The Moon Goddess Chooses

The temple exploded with immersive shock.

For Lana, she had already survived an assassination attempt, escaped wine poisoning, avoided the dress scandal, and averted the determined brothel rumor.

The last thing she needed, was having to deal with an unexpected mate bond revelation.

But judging by the noise, it might as well have to be a huge scandal.

“What?” A pack member exclaimed.

“Is that suppose to be a mate mark, on the Luna's wrist?” Another questioned, shockingly.

Then, another added.

“It's on the Alpha too, and it's quite identical to assume its fake.”

The first sighed.

“But she's already the Luna.. Or did her family have to use their wealth to influence the moon Goddess as well, to reveal her and the Alpha as fated mate?”

The others laughed.

Then, One responded.

“Anything the Nightingales, can't influence their way through, doesn't really exist.”

Lana stood in the middle of the chaos, staring at the silver crescent glowing on her wrist.

Beside her, Cassian was staring at his, as well.

They both looked like two people, who had just been informed that the ceiling was about to fall.

She slowly turned towards him.

“Tell me this isn't what I think it is.”

Cassian's eyes remained fixed on the mark.

“I would, if I knew what you thought it was.”

She frowned.

“I'm talking about the glowing thing.”

He nodded, absentmindedly.

“Of course.”

She swallowed.

“I meant the mate mark.”

Cassian still stood, completely enchanted by the bright glow on his wrist.

“Yes.”

Lana closed her eyes, frustratingly.

'Oh, great... Just fantastic.'

She sighed mentally.

'Apparently, Isadora was already the detested politically chosen Luna, whose family connections were found useful... She had been selected for political advantage, only to be killed seven days after becoming Luna.'

'Now, i didn't only change that plot, i triggered the Moon Goddess into revealing Isadora as cassian's fated mate, instead of seraphina.'

She sobbed mentally.

'I now have to deal with the entire pack watching me become the Alpha's fated mate.'

Then, someone at her back whispered.

“So the political choice turned out to be the Goddess's choice too?”

Another chuckled.

“It's either destiny, or extremely efficient paperwork of the Nightingales.”

Laughter moved through the crowd.

Lana nearly laughed herself.

She covered her mouth.

'That wasn't only funny, It is absolutely hilarious... Exactly what nightingale's would do.'

She laughed mentally.

Then, she gasped.

'Shit!.. Totally forgot he hears my thought, and i'm Nightingale now.'

She carefully glanced at Cassian, he wasn't paying attention.

He was still staring shockingly at the glowing crescent mark on his wrist.

Then, one older wolf shook his head.

“I've attended twenty-seven Mate Revelation Ceremonies... Never for once, have i seen anything like this, until today.”

A younger wolf grinned.

“I've never attended one, but I can say, this is strange.”

Another sighed.

“Very strange.”

Lana stared at Cassian again, he was still frozen.

The usually composed Alpha, now looked genuinely stunned, staring between their wrists as if expecting someone to explain the mistake.

She understood the feeling, because this was never in her manuscript.

She had written the original story herself, and knew exactly what was supposed to happen.

Cassian was supposed to love Seraphina, and she was supposed to be the one destined to him.

Whild Isadora, was supposed to die.

The mate mark was suppose to appear on both Cassian's and Seraphina's wrists, only after Isadora's assassination through poisoning, by twelve midnight.

That was the scene She had written.

She remembered it perfectly.

Cassian was supposed to be happy at first, and then devastated on hearing that his childhood lover had a hand in his politically elected Luna's sudden assassination.

Seraphina on the other hand, was supposed to be exposed moments after the mate bond was revealed, as the woman who had assassinated the politically elected Luna.

The mate revelation was supposed to become one of the most dramatic moments in the story.

Except that, she was alive.

And was still Luna.

And the dramatic moment had become hers.

Although, in a different way.

Lana stared at her wrist.

“How is this even possible?”

Cassian finally looked at her.

“I'm shocked myself.”

She sighed.

“I never wrote this.”

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Cassian's eyes narrowed.

“You keep saying strange things, Isadora.”

Lana's heart jumped.

“I meant... I never expected this.”

He stared at her suspiciously, before sighing.

“I agree, i never expected this as well.”

She looked at him, amusingly.

Then, she immediately looked away, before she did something embarrassing.

Like, laugh during her own supernatural crisis.

Suddenly, a gasp swept through the temple.

Seraphina had finally moved.

She stood near the ceremonial platform, staring at the matching marks.

Her face had gone pale.

“No...”

The word was quiet at first.

Then, it had become louder.

“No!”

A woman beside her whispered.

“Lady Seraphina?”

Seraphina barely seemed to hear her.

“The Oracle said it would be me.”

Several nearby wolves turned instinctively.

Lana looked toward her.

'Of course..'

She had almost forgotten.

