CHAPTER FOUR : THE ALPHAS CHOICE
662 Words
A heavy silence filled the Alpha Hall.
Aria lay motionless on the cold stone floor, her body trembling slightly from the pain that still pulsed through her chest.
The broken mate bond felt like a wound that refused to stop bleeding.
Her vision was blurred, but she could still hear the whispers.
“They say rejection can kill a wolf…”
“She looks like she might not survive it.”
“Serves her right for thinking she could be Luna.”
Each word stabbed deeper than the last.
Inside her mind, Selene whimpered weakly.
Stay with me, Aria…
Aria tried to respond, but her voice wouldn’t come out.
Across the hall, Kael stood tall beside the throne, his expression hard and unreadable.
For a moment, his gaze flickered toward the girl lying on the ground.
Something tightened in his chest.
His wolf stirred restlessly.
But he ignored it.
Instead, he raised his hand, signaling for silence.
Immediately, the murmuring crowd quieted.
Every wolf in the hall turned their attention back to him.
The Alpha’s voice carried across the room.
“Tonight was meant to be a celebration for our pack.”
His sharp eyes swept across the crowd.
“And it still will be.”
Lyra stepped forward gracefully, her dark hair shining under the torchlight. Confidence radiated from her as she moved to stand beside Kael.
Unlike Aria, Lyra looked every inch the perfect Luna.
Beautiful.
Strong.
Admired.
She placed her hand lightly on Kael’s arm, smiling at the crowd.
A few wolves began nodding in approval.
Kael continued, his voice steady and commanding.
“A pack must always have a Luna worthy of standing beside its Alpha.”
Aria felt the words like knives even through her fading consciousness.
Kael turned slightly toward Lyra.
His hand gently lifted hers.
“Lyra, daughter of Beta Marcus, has proven her strength, loyalty, and dedication to this pack.”
Lyra’s smile widened.
Pride gleamed in her eyes.
“And so,” Kael announced loudly, “I have chosen her to stand beside me.”
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Then the applause started.
Loud.
Excited.
Celebratory.
Lyra looked around the room like a queen already claiming her throne.
“From this night forward,” Kael declared, “Lyra will be the future Luna of Shadow Moon Pack.”
The cheers grew even louder.
But on the floor, Aria felt something inside her crack open.
Not her heart.
Something deeper.
Something ancient.
Selene suddenly stirred violently.
Her weak voice turned sharp.
Aria…
A strange heat spread through Aria’s body.
It started in her chest.
Then moved through her veins like fire.
Her fingers twitched.
A faint silver glow flickered beneath her skin.
Selene’s voice echoed again—this time stronger.
Something is waking up…
Aria’s body trembled against the stone floor.
Across the room, a few wolves suddenly stopped clapping.
“Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“I thought her skin just… glowed.”
Near the throne, Kael frowned slightly.
His wolf had suddenly gone completely still.
Alert.
Watching.
Something was wrong.
Something powerful.
The air in the hall suddenly shifted.
The torches along the walls flickered wildly.
A low rumble echoed through the ground beneath their feet.
Aria’s back arched suddenly as a burst of energy surged through her body.
A bright flash of silver light exploded from her chest.
Gasps erupted across the hall.
Several wolves stumbled backward.
“What was that?!”
“The ground just shook!”
Lyra’s confident smile vanished instantly.
Fear flashed across her face.
Kael stared at Aria in shock.
Because the power he had just felt…
Was ancient.
Far older than any wolf in the room.
On the floor, Aria’s breathing grew heavier.
Her eyes slowly began to open.
And for a brief moment—
They glowed silver.
Selene’s voice echoed through her mind.
Stronger than ever before.
They think you are weak.
They have no idea…
…what you truly are.
- Writer
