He Made the Entire Pack Vote and Gave My Sister the Luna Title

Today was the first full moon since Lucas took over as Alpha, and the day he had chosen for my Luna coronation.An hour before the ceremony, I was still rushing to bandage the wounds from last night's patrol.Only I could smell the Shades, those attackers who could hide their scent. For the pack's safety, for Lucas's smooth transition as Alpha, I was ready to deploy at a moment's notice.By the time I finished getting ready, the seats before the altar were already packed.My mother Helen sat in the front row beside my sister.When Mia saw me, she forced a smile. "Congratulations, Nora. Tonight you'll officially move into Lucas's residence."Lucas was already the Alpha, yet she still called him by his first name, refusing to use his title.Helen pursed her lips. "What's there to celebrate? Wait until she actually wears the Luna crown."That was Helen for you. Whenever I achieved something, she never congratulated me. Her first instinct was always to comfort Mia.The day Lucas and I firs

I went back to the main house alone to pack my things.But the fingerprint scanner rejected me.I tried again. The door stayed firmly shut.I went around to the side entrance and entered the backup code Lucas had given me. The lock finally opened.The master bedroom door was wide open.My dark sheets had been replaced with the pastel colors Mia liked. Her dresses hung in the closet, and a suitcase carrying her scent sat beside the bed.So they had planned this all along.They couldn't even wait a few hours.I pushed open the guest room door. Three cardboard boxes blocked the entrance.My clothes, training gear, and the old coat my father had left me were all crammed inside.My phone buzzed with a security alert. Garrett was at the gate."How did you get in here without permission?"I scoffed. "I was going to ask who deleted my access.""Nora, only the Luna can live with the Alpha. Access to the main house and the pack's core areas has been transferred to Mia. You can't just come in any

The wind in North Ridge cut colder than in Frost Fang territory.North Ridge Security set me up with temporary quarters just behind the training grounds.Every morning, I took new patrol members out to track residual scents.In the afternoon, I returned to the patrol base, disassembled the silver bullet gun, and recalibrated its firing range.Theo asked me, "How many people do you need for your method?"I gave him the number, and he had them there the same day.He high-fived me. "Done deal!"It felt strange not having to charge into battle for someone else.After wrapping up in the evening, I would sit outside the patrol base cleaning my gun barrel.Wind drifted through the pine trees, the people around me chatting about what to have for dinner. No one rushed me to go back and clean up after someone else.Back in Frost Fang, Lucas was still in my patrol office, refusing to leave.He set the cake on the desk and dialed my number.The call went straight to voicemail.He tried reaching th

By the time Lucas reached North Ridge, it was already dark.The lights at the North Ridge Security training grounds had just come on.I finished the day's training and walked out of the equipment room with my gun case. Theo was standing at the door, waiting for me.Through the chain-link fence, Lucas watched me pull a fallen young patrol member to his feet, then nudge his mud-caked boots with a grin.The others joined in the laughter. No one kept their distance just because I used to be Frost Fang's patrol captain.He had thought I just left his territory.It wasn't until he saw me living here that he realized I had walked into a world without him.Theo had a bunch of wildflowers in his hand, tied with twine, the stems uneven as if he'd picked them from the roadside."Those kids got every direction right for the first time today." He held the flowers out to me, his ears a little red. "Consider it a thank-you."I had just taken the flowers when an angry shout came from behind me."Get a

Helen chased after me into the compound and grabbed my hand again."Nora, Mom was wrong."She was trembling with sobs. "I shouldn't have favored Mia. But there are so many Shades out there now. If you don't come with us, something will happen to me and Mia sooner or later..."Please, help your own family."I was fooled by Mia too. She's been fragile since she was little. I was just afraid she wouldn't survive."Even now, she was still making excuses for every time she had played favorites.She had resented me since the day I was born.When my sister was born, an Omega, everyone congratulated them. Beautiful baby. Safe delivery.Then came me, carrying the strong scent of Alpha blood.My father held me with pure joy.Helen decided that from the moment I was born, I owed my sister.For years, she had taken every sacrifice I made for granted.I felt no satisfaction, no vindication. Just exhaustion."Mom, this is the last time I'm calling you that."I pried her fingers away. "You and Mia ne