3. When The Luna Fell

Alice's POV

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Delta Eora said you were handling something. Is there a problem outside? You were gone quite a while, dear.”

Alpha Redius greeted me with worry on his face—though I knew very well it wasn’t me he was concerned about. It was the precious bracelet on my wrist he didn’t want slipping out of his control.

He really was a master at pretending.

I walked past him even when he tried to catch my hand. His face tightened, probably wondering why I was acting different. Honestly, I no longer cared. But I had to play this slowly… at least until the night of my coronation.

“I came from the Academy. Jason had a bit of trouble there,” I said calmly.

“How can I help?”

“It’s already taken care of. And I don’t want to burden you with Jason’s problems. He’s my responsibility.”

“Very well. But remember—you need to stay focused on your coronation.”

I nodded quickly. As soon as he turned and left, I hurried back to my room and did exactly what I remembered doing in my previous life.

The next morning, the final preparations for my coronation were complete—gown, invitations, decorations, symbols—everything drained the life out of me. Even the dress fitting alone took the entire day. And of course, Delta Eora stayed by my side.

Or more accurately… watched my every move.

Redius assigned her to “help” me, and she used it as an excuse to dig into every detail of the ceremony. I knew exactly how rotten she was, so I pretended to be obedient—smiling, nodding, never lowering my guard.

“Oh—almost forgot,” Delta Eora said, placing lilies in a vase beside my bed. “Two warriors are picking up your brother on Alpha’s orders. He’s a bit worried Jason’s problems might distract you. He really loves you, Alice.”

“Does he really?” I let out a soft, cold laugh. Her hand hesitated for a second.

“Of course he does… And he also asked me to make sure you rest well. You’ll be needed tonight,” she said, leaning closer with that thin, smug smile.

“I saw him order so many roses… he asked me to place them in his room.”

I almost laughed—bitter and hollow.

Memories from my past life snapped back. The night before my coronation, I had gone to sign official documents with the Elders. When I returned, Redius’s bedroom door was locked. The guards said he was resting.

Now I knew exactly what he had been doing behind that door.

“Thank you for staying with me, Delta Eora.”

She nodded once and walked out quickly—as if she had somewhere important to be.

I slipped out behind her, removing my heels so the sound wouldn’t echo down the corridor. And of course… I heard them again. Two matching pheromones. The same breathy moans. The same disgusting whispers.

This time, I steeled myself. I wouldn’t let this bracelet fall into Alpha Redius’s hands—not when I still didn’t know what power it truly held.

When I returned to my room, I froze. Jason walked out of it.

“Jason? What is he doing here?” I whispered.

I rushed after him, almost running, but before I could call his name, he shifted into his wolf form and leaped off the balcony at the end of the hall.

My heart dropped. Something was wrong. I tried reaching him through mindlink—he blocked me.

“Oh, Moon Goddess…” I breathed, empty and cold. “Please don’t let this be a bad sign.”

The thought haunted me. I had changed several events, including this one, but it only left me with more questions. My mind raced until it eventually gave up, my body too exhausted from everything that day.

**

The night of the coronation arrived.

The hotel ballroom had been transformed into a glittering urban palace worthy of the werewolf race. Crystal lights shimmered, modern classical music filled the air, and proud members of the Black Moonstone Pack packed the room.

I smiled at the Alphas and Elders from all over Carpathia who had come.

But my smile froze.

Across the room, a pair of blue eyes locked onto mine. Heavy, magnetic—pulling me like gravity.

In a split second, the blue shifted to gold.

Draven Bradford.

Draven… was an Alpha?

My heart pounded wildly as his gaze dominated the room. Yet there was a strange warmth within it.

“I need to focus. Tonight is the night Redius takes the bracelet,” I whispered to myself.

Until this moment, Draven’s presence was still the only thing different from my previous life.

But before I could gather my thoughts, I saw Redius. His hand brushed against Eora’s arm—soft, intimate. A small gesture most would ignore. But to me, it was proof of betrayal.

I smiled thinly. Once, I had convinced myself it was nothing. Now, it was undeniable.

Eora slipped out of the ballroom. Redius approached, offering his hand.

“It’s time, Alice. Tonight is yours. You will officially become my Luna, dear.”

His voice echoed through the crystal hall, heavy with authority demanding silence and obedience.

I nodded, my heart thundering. Before the Elders, the Alphas, and hundreds of guests, we walked toward the crystal altar where oaths would be spoken.

The air shifted. Ancient ritual, sacred and strong, hovered at the edge of our breath.

I inhaled, ready to speak my vow—

“Wait!”

Every head turned.

Delta Eora stormed into the hall, dragging Jason by the arm—his wrists bound with silver chains, two warriors flanking him.

“What is the meaning of this, Delta Eora? Why is Jason like that?” I dashed toward my brother.

