Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Liora
Looking out at the Moonfire wolves that are gathered in front of the pack house, I smile at how they joke and laugh. The sadness of losing their packmates lingers, but they have grown from this. Pups run around with a ball to the left, while their mothers watch on. Everyone has a plate of food or a bowl of Evette’s rabbit stew in hand.
Just a little further from the pack house, the aftermath of the attack barely remains. Everyone, including the pups between the ages of fourteen to eighteen, has done a good job cleaning the rubble and debris, and some houses have even been given a fresh coat of paint or been washed clean. It is proof that Moonfire is growing stronger. That we all are growing stronger.
“You’re late,” a voice calls to my right, and I grimace, turning to face Miss Maya, who is followed by Dan. Their pups must be running around with the others somewhere nearby.
“Sorry. I was butchering today, and realized a quick rinse wasn’t going to get rid of the smell,” I apologize, stepping forward to give her a hug. She chuckles as she wraps her arms around me, giving me a quick squeeze before releasing me.
“I see you still have the skills James taught you,” Dan muses, taking his turn to give me a squeeze as well. James was my dad–the beta of Stormclaw before his passing.
“What can I say, it runs in the blood,” I joke back. I spy the familiar red hair of Luke, the wolf making his way over to us with a wide grin on his face. His eyes roam my body as he takes in the sundress I changed into. Something different from the overalls I have been wearing the last three days.
“Took you long enough,” he jokes, ruffling my hair when he joins the three of us. I growl at my friend, swatting his hand away as he backs up, laughing.
“Anyways, now that you three are here, it’s time for our announcement. Follow me,” Luke continues, motioning for us to follow him onto the front steps of the pack house. Excited to hear what this announcement is, I stand on Luke’s left, while Dan and Miss Maya stand to his right. His eyes glaze over for a moment before I watch as the Moonfire wolves slowly begin to come closer to us. Even the pups join the crowd, finding their parents as the chatter dies down.
“Now that our final wolf of honor is here, it is time we announce to Liora, Maya, and Dan what
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the wolves of Moonfire have decided,” Luke begins, once we have everyone’s attention. Turning to face Dan and Miss Maya, Luke bows towards them, the pack following suit and surprising
- me.
“Three days ago, our pack lost our alpha and Luna, as well as countless members that were
our friends and family. If you two had not come when you did, we would still be fumbling with
trying to find our dead and heal our wounded. For that, the wolves of Moonfire ask that you
join, not as members, but as our alpha and Luan.”
“Don’t you mean Luna?” Miss Maya asks, placing a hand on Dan’s shoulder and making him stand straight again.
“No. You will be our alpha, Maya. And Dan would be your Luan–a male Luna,” Luke clarifies.
Shocked, I look to Miss Maya, who also has the same shocked expression as I do. We thought
she and Dan would be regular members and help Luke ascend as alpha, but we were totally
wrong.
“What about you? Don’t you want to be alpha?” I ask, stepping closer to Luke and placing a
hand on his arm. He smiles down at me and shakes his head.
“I don’t have the skill for it. Besides, I would rather be hunting and training than leading,” he
answers with a laugh.
“Are you sure this is what everyone wants?” Dan asks, wrapping his arm around his mate.
“It is. We need a strong alpha, and that is Maya. No offense, Dan,” Roy steps forward to
answer.
“None taken. Even I know Maya is the alpha between the two of us.” Waving Roy off, Dan laughs at this statement before kissing Maya on the cheek. The Moonfire wolves laugh at this, and I smile. Miss Maya is finally getting the credit she deserves.
“So, will you lead us?” Luke asks as the laughter dies down.
“I would be honored to.” The crowd cheers at Miss Maya’s statement, and I feel my smile
growing wider. The future of Moonfire looks brighter now.
“That just leaves Liora,” Luke states, turning to face me and taking my hand.
“What about me?” Looking into his eyes, I see respect glittering in their depth as Luke smiles
at me.
“We want you to be our beta.” Stepping back from the shock of the news, I look at Luke, then at the pack, then back at Luke. There is an amused look on his face as I try to process what
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he just said. Me? Their beta?
“I haven’t even started my training yet!” I try to protest, looking to Miss Maya for help, but she just smiles and shrugs. It is clear she won’t help me.
“But the way you stepped in and helped with the menial work is what a beta would do when the alphas are handling the bigger projects,” Luke retorts, with his hands squeezing mine. I look back to the crowd, watching as they all nod in agreement. I just did what was right.
“But I have no experience.” I don’t know why I am fighting against being a beta.
f
“Besides, the current beta couple of Moonfire is in the pack hospital, healing from the attack,” I continue. Luke’s smile falters at the mention of this pair. I had met the two wolves the day
before, wanting to express my sympathy for their loss and ask if they were still willing to train
me once fully healed–which they agreed to do.
“They stepped down earlier today. The loss took a toll on them, but they did tell me to tell you
that they will be mentoring you as our beta, if you accept the position,” Luke counters. Hit with this new piece of information, I free my hand from his grip and wrap my arms around myself. What if I do something wrong, and they banish me like Stormclaw did? What if I am not strong
enough? I can feel the dam inside my mind bend, feel the pain seep out faster. I am scared of
being abandoned by a pack again, and I hate this feeling.
“We won’t hurt you like they did, Liora,” Luke whispers, pulling me into his arms. His scent of
citrus floods my senses, and I focus on that to push away the pain and doubt. I am a beta,
with alpha blood mixed in. The goddess chose me to be a Luna, but my mate defied that by
rejecting me. I am meant to be a leader.
Taking one last deep breath, I pull away from Luke and stand tall, my arms no longer wrapped
around me.
“Alright. I accept the position as your beta,” I agree, the Moonfire wolves cheering at my words.
“But I have one condition.”
