Chapter 5 Kieran's Pov

"Isn't it going to happen tonight?"

I could tell who had spoken without turning. Behind me, I sensed his presence, the familiar weight of his eyes on my back. When I least expected him to be there, it was my Beta, Zane.

I stood on the balcony of my chamber, looking out over the vast grounds of the packhouse.

The moon was full of brilliance, but it seemed a thousand miles away. I don't know how to respond and groan as an answer. The cold metal sank into my palm as I clenched my fist around the railing.

The ceremony of Luna. I was unable to avoid it as it hung over my head like a threatening cloud. With a steady yet low voice, Zane took a step forward.

"Kieran, you can't stay away from this forever. You underestimate the strength of the link. The Goddess of the Moon-"

Before he could continue, I turned around.

His hesitancy was evident in his posture as my gaze met his. He was aware that I couldn't escape this situation, but he also knew better than to challenge me. Not right now.

"She is not necessary for me." I didn't mean for my voice to sound harsh and biting.

The rage I had been holding within all day rose like a tide as I moved closer to him. "Zane, she's a hybrid. A mistake. She is not welcome here."

Zane winced but refused to back down. "Alpha, you don't get to make that decision."

There was a hint of edge in his quiet voice. "The Moon Goddess has already decided on her course of action. You can choose to struggle against it or embrace it, and believe me, the pack can see."

His remarks caused my blood to boil. How could he handle this so composedly?

I could feel it too, the pull, the bond, like a whisper in the back of my mind telling me to acknowledge her. However, I wasn't prepared. I couldn't be.

"I asked for none of this." With the burden of my obligations bearing down on me, I gazed at the moon.

"I am the Alpha and this pack is led by me, and I refuse to let anyone undo the progress I've made, least of all her."

Zane remained silent for a while. His tone softened as he said again. "Kieran, she's not the enemy."

I rubbed my palm across my face as I gently breathed. "So why does she seem to be?"

Zane remained silent. He didn't have to. I anticipated what he would say. Everyone else stated the same thing. "You're afraid."

I clenched my teeth and gave him a stern look. "I'm not afraid."

Zane's eyebrow went up. "So why are you putting up such a strong fight?"

I didn't respond to him. Rather, my eyes remained focused on the far horizon as I turned back to the balcony. I didn't want to consider the ceremony that was coming up.

The relationship between us was already there, burning like an untamed fire, but I didn't want to think about it. However, I was unable to avoid it.

The connection was genuine. And it was more powerful than I could have ever guessed. I was thinking about her all the time.

Sira.

The not-belonging girl. The half-witch, hybrid girl who was nothing but an Omega. The girl who had to dwell in the shadows after being cast aside by the pack. The girl that was mine now.

My stomach turned at the thought. "What are you expecting me to do?"

I turned back to Zane and inquired at last. The uncertainty that had been bothering me for weeks made me speak more quietly now. With a sigh, Zane's shoulders dropped a little.

"Stop escaping from it, please. She was chosen by the Moon Goddess. That is unchangeable."

I gave a headshake. "I refuse to allow the pack to disintegrate due to a prophecy."

"Kieran, the prophecy is true. I've read about it in old books. This isn't your typical fairy tale."

Now, Zane's tone was resolute and hard. "And the bond isn't either."

Just as I was about to argue, there was a loud bang on the door. On the other end, a voice called.

"Alpha Kieran, you have to see something."

My heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

I knew already, yet I called back. As the door opened and my Gamma entered with a somber expression, the tension in the room increased.

"It's her, Alpha," he said, "Vale Sira, she has a mark on her."

My chest tightened with every breath. "No," I said in a hollow voice. "That isn't possible."

But there was fear in the Gamma's eyes. It's accurate. "She has the mark-the mark of the Moon Goddess."

The earth swayed under my feet. The mark. In the earlier manuscripts, I had already seen it. It represented Luna's attachment to the Alpha. A mark that was irrevocable. A mark that would permanently unite them.

With my heart pounding, I turned to face Zane. "This isn't possible."

Zane's eyes were impenetrable as he gazed at me. "Kieran, it's happening. The link has already been established. You must now confront it."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists at my sides. "I refuse to accept it."

Zane's words were harsh, yet his eyes softened. "You have no other option."

I felt the weight of everything bearing down on me as I stood there for a while. The pack, my obligation, and the link I didn't desire. And I sensed it-her-in the recesses of my consciousness. Sira My Luna would be this girl.

But, I wasn't prepared.

I couldn't be.

However, the draw grew stronger the more I resisted it. The mark. It was a present.

I was unable to avoid it. "Where is she?" At last, I asked in a tense voice.

The Gamma appeared unsure. "She's in her room. We have kept her segregated."

Despite not really hearing him, I nodded. My thoughts were a mist and my mind was racing. I needed to see her. I needed to know if they were telling the truth.

Despite the turmoil inside of me, I said, "Lead the way," in a firm voice.

The hallways felt cooler than normal when we passed by the packhouse. All of their attention was now on me, including the pack's whispers and the eyes that followed me. On the Luna. On Sira.

I was not sure about how to feel. But, I knew that my life would never be the same.

When we got to her quarters, I stopped in front of the door. Despite the silence, I could sense her presence across the room. Her intensity was palpable, causing my chest to constrict.

After knocking once and twice, I forced the door open.

Sira stood in the middle of the room, her eyes wide with wonder. However, I saw horror in her eyes rather than just wonder. Be afraid of me. Worry about what I could do.

I could hear her heart thumping in her chest.

She felt afraid. And I experienced an inward change for the first time. Even if my voice betrayed me, I muttered, "You... you don't belong here."

The words were awkward for me to say. She remained silent, though. Rather, she took a step back and looked out the window. Her hands shook.

She stated, "This does not correspond to how I desire, I'm not particularly interested in you."

I went cold and her remarks were accurate and pierced me. I briefly pondered whether she was aware of how much of a lie that was.

But the ground shook beneath us before I could say anything or give an explanation. There was a rumbling, deep sound. "What the devil?"

With a hiss, Zane moved forward and looked around the room. There was a weird, dark, and cold pull in my chest. There was something approaching.

And when I gazed into Sira's eyes, I understood that the relationship wasn't the only thing that was dangerous.

It was something far more serious. I extended my hand to touch her, but the world burst into a blaze of light before I could do so.