Chapter Four

Ayla

We slip away from the main grounds, past the edge of the square, down a path that leads toward the old gathering stones. It's quieter here. The trees form a canopy above us, leaves whispering in the breeze. Dappled light dances on the path. I walk behind him, almost breathless.

When he stops, I step beside him.

“I don’t do this often,” he says, looking at the sky. “I’ve seen what the bond can do to people. It can ruin them. Break them.”

His voice is distant, thoughtful. I search his face, but I can’t find warmth there, only restraint.

“But… you kissed me.” My voice is small.

His gaze flicks to mine. “I did.”

There’s a pause. Then he leans forward and presses his lips to mine again.

This kiss is not gentle or brief. It's deep, slow, and filled with something I can’t name. The bond snaps fully into place. I feel it in my bones, in my blood. Our wolves reach for each other, twining together in that unseen place only we can feel.

When he pulls back, I’m breathless and shaken.

“So you do feel it,” I whisper, voice trembling.

“I do,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let it decide everything.”

My heart sinks. The warmth from the kiss fades into confusion.

“What do you mean?”

He crosses his arms, eyes narrowing slightly. “The mate bond is powerful, yes. But it’s also... chaotic. I need more than chaos. I need a Luna who can lead beside me. Who understands the responsibility. The duty.”

“I can be that,” I say quickly. “I am that.”

“I don’t doubt your strength, Ayla,” he replies. “But I’ve learned to question fate. I need more than just a feeling. I need peace. Stability. A Luna who knows how to serve her pack, not just herself.”

His words cut deeper than I expect. The cold edge of them leaves me silent.

But I won’t cry. Not here, not now.

“Then why did you kiss me again?” I ask, forcing myself to hold his gaze.

“Because it’s real,” he says simply. “Even if I don’t want it to be.”

That hurts most of all.

I say nothing as we turn to walk back. He doesn’t touch me. Doesn’t look at me again.

And still, I follow.

Because the bond is there. Because I still hope.

The Alpha’s den is larger than I imagined.

We step through wide stone archways into a grand hall, dimly lit by sconces flickering along the walls. The air is warm, rich with the scent of roasted meats, fresh bread, and herbs. A long table stretches down the center, polished wood gleaming under the soft golden light. It’s already half-filled with pack members, all chattering, laughing, sipping from silver goblets.

The den feels ancient. I can almost feel the presence of the former Alpha in the walls, like a ghost that still watches over this sacred place. But now, it belongs to Lugh. Every step I take inside it feels like I’m stepping deeper into his world.

People are still entering from behind us, jostling for seats, calling out to friends. A few guards in ceremonial gear guide everyone into order. As Selene and I walk in together, a few heads turn. Then more. And then suddenly, it’s like we’ve become the centre of gravity.

Voices rise around me.

“Ayla! What did he say to you?” That’s Liana.

“I saw him dancing with you three times!” A Beta’s daughter asks.

“Is it true? Did he kiss you?”

“Are you going to be Luna?”

I barely have time to breathe. They crowd around me; girls I used to go to lessons with, young warriors, even a few elder pack daughters. Some look at me with wide, excited eyes. Others hide their scowls behind half-smiles.

I force myself to keep my chin high, smoothing down my dress even though my palms are damp.

“Yes,” I say, as if it’s the simplest thing in the world. “He told me he’s choosing me. We’re fated, after all. It’s already decided.”

There’s a ripple of gasps, some delighted, others less so.

“He told you that?” one girl asks, eyes narrowing slightly.

I smile, steady and practiced. “In the woods. After we danced. We talked alone for a while.” I give Liana a smug look and I can see her die inside.

I can feel Selene standing behind me. She hasn’t said a word, but I know she’s listening. When I glance back at her, she offers me a soft smile, quiet and supportive, as if this moment belongs to me alone.

We finally find two seats close to the Alpha’s end of the table, farther than I’d like, but close enough to be noticed. People part for me like water around a stone. I sit with slow grace, smoothing my skirt as I do. Selene slips into the seat beside me, still quiet.

I lean closer to her and whisper, “Don’t be shy. Tonight changes everything.”

She gives me a gentle nod and pours us both a goblet of sparkling drink. Her fingers brush mine, steading me just for a moment.

But even as the food is brought out and the hall begins to buzz with laughter and song, I can’t shake the feeling rising in my chest. A knot. A slow, tight pull of doubt.

I smile but inside, I wait. Because Lugh hasn’t arrived yet.

The hall quiets just a little when he enters.

Alpha Lugh steps in, flanked by two warriors. The hall leans toward him, hungry.

My heart leaps without permission. Surely he’s going to claim me. I’m made for him by the Goddess herself.

He walks down the length of the table, greeting people with short nods and smiles that don’t reach his eyes. His gaze moves like he is searching, scanning and when it falls on me, it pauses. Something flares in his expression. But then, just as quickly, it flickers past.

He’s already looking at Selene.

She stiffens beside me, shrinking into her seat like she wants to disappear. Lugh slows as he nears us, then stops just behind her chair.

“You’re the other twin,” he says, voice low but carrying. “Selene, is it?”

Selene stands awkwardly. “Yes, Alpha.”

“You don’t speak much,” he adds.

Selene lifts her chin slightly, her voice light. “Only when I have something to say.”

A few people chuckle around the table. Lugh smiles, it is genuine this time and something in my chest gives a painful twist.

He leans a hand on the back of her chair, still speaking. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

She shrugs. “Behind Ayla. She’s the one everyone wants to look at.”

He glances toward me, but his eyes are distracted. “That might be a mistake,” he says, returning his gaze to her.

My goblet trembles in my grip. The nightmare comes rushing back, more vivid than reality.

Selene sits back down, cheeks pink. She doesn’t realize what she’s doing. She doesn’t see how he watches her now, not the way he watched me when we danced. This is different; curious, interested.

He stays beside her far too long. Asks her questions about their studies, the healers she’s trained under. When she mentions her work with herbs, he nods thoughtfully and presses for more.

I sit there, silent, chewing through bread that tastes like ash.

She laughs at something he says, and her hand brushes his briefly as she reaches for her drink. I see the flicker in his eyes, the tension in his jaw, he notices.

I want to scream. This can’t be happening. This can’t be my nightmare come to life.

He hasn’t even looked at me again. Not once since he came to the table. Not after our dances. Not after that kiss in the dark.

Selene is radiant in her simplicity, he is drawn to her, and she doesn’t even know it.

And the longer he speaks to her, the more invisible I feel.