Today was supposed to be a regular day hunting for food. But as the saying goes, “Let life surprise you.”

We were still holding our makeshift weapons when I and Maggie went to see what was hiding in the back of the old sycamore tree. To be honest, I kind of hoped it was some animal that could fill our stomachs in the following days. But alas! It was far from the awesome game we were expecting to be our trophy for today’s hunt. Instead, we were welcomed by an unknown man.

When the mysterious man felt our presence, he immediately stood on his fighting form. One of his feet was stepped backward while his fists were at cheek level. He was panting real hard, a clear indication of fatigue and exhaustion. But when he finally realized who we were, a sigh of relief escaped from his throat.

“Phew! It was just a bunch of girls,” he uttered to himself. He also let his guard down before leaning back to the tree trunk.

“What did you say, punk?” Maggie had queried. Her eyes were a bit narrowed, a sign that she was upset. “What do you mean by “just a bunch of girls?”

I tried to calm her down by grabbing one of her arms. Clearly, she took offense to the word “just a bunch of girls”. Maggie hated toxic masculinity. And this unknown man clearly gets on her nerves.

But instead of answering, the man coughed. It wasn’t a big deal except that he coughed blood! That was the only time we noticed his bloody side.

“You’re injured!”

The man twitched and I saw his wounds. It was a pretty ugly claw mark, which I think came from a wolf attack. “Who did this to you?” I asked again.

“A group of rogues,” he answered while still catching his breath, “I am doing some patrolling to the western border of this territory when I was attacked by a group of rogues. I was lucky I was able to beat them but not without getting wounded.

“Western border?” Now, it was Maggie’s turn to ask questions. She also scooted down and help me apply pressure to the man’s side. “Did you come from Grey Moon Pack?”

“Well, yes and no,” he answered while chuckling. Maggie’s eyebrows raised in yet another confusion. But before she could have reacted further, the man spoke once again. “I am not from the Grey Moon Pack originally. I came from a pack called Silver Arrow. It just so happen that our alpha was able to defeat the Grey Moon alpha so we decided to move to their lands.”

“Wait, what?” I interjected. “The Grey Moon alpha was defeated? Does that mean he’s…”

“Dead,” he responded back. “Our alpha beheaded him in a battle a month or so ago.”

I swallowed hard. The news that this man brought was clearly a surprise in my life. Never that I imagined that our fierce and ruthless alpha would come to his end this early. I mean, he was still in his prime and definitely not a weak leader. But to hear that he was beheaded in a battle of life and death really says a lot about this new alpha that was taking over our old pack.

He must be really strong to be able to do that.

“Here, much this herb. This would help your body speed up your healing ability. It would also help with the bleeding.” When I turned to my side, Maggie was putting some Krimson leaf into the man’s mouth. Good thing that Maggie always brings this very useful medicine whenever we go hunting. To her word, we might find it useful especially for some unexpected injuries. Well, she clearly proved her point now.

The man followed what he was asked. I also help him dress his wound using his torn clothes. A few more minutes and the man’s breathing seemed to become stable. By the looks of it, the Krimson plant might already have taken its effect.

“Thank you for helping me,” the man uttered a while later. “It’s Oliver by the way.”

“My name is Aria and this is my cousin Maggie,” I responded. The man nodded while exchanging his glances between me and Maggie. “Anything wrong?”

“Well, I just find it weird.”

“Weird?” Maggie asked.

“Yes, weird. You looked like a rogue but both of you seemed to be educated. Tell me the truth, are you both banished from the Grey Moon Pack? This location was very near to the pack’s border so I am pretty sure you came from that pack.”

“It’s none of your business,” Maggie dismissed him. She began fixing her things and was ready to go when Oliver spoke again.

“If you were a part of the Grey Moon Pack, then it is better for you to return to your pack. The new alpha had decreed that all of the banished or runaway wolves from Grey Moon should go back and pay respect to his leadership. Everyone was encouraged to attend his inauguration.”

“And what if we don’t?” Maggie asked in a challenging tone. She really hates controlling men!

