safety of the pack.

They respect him.

It is a new experience watching him address his men. My wolf is impressed, standing proud, her nose upturned. She fills my head with thoughts of what she would love to do later, how she would want him to lay his protective paws on her defiant ass. I shake my head and focus.

I see Mara Lou, Gina, and Pita come in. They look ready to fight. They’ve been keeping up with their trainings. The times I’ve been able to supervise them, they were quicker, sharper with their footwork.

My chest ached. It’s been weeks since I last trained them. My mind flashes to the things that have been occupying me. Being sick, ambushed, and fucked to shreds by Kieran.

Does that also not show how much Kieran would keep me from my passions by being with him? How lax I’ve gotten in being a warrior.

“We will fight.” Pita leads the Omegas forward, snapping me out of my thoughts. There are more Omegas now, all burning with the passion to defend their pack.

Kieran looks at me with a smirk then back at them.

What was that? Pride? A challenge?

“This is an emergency situation and requires the utmost when it comes to skill and strength. You lot might be better off with guarding the pack away from danger—” One of the troop leaders steps forward with his opinion.

“On the front lines,” Mara Lou also steps forward. “we want to defend the pack. We have trained well under Hazel. And our most important lesson is to be quick and stealthy.”

There’s no fear in her eyes. I won’t let her bravery go unrewarded.

“Let them fight,” I demand. I glare at Kieran, challenging him to say otherwise.

He doesn’t. Instead, asks me, “Hazel, would you lead the Omega Troop as well as the Southwest Troop?”

I turn to look at him so fast I almost get whiplash.

What?

Murmurs spread through the wolves. I turn to look at them.

I’m leading my very own troops. Magnus, my father, would never have let me. He would have kept me at Rhyne’s right hands to assist instead.

But Kieran nods. He trusts me to lead. I know I was born for this.

There is no fear in my heart. But what does this mean for what’s going on between me and Kieran?

Do I even want to fight for Moonfang? Fighting with them means that I have declared with a pack and that I work under Kieran’s authority. That I am by his side.

Usual Kieran would have just thrust it at me. But he’s asking. He wants to know what I think.

Well, fuck yes. I nod.

He declares it to the wolves and a murmur spreads. It is a mixed reaction and I anticipated nothing less.

The Omegas beam with pride. I am a constellation of emotions and thoughts.

“It’s time you lead like a true Luna.” Kieran places a hand on my shoulder and I feel it from my head to my toes. I almost moan his name but I bite my lip instead knowing everyone’s eyes are on me. My hands get clammy.

Can I really do this? My wolf is weak and I haven’t been keeping up with training with Kieran’s warriors. What if I fail?

The thoughts trickle into my mind. I haven’t channeled a partial shift in a while. I will need to test the strength of my wolf before I can fully trust myself.

“Excuse me, I need to…take care of something,” I blurt, backing away.

Kieran turns to me with a curious glance.

My heart skips a beat. I discover over and over again how beautiful his face is, the way the sun catches on his features, the glow that he has, the focus in his eyes, the power in his shoulders.

But a challenge rises in my chest. Let's see how much I still have in me.

I take off at a run and focus on my wolf, feeling her rise to the surface. I feel the net of the seal, lining the barrier that allows her to blend her soul to mine. The cruelest thing.

But I push it, straining against it. My wolf does too, and some of her energy seeps out. I hear her thoughts clear and her excitement makes my heart race.

I let her run to wherever she feels like going, the earth beneath my feet giving way as I move with her essence, fast as lightning.

I reach the southern edge of the territory where my troop is supposed to advance from. I notice something moving in the earth a few feet ahead. My eyesight sharper because of my wolf powers .

I slow down. And duck low. I watch in surprise as Damon emerges from an underground hideout. So does Nina. I immediately wonder where it leads and where it’s coming from. I take out my phone immediately.

The pack might not believe me. They may think that I came to cause a rift in their perfect dynamic. With this, they’ll see what they’ve been protecting all these years.

As I record the conversation, it dawns on me how hateful Damon has been for longer than I thought. He has resented Kieran for so long that he took the first opportunity to sabotage him.

“We need to crush him, make him feel like he’s nothing. We need to take everything away from him, including that so-called Mate of his. And he will know what it truly means to be alone,” Damon snarls, baring his teeth.

