Chapter 4: The First Duty

Damon was waiting for me at the door of our hut.

He looked terrible—dark circles under his eyes, his clothes still stained with blood, a deep weariness in every line of his body. But when he saw me, something shifted in his expression. Relief, yes. But something else, too. Something that looked almost like suspicion.

"Elara." His voice was rough. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I stopped a few feet away from him, suddenly unsure of my welcome. "Caleb got there in time. They didn't get inside."

"I know. He told me." Damon's eyes searched my face, looking for something I couldn't name. "He also told me you spent the night in his hut."

There it was. The accusation I'd been dreading.

"The Red Claw attacked my door, Damon. My hut wasn't safe. Caleb offered me shelter." I kept my voice steady, meeting his gaze without flinching. "Nothing happened."

"I didn't say anything happened." But his jaw was tight, his hands clenched at his sides.

"You didn't have to. It's in your eyes." I took a step closer to him, close enough to touch. "I'm your mate, Damon. Your Luna. If you can't trust me, we have nothing."

For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then, slowly, the tension in his shoulders relaxed. He reached out and pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into my hair. "I'm not... I'm not used to this. To caring this much about someone. It makes me crazy."

I wrapped my arms around him, letting myself sink into his warmth. "I understand. But you have to trust me. I chose you. I'll always choose you."

The words tasted strange on my tongue—not quite a lie, but not entirely the truth either. Because even as I said them, an image flashed through my mind: Caleb in the doorway, his blue eyes full of longing.

I pushed it away. I had to. There was no future in that direction, only pain.

Damon pulled back just enough to look at me. "There's something I need you to do. An official Luna duty."

I blinked, surprised. "What kind of duty?"

"The Meteor pack's Luna is ill. Very ill. They've asked for someone with healing abilities to visit, to see if they can help." He paused, his expression troubled. "Normally, I'd send Marta. But she's needed here, with all the wounded. And you... you have the gift, don't you? Marta told me you've been helping in the healing hut."

I nodded slowly. "I do. My mother taught me."

"Then I want you to go. Represent Shadowfang. Offer what comfort and healing you can." His hands tightened on my arms. "Caleb will escort you to the border. The Meteor pack will meet you there and take you the rest of the way."

Caleb. Of course it would be Caleb.

"When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow at dawn." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I hate sending you away, even for a day. But this is important. It builds alliances, shows our strength. And honestly... I think it might be good for you. A chance to prove yourself outside of my shadow."

I understood what he wasn't saying. The pack still saw me as an outsider, a stranger who'd been given the Luna title without earning it. This mission was a chance to change that.

"I'll go," I said. "And I'll make you proud."

"You already make me proud." He kissed me then—soft, gentle, full of promise. "Now come inside. You need rest, and I need to hold you."

Dawn came too quickly.

I dressed in warm traveling clothes, packed a small bag with healing supplies, and met Caleb at the edge of the territory. He was already there, waiting with two horses and a grim expression.

"Ready?" he asked, not quite meeting my eyes.

"Ready."

We rode in silence for a while, following the winding path through the forest toward the northern border. The morning was crisp and clear, sunlight filtering through the trees in golden shafts. Birds sang overhead, oblivious to the tensions of the world below.

Finally, Caleb spoke. "I want to apologize."

"For what?"

"For last night. The way I... the way I looked at you. It wasn't appropriate." His hands tightened on the reins. "You're the Luna. Damon's mate. I had no right."

"Caleb." I waited until he looked at me. "You saved my life. You kept me safe. There's nothing to apologize for."

"But there is." His jaw worked. "Because when I look at you, I feel things I shouldn't feel. Think things I shouldn't think. And I need you to know that I'm fighting it. Every day. I would never—"

"I know." I cut him off gently. "I know you wouldn't. And I... I feel things too. Things that confuse me. But we can't. We both know that."

He nodded, his expression pained. "We can't."

The admission hung between us, heavy and undeniable. We rode on in silence, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on us.

At the border, the Meteor pack's representatives were waiting—two warriors and an older woman with kind eyes and silver-streaked hair. She introduced herself as Lena, the pack's senior healer.

"Luna Elara." She bowed her head respectfully. "We're grateful you came. Our Luna has been asking for someone with your gifts."

"I'll do everything I can." I turned to Caleb. "Wait for me here?"

"I'll be right here." His eyes met mine, steady and sure. "Be careful."

I nodded and followed Lena into Meteor territory.

The Meteor pack's lands were beautiful—rolling hills and clear streams, with huts built into the sides of gentle slopes. But as we walked, I noticed the signs of illness. Curtains drawn tight over windows. The sound of coughing from more than one hut. Faces pale and weary.

"An infection," Lena explained as we walked. "It started in the northern reaches of our territory and spread quickly. Most recover, but the old and the weak... they suffer most. Our Luna is strong, but she's not young. It's hit her hard."

