The Village Comes To Burn Their Luna

Kael carried me through snow like snow didn't exist.

His bare feet left deep prints, but he didn't slip, didn't slow. Twenty wolves behind us, in man form but with claws out, with gold eyes glowing in dusk. Beta Mara in front, silver hair white with snow, carrying staff now, not just old woman — Beta.

Behind us, more wolves came out of den, watching from rocks, pups peeking. Pack had never seen village men at Blood Tree with torches before. Deal was always one girl left, village leaves. No men come back.

Blood Tree was same as five days ago — big, black-red bark, roots like fingers — but now 20 men stood around it, torches high, pitchforks, axes, priest in black robe with black bowl in hands. My Mama was there, and Mara in my blue dress, and Thomas baker's son holding bread knife, face pale.

They were shouting.

"WITCH! GIVE US WITCH! DEAL BROKE! WOLVES TOOK HUMAN AND MADE WITCH LUNA!"

Priest banged black bowl. "Moon Law says human cannot be Luna! She must be burned, or Blackthorn Pack broke deal and we have no peace!"

Mama saw us first — Kael carrying me in grey shirt, too-big cloak, wrapped feet, hair loose — and screamed.

"Elise! She lives! They didn't eat her!"

Mara, my sister, stepped forward, blue dress bright against snow, and shouted, "She is witch! Look, she wears wolf clothes! She sleeps with monster! Burn her and deal is fixed!"

Thomas didn't shout. He just stared at me, bread knife shaking.

Kael stopped 10 feet from Blood Tree, 10 feet from men. He set me down, but kept one arm around waist, because my wrapped feet couldn't stand long in snow. His chest was bare, steam rising from skin in cold, scars shining in torch light. Gold eyes black.

"Who calls my mate witch?" he growled, voice not loud, but all 20 men stepped back one step, even priest.

Priest lifted black bowl, trying to be brave. "Alpha Kael, you broke 100-year deal! Offering must die! You kept her! Now village has no protection! You must give her back to be burned, or we—"

"You what?" Kael said, soft, dangerous. "You what, priest? You come to my border with fire and talk of burning? After you tied pup to tree with rope that cut her wrists? After you took two silver coins to put her name in bowl when she was promised?"

Priest went white. How did Kael know about two silver coins? I didn't tell.

"I... I..."

Mama started crying then, loud. "Elise, come home! We thought you dead! Come home, we will not put your name again!"

Come home? Home where they braided hair too tight and sang pretty girl white dress dead?

I stepped forward, out of Kael's arm, wrapped feet sinking in snow, pain shooting, but I stood.

"I'm not coming home," I said, voice small but carrying in cold air, because all wolves silent and all men silent to hear witch speak.

"Elise—" Thomas whispered.

"My name is Luna now," I said, louder, looking at Mara in my blue dress. "Elise Ward died on Blood Tree five days ago. The girl you tied, who was scared, who waited for bite — she died. Moon took her. Moon gave me back as Luna. See?" I pulled cloak open, showed grey shirt, bandaged wrists with knots tied by teeth, wrapped feet that survived White Peak. "I did Trial. I went to White Peak top, three days, no fire, no food. I reached altar. No human ever did. Wolves bowed. They call me Luna."

Priest laughed, nervous. "Liar! Human cannot survive White Peak! You lie! Wolf helped you! He broke Trial!"

"He did," I said honest. "He came early, on third day, because I was ice. He broke law to save me. Because mate law is bigger than Trial law. Even your priest law says mate is sacred, right? You teach that."

Priest didn't answer. Because village law does say mate is sacred — even human mates.

Mara shouted, "She is lying! She is witch! She seduced Alpha with human tricks! Burn her!"

Kael growled, low, and all 20 wolves behind him growled same time, same note, making torches flicker.

Mara shut up, stepping behind Mama.

Thomas stepped forward then, bread knife still shaking, but he looked at me, not Kael.

