The Moon's Mercy: Throne of Ashes

The ink on the paper was fading away. The fancy writing on the signatures was starting to disappear. This was like Elara's life. It was coming to an end. She had a contract with the Blackwood Pack for five years. It was almost over.

Elara sat at a wooden desk in the Alphas study. The room smelled like cedar and smoke. For five years, this room had been her place and her office. As the Contract Luna of the Blackwood Pack she did a lot of work. She helped with money, made trade deals with packs and calmed down Damon when he got angry.

People talked about how Elara and Damon worked together. They were like a power couple. Everyone thought they had a relationship but Elara knew the truth. She was not a smart woman; she was a queen in hiding. Every day she spent with the Blackwood Pack, she risked being discovered.

"You're staring at it again, " a deep voice said from the doorway.

Elara knew who it was without looking up. It was Damon. He was standing in the doorway looking big and strong. He was wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up showing his arms. He leaned against the doorframe filling the room with his presence.

"Twenty-eight days Damon, " Elara said, trying to sound calm. "Our contract ends on the night of the Full Moon Festival. We need to decide what to do."

Damon walked over to the desk. Leaned down close to Elara. He looked at her, not at the paper. His eyes were soft like they were when they were alone. He touched her face. His fingers were rough but gentle.

"The paperwork doesn't matter, Elara " he said. "We built this pack together. I'm not going to let you leave because of a date on a calendar. You're more important to me than the pack."

Elara felt happy for a moment. She leaned into his touch. Closed her eyes. "It's not about the pack, Damon, " she said. "We agreed to part ways if we didn't feel anything for each other.. Now I feel like I'm trapped."

"Then we'll get rid of the trap " he whispered, his breath warm on her lips. He pulled her up from the chair. Held her close. For a moment Elara felt safe.

In the morning, the pack house was busy. People were preparing for the Full Moon Festival. Elara was in the kitchen helping with food and medicine when a scout came in. He was frantic and smelled like sweat and fear.

"Alpha! Alpha Damon!" he said. "Someone's at the border. They're breaking through the wards!"

Elara felt a chill run down her spine. She followed Damon outside. They saw a woman getting out of a car. She was small and pale with hair. She looked like she had been through a lot.

Damon's voice was shaking. "Jasmine?" he said. It was the voice of a boy who had lost his love.

Jasmine was the widow of Damon's brother, Joshua.. Elara knew more about her. She had seen Jasmine's name in books and she knew that Damon had loved her before the war.

Jasmine didn't say anything. She just took a step forward and collapsed. Damon caught her, held her close. He looked at her with protection like he would do anything to keep her safe.

As Damon carried Jasmine away he didn't even look at Elara. For the time in five years he didn't need her. He was too busy taking care of Jasmine.

Elara stood alone in the courtyard feeling cold and empty. The pack members were watching her. She knew that everything had changed. The power had. Elara was no longer the most important person in Damon's life.

She looked down at her hands, the hands that had helped Damon build his pack.. Then she saw something that made her heart sink. Jasmine's hand was on her stomach and Elara could smell something. The scent of a life.

‘One month,’ Elara thought, feeling like she was in trouble. ‘Joshua has been dead for two months. Jasmine has been missing for three.’

She looked towards the infirmary where Damon had gone, the man who a little while ago had said he did not need a goddess to pick his mate. The paper on the desk in the study was still sitting there, the ink was dry. The time to do something about it was almost over.. For the first time Elara thought that while she had given Damon her heart, Damon might have only been keeping it until the woman he really wanted came back to take her place as queen. The secret of being the  ‘Identity’ she had was suddenly, like her only way to protect herself, a secret power she might have to use just to get through the tough times that were coming.