She yanked him closer, her face glowing with triumph. “Allow me to speak, Alpha Redius. Has your Luna not learned to control her own family? Ever since he entered the pack house or this ballroom, this boy has been acting suspicious. I followed him… and my instincts were right.”

My heart pounded so hard my legs nearly gave out. This was different—completely different from my past life.

“What are you talking about, Delta Eora?”

Her gaze sharpened. Her lips curled into a cruel smile. “He’s a spy from the Southern Rogues. You didn’t know? Or are you pretending not to know?”

“What?!” My breath caught. Whispers erupted around us, but my eyes only searched Jason—pale, terrified. “No! Jason isn’t a spy! He’s my brother—I trust him!”

Jason shook his head desperately. “I didn’t betray anyone, Alice. I swear.”

But his words drowned under the noise.

“Quiet, boy!” Eora snapped. She turned to the Elders and Redius seated above. “The evidence is clear. Everyone should see the truth.”

I stepped forward—shaking, but standing tall. “If you have evidence, show it! Don’t stain this sacred night with your lies!”

Eora smirked and signaled Beta Luke. He stepped forward with a stack of brown folders, spilling them over the crystal altar.

“Here,” she said proudly. “Secret communication between Jason and the Southern Rogues. With his signature and blood seal—impossible to fake.”

I stared at the documents. Photos of Jason with a hooded figure. Letters in his handwriting. A blood seal of a Starry Banes wolf.

My eyes widened. “That’s impossible!” I grabbed one paper, my chest heaving. “I know Jason’s handwriting. This is fake!”

But Redius was already standing, eyes cold and sharp.

“Silence, Alice.” His Alpha tone slammed into me.

Jason stumbled, terrified. “I didn’t write that! I don’t know them! I swear!”

Eora looked at him sympathetically—fake and poisonous. “Oh? Then explain who this is in the photo.”

Jason froze—fear swallowing his voice.

I held his hand tightly, turning toward the crowd with every ounce of strength left. “I know my brother. Jason is innocent. Alpha Redius, you must believe me.”

But the room split—half doubting, half pitying. The Elders exchanged looks.

Eora stood in the center like a queen of venom, smiling as if she had already won.

And my coronation night turned into a stage of deceit.

“ENOUGH!” Alpha Redius roared. He nodded to the warriors. “Take the traitor to the cells. And as for Alice—her coronation is delayed. Confine her to her room until further notice.”

His order hit me like a physical blow. My body felt heavy, unmoving, as warriors stepped forward to seize me.

“Isn’t this excessive, Alpha Redius?”

I turned.

Draven stood before me—tall, eyes burning like embers. His voice was low yet thunderous, an Alpha’s decree that forced everyone quiet.

He didn’t just protest. He challenged.

He stepped between me and Redius, his presence shifting the entire atmosphere—dominant, unshakeable. The guests froze.

“Alice may be your mate,” Draven said calmly, “but that doesn’t give you the right to treat her—or her family—unjustly. As an Alpha, you should know one of your duties is to protect your mate and her kin.”

“What are you implying, Alpha Draven?” Redius growled.

Draven’s golden eyes gleamed with authority. “I’m reminding you that pack law stands above anyone’s pride. And pack law states: every accused wolf has the right to defend themselves before being punished. Trading justice for politics is disgraceful.”

Silence swallowed the hall. Even the Elders exchanged looks.

Draven pointed toward Jason—steady, sharp. “That boy hasn’t been proven guilty. You’re calling him a spy without a single valid witness or solid evidence.”

Redius’s jaw clenched. “You dare lecture me?”

Draven didn’t flinch. His aura exploded, pressing down on everyone. The warriors holding me stumbled, gasping.

“I’m not lecturing you, Alpha Redius,” Draven replied, voice steady and resonant. “I’m warning you. Because when an Alpha bends the law for his own ambition, he stops being a leader—and becomes a tyrant.”

He stood tall—like a wall between Redius and me. Then his voice dropped, low and dangerously soft.

“Alice is too precious to be destroyed by lies. And Jason… he’s her brother. Anyone who harms him without proof is insulting their own Luna.”

The tension was suffocating. No one dared breathe.

Even Redius, fury burning in his eyes, couldn’t respond immediately.

Then Draven took my hand—firm, warm. His eyes shifted again—blue melting into gold, this time staying.

He leaned closer, his whisper brushing my skin.

“I’m asking you to wait for me, Miss Ravenscourt. Will you trust me?”

My heart hammered. “What do you mean, Draven?”

“You’ll know… when the time comes.”

Everything felt like a blur—Jason’s arrest, Draven’s defense, the spiraling consequences of the changes I’d made.

Oh, Moon Goddess...Did I really have to wait like Draven asked?