Chapter 137

Dante’s POV

Having Elora fully back was something that lifted a happy mood in me. Although I didn't like the fact that we both had to share her, and I am not sure how, there was nothing I could do. I only wanted her to live and that was enough for me. I didn't want to be greedy. When Dominic sank his fang into her neck, I felt something in me snap. It was like him touching something that was not his in the first place.

But he is my brother and there was nothing I could do. He was the Alpha and Elora was his wife. Even if she were my mate, I couldn't possibly stop her husband from trying to save her life.

After we were done reconnecting, I left for my room to freshen up and catch a little sleep that I've been missing for quite some days. I was sure Elora was fully recovered now and would not slip in and out of consciousness anymore.

Immediately, my head hit the bed after my cold shower, and I drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and I needed to be clear-headed for it.

That morning, the sun just hung there, spilling gold over the field where everyone had come together. For once, no smoke smudged the horizon. The air smelled clean, untouched by blood or sorrow, just the steady hum of the pack, hundreds of breaths moving together.

Up on the platform Dominic built, the Crescent Moon banner snapped in the wind, silver against the sky. Light danced off it, catching on armor, in the eyes of wolves, glinting in tears.

Dominic stood in front of everyone, shoulders set, face impossible to read. I stood next to him, not sure if I felt honored or just teased.

He turned to the pack, his voice deep and steady. “Brothers. Sisters. We’ve bled, we’ve fought, and we’ve lost parts of ourselves to the war. But the moon goddess didn’t leave us. She tested us.”

Everything is still. Even the wind seemed to stop to listen.

Dominic’s eyes moved across the crowd, then stopped on me. “I was chosen to lead, yeah, but no Alpha stands alone. This pack survived because we were more than one person’s strength. We made it because we stood together.”

My chest tightened. I didn’t expect him to say my name like that, to put me in that spot. I wasn’t sure I deserved it.

He raised his hand, voice clear. “From this day on, the Crescent Moon Pack won’t follow just one Alpha. I name Dante Vale, son of Lionel Vale, my brother in blood and spirit, Co-Alpha of this pack.”

The words crashed through the air. For a split second, nothing. Then the valley exploded... howls, shouts, a wave of voices. The healer just wept. Warriors beat their chests. The pack’s roar shook the ground.

My heart slammed hard. Pride tangled with grief. Pride because this was right, because unity mattered more than any ego. Grief because I could still feel everything we’d lost just to make it here.

Dominic turned to me, gripped my arm. His eyes shone, not with competition, but with brotherhood.

“We built this together,” he said. “We almost lost her, and ourselves, but the moon goddess stayed with us.”

My throat felt thick. “You saved her.”

He shook his head. “We did.”

And for the first time, I actually believed him.

Then Elora stepped forward, the sun in her face, her hair swaying as she moved. She wore white edged in silver, the color of starting over, and at her throat shimmered the mark that linked all three of us. She felt calm, powerful, and perfectly balanced.

Dominic offered his hand and she took it, then looked at me. Her gaze was steady, but her smile trembled. Together, they turned to the pack.

The healer spoke, her voice ringing out: “Before the eyes of the moon goddess, I give you your leaders. Dominic and Dante Vale, Co-Alphas of Crescent Moon Pack. And your Luna, Elora, heart of both bonds, chosen by the Goddess herself.”

The pack bowed. Even the wind seemed to bow with them.

Elora stepped between us and reached for my hand first, then Dominic’s. Her voice was steady. “We don’t lead because of blood or any old claim. We lead because our love made it through death. The Moon wants balance. So we honor her... together.”

Someone cried out, and the sound rolled across the mountains, wild and alive. It felt like something was waking up inside me. A sense of belonging, the bond thrumming between us.

I glanced at Dominic. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, but there was a kind of peace in his eyes I’d never seen before. Right then, I got it... We weren’t enemies anymore. We were guardians now. Two wolves, watching over the same soul.

The pack kept chanting our names... Dante. Dominic. Elora. I turned to her. She met my gaze, tears in her eyes. I took her hand and pressed it to my chest.

“You’re my wife,” I whispered, just for her. “And my Luna. That never changes.”

Her voice shook. “You’re my fire, Dante. But I belong to the moon goddess too, and she’s done with halves.”

I nodded. Finally, I understood.

Behind us, Dominic watched. A small, secret smile played on his lips. I caught it before he turned away, and his voice drifted, barely more than a breath meant for the moon goddess alone.

“As long as she’s alive,” he said, “I’ve already won.”

The cheers got louder. The banner snapped in the wind. The three of us stood beneath it, not tied together by fate’s cruelty, but by her mercy.

For the first time in ages, the Crescent Moon Pack howled, not in sorrow, but in triumph.