We reached the Luna's hut, larger than the others and set apart from the main cluster. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of herbs and sickness. An old woman lay on a bed near the fire, her breathing labored, her face drawn with pain.

"Luna Mira," Lena said softly. "Our guest has arrived."

Mira's eyes opened—pale gray, clouded with age but still sharp. She studied me for a long moment, then smiled weakly.

"So young," she murmured. "So much weight on such young shoulders."

I approached the bed, kneeling beside her. "I'm Elara. I've come to help if I can."

"You've come because your Alpha ordered it." But there was no malice in her voice, only gentle understanding. "Sit with me a while, child. Let me look at you."

I sat, and for a long moment, she just studied my face. Then she reached out and took my hand, her grip surprisingly strong.

"You carry a heavy secret," she said quietly. "A burden in your heart. Two paths before you, and neither easy."

I stiffened, my breath catching. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't you?" Her eyes held mine, ancient and knowing. "The heart wants what it wants, child. But duty demands its price. You'll have to choose, eventually. And the choice will break you, no matter which way you fall."

I wanted to deny it. Wanted to pull my hand away and flee. But I couldn't move, couldn't speak, trapped in the truth of her words.

"The pack comes first," I managed finally. "My mate comes first."

"Of course." She smiled sadly. "That's what we all tell ourselves. Until the moment comes when we have to prove it." She squeezed my hand. "Now. Let me teach you something. A healing technique my grandmother taught me, passed down through generations. It might help your pack someday."

For the next few hours, she taught me. Showed me how to channel energy in new ways, how to reach deeper into the body's natural healing processes. I learned quickly, absorbing her knowledge like dry earth drinking rain.

By evening, Mira was resting more comfortably. Her breathing had eased, some color returning to her cheeks. It wasn't a cure—she was too old, too worn for that—but it was relief. Ease. A few more comfortable days.

"You have the gift," Lena said as we left the hut. "Truly. You helped her more than any of us could."

"I only did what she taught me." I felt wrung out, exhausted, but also fulfilled in a way I hadn't felt since coming to Shadowfang. This was what I was meant to do. This was my purpose.

Lena walked me back toward the border as the sun began to set. "Our Luna wanted me to give you a message," she said quietly. "She said to tell you: 'The mate bond is sacred, but it is not the only bond. Listen to your heart, child. It knows the way better than any law.'"

I didn't know what to say to that. So I just nodded and kept walking.

Caleb was waiting where I'd left him, his face lighting up when he saw me. "You're okay?"

"I'm okay. Tired, but okay." I mounted my horse, suddenly desperate to get away, to process everything that had happened. "Let's go home."

We rode back through the gathering darkness, the forest growing mysterious and shadowy around us. Caleb was quiet, giving me space, and I was grateful for it.

But as we approached the border of Shadowfang territory, something caught my attention. A figure, standing among the trees, watching us. Tall and still, barely visible in the fading light.

I pulled my horse to a stop, squinting into the shadows. "Caleb. Do you see that?"

He followed my gaze, his hand going to his weapon. "Where?"

But when I looked back, the figure was gone. Vanished like smoke.

"I thought I saw someone," I murmured. "Probably just a trick of the light."

Caleb didn't look convinced. He urged his horse closer to mine, his body tense and alert. "Let's keep moving. I don't like this."

We rode the rest of the way at a faster pace, not stopping until we reached the safety of the pack's central clearing. Damon was there, waiting for us, his expression shifting from relief to concern as he took in our faces.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." I slid from my horse, suddenly exhausted beyond words. "Just... a long day. I need to rest."

Damon caught me as I swayed, his arms strong around me. "Caleb?"

"All quiet on the border," Caleb reported. "No incidents." But his eyes met mine over Damon's shoulder, and I knew he was thinking about that figure in the trees. About what I'd seen—or thought I'd seen.

Damon led me to our hut, helped me undress, tucked me into bed like a child. I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.

But in my dreams, I saw her again. Luna Mira, her ancient eyes boring into mine.

The heart wants what it wants. You'll have to choose. And the choice will break you.

I woke with a start in the middle of the night, my heart pounding. Damon slept beside me, his arm thrown over my waist, his breathing deep and even. For a moment, I just lay there, watching him in the darkness.

My mate. My Alpha. The man I'd sworn to love and honor.

But even as I thought it, another face rose in my mind. Blue eyes, warm smile, the way he'd held me after saving my life.

Two paths, Mira had said. Neither easy.

I closed my eyes, willing the thoughts away. But they lingered, stubborn and persistent, and I knew—with a certainty that terrified me—that this was only the beginning.

Outside, a wolf howled.

And in the trees beyond the border, a figure watched the pack's lights and smiled.