Chapter 6: Sunfire

Devlin’s POV

The quiet in the hallway felt heavy all the way back to my bedroom.

Standing up to Jason should have brought lasting relief. For months, ever since the first council meeting where whispers about my place as Luna began, swallowing my anger had become second nature. Giving him a piece of my mind had felt good in the moment, almost intoxicating. But the feeling faded quickly, replaced by the reality waiting on the other side of the door. The annulment papers had already been signed, and every second left as Luna of the Red Moon Pack was slipping through my fingers.

Leaning against the door, I closed my eyes. Speaking up had felt good, but the outcome hadn't changed. For years, I had been the convenient Alpha's mate, accepting every insult and pretending it didn't hurt. Now, in the eyes of the elders and Jason's family, my presence had become an inconvenience they were finally ready to get rid of.

My phone buzzed.

Dad's name appeared on the screen, bringing a small measure of comfort I hadn't realized I needed. I took a breath before answering.

“Hello, Dad.”

“Devlin?” His voice was warm. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

“I'm fine, Dad.”

“You don't sound fine. You know your father can always tell.”

“Apparently.”

He chuckled, but the sound faded quickly. “Helena told me about the trouble between you and Jason yesterday. Are you in trouble over there, Devlin?”

Staring at the ceiling, I tried to keep my voice steady. “No. Jason and I are just having some issues.”

“Come home if you need to. The door is always open.”

“I can't, Dad. Not yet. I'm still the Luna here.”

A pause followed. I could almost picture him choosing his next words carefully, trying to reach me without making me feel as if I had to explain myself.

“You've spent too much of your life trying to prove that you belong somewhere, Devlin,” he said gently. “You don't have to prove anything to anyone. No matter how or why this ends, don't let them make you feel small. Ever.”

My throat tightened. “I won't, Dad. I promise.”

Even after the call ended, I kept the phone against my ear for a few seconds. Dad had always been the one person who never made me feel as if I had to prove my worth. He had never treated me as lesser because my wolf hadn't appeared or because other people questioned my place beside Jason.

Perhaps that was why his words hurt so much, because I knew they were true.

After putting my phone away, I pushed away from the door and headed for the Luna's office. The pack had started treating me like a temporary Luna, but I refused to behave like one before my official tenure was over. Whatever happened between Jason and me, the people who depended on this office had done nothing to deserve being abandoned in the middle of it.

The next few hours passed in a steady stream of work. Financial statements, medical supply budgets, and patrol reports covered my desk. Families still needed help from the Luna's office, injured warriors needed supplies, and disputes between neighboring farmsteads had to be settled before small arguments became bigger problems.

The council might be preparing to decide my fate, but until I was officially removed, these responsibilities were still mine.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Lance stepped inside with a thick folder under his arm. “Luna.”

I set my pen aside and looked at him. “What is it, Lance?”

“There are rumors going around about what happened during this morning's private session.” He placed the folder on my desk. “The elders are bringing up the same concerns again, and Jason's parents aren't making things any easier. I don't know what Alpha Jason plans to do, but you need to be careful. They're playing a dangerous game.”

I studied his face, looking for any sign that he was exaggerating. There was none.

“How dangerous?”

“The council delegates are arriving earlier than expected for the Solstice Gala. Isabelle has been meeting their representatives in private all week.”

My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. “Do you know what they want?”

“Not exactly. But whatever they're discussing, they're making sure the Red Moon Pack remains under the council's control.”

A sour feeling twisted in my stomach. This wasn't just about Jason or his family's disappointment over my missing wolf. The elders had their reasons for questioning my place as Luna, and Jason's family had its own concerns about the future of the Heath bloodline. But Lance's warning suggested that something else was happening behind closed doors, something that went beyond my marriage and the council's judgment of me.

“Thank you, Lance. For telling me the truth.”

“You've always been fair to me, Luna. You deserve the same.”

He gave me a brief nod before leaving, and the door clicked shut behind him.

For a moment, I remained still, thinking about his warning. Then I pulled the folder closer and began reviewing the reports more carefully.

One detail caught my attention.

Patrols along the northern perimeter had been reassigned without my knowledge, and several council-aligned packs had moved their scouts closer to the Sovereign Territories.

That wasn't normal.

The council had no obvious reason to move its forces so close to King Kaelan's lands. The reports didn't explain who had authorized the changes or why the movement had started. I checked the dates and read the entries again, hoping I had overlooked something important.

Nothing explained it.

What were they expecting? Why did the Solstice Gala matter so much to them?

The whole thing felt deliberate, like a trap being prepared while everyone else was distracted. I couldn't tell whether the council was planning to provoke Kaelan or whether something else was happening, but the possibility of a confrontation was enough to make me uneasy.

Eventually, the walls of the office began to feel too close. I closed the folder, left it on my desk, and slipped out through the side entrance.

The evening air was cool against my skin as I walked into the gardens behind the packhouse. The trees swayed gently overhead, and the sounds from the building faded as I followed the gravel path. For the first time all day, I could breathe without someone asking me questions or reminding me of everything I stood to lose.

Then the heat returned.

I stopped walking as warmth spread beneath my skin, starting in my chest before racing down my spine. A sharp breath escaped me as my heart began pounding. The sensation grew stronger with every beat until a faint golden glow appeared beneath my fingertips.

I pulled my hand away from my chest, then looked down again, hardly trusting what I was seeing.

The mark was still there. The Sun Crest glowed against my skin like an ember that had been waiting beneath the ashes.

My breathing hitched. “What are you?”

The heat surged again.

My vision blurred, and a pair of massive golden eyes flashed before me. I caught a glimpse of powerful paws pounding against the ground, but the image disappeared before I could make sense of it.

Power ripped through me so violently that my knees gave way. I gasped and grabbed the nearest tree, my palms scraping against the rough bark as I struggled to remain standing. For a few seconds, I couldn't tell whether I was shaking from fear or from whatever had just awakened inside me.

Then the vision vanished.

The garden came back into focus, surrounded by trees and the cool evening air. My hands were still trembling as I pressed a palm against my heart, trying to understand what I had just experienced.

For twenty-three years, everyone had treated me like I was defective because my wolf had never appeared. They had called me a wolfless mate, someone with no power and no place among the wolves who mattered. Yet the golden eyes I'd just seen and the power surging beneath my skin told me that there was more to me than anyone had ever suspected. Everyone had believed I was wolfless and useless, they had been wrong.My wolf wasn't missing.She had been waiting.