“And he gets to see what he passed up on not taking me as his Luna.” Nina rolls her eyes with a smile.

“I’ll tell Eldon that the east and west are heavy. The north is weak but the south will cause the most damage,” Damon tells his sister.

“He’ll likely want to use a surprise ambush tactic.”

What in the world did I just witness?

I have to get back to the pack. They have to hear this. But my ankle snaps on a twig. Damon and Nina turn in my direction. I hold my breath and suppress my wolf a little, making sure the wind doesn't carry her scent to them.

“Did you hear that?” Nina asks, her eyes narrowing in my direction.

“Forget that, let's go to Eldon.” Damon starts walking off but Nina hesitates. She takes a few steps toward me. I try to move, to get farther enough away from them.

“Fuck, Nina! Don't waste my time!” Damon barks. Nina hesitates even after Damon turns, but then turns and follows Damon.

Without another thought, I take off back in the direction of the courtyard. Kieran has to see this.

The war horns are still blaring when I skid to a stop at the estate's main courtyard, my pulse hammering in my ears. Warriors rush past me, some shifting mid-stride, their howls piercing the night. The air is thick with the scent of adrenaline, steel, and the earthy musk of wolves ready for battle.

But my focus is on one thing: finding Kieran… and the betrayal I now hold in my hands.

I clutch the phone tightly, my fingers trembling as I replay the recording in my mind. Nina’s voice—sharp with jealousy, dripping with venom. Damon’s arrogance, his confidence that Eldon would tear Moonfang apart from the inside.

I force my feet to move, weaving through the chaos, my breath coming fast and shallow. I have to find Kieran.

The estate gates loom ahead, flanked by warriors forming defensive lines. And there, at the center of it all, stands Kieran.

He’s giving orders, his voice sharp and authoritative, his presence a solid force among the frenzy. His wolf lurks just beneath the surface, the flicker of glowing eyes betraying his barely contained rage. Elder Darell, Ian and a few others are beside him.

Perfect.

I don’t hesitate.

“Kieran!” I call, pushing past two guards who try to stop me. My voice is raw, urgent. He turns sharply, his eyes locking onto mine.

For a moment, something flickers across his face—relief? Concern? But I don’t let myself think about it.

I shove the phone into his hands. “Play it. Now.”

His brows furrow, but he doesn’t question me. He presses play.

And Nina’s voice spills into the air like poison loud enough to stop passing wolves in their tracks.

“The little bitch thinks she can just waltz in and take my place. Good thing she has that seal. But, oh brother, I'm so tired of tolerating her! Are you sure this will work?”

Damon’s smug reply follows, and with every word, the courtyard falls into stunned silence. The warriors standing nearest stiffen, their ears twitching.

“Don't worry sister, we have other plans to bring them all down. We need to crush him, make him feel like he’s nothing. We need to take everything away from him, including that so-called Mate of his. And he will know what it truly means to be alone. ”

“And he gets to see what he passed up on not taking me as his Luna.” There's a pause.

Kieran’s grip tightens around the phone, his body radiating fury. But he looks at me.

In that moment, something shifts.

Not just in him. In everyone.

They’re waiting. Watching.

The pack is still divided—half of them uncertain about me, about my place here. But this? This moment? It changes everything.

Because Kieran doesn’t hesitate.

He steps forward, his eyes locked onto mine.

And then, in front of everyone, he grips my wrist and pulls me closer, his body heat washing over me, his scent wrapping around me like an unbreakable bond.

Then, his lips find my neck.

A gasp ripples through the crowd. My breath catches.

He doesn’t bite. He doesn’t mark. But the press of his lips, the way his nose brushes against my skin—this is a claim. A declaration.

When he pulls back, his voice is steady, unshakable. “Hazel is mine, and in time, your Luna. She has proven herself, time and again. You will yield to her orders. You will respect her.”

Silence.

Then, murmurs. Shock. Realization.

I see it in their faces—the way some of them straighten, the way others exchange glances.

Their Alpha has spoken.

I don’t move.

Not when the murmurs turn into nods. Not when warriors start shifting, forming their lines, looking to me now as well as Kieran.

I don’t move.

Because for the first time since coming back to Moonfang—I don’t feel like an outsider. Or a tool.

I feel like a leader.

I feel like myself.