"Elise, is it true? You... you want to stay with them? With him? He is monster, Elise. Stories—"

"He is not monster," I said, and my voice broke, because Thomas was once kind, before he looked at ground while they dragged me. "He is... he carried me when I couldn't walk. Twice. He tied my wrists with teeth because claws too big. He slept outside my door in snow. He howled so I wouldn't be alone on White Peak. Did you ever do that, Thomas? Did you ever sleep outside my door?"

Thomas looked down, shame.

"No," he whispered.

"Then don't call him monster," I said.

Kael's arm came back around my waist, steadying, because my wrapped feet were bleeding through furs now from standing.

Elder Corvin and Elder woman Council came through wolves then, staffs banging, grey robes, looking at village men with disgust.

"Blackwood Village," Elder woman shouted, voice old but loud like Alpha. "You broke deal first! You put promised girl in bowl for two silver coins! We know, because Moon told Alpha in dream! You cheated! So deal is dead by your hand, not ours! But Alpha, being merciful, offers new deal!"

New deal? Kael didn't know about new deal, I saw his eyes flick to Elder woman, surprised.

Elder woman continued: "New deal — no more Offerings, ever! No more girls tied to Blood Tree! Instead, village gives one bag of grain every full moon to pack, and pack protects village from rogues and white bears! And human Luna — Elise Ward — is bridge between village and pack! She is both!"

Village men murmured — no more girls dying? Just grain? That was better deal, even.

Priest, though, shouted, "No! Witch must burn! Otherwise Moon angry!"

Beta Mara stepped forward, silver hair, and said, calm: "My daughter was Lira, Luna before. She died by rogues while your village watched and did nothing, even though deal said you would help if rogues came. So you already broke deal years ago. Now you want to burn new Luna who survived White Peak? Moon is not angry at her. Moon is angry at you."

Mama fell to knees in snow then, crying, "Please, Alpha, don't kill us, we were scared, priest said—"

Kael looked at Mama, at me, at my face that was once her daughter.

"Elise," he whispered to me, low, only I heard. "What do you want? Your village. Your blood. Tell me, and pack obeys. If you want them burned, we burn pitchforks and leave them cold. If you want them forgiven, we forgive and take grain."

My village that tied me. My Mama who braided too tight. My sister who sold me for blue dress and baker's son.

And Thomas, who didn't run.

I looked at them, torch light on their scared faces, and I felt not anger now, but tired.

"I want new deal," I said, loud. "One bag grain every full moon, no more girls. And... and my Mama can come to den once every month to see I am alive, if she wants. But Mara cannot come. Ever."

Mara gasped, "What? Why?"

"Because you paid two silver coins," I said, looking at her. "And you wear my dress."

Kael smiled, fangs showing, proud, and shouted to village: "You heard Luna! New deal! One bag grain, full moon, at Blood Tree, no girl! You agree, or I take Luna back to warm den and you get no protection from white bears this winter! White bears hungry this year!"

Village men looked at each other, at priest, at torches.

Priest wanted to say burn, but men were tired of giving daughters.

Thomas was first to drop pitchfork. "I agree," he said. "New deal."

One by one, pitchforks dropped into snow.

Mama nodded, crying, "Agree... agree..."

Only Mara and priest stood with torches.

Elder Corvin banged staff, "Deal made! By Moon, by Blood Tree! Human Luna Elise Ward is bridge!"

Kael picked me up again, because my feet bleeding and I swayed.

He turned to go, wolves following, leaving village men in snow with dropped pitchforks.

Priest shouted last, desperate: "She is still human! She cannot give you pups! You will have no heir! Pack will die!"

Kael stopped, turned half, gold eyes blazing.

"Then pack dies with me," he said, simple, loud, so all wolves heard, all men heard. "But she lives. That's heir enough for me."

He carried me away from Blood Tree, from village, from white dress memory, back to mountain den where fire waited and grey shirt waited.

Behind us, I heard Mama call, "Elise!" not witch, but my name, once.

I didn't turn, because wrapped feet hurt and Kael's chest was warm, and I was Luna now, not Offering, and Luna doesn't look back at Blood Tree.