Chapter 1: The Alpha's Demand

The heavy oak doors of the gallery slammed shut, signaling the end of the evening exhibition. Lyra let out a soft sigh, wiping her paint-stained fingers on her apron as she packed away her restoration brushes.

For three years, the human city had been her sanctuary. No pack hierarchy, no scent of pine and ozone, and no whispers calling her a traitor.

Then the air in the gallery turned heavy.

A sudden scent washed over her—dark cedar, burning ash, and winter rain. Lyra froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her inner wolf, silent and dormant for years, gave a sharp, frantic whimpering growl inside her mind.

No. It can't be.

"You always did hide better than most, Lyra," a deep, gravelly voice echoed from the shadowed entrance.

Lyra slowly turned. Standing beneath the dim gallery spotlight was Ethan Black.

He was taller than she remembered, his broad shoulders filling out a tailored charcoal coat. Dark hair fell slightly across his forehead, framing a jaw sculpted with sharp, ruthless perfection. But it was his eyes—amber, glowing with unsuppressed Alpha power—that made her knees tremble.

"Ethan," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You shouldn't be here. Pack law forbids banished wolves from entering human territory near pack borders."

"Pack law is whatever I say it is," Ethan replied, taking slow, deliberate steps toward her. The sheer pressure of his Alpha aura made the glass display cases around them vibrate softly. "I am the Alpha now."

Lyra stepped back until her spine hit the edge of her wooden workbench. "If you're here to finish my sentence and kill me, get it over with."

A dark, humorless smirk touched Ethan’s lips, though his amber eyes remained icy. "Kill you? No, little rogue. Death is far too easy."

He stopped inches away, his towering frame casting a massive shadow over her. The heat radiating off his body was stifling, bringing back memories of whispered promises beneath the moonlight before her world had exploded in blood and accusations.

"Then why are you here?" she demanded, lifting her chin to mask her shaking hands.

Julian reached into his coat and pulled out a heavy parchment sealed with the crest of the Moon Shadow Pack. He tossed it onto her workbench.

"Your brother, Leo, was caught attempting to steal pack archives last night," Ethan said smoothly. "The Elders have sentenced him to death for treason. His execution is set for the Harvest Moon."

Lyra’s blood ran cold. "Leo? No! He's just a child! He didn't do anything!"

"He broke pack law, just like his sister," Ethan hissed, leaning down until his face was inches from hers. She could feel his warm, dangerous breath against her skin. "But I am willing to offer a pardon."

"What do you want?" she choked out, tears stinging her eyes.

"The Elder Council demands I present a Luna before the Harvest Moon, or my succession to the throne will be challenged by the northern packs," Ethan growled softly. "My fiancee, Victoria, was injured in a rogue raid last week and cannot take the blood oath until she heals. I need a placeholder."

Lyra stared at him in utter disbelief. "A placeholder?"

"You will return to the pack house with me tonight," Ethan commanded, his fingers catching her chin in an iron grip. "You will wear the Luna seal, stand by my side at the ceremonial rites, and convince the Elders we are bound. In exchange, Leo walks free."

"You want me to play Luna for the pack that banished me? To the man who branded me a traitor?" Lyra spat, trying to pull away from his touch, though every nerve in her body burned where his skin met hers. "You're insane!"

Ethan’s grip tightened just enough to hold her still, his amber eyes flashing dangerously.

"You have ten seconds to decide, Lyra," Ethan whispered, his voice sending a shiver straight down her spine. "Either you sign the pack contract and return to my bed as my fake Luna... or you can collect your brother's ashes after the moon rises."