The Mute Luna Bride

ELORA Tonight should have been perfect. I should have been standing by Alpha Kael’s side on his coronation ceremony, maybe…if the goddess was kind, I’ll be his mate. But my father’s voice had ran loud in my ear that evening. “You’ll just embarrass us, Elora. You must stay put in your tower.” He was going to replace me with my step sister, Selene. His golden child, his warrior. Her golden hair reminded me of the sunlight, her smile was bright enough to charm anyone. Still, she didn’t deserve him. She was mean, very mean. And Kael… I stretched my arms against the windowsill, smiling at the full moon. Oh! Kael was everything an alpha should be—strong, commanding, and devastatingly handsome. His dark hair always seemed to fall perfectly down his face, and his green eyes sharp and full of fire. He was kind too. I had often heard the servants say he wasn’t anything like his father. My love was honest, full of integrity. He was a warrior of valor, and he loved his people unco

Elora’s POV Just as I had expected, the meeting was a disaster. Kael had called one in the throne room between his father, my father, Athlea - my stepmother, Selene, and I. He told them everything. How he had found out we were mates and how he marked me. Just as Selene said, his father, the former alpha, told him he didn’t have to marry me. “It’s not compulsory. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” He spoke about the prophecy again. “But it said you’ll be with one of the Valewind sisters, and you made your pick as a young man.” Athlea cut in. She placed her hands on Selene’s shoulders. My sister’s eyes were swollen from all her crying. She had always been very cruel to me. Still, it hurt me to see her like that. “The goddess chose Elora for me. I’m sure there’s a reason for that.” He had responded. “So, I would take Elora as my Luna, and she would be accorded the respect she deserves. I would not question fate or the goddess. If I am to end this

Elora’s POV The sheets covering my body did little to stop the chill that seeped into my bones. My head pounded like I’d been hit by a rock, and my limbs felt heavy. I struggled to part my eyelids, but they wouldn’t budge. The smell of the room was strange. No matter how hard I sniffed, I couldn’t recognize it. Where was I? It was raining outside, I could hear the sounds of soft raindrops. Fear shot through my bones, causing my eyes to open widely. Rain never came during this part of the year. How far away from home was I? My fingers brushed the soft fabric of the bed beneath me. It wasn’t familiar. Nothing here was. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my side, forcing me to lie back down. It all came rushing back. The attack. The wolves. The pain. My hand flew to my side, expecting to feel open wounds, but instead, there was nothing but smooth skin. What happened? Amidst my confusion, the door creaked open. Frightened, I pressed my back aga

Elora I sat on the bed, my legs tucked under me, staring at the locked door. It had been days, maybe longer—I had no way of knowing. The only people I ever saw were the maids who brought my food and left without a word. I wasn’t allowed to leave until I was strong enough to start my training. It wasn’t my first time being locked up or hidden, still I felt like a prisoner. Then, the door opened and she walked in. She was tall, with short, dark hair and sharp eyes that looked like they could cut through steel. I recognized her from the other night. Kiara. Relief washed over me. Finally, someone I could talk to—well, communicate with. The maids never spoke to me, almost like they were afraid to. I grabbed my scroll and quickly started to scribble a message, but before I could finish, Kiara sighed and shook her head. “Don’t bother,” she said. “I can understand sign language just fine.” I paused, the quill hovering over the paper. Slowly, I set it down. Kiara pulled a chair

ELORA The moment my eyelids parted to take in the sunlight, a dull ache spread through my body. It wasn’t as bad as last night, but it lingered nonetheless, and brought back cruel and painful memories to my mind. I almost died last night. I would have been dead if not for… I blinked against the soft morning light filtering through the tent as my eyes struggled to adjust. That was when I saw him. Ryker. He was seated on the chair beside my bed, his head tilted slightly against the backrest, eyes closed. Asleep. For a long moment, I just… looked at him. I didn’t know why I did it. I wasn’t supposed to spare him as much as a second glance knowing who he was and what his pack had done to mine in the past, their role in this war, in the death of women and children from all over. Maybe because it was easier than thinking about the pain. Or because I had never actually taken the time to look at him before. Unlike Kael who had handsome gentle features, Ryker’s face was