The Luna's Oath

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Chapter 2

The chill of the border forest had now given way to a more piercing cold, creeping from the massive stone floor and thick walls in the heart of the Nightclaw Pack's territory. Lena led the way, each step echoing the weight of responsibility. Behind her, Alena walked with calm, unfaltering steps. The eyes of passing warriors held a mixture of reluctant respect and profound fear. They had witnessed her power, the destruction she left in her wake, and the question that continued to haunt them: was she a savior or an unrevealed ruin?

The main hall, where Alpha Orion usually presided over councils and audiences, was a magnificent yet somber chamber. Torches mounted on the walls cast only a faint light, leaving most corners in oppressive darkness. A massive throne carved from ancient oak and adorned with regal wolf carvings dominated the room. Upon it, Alpha Orion sat, his posture taut, every muscle fiber radiating a cold authority. His unruly black hair framed a stern face marked by faint scars, adding a fierce edge to his sharp features. His eyes, as blue as a storm-laden sky, stared directly at Alena with an intensity that could make anyone quail. To his right stood Beta Liam, his build solid and his expression filled with hidden concern.

Alena entered the hall, her cold aura seemingly vying with the chill of the stone. She did not bow, showing none of the fear or deference expected of an outcast brought before an Alpha. Her eyes locked onto Orion, a reflection of the frozen fire burning within her.

“Alena,” Orion’s voice rumbled, low and full of warning, like a suppressed growl. “You dare return to the territory that rejected you.”

Alena smiled thinly, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “Dare? Or was it destiny?” she replied, her voice hoarse yet steady, breaking the chilling silence.

Orion clenched his hand on the armrest of his throne, his knuckles turning white. The faint scent of ozone still clinging to Alena, remnants of the power she had just wielded, pierced his senses, disturbing his composure. Something was wrong, something that should not be happening to his former mate. The fated bond, which he had tried to forget for years, now pulsed sharply in his veins, a painful reminder of his rejection.

“Destiny? My destiny is to eliminate weakness. And you are the weakness that once nearly destroyed this pack,” Orion accused, his tone laced with deep resentment. “This new power you display is merely another curse you carry.”

Lena stepped forward, her hands respectfully placed over her chest. “Alpha, she saved our warriors at the border. The creatures that attacked… we’ve never seen anything like them. She annihilated them,” she explained, trying to intercede.

Orion shifted his gaze sharply to Lena. “I know what she did. I felt her power tear through our territory’s borders. A wild, uncontrolled, and dangerous power.” He turned back to Alena. “Where did you acquire such power, Alena? What have you been doing in the wilderness all these years?”

Alena lifted her chin. “That’s none of your business, Alpha. I owe no explanation to you or to anyone here.”

“Every wolf in my territory is my concern!” Orion roared, rising from his throne. His dominating aura swept through the room, a wave of pressure that made the surrounding warriors cower. Alena, however, remained standing tall, unaffected.

“Including the wolf you cast out years ago?” Alena asked, her voice low, yet carrying the weight of years of suffering. There was a profound pain beneath it, yet concealed beneath a layer of ice. “Or do you only care for those you can control?”

Orion’s face flushed with anger. Memories of the night of rejection flashed through his mind: Alena’s shattered gaze, the desperate whimper that escaped her lips as he uttered the cruel words that were supposed to free them both. He had thought he had erased her from his life, from his pack. Yet, here she was again, stronger, more formidable, and resurrecting all his old fears.

“The power you possess is an anomaly. It is not from the moon, not from our ancestors. It’s dark magic, isn’t it?” Orion suspected, his gaze sharpening.

Alena chuckled softly, the sound dry and devoid of mirth. “Dark magic? Great Alpha, you should know better. The moon’s power is vast, far vaster than your understanding. Perhaps you are too afraid to see the truth.”

Liam stepped forward. “Alpha, perhaps we should hear her explanation. Alena’s power saved lives. We cannot ignore that,” he said, his voice cautious. He knew Orion disliked being challenged, but he also saw the truth in Lena’s words.

Orion glanced at Liam, his gaze softening for a moment, deep respect clearly visible. “Liam, you know we cannot trust every power we don't understand.” He sighed, trying to calm himself. The faint scent of blood from the wounded warriors still lingered, a reminder of the very real threat. “Those creatures… they are no ordinary threat. You say Alena knows their origins?”

