1. AN INNOCENT LUNA

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW 

Right after Seraphina and Ronan’s wedding, Finn returned to the werewolf realm almost immediately using his powers. Yet, as he approached the Council’s territory, his dark blue gaze fell on the bouquet cradled in his hands. Memories of the unmated females at the wedding, their screams of love confessions and hopeful marriage proposals, flashed unbidden before him. Some whispered that whoever caught the bouquet would be next to wed. 

Finn thought the notion was nonsense. These deceptively delicate flowers would dictate nothing for him.

He raised his hand to cast the bouquet aside when a faint, almost ethereal chime reached his ears. His eyes flicked forward instantly. A figure, draped entirely in black, aimed their claws at his throat. Without hesitation, Finn intercepted the blow with the hand clutching the bouquet. The fragile blossoms bore the brunt, scattering into a swirling cloud of petals. 

Through the drifting petals, Finn’s dark blue eyes locked with a beautiful pair of brown ones.  The eyes promised him death but still managed to look seductive. Time seemed to stretch between them; as Finn looked deeper into that pair of brown eyes. It was the first time someone with such palpable killing intent had come this close to him.

The person shifted instantly, targeting his throat and heart with merciless precision. Finn didn’t lift another hand to block the attacks. He handled it single handedly. However, his gaze traveled over the person’s form, tracing every smooth curve with an unsettling appreciation. The gentle swell of the chest hinted at curves hidden behind the loose black clothes, the narrow line of the waist and powerful sweep of the hips did not go unnoticed from his eyes.  

Even his wolf, lurking in the depths of his eyes, came forward to enjoy the lethal elegance before him. 

Each strike was fluid, precise, and dripping with bloodlust. Finn felt a thrill creep along his spine, amusement tugging at him, until a shout shattered the moment. 

“An intruder!”

His gaze flicked to the source, the fleeting shadow of a wolf fleeing through the treeline. A diversion, clear as day.

He returned his attention to the figure in black, only to find them gone. The air carried nothing but the faint, lingering tinkle of a bell. The person always had a back up plan and it was escape if someone came. 

“Alpha!” Austin’s voice cut through as he rushed over. “I heard there was an intruder. Did you see anything?”

“They were right here, they came to kill me.”

Austin’s eyes turned deadly,  “What did they look like?”

Finn shoved his hands into his pockets, staring into the shadowed forest ahead. “Like walking…temptation.”

Austin blinked, completely thrown. “Walking… what?”

Finn turned his head slowly, the faint glint of his wolf shimmering in his eyes. “A woman.”

Austin turned so shocked that he found himself speechless. A woman dared to pull such a stunt? Also not just on anyone but the Council Head?!

He desperately waited for orders to catch her from his Alpha but none came. Instead he found Finn’s eyes drifted to the scattered petals on the floor into a strange quietness.

A week later:

“The Head of the Council is back,” one of the wolves announced, knocking on the bathroom door.

“I’ll be there,” Austin’s voice was tight, slightly rough, as the Omega kneeling before him brilliantly sucked him. He didn’t have time to enjoy it for long, Finn had returned after only a week. Austin thrust his hips a few times before quickly finishing.

“You’re leaving already?” the Omega asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

Austin chuckled, adjusting his clothes. “Come to my bedroom tonight,” he said before heading toward the Council Head’s office, arriving just ahead of Finn. 

No one knew exactly when the Council Head would return next, so Austin had already prepared the documents and matters requiring urgent attention.

“Alpha, these two Elders are opposing female healers’ entry onto the Council,” Austin said, placing thick dossiers in front of Finn.

Finn did not even scan the papers briefly. “Remove both of them from the Council,” he said, tossing the documents aside. Just like that, a quarter of the day’s work was done. Austin, accustomed to Finn’s ruthless efficiency, his unwillingness to waste a single second on fools, nodded smoothly and presented the next file.

Finn went through them methodically until a murder case caught his attention. “Why is this listed as urgent?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Only matters of extreme danger or ones that could not be handled within the realm reached the Head of the Council’s desk.

Austin hesitated, carefully choosing his words. “Alpha… this murder case is unlike anything the realm has ever encountered.”

Finn’s interest piqued. “What makes it so…special?”

“A Luna stabbed her Alpha mate to death sixty-four times,” Austin revealed.

Finn’s gaze sharpened. He didn’t read the lengthy reports; instead, he studied the photographs of the Alpha’s brutalized body.

“He was a respected and powerful Alpha in the realm. His death, so violent at the hands of his own Luna, has unsettled everyone in the realm,” Austin explained.

Finn’s voice was precise. “What proof exists that the Luna did this?”

“She was alone in the bedroom with her Alpha when it happened. No one else entered, no one else existed.”

Finn tossed the file aside. “Then what’s the problem?”

Austin cleared his throat, hesitating. Finn’s eyes bore into him, cold and piercing. After a tense pause, Austin admitted, “She—she looks too innocent to commit  crime like this.”

Finn’s stare froze him in place. Austin had served alongside Finn for nearly a decade and had never said anything this absurd.

“Arrange a trial for this case by tomorrow and I want you to resolve it without delay,” Finn ordered, rising from his chair.

“I understand,” Austin said, following Finn down the empty corridor.

The only sounds in the grand hall were the rustle of papers and murmurs of Council work, until an ethereal chime echoed softly across the room. Finn froze mid-step, his gaze sliding down the hall where the Elders sat in two precise rows. His Gamma, Matty, occupied the middle seat, but Finn’s attention didn’t linger on the familiar face. Instead, his eyes were drawn to a slender figure entering alone, clad entirely in black.

As she moved, the delicate chime of her anklet marked each step.

“Who is she?” Finn asked, his voice low, almost a growl, eyes fixed on her back.

“She is that widow Luna… the one who murdered her Alpha,” Austin replied quickly, tension in his voice. “She’s been ordered to appear at today’s meeting to give her account before the trial begins.”

Finn's eyes followed her through the hall, each measured step carrying her closer to the center of the room, until she finally stopped.

“Luna Vivica… did you kill your mate?” Matty’s voice rang out, resonant, demanding.

Every gaze in the hall fell upon the 5’5” woman standing there in mourning attire. Her figure was delicate, almost fragile, yet impossibly beautiful, drawing secret, involuntary breaths from even the most disciplined Elders. 

Vivica lifted her eyes to meet Matty’s briefly. “I did not kill anyone,” she said softly, then lowered her gaze again.

Her voice, gentle and trembling, seemed to squeeze the hearts of everyone present. Her clenched fists betrayed the effort it took to hold back tears, shaking even the Gamma’s judgement. Matty cleared his throat, about to declare a decision, when the room seemed to fall silent, time itself pausing.

Noticing the strange silence Vivica lifted her eyes again. A tall figure now loomed over her. Her brown eyes locked with Finn’s dark blue ones.

The Council held their collective breath, as if the very air had thickened. Even the smallest movement could betray them. And yet, the tiny Luna stood her ground, her gaze unwavering, fearless in the face of the Alpha who dominated the room.

Beneath those seemingly innocent eyes, Finn smelled the same bloodlust he had sensed before. The corner of his lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. 

“Why did you kill him?” he asked, voice low, cold, but threaded with intrigue.

Vivica blinked slowly, moisture glinting in her lashes. “Do I look like someone capable of that?”

Finn tilted his head, the shadow of his wolf flickering across his eyes. “If you looked through my eyes…” he whispered, leaning ever so slightly closer, “you would see… you would be… only in my personal hell.”