Chapter 3
When the envoys from the Frostfall Pack entered, the air in the clearing turned icy.
It wasn't the wind that brought the chill.
Every werewolf in the Silvermoon Pack drew their inner wolves inward.
I heard a lot of faint, scattered sounds.
Some were trembling.
Some were whining quietly.
And a few wolf souls hid deep within their hosts, too afraid to even raise their heads.
The Silvermoon Pack had always feared the Frostfall Pack.
Word was, the Frostfall Pack didn't believe in the Moon Goddess; they worshipped only blood and victory.
They lived north of the snowline, where for nine months straight, not a single blade of grass grew.
Their pack survived by tearing out the throats of their enemies.
The man at the front wore a black cloak.
It wasn't Samuel Ironfang, the Alpha of Frostfall Pack.
The man was older, with an old scar slashed across his left eye.
The scar ran from his brow to his cheekbone, looking like it was left by a wolf's claw.
He walked up to the altar without looking at Ulric.
Nor did he spare Caius a glance.
His gaze fell on my wrist.
Then he dropped to one knee. "By command of the Alpha of the Frostfall Pack, greets you, Miss Moonshadow."
The whole place went silent.
The earlier stir of Moonfire had merely unsettled my pack.
The envoy's kneeling was a slap on their faces.
Lia, the future Luna, stood behind Caius.
Caius, the future Alpha, was still clutching his chest.
But the envoy from the Frostfall Pack knelt to me, who had just been written off as a wolfless outcast.
Ulric's face darkened. "Rowan, what are you playing at?"
The one-eyed man, Rowan Blackscar, finally looked his way.
"Our Alpha sent me only to deliver a message," he said, voice flat. "With the Moonfire awakened and the Silver Wolf revealed, the Silvermoon Pack must surrender the Moon Goddess's heiress."
The clearing erupted.
"The Moon Goddess's heiress?"
"Are they talking about Elena?"
"No way. She was just declared wolfless."
"Did the Frostfall Pack mess up?"
Lia suddenly stepped forward.
"Mr. Blackscar," she called, biting her lip and showing off the Moon Mark between her eyebrows. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Rowan shot her a single look. "Your scent is faint."
Lia's expression froze. "What?"
"It smells like you stole it," Rowan said.
His voice wasn't loud, but it stung worse than a slap.
Lia's face turned pale as a sheet.
Caius raised his hand to shield her. "Watch your mouth, Rowan."
Rowan got to his feet.
He stood half a head taller than Caius, and the hands visible beneath his black cloak were marked with old scars.
"If you don't believe me, let your wolf come out and see for itself," Rowan shot back.
Caius's jaw tightened.
He didn't move.
But I heard his wolf let out a low whine inside him.
"Master."
Its voice sounded aggrieved, almost pathetic.
I looked down.
Turned out, only I could hear it.
But Lia had no clue. She thought Caius was shielding her, and soon, her eyes filled with tears.
"Elena, I know you can't stand me," she said, looking right at me. "But you can't let the Frostfall Pack walk over our pack like this."
That was slick, turning the entire pack against me.
The ones who'd been scared of me a moment ago suddenly found their nerve.
"Elena, have you colluded with the Frostfall Pack all along?"
"No wonder the Moonfire went haywire!"
"I knew it! How could a wolfless outcast suddenly become the heiress to the Moon Goddess?"
"Let Alaric check her again!"
Right then, a scream rang out from the edge of the clearing.
I turned to look.
Kael Shadowclaw, a young warrior, was on his knees, gripping his throat in a death grip.
A gray wolf's shadow loomed behind him.
It had been faint, but under the Moonfire, it twisted into a writhing mass.
Bones grated inside him with a series of harsh crunches.
He looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"Stay back!" someone nearby shouted, stumbling away in terror.
"He's out of control." Alaric scrambled to his feet. "Hold him down."
Two guards lunged at Kael.
But before they could even reach him, he sent them flying with a single swipe of his claw.
Blood splattered across the white stone floor.
The crowd screamed and scattered.
Lia rushed forward, like she'd been waiting for this moment.
"I'll handle this," she said, raising her hand. The Moon Mark on her forehead glowed. "In the name of the Moon Goddess, calm down."
Kael whipped his head toward her.
His gaze shifted abruptly, like he'd spotted something filthy.
In the blink of an eye, he lunged forward.
Caius yanked Lia away.
Kael's claw swiped at her skirt, ripping a huge piece of white chiffon.
Lia screamed, collapsing into Caius's arms.
"Why didn't it work?" she sobbed.
No one answered her.
They all saw what was happening.
Her Moon Mark failed to calm Kael; it even made him more agitated.
Kael arched his back again.
This time, his gaze landed on a young wolf cub closest to him.
Terrified, the cub sank to the floor, unable to utter a single whimper.
Honestly, I didn't want to move.
My legs ached, and so did my chest.
Caius's rejection was still lodged deep inside me.
Yet the cub's eyes shone so bright, like mine when I was young.
Back then, whenever I was locked in the cell, I would peer through the crack in the door like this.
I hoped for a visitor, though none would come.
With that thought, I stepped forward.
Caius's face shifted. "Elena, get back here."
I didn't pay him any mind.
Kael lunged straight at the cub.
I threw myself in between them.
As Kael's claw drew within half an inch of my face, the Moon Mark suddenly burned hot.
I heard his grey wolf's voice.
It wasn't growling; he was weeping.
It hurts. The fire's burning me.'
I reached out and placed my hand on Kael's forehead.
His claw froze mid-air.
All the screaming in the crowd stopped.
I didn't know what to say.
The voice of the Moon Goddess was still echoing inside me.
Letting that heat guide me, I whispered, "Down."
Kael dropped to his knees at my feet with a loud thud.
The gray wolf pressed itself flat against the ground.
Kael's forehead pressed against the blood-stained white stone.
Under my palm, the restless wolf gradually grew still.
It was frail and worn, like it had been bound and suffocated for years.
I withdrew my hand.
Kael looked up at me, bewildered.
Then, still on his knees, he shuffled back a little.
"You..." His voice was hoarse. "You heard my wolf, didn't you?"
Before I could answer, Rowan dropped to one knee again.
This time, all the Frostfall Pack guards behind him followed suit.
Their black cloaks spread out across the entrance of the clearing.
"All hail the heiress of the Moon Goddess," they chanted.
My pack froze on the spot.
Caius looked at me, his face losing its usual certainty for the first time.
Lia still held to his sleeve, her fingers digging so hard her nails nearly pierced the fabric.
I saw her shaking.
She wasn't scared of Kael; she was scared of me.
Rowan lifted his head. "Miss Moonshadow, our Alpha is waiting for you in the carriage outside.
"He says, if you're willing, we can take you away tonight."
I turned to look at Caius.
His lips twitched, like he was about to say something.
For once, he didn't try to boss me around.
But I wasn't going to wait for him to say anything.
I looked down at the Moon Mark on my wrist: it was still glowing.
Suddenly, I wondered how my pack would look if I left.