“Then the new alpha would consider that as treason. He would hunt you down until you were both dead.”

************************

It has been an hour since we left Oliver under that sycamore tree. We decided to go back to our camp after ensuring that he was okay to be left alone. Besides, his wounds are way better than we first so them. The Krimson plant really helped him recover.

Maggie was surprisingly quiet and wearing a straight face. I didn’t know whether that was because we will go back empty-handed from our camping trip or because of the warning that Oliver had told us.

Talking with Oliver gave us some invaluable information about Grey Moon. Living in the woods meant that we were completely isolating ourselves from the outside world. So those news and important events we learned for him were highly valuable to us.

We had learned from him that instead of fighting the new leadership, the people of Grey Moon accepted the new alpha with open arms. Well, I couldn’t blame them. Alpha Casimir was ruthless, unjust, and a power-tripper. I personally witnessed how he abused his power. Isn’t that my reason for leaving Grey Moon in the first place?

But now that he was gone and the new alpha was demanding our presence, then I think it was time to go back. While I was thankful for the knowledge and useful life experiences that I obtained here in the wild, I couldn’t deny how difficult our life here was. There were times that we didn’t have some food to eat or perhaps our camp was destroyed by a storm. There were some moments when I missed the comforts and protection that our pack was able to provide. I also missed Uncle Stan.

“Maggie?” I called my cousin’s attention. “I think it was time to—”

“I will not set foot on that pack again. Ever,” she said. She sat down on a boulder while fixing our firewoods.

“But you heard what the tracker said. We need to go back or else, we are going to die here.”

“Then so be it. I am ready to die anyway.”

“But Maggie—”

“I said no!” she yelled. She threw away the firewoods she was holding while looking at me without flinching. “Please don’t push it, Aria. I said I will not go back to our pack and that is final.”

“Then give me an acceptable reason why you didn’t want to,” I challenged. “Unless you tell me the reason, we will be having this conversation until you agreed.”

Maggie stood up while putting his hands on his head. He was pacing back and forth, contemplating whether she would tell me her reasons or not. Maggie knew me very well. She knew that I would keep on opening this conversation with her until I urged her to side with me.

Again, Maggie sat down. This time, tears are flooding her face. “I just…I just didn’t have the face to see dad. I’d rather be dead instead of seeing his disappointed face.”

“What do you mean?” I inched closer and sat next to her. “I don’t understand. Why would Uncle Stan be disappointed if you will come home?”

She took a deep breath before opening her mouth again. “Two years ago, I met a vampire one night while strolling into the woods. And that vampire was my mate.”

My jaw dropped to the ground upon hearing her story. However, my mouth remained shut. Maggie was mated to a vampire? What the hell!

“Knowing that our pack would not accept our union, we decided to run away. He convinced me to come with him to their vampire coven, stating that our love would have a bigger chance to be accepted there.”

“So…that’s the reason why you run away without telling us, right?”

“Yes,” she responded. “I ran away to be with him. But when we arrived at the coven, his parents, who are the head of the coven, opposed our union. They urged him to marry another vampire who happened to be a daughter of a high-ranking noble in their place. At first, he refused. But when his parents threatened to disown and disinherit him, he…he…he abandoned me.”

Maggie’s voice cracked upon uttering the last word. I put her head on my chest and wrapped my arms around her. So this was the reason why she decided to live as a rogue.

“I couldn’t face you and my father after what had happened. How will I tell both of you that I left to be with my mate who abandoned me in the end? I was so stupid to believe his words. I didn’t deserve you or my father. I am worthless! I am dumb and useless!”

“Stop it, Maggie! Don’t you ever say that!” This time, I moved her body away from mine and faced her. “He didn’t deserve you. You are wonderful, kind, and beautiful. And besides, I know that Uncle Stan would be happy to see you back in his arms.”

“Really, Aria? What if he wouldn’t accept me? I hurt him big time!”

“Everybody makes mistakes. Uncle Stan loves you and that would never change.”

