Page 134 of Moonlit Fate

“Alpha, will there be…” another started, but I didn’t let them finish.

“Later,” I said with raised hand. Not now. Not when I could barely contain the power building inside me.

“Is everything all right?” Their concern was genuine, but it grated against my frayed nerves.

“Fine,” I managed to say, though the lie tasted bitter. “Just focused on today’s meeting.”

“Of course, Alpha,” they responded, though I couldn’t see who spoke. My attention was on the ground, watching my steps instead of the faces around me.

“Keep moving,” Ilaric urged gently, and I did, putting one foot in front of the other, my mind a swirl of locked-down power.

“Alpha, will the meeting address the border issues?” a man shouted.

I tried to nod, to muster some semblance of assurance, but my head felt like it was stuffed with wool.

“Yes,” I croaked out, but no more words followed. My throat constricted as if the very air was strangling me.

“Are you sure okay, Alpha?” a woman asked.

“Fine,” I lied once more in a whisper. Murmurs spread through the pack like wildfire, their whispers flickering around me, stoking the chaotic energy. I couldn’t focus. Everything in me was begging to be let out.

“Step back, give her space,” Ilaric said loudly, but it was too late. Their fear was palpable, hanging heavy between us. They’d seen me lose control before, but not like this. Not with such immense power crackling under my skin.

“Sorry,” I muttered, though they couldn’t possibly understand the magnitude of the storm I was holding back. My feet shuffled, betraying my agitation as I fought to keep the magic at bay.

With the worst timing imaginable, my dad’s elders edged closer, three pairs of eyes sizing me up. My chest tightened at their arrival, each breath a struggle.

“Is this how our new alpha presents herself to her pack? Unstable and erratic?” Elder Branan said as he stared at me with no sympathy in his gaze, just cold judgment.

I gritted my teeth. “I’m managing,” I forced out, my voice far steadier than I was. Anger welled up in response to his criticism, but there was a persistent doubt too. Maybe they saw something I didn’t—or something I didn’t want to admit.

“Managing?” he repeated, skepticism etched into every syllable. “We need strength, not excuses.”

I wanted to shout, to unleash the fury and prove him wrong, but I tamped it down. “Iamstrong.”

“Enough.” Ilaric stepped in front of me. I glanced at him, caught off guard by the firmness in his tone. “Branan, now is not the time. Aria is more than capable of leading this pack. What she needs is our support and understanding, not baseless criticism.”

Branan’s eyes narrowed, his mouth moving into a thin line. There was an unfamiliar defiance in Ilaric’s stance that I’d never seen before. With his shoulders squared, he looked every bit the warrior I knew him to be.

The crowd stirred, Muttering among themselves. They weren’t used to seeing Ilaric challenge an elder. Hell, neither was I.

“She’s going through a difficult time, as we all are. We lost the alpha. Aria lost her father. What she needs from her pack, from her elders, is space and trust.” Ilaric held each elder’s gaze, unblinking.

“Space and trust, yeah,” someone in the crowd repeated. A murmur of agreement swept through the pack members gathered around us. Heads nodded, and a few voices called out their support.

“Stand with Aria!” another shouted, emboldened by Ilaric’s words.

A small glimmer of hope ignited, defiantly battling against the raging storm within my body. My lips parted, but no words came out. I didn’t need them. Ilaric had said enough. And for once, I let someone else speak for me.

As the last of the murmurs died down and the crowd began to disperse, Ilaric’s gaze lingered on me, reading my turmoil as if it were his own.

“Come with me,” he said, as he tightly gripped my hand and led me towards the forest. We veered off the path, venturing into a hidden hollow that shielded us from prying eyes.

“Maybe you should try working with the water,” he suggested quietly. “It might help.”

I hesitated, the fear of losing control gnawing at me. But not doing anything wasn’t an option anymore. Water had always been my trusted companion, but now it seemed untamed, a wild beast I wasn’t certain I could control.

“Okay,” I murmured, more to convince myself than him.

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