Adira backed away from the door as the knob turned. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She grabbed a fireplace poker, holding it tight.
The door swung open.
"Adira?" Lucian's voice called out. "Why are you standing in the dark?"
Relief flooded through her as she dropped the poker. "Lucian! I thought you were—" She stopped herself.
"Thought I was who?" He stepped inside, his expression changing when he saw her face. "What happened?"
Adira showed him the dead flower and note Selene had given her. "The women's gathering was a trap. Selene told everyone I used magic to trick you."
Lucian's eyes flashed with anger. "I'll speak to her tomorrow."
"No," Adira said. "That will make things worse. I need to prove myself to the pack." She pointed to the mate mark on her neck. "But Lucian, is it supposed to look... different?"
He examined it, frowning. "It seems fine to me." His fingers traced the mark gently. "Does it feel strange?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired."
Lucian hugged her close. "Tomorrow, come with me on border patrol. It's time you learned our territory. A Luna should know every inch of pack lands."
"Really? You want me to come?"
"Of course. It will be good for the pack to see us working together." He kissed her forehead. "And I want to spend time with my mate."
The next morning, they left early. Several wolves waited at the edge of the main clearing—Magnus, two young warriors named Jax and Kira, and, to Adira's dismay, Selene.
"What is she doing here?" Adira whispered.
"Selene has handled our border maps for years," Lucian explained. "I can't exclude her without cause."
Selene's smile was poison-sweet. "Luna Adira! How nice of you to join us." Her eyes dropped to Adira's neck, searching for the mate mark hidden beneath her collar.
Magnus stepped between them. "Let's get moving. We have the whole north border to check today."
They shifted into wolf form—all except Adira, who couldn't control her shifts yet. As an Omega, no one had bothered to teach her.
Lucian's wolf was magnificent—massive with dark silver fur and intelligent blue eyes. He nudged Adira gently, then bent down.
"You want me to ride on your back?" she asked, surprised.
Magnus's light brown wolf nodded encouragingly. Selene's pure white wolf turned away with what looked like disgust.
Adira climbed carefully onto Lucian's back, gripping his fur. Then they were running through the forest, wind rushing past. The feeling was amazing—like flying but better. Adira couldn't stop smiling.
They traveled for hours, stopping at boundary markers—tall stones carved with the pack's symbol. Lucian would shift back to human form briefly to explain each area.
"This stream marks our border with the Mountain Pack," he told her at a bubbling creek. "They're allies, but we still patrol regularly."
"The previous Luna organized these patrols," Selene added, now in human form. "My mother taught her the proper way."
Adira didn't miss the jab, but she ignored it. "The water's so clear here."
"It comes from the mountain springs," Magnus explained kindly. "Best water in the territory."
They continued north, where the trees grew thicker. Lucian stopped to mark a boundary tree with his scent, explaining that this warned other wolves away.
"Our strongest fighters patrol this section," he said proudly. "No enemy has broken through in fifty years."
While the others checked nearby markers, Adira wandered a few steps into a sun-dappled clearing. Something colorful caught her eye—a patch of wildflowers she'd never seen before.
As she bent to look closer, the hairs on her neck stood up. Someone was watching.
Slowly, Adira raised her head. Across the clearing, partially hidden among shadow-draped trees, stood a wolf. Not one of theirs. This one was darker, with eyes that gleamed unnaturally bright.
She froze, afraid to call out or run.
The strange wolf tilted its head, studying her. It made no move to attack.
A second wolf appeared beside the first. Then a third. They watched silently, like ghosts among the trees.
"Adira?" Lucian called from behind her. "Where did you go?"
She turned to answer, and when she looked back, the wolves were gone.
"There were wolves," she said when Lucian reached her. "Three of them, watching from those trees."
The patrol rushed to check, but found nothing—no tracks, no scent.
"Are you sure?" Selene asked, her voice suggesting Adira had imagined it. "Sometimes humans see things that aren't there."
"I know what I saw," Adira insisted.
Lucian frowned. "We'll mark this area for extra patrols. If strange wolves are crossing our borders, we need to know why."
They continued the patrol, but Adira couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Those eyes had seemed almost... familiar.
By midday, they reached the north peak—a rocky outcrop overlooking the entire territory. The view took Adira's breath away. Miles of forest spread below them, rivers cutting silver paths through the green.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"This is what we protect," Lucian said, slipping his hand into hers. "This is our home."
For the first time, Adira truly felt it—this was her home too. Her pack. Her responsibility as Luna.
They ate lunch on the peak. Even Selene seemed to relax, sharing stories about past border patrols. Magnus pointed out landmarks, helping Adira learn the territory.
"That dark patch to the east is where Fenrir's wolves attacked last month," he explained. "But we drove them back."
"Will they attack again?" Adira asked.
"They've been quiet since you warned us about their plans," Lucian said. "But Fenrir never gives up easily."
On the way back, Lucian and Adira walked together while the others ran ahead. He showed her special places—a hidden pool where cubs learned to swim, a meadow where spring ceremonies were held.
"My mother used to bring me here," he said in a quiet grove where sunlight filtered through ancient trees. "She said a good Alpha listens to the forest."
"What happened to her?" Adira asked gently.
"She disappeared five years ago. Some say Fenrir's pack took her." His expression darkened. "Father searched for months but found nothing."
Adira squeezed his hand. For a moment, they stood in comfortable silence, connected not just by their mate bond but by something deeper.
"Lucian," she said suddenly, "the wolves I saw earlier... I think they might be connected to Fenrir."
"What makes you say that?"
"Just a feeling." She touched her pendant. "Something about them seemed... like they were looking for someone."
Before Lucian could respond, shouts erupted ahead. They ran to find Jax backing away from a tree, his face pale.
"What happened?" Lucian demanded.
Jax pointed. Carved fresh into the trunk was a message: "The false Luna will fall when the truth rises. Blood will tell."
Below it was a symbol Adira had never seen—a crescent moon with a star inside it.
"That's impossible," Selene whispered, her usual composure broken. "That's the mark of the Eclipse Pack. They were destroyed twenty years ago."
"What's the Eclipse Pack?" Adira asked.
Magnus looked troubled. "A pack of outcasts led by a rogue Alpha named Darian. They practiced forbidden magic."
"My father led the attack that wiped them out," Lucian said grimly. "No one survived."
Adira's pendant suddenly felt hot against her skin. The name Darian echoed strangely in her mind, like a half-remembered dream.
"We need to get back to the pack," Lucian ordered. "Now."
As they hurried through the darkening forest, Adira felt eyes on her again. She glanced back once and caught a glimpse of movement—a shadow slipping between trees.
The strange wolf was following them. And somehow, deep inside, Adira knew it was following her.
But the truly frightening part? For reasons she couldn't explain, a part of her wanted to follow it back.