“I…I don’t know, Aria. What if you are wrong? What if he drives me away?” Her face was full of doubts and uncertainties. I heaved a sigh.

“There’s only one way to find out whether I am right or wrong,” I stated. “Let us go back to Grey Moon and see for ourselves.”

“Who are you?”

Maggie and I glanced at each other as the one-eyed man stared daggers at us. We were currently at Grey Moon’s western border and planning to cross it when this tracker confronted us.

A part of me wanted to run away or fight this one-eyed tracker but I knew for a fact that this would not give us any good. We knew that revealing ourselves in the open like this was like inviting others to prey on us and yet, we still decided to continue. Our goal was to enter the Grey Moon territory and by that, we meant that we have to face the pack’s trackers and warriors.

“I said, who are you and what are you doing here out in the wild?!”

The tracker’s voice raised a little compared to his last query. His face was now flushing while giving us an intimidating stare. He also moved his head from side to side while his fingers slightly moving. Uh oh! The one-eyed tracker seemed to be ready to arrest or fight with us.

Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead. My heart was also banging inside my chest. We have to do something to pacify him or else we will be dead before we could see Uncle Stan. Not that we couldn’t fight this werewolf in front of us, we just didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention from others. Fighting one wolf is one thing and yet, fighting a group of skilled warriors was another level.

“We…We…”

“What’s going on here?”

The sound from another man took our attention. It was Oliver, inching himself towards us. The one-eyed tracker turned around and bowed his head. The gesture made me wonder. Could it be that Oliver was one of the high-ranking wolves in this new pack leadership?

“Sir, I found these two rogues walking around the area. I believe that they were spies who were—”

“They were not.”

“Sir?” His forehead creased after hearing his leader.

“You heard me, boy. They were not rogues and definitely not spies. In fact, these two she-wolves are my friends.” And then, he turned his gaze to us while wearing a friendly smile. “Hello, Aria and Maggie. It’s been a while since we last see each other.”

“H-Hi, Oliver,” I greeted back. Maggie didn’t say anything but waved his hand while smiling back. The one-eyed tracker was even more confused seeing our exchanges of greeting.

“I’ll take these two lovely ladies with me as I go back to the pack. Also, I will tell your team leader what you did and make sure that you will receive some reward. Keep on doing a great job! We need trackers as vigilant as you to keep our borders safe.”

The face of the tracker lit up after hearing it. “Thank you, Sir! I appreciate your kindness!” He even bowed his head, lower than the first one he did earlier, before gesturing his hand to go with Oliver. I took Maggie’s hand before stepping back to the land I avoided for a year.

We walked with Oliver as we continue to inch closer to the place I once called home. Eyes darted on us whenever we encounter a tracker post. But seeing we were walking nonchalantly with one of their own, they didn’t dare to confront us. This gave me peace of mind.

The trees became sparse indicating that we have reached the pack village. Oliver stopped his movements and spoke. “This is the farthest I could take you.”

I heaved a sigh before looking at him. Maggie did the same and said, “Thank you, Oliver.”

He caressed the back of his head. “I am just returning the favor you did for me back in the woods. If not for the both of you, I wouldn’t be here. So I guess we are even, hmm?”

Maggie and I chuckled. Oliver waved his goodbye before going back to his post. A few moments later, we are back on our own. We continued on our journey.

It wasn’t long before we saw the entrance of Uncle Stan’s house. Whatever led us to this situation was way out of the plan. We were supposed to live as rogues for the rest of our lives yet here we are. Fear took over my being as the reality of the whole situation struck me. I shuddered, worrying about how Uncle Stan would react to us coming home. But I can’t show that to Maggie. If she would see even a tiny bit of hesitation, she might end up running back to the woods.

I turned to Maggie. “Are you ready to enter the house now?”.

As if she had a choice, Maggie nodded in agreement. Only this time, I grabbed her hand. She looked at me for a moment indirectly asking what was going on. I smiled at her in return.

“We are in this together, Maggie.” I winked at her. “Do the honors, please.”

