The Lost Luna

Chapter One

"Tie her up. I want her quivering when she begs for mercy."

The words traveled like poison on a winter wind, dropping the temperature so low Ravenna could almost see her breath. Two Alpha guards stepped forward, rough hands gripping lengths of braided rope.

Ravenna's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she backed toward the circle of stones. The full moon rode high above the treetops, its silver light illuminating the snarling faces around her-wolves all, part of the Ashenwood Pack.

"Mercy?" snarled Cassidy, the Alpha's sister, her voice a knife. "Why should she have any? She's a weakling who can't even shift."

Ravenna felt her knees quake. Weakling. That word had always cut deeper than any physical wound. She glanced at the guards. Their knives hung ready at their waists, and cold amusement shone in their eyes.

"Please," she choked out. Her voice cracked like broken glass. "I didn't break the treaty. I swore my oath-"

"Oath?" Cassidy laughed, stepping closer until her breath smelled of disgust and malice. "Your oath means nothing to me. You dared cross our borders. You spied on my brother's pack."

All eyes turned to the stone dais at the center, where Alpha Darian stood, his broad shoulders bursting the seams of his leather tunic. His gaze was cold, unyielding. A tide of silver fur rippled across his forearms as his wolf waited beneath his skin.

"You have one chance to explain yourself," he said, voice low and resonant. "Tell us why you came. Make it worth my time."

Ravenna swallowed, forcing her hands unclenched. She stepped onto the dais, chain of command crushing her at every step. She lifted her chin, summoning courage she barely felt.

"My name is Ravenna," she began. "I'm from the Silverfang Pack. I came to warn you." She inhaled sharply, bracing herself. "A rogue wolf named Varek is gathering exiles. He plans to attack both our packs when the moon wanes."

A ripple of laughter crashed through the crowd.

"A rogue threat?" Cassidy's mocking tone sliced through Ravenna's heart. "And we're supposed to believe the words of a girl who can't even transform?"

One of the Alpha's guards snorted. "Silverfang scum. No wonder your pack kicked you out." He spat. "We should send you back-bound and gagged."

Darien raised a hand. Silence fell, brittle as frozen leaves.

"You stake your life on this warning?" he asked, tone bored.

Ravenna nodded; voice steady now. "Yes, Alpha. I've seen his army. Hundreds of rogues united under his banner. If we don't stop him, Ashenwood and Silverfang will fall."

A murmur rippled-shock, disbelief, fear. Even the moonlight seemed to flicker, uncertain.

Cassidy's lips curled. "And what do you want in return? Mercy? A pardon? A seat in the council?"

Ravenna's heart pounded. This was the test. If she failed here, she'd be discarded like a broken doll.

"Nothing but safety for my pack-and for yours," she said firmly. "I ask only that you believe me, not hand me over to the rogues."

Darian stepped down from the dais, looming over Ravenna with brooding authority. He studied her in silence, silver eyes narrowed. Then he turned to his guards.

"Remove her bindings," he ordered. "Keep her close."

Confusion flashed across Cassidy's face, but she obeyed without another word. The guard untied the ropes, and Ravenna rubbed her wrists, wincing at the leftover abrasions.

"You'll stand trial at dawn," Darien continued. "If you lie to me, I'll feed you to the wolves you came to warn me about."

Ravenna nodded, chest heaving.

"Until then, Ravenna of Silverfang, you're under my protection. Do not stray from camp."

That night, Ravenna sat by the fire, the pack house looming behind her like a fortress of stone and threat. Wolves threw her wary glances, their eyes glittering with suspicion and contempt. Every muscle in her body trembled, but she refused to show fear.

A low growl rumbled at the edge of the woods. Heads snapped toward the trees. The fire's flames danced, shadows leaping across ghostly trees.

"Rogues?" someone hissed.

Eyes went wide, Ravenna pressed her fingers to her lips, biting back a warning. The wind carried a scent-a sobering blend of wild fur and untamed danger. Varek's army had to be close.

Suddenly, the forest erupted in motion. Figures burst from the tree line-rogues, clad in leathers of mismatched furs, faces painted with streaks of ash. They attacked without warning.

Chaos ignited. Wolves drew weapons; snarls filled the air as pack members rallied.

Cassidy charged toward the fray. Darien roared, shifting in a burst of bone and fur, towering over friend and foe alike. Ravenna stood frozen-heart racing-until a hand gripped her arm.

"Get down!" hissed a voice she'd recognize anywhere.

It was Darien's lieutenant, Vale Blackthorn-brooding, silent, the Beta who whispered only when necessary. He yanked her behind a fallen log as claws and steel clashed around them.

Ravenna's hands shook, but Vale's grip was steady.

"You warned us," he snarled, eyes blazing. "Why are we still under attack?"

Ravenna swallowed. "He's testing us. Varek wants us weak, divided."

Vale's gaze slammed into hers. "Then we fight as one."

He shoved a sword into her hand. "If you can't shift, then fight anyway."

Her breath caught. Her fingers closed around the hilt-it was heavy, unfamiliar. Her legs trembled.

A roar split the night as Darien's massive wolf form charged the rogues. Cassidy's pack mates unleashed magic-their eyes glowing as the moonlight charged them.

Vale shoved Ravenna forward. "Now!"

She raised the sword, legs shaking, and charged into the fray beside him.

Rogue claws slashed out. Steel rang. Pain seared through Ravenna's side as she was knocked off her feet. She's hit... her vision blurred...

Vale's voice cut through the haze. "Ravenna! Move!"

She blinked, struggling to her knees. The world tilted on its axis. Another rogue lunged-teeth bared.

Instinct surged. For a heartbeat, she was weightless.

And then-a shock of heat-and she was flying.

She crashed into a tree, branches scratching her face. Dazed, she looked down to see fur. Brown fur. Her hands were-were they paws?

She lifted her head. The forest spun, but she could see. Everything was sharper-sound, scent, movement-alive.

She... shifted?

Vale's voice was distant. "Ravenna-"

But she couldn't hear. She was howling, her own roar ripping from her chest.

In that moment, beneath the blazing moon, Ravenna, the failed Luna, finally embraced the wolf inside her.

And everything changed.

A guttural howl answered hers from the shadows-deep, possessive, and undeniably familiar. The ground trembled as a massive wolf emerged into the clearing, his eyes glowing silver in the moonlight, and then he stopped dead when he saw her transformed form.

Ravenna's blood froze. She'd recognized that presence before.

It was her Alpha.

But the wolf's lips curled back in a snarl not of rage, but of dread-and his roar shook the very trees around them.

What's he doing here?