Chapter 15

Vivian's face went ashen as her snow wolf was forcibly suppressed back inside her. She staggered and collapsed to the ground.

Kaelen spoke, his voice low but echoing through every corner. "Three days ago, the vampires attacked. Twenty-seven werewolves were seriously wounded, and eight nearly died. Who saved them?"

The crowd went silent.

"It was her," Kaelen said, lifting his hand and pointing at Sylvia. "She's the Lunar Healer, the Lunar Wolf sealed by the Moon Goddess, and my fated mate.

"If you dare question her, you're questioning the Moon Goddess's will. And you're questioning me." Kaelen's golden eyes burned with rage as he swept his gaze across the crowd.

Vivian was shaking all over, but she still wouldn't back down. "B-But she didn't have a wolf before. How could a wolfless—"

"Wolfless?" Kaelen scoffed. "That was the Moon Goddess's seal, keeping her hidden until the right time.

"The vampires have been hunting the healer for three thousand years. If she'd awakened any sooner, she'd have been dead."

He stepped down from the terrace, each stride bringing him closer to Vivian. With every step, his Alpha aura grew more oppressive.

Vivian groveled on the ground, blood trickling from her nose and mouth. She was unable to lift her head.

"You've bullied her for three years." Kaelen's voice was icy. "You dumped dirty water on her, called her trash, and publicly shamed her. I know it all."

Vivian's pupils contracted sharply.

Kaelen crouched down, grabbing her chin. "I spared you because she asked me to. She said she would let it go because she had been used to it."

His fingers tightened, and Vivian's jaw cracked audibly under the strain.

Kaelen stood up, towering over her. "But now, she's mine. If you lay a finger on her, you answer to me."

"Let it be known." Kaelen's voice thundered across the square. "Vivian Voss, for colluding with outsiders and spreading lies to incite chaos, her wolf rank is stripped.

"She is banished from our territory, never to return."

Vivian let out a blood-curdling scream, but the guards dragged her away before she could protest.

The square went quiet for a moment and then exploded with cheers. "Long live the Luna. Long live the Lunar Healer."

Sylvia stood on the terrace, watching the crowd below go wild. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. In eighteen years, no one had cheered for her like this.

She was used to being treated like dirt and used to keeping her head down.

'Hold your head high.' Kaelen's voice rang in her mind.

She instinctively looked up, locking eyes with him.

He stood in the center of the square, gazing up at her. His golden eyes reflected her, like she was the only one that mattered in his world.

'You are the Luna,' he said. 'My Luna, hold your head high. Let them remember who you are.'

Sylvia took a deep breath and stood tall.

Sunlight poured over her silver-white hair, making the crescent mark on her forehead shimmer.

She lifted her hand, and silvery light flowed from her palm, swirling into a small moon that floated above the square.

The crowd went wild again. "The Moon Goddess! It's the Moon Goddess's blessing."

The High Priest got down on one knee, tears streaming down his face. "It has been three thousand years. The Crescent Pack finally has its Healer Luna again."

Sylvia looked up at that silver moon, and suddenly, she felt that all the humiliation of the past eighteen years was worth it.

*****

Late at night, after the coronation ceremony, when Sylvia was escorted back to the stone chamber in the Forbidden Sanctuary, only a bedside lamp was lit.

Moonstones set into the walls cast a pale, silver glow, blurring everything into gentle, hazy shapes.

Kaelen stepped in after her, casually flipping the lock shut.

The crisp snap of metal locking sounded louder in the quiet, making Sylvia's back stiffen instinctively.

"Tired?" His voice drifted from behind, low and soothing, as if he were coaxing her to sleep.

Sylvia nodded, her silver-white hair sliding off her shoulders and brushing her collarbone. The back of her dress was open. In the soft glow, her shoulder blades looked like butterflies ready to take flight.