CHAPTER 3

— She's very beautiful, isn't she, mommy? — says a small, sweet voice. — She's as beautiful as a full moon.

The gentle touch of that little hand on her cheek rouses her from her drowsiness, and as she slowly opens her eyes, the bright light in the room is the first thing she perceives. After a moment, she manages to focus her vision, and the first thing she sees is a small, cheerful girl.

— Hello! - she greets excitedly. — Mommy, come quickly, she's awake! — she calls out with the same excitement. — I'm Ellen, and mommy says you're my new aunt.

— Ellen! — she hears a second voice calling. — Come here, let her rest peacefully.

Sitting up in bed, Anne looks around the room, and the faint hope that all her recent memories were just a bad dream while she's under the care of a doctor vanishes the moment she recognizes the space as the cabin where she woke up last time. In a quick survey of the area with her gaze, she notices that this time the only people present in the room are the little girl and a woman.

— Uncle Lían had to go meet with the elders, but he said he'd be back soon, — the little girl comments in the same happy tone. — He asked mommy and me to take care of you while he and Uncle Allan come back.

— By the Moon! — exclaims the woman. — Uncle also said not to be naughty. — With soft steps, she approaches the girl and picks her up. — My brother will be back very soon, so you don't need to worry, okay?

"Her brother?" So, if that man who brought her there was her brother, and that woman remains so calm about it, there was no hope that she would help her get out of there.

— Water — she asks in a low voice. She didn't expect her throat to feel so dry when she tried to speak.

— Of course, how rude of me, — the woman quickly responds. — You must be hungry too, I'm sure. Ellen, please bring some fruit; I'll prepare something light for you. It's not good to eat heavy when you've gone so many days without proper food.

— Days? - it can't be that they're using that measure of time again.

— Yes. — approaching with the water, the woman sits on the bed and hands it to her. — Lían said you woke up three days ago, but you passed out again; it seems your body needed a lot of rest. — Leaving a gentle caress on her hand, the woman steps away. — But now that you're awake, everything will be fine.

When the little girl opened the door of the house, carrying a basket with her, and her mother entered a space she hadn't noticed before, which she quickly deduced was the kitchen, Anne saw her opportunity to escape from that place. She doesn't know exactly when she removed the blanket from her body or left that house, but when she realized what was happening, she was already running into the depths of the forest, hearing the voice of the little girl calling after her.

Where are you going? Come back!

No, not that voice in her head again. Although, this time it's a different voice from the one she heard before. That voice asks her to stop running, but deep down, she's fully aware that if she stops, she won't have another chance like this one, so her common sense battles against the strange instinct that tells her to go back and stop.

The howling of a wolf in the distance revives the fear she felt a few nights ago, and just like on that night, she can feel her chest tighten, and her lungs hurt with each breath. She knows her heart is working against her, but she can't stop; she must find a way to get back to her father and sister.

— Damn it! — when her dress gets caught on a tree's protrusion, she feels the adrenaline surge even more within her. She imagines this is how rabbits must feel when she hunted them. When the fabric of the dress tears due to the force with which she pulls it, strong hands firmly grip her waist, preventing her from falling face-first into the protruding roots.

— I've got you, little one, — says the person behind her.

When she looks up, she sees an older man, his gray hair, wrinkles, and marks on his face bear witness to the hardships he has endured in his life, but even so, his gaze is gentle and warm, so much so that Anne recalls her own father's gaze, and she can swear that her fears dissipate, if only for a moment.

— Help me, please — it's the first thing she says when she manages to gather her thoughts. — I've been kidnapped.

— Calm down, everything will be fine, — is the reply she receives. — You shouldn't make a wolf start chasing you, especially if it's an alpha as stubborn as the one who will soon be after you.

...

Lían is not very pleased to have been summoned by the council of elders. Beyond the animosity he feels towards them, his real discontent stems from knowing that the topic of the meeting is about the appearance of his Luna. When the doctor came to the cabin to check on the health of his Luna and informed him not only about the delicate state of her heart but also about her origin, he knew it wouldn't take long before everyone learned that the Mother Moon had given him a human as his mate.

— I don't understand why I am summoned before the council, — as he speaks, Lían lets his hostile tone show his displeasure at having to be present in that place.

— Are you even capable of asking that? — one of the chief elders of the council responds. — Don't you know that it's mandatory for each Alpha to present their Luna to their pack and the council once they find her? So, how is it possible that after seven days, the Alpha of the Southern Pack still hasn't made the discovery of his Luna public?

— Since it was a third party who came to inform you of the appearance of my Luna, it seems strange to me that the kind informant didn't tell you that my Luna is currently indisposed.

— Indisposed enough not to attend a formal presentation? - the elder questions back.

— You should ask the kind doctor about that, don't you think? After all, he was the one who informed you of my Luna's appearance.

— That is quite strange, don't you think, Alpha Lían? — With the mention of the doctor, Olaf, the elder representative of the Northern Pack, had no hesitation in intervening. — It's not normal for a wolf to present a weak health condition.

— You don't have to pretend! — Allan's voice abruptly says, — Everyone here knows the real reason for this meeting.

— I suggest you calm your temper, sentinel, — Olaf intervenes again. — The only reason you're allowed in this meeting is because you're part of your pack's inner circle, but don't confuse your position.

— I could say the same. — He rebates, and Allan's disdainful look towards the elder is not disguised. — Elder Olaf should keep his position as the Council's scribe, and I'm sure that among his duties, there's no provision for interrogating an Alpha.

After the words of the younger Alpha, the council fell into a brief silence, which was broken by Drake, the second eldest of the elders.

— It is written that the mates of Alpha leaders should complement them, increase their power, and help in the development of the pack, — his soft tone of voice was not enough to hide the displeasure caused by the brief lapse where the central topic of the meeting was abandoned. — I didn't take it personally, Alpha Lían, but in this case, we're talking about your mate being a human, and even worse, a weak and sick human.

— She's my Luna! — Lían was not willing to listen to a single word that could compromise his mate's honor. — And I've never heard of any wolf from my pack or from any pack that prides itself on having honor, daring to challenge the destiny or the design of our Mother Moon.

— We're talking about a human.

— We're talking about the Luna destined not only to my life but to my pack as well, — he cuts him off, totally convinced.

— She can't be serious, — Olaf wasn't going to admit to the Alpha that he was right. — No pack will accept a human as their leader's Luna.

— You're mistaken about the pack, elder, — he rebukes with disdain. — Mine will, — he declares firmly.

— Why are you so sure of that? — the elder mocks.

— Because, unlike your pack, mine understood that times change, — Lían expresses while taking short steps towards Elder Olaf, a gesture that puts the council's sentinels on alert. - We don't get trapped in old and absurd traditions.

— Would you be willing to prove what you're saying? — the elder challenges.

— I am!

— Then so be it, — Paul sentences. The Elder council leader had remained silent because he wanted to see how far the young Alpha was willing to go, but he knew that if he didn't have him, that meeting would end with more than one wolf in regrettable conditions. — If in the next three full moons, you haven't managed to get your pack to accept the Luna destined to them, the human will die, and according to the law, you will be banished, not only from your pack but from any connection with wolves altogether.

Allan was about to say something, but the hand of his brother rising in front of him stops him and demands that he remain silent. With no response other than his silence and a smile of superiority from Lían, both Alphas left the room.