How Can She Be A Luna?

My heart was beating against my chest, my eyes blurry as I stepped forward, one step heavier than the last.

I was changing my destiny.

My fate.

I had watched my best friend die in front of me.

Smelled her blood and listened as how my own sister, my younger sister who I took care of from childhood plot my own death.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me, shock and disdain clear in their gazes. I could feel their whispers like daggers at my back, their murmurs turning into a dull roar.

"She’s insane."

"She’ll die before the week’s out."

"A mere omega with the beast king? What is she thinking?"

Amira’s violet eyes widened in disbelief, her lips parting as if she couldn’t form the words to express her horror. Max, standing beside her, looked at me like I’d grown a second head.

The once-confident sneer he wore now faltered, replaced by confusion.

Even the Lycan king himself paused. Alaric, towering above everyone else at the foot of the staircase, stared at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher.

The silence that followed my words felt eternal.

Then came his voice, deep and sharp as steel. “Repeat that.”

I took a shaky breath, feeling the eyes of everyone present in the room.

My legs trembled, but I straightened my shoulders, meeting his icy blue gaze.

“I volunteer… to be your mate,” I said again, my voice steady this time.

The room erupted. Some people gasped; others burst into laughter.

“She’s committing suicide!”

“A poor little omega? The king will tear her apart!”

“What kind of joke is this?”

Alaric raised his hand, silencing the room with just a gesture. The sheer authority he commanded made the air grow heavy. His piercing gaze remained locked on me, his expression unreadable.

“You,” he said, his voice low but dangerous. “A mere omega, barely able to hold your own against your own pack… How do you expect to stand as a Luna? My Luna?”

My throat felt dry, but I forced myself to reply. “I will be better. I will prove myself.”

His lips twitched, almost as if he were suppressing a smirk. “You’ll prove yourself? Bold words for someone who can barely lift their own shadow.”

The man beside him shifted slightly. He was tall, leaner than Alaric but no less intimidating.

His blond hair was cropped close, a few stray strands falling across his sharp brow. Unlike Alaric’s cold, calculating demeanor, this man’s gray eyes carried a hint of something quieter, something genuine and friendly.

But then again the most friendly faces are the worse enemies.

His stance was relaxed, yet there was no mistaking the authority he wielded.

He leaned toward Alaric, speaking in a low tone I couldn’t hear. Whatever he said made Alaric’s mouth quirk slightly before returning to his usual stony expression.

Alaric turned back to me. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking for?” His voice cut through the air like a blade.

I swallowed, my voice trembling. “I know what I’m doing.”

The murmurs in the room grew louder, but I didn’t dare glance away from him.

“You’ll regret this,” someone muttered from the crowd.

“She doesn’t stand a chance,” another voice added.

Alaric studied me, his gaze dragging over every inch of my face as though searching for cracks in my resolve.

“Why?” he finally asked.

The question startled me.

My breath hitched, but I forced myself to answer. “Because I have nothing left to lose.”

His eyes narrowed.

For a moment, curiousBut it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

The man beside him spoke again, louder this time. “She’s wasting your time, Your Majesty. Let her go.”

Alaric raised a hand, silencing him. “No. I want to hear her.” He stepped forward, descending the staircase slowly, each step echoing in the silent hall.

I fought the urge to shrink back as he approached, his towering form casting a shadow over me.

“Do you understand what being my mate entails?” His voice was softer now, but no less dangerous.

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I truly did.

“This isn’t a position you can simply claim, little wolf,” he said, his tone almost mocking. “It requires strength. Tolerance. Patience.Power.”

“I’ll find those things,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

He tilted his head, his icy eyes boring into mine. “You think you can survive in my world? Do you know how many women have stood where you’re standing now? None of them are alive to speak of it.”

My breath hitched, but I stood firm. “I won’t end up like them.”

The room fell deathly silent. Even Amira, who had been whispering furiously to Max, stopped to watch.

Alaric let out a quiet laugh, a cold, humorless sound that sent chills down my spine. He turned to the blond man beside him, who raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

Without another word, Alaric turned his back to me, his voice carrying across the hall. “The meeting is over. Knox, escort her to her room.”

Knox. So that was his name.

My surprise must have shown because Alaric paused, his icy gaze cutting back to me briefly before he walked toward the exit. He didn’t wait for an objection, his broad shoulders disappearing into the corridor as though the matter had been decided and no further discussion was needed.

But apparently, Amira didn’t get the message.

“Wait!” Amira called out, stepping forward, her violet eyes flashing with outrage. “Your Majesty, you don’t understand. She’s my servant! How can she be Luna? She is nothing!”

Her words cut through the murmurs, drawing the attention of the remaining crowd. My fists clenched at my sides, but I kept my head low, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of seeing my anger.

“She can’t—” Amira continued, her voice rising in pitch as she gestured toward me like I was some sort of blemish that needed removing. “She’s not qualified to stand as your Luna. She’s a troublemaker! A murderer!”

The last word sent a ripple through the room, but Alaric didn’t stop walking. He didn’t even turn around.

“Your Majesty,” Amira tried again, her voice desperate now, “she’s worthless. She can’t—”

“Enough.”

The single word, spoken in Alaric’s cold, commanding tone, froze her mid-sentence. Amira’s mouth snapped shut, her expression twisting into one of shocked indignation.

Without looking back, Alaric raised a hand dismissively. “You forget yourself, Amira. I don’t explain my decisions.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Amira stood there, her lips parted as though she wanted to protest further, but no sound came out.

Her reaction might have been pitiful if it weren’t so satisfying.

Knox, who had been watching the exchange with an amused expression, stepped forward. His gray eyes flicked to Amira briefly, and for a moment, I thought I saw a smirk tug at the corner of his lips.

Amira turned to him, her frustration boiling over. “You can’t seriously be entertaining this, Knox. She’s not even worth your time. She’ll—”

Knox raised a hand, cutting her off. His tone was calm but firm. “The king has given his orders.”

Amira’s face reddened, her jaw tightening as if she wanted to argue further, but she didn’t dare. She glared at me instead, her eyes burning with barely restrained fury.

“This isn’t over,” she hissed under her breath, her voice low enough that only I could hear. “You’ll regret this, sister.”

I didn’t reply.

Amira turned on her heel and stormed out of the hall, her dress swishing dramatically behind her.

The room felt lighter the moment she was gone.

Knox, who had been watching the entire exchange with an air of detached amusement, finally turned to me. He crossed the space between us in a few measured steps, his movements fluid and unhurried.

When he stopped in front of me, he tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes meeting mine with a glint of curiosity.

“Shall we?” he asked, his voice low and smooth, with a hint of dry humor that caught me off guard.

I blinked, unsure how to respond. This man, Knox—z as as enigmatic as the king himself, and yet, there was something in his tone that almost made me feel at ease.

Almost.

Without waiting for an answer, he gestured for me to follow him. “Your room isn’t going to find itself.”

I hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, my legs still trembling but my resolve unshaken. As I walked behind him, the whispers started again, the voices of the crowd following me like ghosts.

But I kept my head high.

Let them talk.