THE LUNA’S CROWN

The first time Alpha Kael called me his Luna, I cried.

Not because the title meant power, and not because it meant every wolf in Moonridge Pack would bow when I walked past.

I cried because someone had finally chosen me.

Before Kael, I had been invisible.

An orphan with no family name worth remembering. No rank, no inheritance, and no future anyone envied. I had spent most of my life believing I would grow old serving wolves who barely remembered my name.

Then the Moon Goddess laughed at fate and gave me the Alpha as my mate.

The elders protested, the noble families protested even louder.

“A future Alpha cannot mate with a nobody.”

“She has no bloodline.”

“She brings nothing to the pack.”

Kael ignored every one of them.

“I don’t need a powerful bloodline,” he’d said before the entire council. “I need my mate.”

It was the first time anyone had ever fought for me.

Two years later, I still remembered every word.

Unfortunately, love couldn’t silence every whisper.

For two years, our bedroom remained empty of tiny cries and restless little paws.

No heir, no child, no miracle.

Every full moon, I prayed beneath the silver light until my knees ached.

Every healer assured me the Goddess worked in her own time.

Every month ended the same way with another quiet disappointment I tried to hide behind a smile.

Kael never blamed me.

Whenever I apologized, he’d pull me into his arms and kiss my forehead.

“We’ll have our family when the Moon Goddess decides we’re ready.”

I wanted to believe him, I truly did. Yet the whispers grew louder.

I noticed servants lowering their voices whenever I entered a room.

Warriors exchanged glances they thought I couldn’t see.

Even the kitchen maids sighed whenever another pack celebrated the birth of a future warrior.

They never insulted me to my face.

No one dared that, not while Kael stood beside me.

I had convinced myself that was enough. Until the night everything changed.

The sun had already disappeared beyond the western mountains when I heard the front doors of the packhouse open.

I looked up from the embroidery resting in my lap.

Kael was home.

A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.

I set the cloth aside and hurried toward the entrance.

He looked exhausted. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and the tension in his broad shoulders was obvious even beneath his black shirt.

“The meeting lasted longer than expected,” I said softly.

“It did.” His voice lacked its usual warmth.

That was enough to make my smile falter.

I reached for his hand. His fingers closed around mine automatically, but his attention seemed elsewhere.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he brushed a kiss against my forehead, lingering for only a heartbeat before stepping away.

“I need to talk to you.”

Those six words made my stomach tighten.

He only ever sounded that serious when something was wrong.

I followed him into our sitting room.

The fire crackled quietly between us.

Usually, Kael would pull me onto his lap before saying anything.

Tonight, he remained standing. I hated the distance already.

“The elders called another council,” he began.

I nodded. “I assumed as much.”

“They’ve become… persistent.” He sighed.

This was about an heir. He didn’t have to say it, I already knew.

“They think the pack’s future is uncertain without one.”

A familiar ache settled inside my chest.

“I’m trying.” I said sadly.

“I know.” His answer came so quickly that tears threatened my eyes. “I know you are.”

“Then what did they say this time?”

Kael sighed heavily. “They believe we can no longer wait. They’ve suggested…”

He stopped as his jaw tightened. I had never seen him struggle to say something before.

“They’ve suggested I take a breeder.”

The room fell silent.

I blinked once. Surely I had heard him wrong.

“A breeder?” I gasped.

He nodded. “They believe it’s the only way to secure an heir.”

I laughed weakly. “So you told them no.”

He looked away.

My heart skipped. “…Kael?”

His silence frightened me more than any answer could.

“They’re not asking anymore, they’re insisting.”

The embroidery needle I’d forgotten I was holding slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the wooden floor.

I barely heard it.

“They want another woman to bear the heir.” He added.

“That’s not what I asked.”

His eyes met mine again. Pain flickered across them.

“No.” He finally answered.

It was barely more than a whisper.

“They want me to bring another woman into the pack.”

My throat burned. “And… what did you tell them?”

Kael crossed the room until only a single step separated us.

He cupped my face with both hands.

“You are my mate and you are my Luna.”

“I know.” I fought back the tears threatening to fall.

“No one will ever replace you.”

His words should have comforted me. Instead, they terrified me because he still hadn’t answered my question.

“What did you tell the elders?” I asked again.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, I saw something I had never seen in them before.

Defeat.

“I told them…” His voice cracked. “I would consider it.”

My wolf let out a wounded howl inside me.

And for the first time since the Moon Goddess bound our souls together…I wondered if love could survive duty.

“Kael we you don’t have to do this. Remember what the healers said? The moon goddess would visit us in her time.” My voice shook. I couldn’t believe what was happening, it was like my whole world had come crashing down.

Kael sighed, and began pacing the room. “This is beyond me Elara. I have a duty to this pack, and I have to fulfill it. This is beyond me and you. Besides, she’d just bear me the child, and everything would be over.”

I watched him as he said it casually like it was the most normal thing to do. Sleeping with another woman till she got pregnant didn’t look like a big deal to Kael right?

“You know what?” I sighed. “ I won’t object, because there’s not much I can do anyways. So I guess I’ll just have to support you.”

I’m saw Kael’s face light up immediately I said that. I wondered if he had even defended me in that council meeting because of how quick he was to accept their request.

“This is for our good Elara. You’re soon going to be a mother, even though you’re not the one bearing the child.” He said, grinning from ear to ear.

Was I supposed to be relieved by his words?

Well…..I’d have to wait to find out.