Alena nodded slowly. “I do. I have faced many creatures like them in the wilderness. They are essence-eaters, born from the most ancient darkness. They will not stop until all light is extinguished.”

“And you know how to fight them,” Orion said, his voice devoid of emotion, yet with a hint of interest he couldn't quite conceal. It was an implicit admission.

“I do,” Alena retorted. “But I will not share my knowledge with someone who rejected me and suspects my every move.”

“Then what do you want, Alena?” Orion asked, his voice now calmer, yet every word was imbued with hidden danger. “Why have you returned?”

Alena stepped forward, approaching the throne. Each step felt like a challenge. The air between them crackled, filled with an almost nauseating tension, a resonance of the bond they both tried to sever.

“I came for what is mine,” she repeated her words from Chapter 1, her gaze unwavering. “I am the fated Luna of this pack. You may have rejected me, but you cannot undo a bond forged by the Moon. That bond still exists, burning between us, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.”

Orion snarled, a rough surge of anger. “That bond is a curse! I reject you, Alena. With every fiber of my being, I reject you! You will never be the Luna of the Nightclaw Pack!”

“Then why does that bond still pulse so strongly in your veins, Alpha?” Alena challenged back, her voice sharp as shards of ice. “Why do you feel my every step, every brush of power I unleash? You cannot fool yourself, Orion, and you certainly cannot fool me.”

A frown creased Orion’s brow. He did feel it. A strange, prickling sensation whenever Alena spoke of power, an unseen pull that tugged at him whenever he tried to deny her gaze. It bothered him more than he cared to admit. He hated the feeling, hated every reminder of what was supposed to be, and what he had destroyed.

“You are a threat. You and your power,” Orion declared, pointing a finger at Alena. “I will not allow you to endanger my pack.”

“If I am a threat, why did I save your warriors?” Alena raised an eyebrow. “If I wanted to harm this pack, I could have let those shadow creatures feast, then simply stepped in and claimed what was left.” A pause. “But I didn’t.”

Alena stared at Orion with a hauntingly cold gaze. “Because I know what is coming. I sense a greater shadow looming over all of us. A threat that will not only destroy my kind, but yours as well. And if you will not listen, if you are too blinded by your hatred, then you will watch this pack fall into darkness.”

Orion felt the words strike him, a direct hit that threatened to dismantle his emotional defenses. The shadow of his father, Alpha Kael, flashed in his mind—the fear of weakness that had consumed his father, a trauma that had become the foundation of his leadership. Was he truly blind?

“What are you talking about, Alena?” Liam asked, his voice urgent.

Alena shifted her gaze to Liam, then back to Orion. “There are darker powers out there, Alpha. Powers that Draven craves, and he will stop at nothing to obtain them. If you are not prepared, this pack will fall.”

Orion stared at her for a long moment, his eyes burning. That fear… that whisper of doubt… he hated it. He hated the weakness Alena seemed to represent, and he hated how Alena’s words could stir up such turmoil within him.

“I don’t care what threats you conjure up, Alena,” Orion said, his voice heavy, trying to regain control. “You will not roam free in this pack. You will stay, but under my supervision. I will tame your power, or I will destroy it.”

Alena snorted, a small, mysterious smile playing on her lips. “Tame me? Destroy me? You can try, Alpha. But you will find there are some things your power cannot control.”

She looked at Orion one last time, her eyes glinting defiantly. “And if you think it will be easy, you are mistaken. I am no longer the same girl you cast out. I have changed. And your pack… your pack will need this power more than you can imagine.”

With those words, Alena turned on her heel, spinning around before Orion could order her apprehension. Lena, startled, rushed after her, followed by several warriors. Orion stood by his throne, his gaze fixed on Alena’s retreating back, where shadows seemed to dance around her, as if darkness itself were her cloak. The power he felt from Alena, the painful pull of their bond, and the unspoken threat he had just heard… it all swirled in his mind. He didn’t know how, but he knew he had to find a way to understand, control, or destroy Alena and her mysterious power. The future of the Nightclaw Pack, and perhaps their entire world, depended on it. That night, in the silent hall, Orion felt that the world he believed he had built on rejection was now beginning to crumble around him.

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