Maggie smiled before I saw her put her hand on her right temple. She narrowed her eyes a bit. I could sense that she was mind-linking Uncle Stan. My instinct was proven correct as I saw her father spring out from the entrance door.

Tears started to stream down our faces when we both see him. He looked thinner from what I remembered last time. He also had bags under his eyes, a clear indication of sleepless nights. Poor Uncle Stan! He must have been too worried about us.

“Maggie? Aria?”

“Dad!” Maggie ran toward him, stretching her arms in the process. She wrapped her arms around her old man as tightly as she could. Both father and daughter were bawling as they fell slowly to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Dad! I was a fool for leaving you. What I did was unforgivable. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Uncle Stan continued to pacify his long-lost daughter. He constantly stroked her back while giving her tiny kisses on the head.

“Hush now, child. Daddy is here. Daddy is here.”

It took them a little while to stay in that position. The sight melted my heart. The two of them had suffered long enough so they deserve every ounce of this tearful reunion. After a while, Uncle Stan stretched one of his hands and turned to me.

“What are you doing there, Aria? Come over here and give your Uncle Stan a hug!”

And I did. Aria scooted over and together with Uncle Stan, they wrapped me in their arms. The long wait was over.

Finally, Maggie and I were home.

*****

The sound of my heels echoed along the footsteps of my family. We were going to the pack house where the inauguration of the new alpha would commence. This was so different from when I went to the pack gathering ages ago. I heard Uncle Stan and Maggie’s chatters as we kept walking to the venue. Meanwhile, I silently observed all the changes that took place in the pack.

There were still cabins made of woods, tall trees, and gardens for every house, and I could see some pups clad in their adorable proper attire. I also caught some stares directed at us with curiosity. I could see that they couldn't recognize me at first glance, but every time they saw Dad and Maggie behind me, recognition flashed to their faces.

It’s been three days since Maggie and I went home. We told Uncle Stan our reasons on how we saw each other in the woods and why we ended up running away. Maggie was still emotional thinking about how her mate deserted her. But to his Uncle Stan’s words, it was never her fault. He also added that maybe, the moon goddess would still shower her grace upon her and would give her another chance at love.

As for me, he often wondered why I didn’t mindlink him when the alpha tried to assault me. I told him that he took me to the pack borders, a place where our mindlinking abilities would not work.

Also, I was too scared to even think straight. Before I remembered to link into his mind, I already crossed the other side and was too far to make a connection.

“Aria, what is my gorgeous cousin thinking? Are you enjoying their attention?” Maggie interpreted my thoughts and casually glanced at the other side, pointing her stares to a group of men curiously staring at us. All of them were good-looking but weren’t enough to keep my attention.

“No, Maggie. I live as a rogue for a year. As if I was interested in any of their attention.”I scoffed. Maggie shook her head and continued walking. Uncle Stan told us today was the Ritual Day, on which the new Alpha would be officially announced and acknowledged in the ball. Everyone in the pack should attend, if not, they would be regarded as disrespectful and not acknowledging him.

“Aria, we are almost there. I can see the ball from here. Are you okay? Are you decided that we'll stay in this pack?” Maggie asked. Then she whispered, “We could still run away from all of this and we could bring dad with us. What do you think?”

I shook my head and breathed a deep sigh. “No, Maggie. We will stay here in the pack. We will acknowledge this new alpha and will give him a chance. Don't worry about me. I will be fine.” Maggie nodded in agreement as we stepped closer to the venue. A few minutes later, we reached the ball.

Attending social gatherings was never my thing. I’d rather stay inside my room and read my books. Unlike Maggie, I didn’t have friends. So when we stepped into the crowd and saw some familiar faces, it was easy for her to blend with them and catch up. Uncle stand did the same to his friends.

Feeling bored, I leaned on Uncle Stan’s ears. “Uncle Stan, when will this ball officially start? I thought we were in a hurry?”

“We are still waiting for the Alpha. He'll be around at exactly nine in the evening.”

“I see,” I answered. Can I stroll around first? I'll be back by then.”

