Chapter 8 – The Moon’s Judgment

The wind outside the packhouse howled like it was carrying the whispers of every ancestor who had ever judged us. Inside, the air felt just as tense, heavy with unspoken words and a primal pull that made my heart hammer against my ribs.

The four Alphas stood in front of me — Elias, Kael, Dorian, and Lucien — their postures radiating authority, dominance, and an unyielding hunger that had nothing to do with food.

“We need to talk. Alone,” Kael said, his voice like velvet wrapped around steel.

“No,” I shot back before I could stop myself. “If you want to talk, we talk here. No secrets.”

Lucien’s lips curled into something halfway between a smirk and a snarl. “You think you can dictate the terms to four Alphas?”

I took a step forward, refusing to bow my head. “I think I’m the only one here who has nothing to hide.”

That earned me a low growl from Dorian, but Elias lifted a hand, silencing them all. His ice-blue eyes studied me like I was both a puzzle and prey. “You’re shaking,” he murmured. “But you’re still standing. That’s… interesting.”

I wanted to say it was because I refused to be intimidated, but the truth was, I could feel them. All of them. The bond — no, the bonds — tugging at me like threads of moonlight, wrapping tighter with each second.

Kael stepped closer, so close that his scent — cedar and smoke — clouded my thoughts. “We’ve been patient,” he said. “Too patient. You’ve been here long enough to know that nothing in this pack happens by accident. You were brought here for a reason.”

“I was dragged here,” I corrected.

His jaw tightened. “Semantics.”

Lucien leaned casually against the wall, but his gaze never left mine. “You can keep pretending you don’t feel it, but sooner or later, the moon will make you choose.”

I laughed — sharp, humorless. “Choose? Between what? Four men who think the world belongs to them?”

Dorian finally spoke, his voice low and dangerous. “No. Between us… and war.”

That silenced me. My pulse spiked. “What war?”

Elias moved then, closing the distance in three long strides. “The kind that burns packs to the ground,” he said. “The kind that turns mates into enemies.”

The fire in the hearth crackled, the only sound in the room as the weight of his words settled.

I swallowed hard. “So I’m just a pawn in whatever power game you’re playing?”

Elias shook his head slowly. “Not a pawn. The key.”

Before I could demand what that meant, a crash echoed from somewhere outside, followed by shouts. Every Alpha’s head snapped toward the door.

“Stay here,” Kael ordered.

“Like hell,” I said, already moving after them.

We burst into the night to find chaos — warriors clashing in the snow, the scent of blood sharp in the air. I recognized some of the attackers instantly. Rogues. But not just any rogues — these ones bore the same crescent-marked scars I’d seen in my nightmares.

The battle was fast, brutal. Wolves shifted mid-leap, fur and teeth flashing under the moonlight. I fought too — not with claws, but with the knife I kept strapped to my thigh. My blade found a rogue’s side, and he howled, collapsing.

Then I saw him. A rogue with eyes so pale they were almost silver, locked on me with a predator’s focus. He didn’t attack. He just stood there, watching, until Kael lunged at him. The rogue vanished into the trees before Kael’s claws could connect.

When it was over, the snow was stained crimson.

“Inside,” Elias barked, grabbing my arm.

I yanked free. “No. Tell me what that was.”

“Not here,” he said sharply.

“Now.”

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Lucien sighed. “That mark you saw on their skin — it’s a blood oath. They belong to the Shadow Pack.”

The name hit me like ice water. I’d heard it whispered in fear growing up. Wolves who’d turned their backs on the moon, trading loyalty for power.

“They’ve been hunting you,” Dorian said, voice like gravel. “And if they get you… the prophecy comes true.”

The world tilted beneath me. “What prophecy?”

Elias’s gaze pinned me in place. “The one that says the mate of the Quadruple Alpha will decide the fate of every pack under the moon.”

My throat went dry. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not—”

But my voice failed me. Because deep down, part of me knew I was lying.

Kael stepped forward, his hand brushing against mine — not quite holding it, but close enough for the bond to flare hot. “You can run from us. You can fight us. But the moon already chose you.”

I wanted to scream, to deny it, to tell them they were insane. But the truth was… I could feel it.

And that terrified me more than the Shadow Pack ever could.