In the story, she had written about Seraphina's visit to a seer called 'The Oracle'.

He had told her that she was fated to the Alpha, and it would eventually be revealed at the Mate Revelation Ceremony.

Seraphina had believed it, even after Isadora was politically elected as the Luna.

And it was supposed to happen, after Isadora's quiet assasination.

'I bet, she prepared heavily for this ceremony, expecting that the Moon Goddess would reveal her as Cassian's true mate, and isadora would be dead.'

She laughed mentally.

'Too bad, Isadora didn't die, and the Moon Goddess had replaced her with the living Luna.. Which is me.'

Lana almost felt sorry for her.

Seraphina stepped forward.

“The Oracle told me, my mate will be revealed tonight.”

Then, someone whispered.

“Perhaps, lady seraphina have finally lost her mind.. Judging that she was the Alpha's lover.”

Another whispered back.

“If you value your life, don't say that where she can hear you.”

Seraphina's eyes snapped toward them.

The two wolves immediately became fascinated by the floor.

She looked back at Cassian.

“You knew about this prophecy.”

He nodded once.

“I knew what you told me”

Her face tightened.

“I had told you, i was told the Moon Goddess would reveal us as mates here.”

“Yes.” He replied.

Seraphina looked furious.

“Why then, is Isadora the chosen one, and not me?”

Cassian looked at Lana.

His expression was still full of disbelief.

“I don't know what has happened.”

She laughed bitterly.

“Neither do I.”

Lana raised a hand.

“Anyways, count me out, off the Love triangle.”

The gathered wolves laughed.

Cassian glanced at her.

“You're making jokes at such critical moments..”

She frowned.

“What do you expect me to do?... Panic like your lover?”

His eyes hardened.

Lana suddenly realized where she was.

She cleared her throat.

“Sorry.”

Cassian only stared.

The bond pulsed.

Lana had stopped smiling.

The air between them seemed to tighten.

She could feel him, not his thoughts, but his presence.

It was as though some invisible thread had appeared between them.

When Cassian took a step closer, the pull intensified.

Lana instinctively stepped backward.

It weakened.

They both noticed.

“Strange.” She whispered.

Cassian's expression became serious.

“So that's the bond.”

Lana looked at the mark.

“I don't like how quickly it has opinions.”

He almost smiled.

“The bond isn't speaking, Isadora.”

“It feels like it is.” She admitted.

He smiled.

“Perhaps, its your instincts.”

She frowned.

“My instincts does need boundaries.”

Then, a wolf nearby muttered.

“The Luna is negotiating with destiny.”

His friend nodded.

“Of course... Someone has to.”

Lana heard them.

She turned.

“You spoke well.”

The young wolf smiled.

“Thank you, Luna.”

Cassian looked away, clearly hiding a smile.

She pointed at him.

“Don't you dare.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

She stared at him suspiciously.

Then, the bond pulsed again.

This time, Lana felt a strange pull toward Cassian.

Her body wanted to move closer, she immediately resisted.

'Hell, no!.. I control you, you don't get to control me.. Hear that?'

She wasn't going to let a magical wrist mark boss her around.

Cassian seemed to reach the same conclusion.

He remained where he was, even though his instincts clearly urged him forward.

Lana noticed.

“You feel it too.”

He nodded.

“And you're resisting it, why?” She asked.

He looked at her.

“Because a bond can only reveal a mate, but doesn't get to make every decision for the mates.”

Lana nodded knowingly.

'That's surprisingly reasonable.'

Behind them, the pack was still whispering.

“Are they resisting the bond?” A wolf questioned.

“Looks like it.” Another replied.

Then, a young she-wolf added.

“Perhaps they want to choose each other.”

One of the male wolves hissed dramatically.

“How romantic.”

The others laughed.

Lana turned.

“Can everyone stop narrating our lives?”

The crowd immediately went quiet.

Then, a wolf said.

“Sorry Luna, but this is very interesting.”

Lana sighed.

She looked back at Cassian.

The humor within her faded.

She still couldn't understand how this had happened.

Perhaps, surviving the first seven days had altered the world, more than she realized.

Or perhaps, every attempt to escape the manuscript had pushed the story farther away from the one she wrote.

The thought of it was terrifying.

For the first time, she had no idea, of what might happen next.

Cassian still stared at their matching marks, then his gaze finally settled on her.

“I don't know what this means, but I won't pretend this bond doesn't exist.”

Lana nodded slowly.

“Neither will I.”

He stepped closer, before touching her.

The pull remained strong, quiet, and unmistakable.

She looked at him.

Then, she glanced down at her wrist.

For once, no one was telling her what she was supposed to do.

Her gaze returned back to him.

Cassian's voice softened.

“Whatever this bond is, i wouldn't force you to accept it.”

He gazed into her eyes.

“All I want to know, is what you want.”