Page 40 of The Wolf Moon

My eyes didn’t leave Lillian, this new Queen Luna before the pack. Even when Roman stepped to the side, leaving Lillian there to greet the pack, my eyes didn’t follow him. I felt strange… quiet even. It was as if every part of my mind, all questions, anxieties, fears, or anger had slipped away into silence. I didn’t know anything about this woman. She hadn’t done anything to me specifically. In fact, I wasn’t sure she even knew about me at all, but still… I couldn’t take my eyes off of her form with that silence swamping my thoughts.

“I am from the Red Moon pack. I am the daughter of the Red Moon Alpha, so I know what will be expected of me. I’m excited to be joining this pack and I can’t wait to get to know each of you,” Lillian declared, her voice powerful despite the femininity.

Eyes were on me as Lillian spoke. I could feel them; those wolves who knew I was the King Alpha’s mate. They looked at each other, at me, and at Lillian. It was as though time had halted into this moment, when no one was sure what move to make next. And before Lillian could speak further, a loud screech of metal echoed around the arena.

The wolves’ eyes moved to the source, where Cate had stepped forward slowly, dragging the tip of her lance loudly along the concrete besides her. The threat she presented was clear despite her steely silence.

“I understand,” Lillian said easily, changing her stance from one of ease into one in preparation for any attacks. The pack shuffled around the arena and as if Cate had set off a spark of a flame, women began to step forward just as intimidatingly. The threat wasn’t just to Lillian. It was to each other. The intent was clear. Just having the title Queen Luna wouldn’t be enough. It was keeping it that would be the true task. And Lillian hadn’t made a single Trinity pack member submit as of yet.

I remained where I stood, my eyes trained on Lillian with that dead silence still throughout me. My mind hadn’t truly noted the gravity of the event that was going to unfold before me. The challengers were still stepping forward, preparing to fight one another and then Lillian for the title of Queen Luna. And then they would have the King Alpha to themselves.

I stepped forward. Caleb reached to stop me, probably by reflex, and a member next to him growled at him. I didn’t know what response Caleb gave because I was mindlessly stepping into the arena with a determination that felt purely beast, more so than Milena. My eyes only moved from Lillian when I stepped past the female wolves who were preparing to enter the challenge.

I turned my back on Lillian, staring down each female wolf from unknown to Cate, and let out an extremely uncharacteristic growl.

“Anyone who wants to get to her will have to get through me first,” I snarled dangerously, a power flaring through me that reached towards the wolves before me savagely. The wolves stepped back almost immediately, their stances changing from ones of intimidation to that of fear and then respect. Cate was the only one who smiled, a pleased look satisfying her features before she silently stepped back into the crowd. The other wolves did as well, each one rescinding their challenge in my presence.

I turned to face this new Queen Luna, making sure to pull my power back into me before she could get a taste of it. I wouldn’t cheat. Not here. Not against her. Not for this title. This was purely between my own abilities and hers.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Roman asked from his position in front of the pack. I didn’t take my eyes off of Lillian, my concern with Roman in the furthest depths in the back of my head. This was a matter of beasts and my beast was positively fuming within me. Roman was mine. Even if he didn’t want to be. Even if I didn’t want him to be. He still was; mine.

“I’m the King Alpha’s mate,” I declared, lifting my blade from my hip dangerously. “I challenge you, Lillian of the Red Moon pack. I challenge you right now. And when I win, I will be the Queen Luna.” I then threw the blade to the side, not even throwing it a passing glance when it tumbled across the floor and under the feet of the pack.

I didn’t have to see Roman to feel his shock. The bond between us was suddenly open, as though his concentration had faltered with my statement. I let his presence wash over me, feeling that beast flex within me in a delighted response, but my focus was entirely on Lillian.

“I’ve heard about you,” Lillian mused with entertainment. “Aren’t you no better than a human? I’ve heard you can’t even shift.” A laugh trickled from her throat as she straightened, no longer as tense as before when presented with her challenger.

While she was caught off guard, I silently pulled at the power of my beast, focusing on my legs and feet only. Within a breath of a second, I lunged forward, moving faster than I’d ever been able to manage against Logan. I didn’t care for her look of surprise. I only focused on the strength in my foot when I slammed it into her legs, twisting to grip her arm and shoulder before putting that unnatural strength into my arms and abdomen. Lillian was launched over my shoulder, thrown to the ground violently in the distance, just as Logan had taught me.

Lillian rolled onto all fours quicker than I thought she would, launching herself towards me with a snarl in her throat. I twisted sharply, dodging

Eighteen

Chapter 17

Once the adrenaline of my latest challenge had worn off, my world became one of intense agony and confusion. I may have also tried to attack any wolf who stepped forward to help me, mostly because I felt more unsafe than I had ever felt before.

Did I really just force my way into being Queen Luna? Why did it matter to me if some random chick took the spot? My only goal was to stop Roman from whatever plans he had against the human race. That didn’t mean I had to go this far, did it?

Anyway, Diana had been the one to bring me back down to reality. With a quick jab to my side, the pain was so sharp that I may have fainted. To me, it felt more like a warped blink in which one second I was in the arena and in the next I was back in a clinic setting.

“Don’t move, Mila,” Diana’s voice sang to me softly, but the pain that followed didn’t request the same from me. I realized I was on my stomach, the fabric of the bed sheet pressed against my face, with Diana above me doing who knew what that felt like flames on my back.

I immediately began to attempt an escape.

“Can you hold her?” Diana requested from someone else in the room. Two firm hands gripped my upper arms from behind, pinning me forcefully against the bed. Despite the sharp pain on my shoulder, I froze at the touch, feeling the spark in Roman’s hands as they held me.

“Let me go,” I snarled, my voice strained in pain.

“Your wounds aren’t healing like a wolf,” Roman responded stiffly. Diana moved over my flesh sharply, sending a sickening wave of pain throughout me. I groaned, tightening my hands into fist and clenching my mouth shut to suppress a scream.

“Almost done, Mila,” Diana cooed as though I were a child.

“I’ll kill you,” I threatened in response, though the threat lacked true conviction.

“Oh, that’s not nice,” She sighed before continuing, sending a renewed wave of pain through me. I struggled against Roman’s grip, trying to move away from whatever it was Diana was doing to me. Besides the pain across my back and shoulder, there were other aches and sharp pains throughout me. My lungs seemed to scream with each breath, so I was unable to take a deep breath needed to cry out as I wanted to.

“Okay, all done with that, just need to bandage you up. King Alpha, can you help her to sit up for me?” Diana asked Roman with a lofty voice of pleasant innocence as though she weren’t just torturing me moments before.

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