The Council chamber emptied slowly, its heavy doors groaning shut behind the last member. Yet the sting of their words lingered, sharp as glass beneath Elara's skin.
A Luna without a scent is no Luna at all.
She sat in silence long after they had gone, staring at the floor, her heart pounding in uneven rhythm. She wanted to disappear into the shadows, to return to her herbs and her quiet life, but there was no path back. Not anymore.
"You heard them." Her voice cracked as she finally looked up at Darius, who stood before the Council dais like a king before his throne. "They'll never accept me."
"They will." His golden eyes burned, unwavering. "Because I will accept nothing less."
She shook her head, rising to her feet. "You don't understand. They hate me. They think I tricked you, that I'm nothing but a worthless healer. I can't—"
"You can," he interrupted, stepping closer. "And you will."
His presence pressed against her like a storm wind, too strong to fight. For a heartbeat, she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, could only feel the way her wolf stirred beneath her skin.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why me?"
He tilted his head, studying her with that piercing gaze that seemed to see straight into her soul. "Because fate does not choose wrongly."
Her throat tightened. She wanted to deny him, to push him away, but the words tangled in her chest. She had lived so long believing she was broken, unwanted, unworthy. To hear the Alpha King speak as though she mattered—it was dangerous. Too dangerous.
Before she could reply, the doors opened again. Elder Kael reentered, flanked by two guards. His expression was grave, his eyes sharp with calculation.
"If the King insists on his claim," Kael said, his voice measured, "then the pack must be given proof. Let her show she is worthy of standing as Luna."
Elara's stomach dropped. "Proof?"
Kael's lips curved into something almost like a smile, though it held no warmth. "Tomorrow at dawn, she will take the Trial of the Moon. If she succeeds, the pack will have no choice but to accept her. If she fails…" His gaze lingered on her, heavy with unspoken threat. "Then she will step aside."
The words rang in the air, final and cruel.
Elara's knees weakened, but before she could collapse, Darius's hand found her arm, steadying her with unyielding strength.
"She will not fail," he said, his voice edged with steel.
Kael inclined his head, though doubt gleamed in his eyes. "We shall see."
---
The walk back to her cabin was silent. Darius kept close, his presence a wall between her and the stares that followed them. Wolves parted like waves before him, but their whispers still cut, filling her ears with poison.
"She won't survive the trial."
"She's too weak."
"She'll embarrass him before all."
Elara wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, wishing she could vanish into the night. At her door, she turned sharply, blocking his path.
"You can't keep doing this," she said, her voice trembling. "You can't keep speaking for me, standing for me. This is my life, not yours."
His gaze darkened, but he didn't step closer. Instead, he looked at her as though weighing her very soul. "Then fight for it," he said at last. "Prove them wrong."
"I'll die trying," she whispered.
"Then you'll die mine," he replied, his voice low, certain. "But you won't. I've seen the fire in you, Elara. Don't let their voices smother it."
Her chest ached. She wanted to scream at him, to demand why he cared, why he wouldn't let her go. But instead, she found herself staring at him, caught in the pull of his golden eyes, until the world fell away.
Finally, she forced herself to step back. "Leave me. Please."
For a long moment, he didn't move. Then, with a quiet growl, he obeyed, turning into the night.
Elara closed the door and slid to the floor, pressing her fists to her mouth to stifle the sob that tore from her throat.
The Trial of the Moon. She had seen others take it. Some returned bloodied, broken. Some never returned at all.
And now it was her turn.
---
Dawn came too soon.
The pack gathered in the clearing beyond the training grounds, a wide circle beneath the silver light of the fading moon. Torches flickered, casting shadows across the stone arch that marked the trial's beginning.
Elara stood at its edge, her heart hammering, her palms slick with sweat. She wore no armor, only her healer's cloak, her herbs tucked uselessly at her belt.
Corin appeared at her side, his face pale. "You don't have to do this," he whispered.
She gave a broken laugh. "Do I look like I have a choice?"
His jaw clenched. "I could help you. There are ways—"
"No," she cut in sharply. "If I cheat, I'll prove them right. I can't."
He stared at her, something fierce and desperate flickering in his green eyes, but he said nothing more.
A horn sounded. The crowd fell silent.
Elder Kael's voice rang out. "Elara of Silverfang, step forward."
Her legs shook, but she obeyed, crossing beneath the arch.
"The Trial of the Moon," Kael continued, "tests the strength of spirit, body, and wolf. If you succeed, you may stand as Luna beside the King. If you fail…" His pause was deliberate, cruel. "…the bond will end here."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Elara's heart lurched. End here? Did that mean death?
Before she could ask, the ground trembled. The stones of the arch flared with pale light, and a low growl echoed from the darkness beyond.
Her wolf whimpered inside her. This was no simple trial. This was the Moon's judgment itself.
Darius stood at the edge of the circle, his eyes locked on hers. He said nothing, but the intensity of his gaze rooted her to the earth.
"Begin," Kael commanded.
The light swallowed her.
And Elara stepped into the Trial of the Moon.