“Alright, just make sure you’ll be back on time.” He gestured for me to go away before Maggie could see me. I shook my head and smiled. Uncle Stan really knows when to give me my privacy whenever I need it.

I found peace in the backyard of the pack house, which was now occupied by the new alpha. I silently walked towards a log that caught my attention and quietly appreciated my solace. However, my newfound peace didn't last when I saw a half-naked man casually walking toward the house. He wore rugged pants. His hair was messy and his toned chest was sparkling with sweat. I retracted my gaze when his deep set of eyes landed on me. I gasped.

Oh, shit! He is drop-dead gorgeous!

Growing up, boys never seemed to interest me. Even at my age, I have yet to see a man that would fit my standards of being handsome. While I know that werewolves are blessed with good genes, I found it hard to be impressed with their looks.

I’ve never thought I would see the day. But tonight, I might have seen the most handsome man I had laid my eyes on.

The relaxed expression on his face changed. He furrowed his eyebrows as he approached me with hasty strides.

With a commanding voice, he asked, “What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on the ball for the inauguration?” He was looking down at me. So, I stood proudly after he asked me and composed myself, countering his countenance.

“Why are you asking me? Aren't you too relaxed, yourself, and even tried to run in the woods if you know most of the pack should be there for the ceremony?” I asked daringly.

I knew the man just went out to the woods because he reeked of sweat, and he had no shirt. Noticing it, I couldn't help but run a look at his body.

The man impatiently crossed his arms. His muscles bulged, which caught my attention for a second. He was bold to pry on my business when he wasn't there too.

A smirk formed on his face. He rudely touched my chin and raised it to meet my gaze. I tried to swat it, but his grip was firm enough that I couldn’t move his hands away.

“Do you know who you were asking, kitten? I could snap your neck with your disobedience right here and now,” he whispered. Although his voice seemed calm and deep, it was laced with warning. He was not joking.

“Well, try me then!” I daringly replied. His eyes turned to gold with my answer and in one swift move, he was at my back. His arms were on my neck and ready to twist it. “Are you sure?” he asked.

My heart raced so fast with anxiousness. 'How did he do that within seconds?' I was so taken aback that I couldn't react. I tried to kick his foot to make him off balance, but he dodged it to change our situation.

I only needed a few seconds to change our position, so I did him dirty by biting his arms and escaping from his hold.

However, I didn't expect him to still react fast. He was so swift that I found myself falling flat to the ground as he pushed me. He pinned my hands above my head as he stared at my eyes. We were so intimate, and I could hear each other's wild breathing.

“Do that again, and you'll never see the sunrise again,” he warned, making a chill run down my spine.

He was fucking good that I thought he'd kill me in an instant. My eyes sparkled with both excitement and worry.

“Now, aren't you going to apologize?” he asked.

I answered with a chortle and looked at him despite being underhanded.

“Aria, just apologize! I can feel his murderous intent even though he looked so calm,” Bella advised. I disagreed with her and didn't answer. I even rolled my eyes. I didn’t know, but this man irked me so much.

“Apologize while I could still control myself. If my wolf took over, he wouldn't take a second to wring your neck,” he warned again.

'I couldn't believe him. What did I do wrong in the first place?'

“What do I need to apologize for?! I was just sitting there earlier! But you suddenly came and said nonsensical things. I just answered your query.”

“Pup, I said apologize!” His voice became too loud and authoritative. I could see his veins starting to show, and his eyes turned to gold again. This started to bring fear to me, but I couldn’t just back down. ‘Who is he to even to command me? We are equal. Even though he looked like he had a position in this pack.’

“Damn it! I said, apologies now!” This time his voice had some odd effect on me. It was domineering. I was still hesitant as I glared at him, but when I felt the moonlight cascading its light to us and specifically to him, I felt his words were so powerful that I lost my strength and murmured an apology. It was so faint that he was displeased with it. I didn't even look at him when I said it.

The sound of a bell rang, making us stare at the venue hall. That meant it was already nine o’clock. We were going to be late for the pack ritual. We needed to hurry.

