One

CHAPTER ONE — THE CURSED LUNA

ORLENA’S POV

Today, Xavren would finally tell the pack the truth.

Today, everyone would finally know that I was not the reason he had lost his wolf.

He would tell them that I had helped him.

He would tell them that I was the one who had saved him years ago when he was attacked in the forest.

After all these years of being called the Cursed Luna, I would finally have my name cleared.

I could not stop thinking about it as I walked toward the ceremony.

The pack had been preparing for this day since morning because Xavren had finally been able to shift again, and everyone was excited to see their Alpha return to the strength he had once possessed.

They had whispered whenever I walked past them, pointed at the mark on my body, and called me cursed. Some believed I had brought bad luck to the pack, while others believed I had somehow taken Xavren’s wolf from him.

I had never defended myself.

I had kept the truth because Xavren had asked me to.

But today, that would change.

I smiled as I entered the ceremony grounds.

The entire pack was gathered there, and their voices filled the air with excitement. Some were already talking about how powerful the Alpha would become now that his wolf had returned.

I looked toward the raised platform.

Xavren was not there yet.

I took my place among the crowd and waited.

I could already imagine what would happen.

A few minutes later, the elders moved toward the platform, and the crowd gradually became quiet.

Then the large doors at the far end of the courtyard opened.

The cheering stopped.

Every head turned toward the entrance.

Xavren walked through the doors.

The way he carried himself was enough to command the attention of the entire pack.

He wore a black ceremonial coat that rested perfectly over his broad shoulders, and his dark hair was slightly pushed away from his face. His jaw was sharp, his expression serious, and his eyes carried a cold confidence that made the entire courtyard feel smaller.

He looked stronger than he had looked in years.

There was something different about him.

Something that made it obvious even before he spoke.

His wolf was back.

The moment he stepped onto the platform, the pack erupted.

Several wolves howled, and the elders smiled as they watched him take his place before the pack.

I watched him with a smile on my face.

He looked strong, he  looked whole.

For the first time in years, I did not have to worry about whether he would be able to shift.

The elder beside him raised his hand, asking everyone to be quiet.

Xavren stepped forward. “I have something to tell the pack.”

The courtyard became silent.

I held my breath.

He looked around at everyone before speaking. “After years of struggling with my wolf, I can finally shift again. I have regained my wolf.”

The crowd exploded.

People shouted with joy, some raised their hands, and several wolves howled in celebration.

I smiled through the noise.

My heart was beating so fast.

This was the moment I had been waiting for.

Xavren had his wolf back and  now he would finally tell them the truth about me.

I looked at him, waiting.

He raised his hand, and the crowd slowly became quiet again. “There is another thing I want to announce today.”

My smile grew.

I lowered my eyes for a moment, suddenly feeling shy.

This was it.

He was going to tell them.

Then Xavren spoke. “From today onward, Elyra will be my Luna.”

My smile disappeared.

For a moment, I did not understand what he had said. He was suppose to tell them, I am not cursed and I had helped him in the forest take his c

The courtyard became silent. I looked at Xavren.

He did not look away.

Then everyone turned toward the entrance.

A woman walked into the ceremony grounds.

Elyra, she was dressed beautifully, and she walked toward Xavren with confidence as though she already belonged beside him.

My heart began to pound.

No!  This could not be happening.

I looked at Xavren again, hoping that there was some explanation I was missing.

He had to be jokingc he  had to be trying to surprise me.

After everything we had been through, there was no way he could stand in front of the entire pack and replace me.

I stepped forward. “Xavren…”

He looked at me, there  was no warmth in his eyes. 

I felt something inside me break. “You said you were going to tell them the truth.”

A few people around me began whispering.

Xavren’s face remained cold. “The truth?”

I stared at him. “Yes.”

He stepped down from the platform and walked toward me. “You want the truth?”

I nodded slowly.

My heart was already sinking, but some part of me still believed he would explain everything.

Instead, he stopped in front of me and looked at me as though I were a stranger. “You are cursed, Orlena.”

The words hit me harder than anything I had ever heard.

I shook my head. “No.”

“You are the reason I lost my wolf.”

A murmur went through the crowd.

I could hear people whispering again.

“I knew it.”

“She really was cursed.”

“She destroyed the Alpha.”

I looked at Xavren in disbelief.

“You know that’s not true.”

His eyes hardened. “You brought the curse into my life.”

My eyes filled with tears. “You know what happened.”

Of course he knew, he knew I had only been trying to save a helpless stranger that night. I had learned about herbs and old remedies from my grandmother, and I thought I could use what she had taught me to save him but  the people hunting him were too strong.

The curse was too powerful.

I had taken it from him, and the moment it entered my body, the mark appeared on my skin.

Xavren had promised me that I would never have to face it alone.

He had promised that I would be his Luna.

And he had begged me never to tell the pack what had happened because he did not want them to know that their Alpha had lost his wolf.

I had kept his secret.

For years.

And now he was standing before everyone and blaming me.

“You promised me,” I whispered.

His expression did not change. “You are not from this pack, Orlena.”

My heart sank. “Xavren…”

“You came here because of me, and I allowed you to stay here as my Luna”

He turned his head toward the guards. “Take her away.”

I froze.

The guards immediately stepped forward. 

“No.” I moved backward. “Xavren, please.”

He turned away from me. “From this day forward, Orlena is no longer the Luna of this pack.”

The guards grabbed my arms.

I struggled against them. “Xavren!”

He did not turn around.

“You cannot do this to me.”

The guards dragged me away while the pack watched.

Nobody stopped them, nobody defended me.

The people I had protected for years simply stood there and watched me leave.

I cried as they pulled me through the gates, I cried because I could not understand how the man I had saved could become the person who hurt me the most, I cried because I had believed him.

I had believed that after all these years, he would finally tell them the truth.

Instead, he had called me cursed again.

The gates closed behind me.

I stood outside the pack, staring at the place I had called home for years.

My tears continued falling.

Then I turned around and walked, I did not know where I was going, I only knew that I could not stay there.

My feet carried me farther and farther into the forest.

The same forest where everything had started, the  same forest where I had once found Xavren.

I wiped my tears and continued walking until something caught my attention.

Something was lying between the trees ahead of me.

I stopped, a  man, he  was lying helplessly on the forest floor, and blood covered his clothes.

I stared at him.

For a moment, I could not move.

Then an old memory flashed through my mind.

Another helpless man, another night, another forest.

I took a step backward. “No.”

I shook my head, I was not going to do this again, I had already made that mistake once, I had saved someonec I had given him everything and  look where it had brought me.

I turned away from the helpless stranger. “No… I am not going to help him.”

I wiped the tears from my face and walked away.

Once bitten, twice shy.