In just seconds, he stood up and immediately vanished from my sight like he didn't embarrass me and threatened my life. I was left there panting and sweating with fright.

I gasped for breath. I seem to forget to breathe with our position earlier.

“What the fuck just happened? Who was that man?!”

***************

“Aria, you also have to be inside now. You don’t want to cause trouble again, girl. Let’s go!” Bella warned me. She even started to reprimand my behavior because she kept warning me through our mind-link, but I ignored her and was only focused on the oppressing man.

I composed myself and fixed my red mermaid ball gown. Some sweat was on my neck, and my hair tied in one big bun was a mess.

I bit my lips. This was not good for giving my first impression to the alpha and the rest in case they noticed us. I had to look presentable in the least.

I rolled my eyes as I calmed myself. That man would pay for this. What he did was unnecessary.

I didn’t have a choice but to let my long hair cast down to my behind. If I could describe myself, I knew I would look like a nymph with this beauty. However, I truly didn't want anybody's attention.

Heaving a deep sigh, I hurried towards our designated spot. But to my surprise, I ran to that man again. I felt so anxious like someone kicked my heart out of my chest. I avoided looking at him, but I was magnetized.

Due to that he caught me staring, and he immediately coldly looked down from my face to my feet and back to my face. I didn’t fail to notice that his gaze stopped at my chest, having a disapproving look. He gritted his teeth and stopped it within a second.

I arched my brows to him and tried to ignore him. However, I didn’t fail to notice the respect he got from the people staring at him as he passed by. She-wolves were also obviously ogling at his good looks.

Well, I couldn't deny that he truly looked scrumptious with his sharp jawlines, cherry red thin lips, manly brown skin, deep-set jet-black eyes, and messy black hair. Not to mention, he was now wearing a suit hugging his physique perfectly. He was eye candy. I could not blame them, but he honestly looked better without his clothes.

Bella laughed and agreed with my thoughts, making me blush. I forgot to shut her down before we went to the venue. I didn't think it was necessary. However, the smile I had as Bella kept teasing me was erased as I saw him catch me staring again and smirked.

I withdrew my gaze and headed to the nearby table to drink one glass of wine. I knew my cheeks looked like they had been slapped because I felt embarrassed and annoyed at the same time with his stare.

So, I drank a glass of wine with one scoop before I shook my head and continued to walk towards my family. They were still chattering loudly, like when I said I would be away for some time.

For the opening of the pack gathering and ritual, music of saxophone suddenly played as only four tables were left before I reached my family’s side. I had to stop in my tracks when the familiar tough looking pack warrior, Oliver to be exact, took over the microphone and announced something.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Without further ado, let's begin the celebration and pack ritual. And please, let’s welcome Alpha Hunter Fauder with a round of applause!”

I clapped my hands with the rest of the pack and expectantly waited to see a tall man, perhaps in his late twenties or something, walk upon the stage. However, I was pretty shocked when the man who was just close to me earlier was the one walking to the stage.

‘The heck! What is he doing there?! Bella, oh shoot! He’s… he’s our new alpha?’ I panicked and asked Bella.

“Aria, what did you just do? You just went against him earlier. I told you to not mess with him. When will you adhere to my advice? My instincts had been telling me, he had a powerful aura reverberating from him. We’re in trouble.”

I frustratingly pinched myself for my foolishness and reasoned, “Well, he’s… he’s too arrogant. My blood boils whenever I see him. I can’t control myself, Bella.” I held my hand firmly. I had to brace myself. I just hoped he wouldn’t embarrass me or punish me in front of everyone. Moreover, I thought the new alpha was kind, but he seemed he wasn’t. Faith didn't have the ability to tell whether a wolf was kind or not.

But from the back of my mind, I wished he was not that merciless, though.

Our new alpha silenced the crowd when he closed his hands. With an intimidating aura, he started his short speech.

My mouth went agape with his straightforwardness, charming, and commanding aura. He didn’t beat around the bush. He only said those few words, but I felt everyone was satisfied with his speech.

But above all this admiration, a question remained on my mind.

Where is his Luna?