Chapter 35 CROWN HER LUNA
DEREK’S POV
“Once I leave, wake her up and get her dressed. Same fabric I have on, a glowing dress. She’s standing by my side tonight,” I say to Hera, buttoning the white shirt, which I’m required to wear.
Tonight, I’ll be dressed in all white garments, and so will she.
“Yes, Alpha,” she says, but my attention shifts from her immediately I hear Amber moan in her sleep.
I turn to her and watch her sleep peacefully. She looks radiant, like a glimmer of light under my black sheets. She looks perfect, like she belongs right here.
Her presence with me right now feels more significant. I feel like there are invisible threads keeping us connected; the soft hum going through my body since I woke up with her in my arms is proof that there’s an obvious connection between us.
A connection that has my senses spiked and heightened, and my wolf feeling stronger than ever.
Staring at her now, the longing I’ve felt for weeks increases, coupled with a new feeling of adoration. She’s beautiful.
But even with these feelings, at the back of my mind, I know that she isn’t all bright and sparkly as my feelings have painted her. One way or another, she’s still the enemy, and as much as I’ll stay true to my words and give her rights as the Luna, I’ll ensure that she doesn’t get too comfortable.
Too comfortable that she’d attempt betraying the pack and me.
I meant it when I said I’d kill her and bear the consequences. Once I become the alpha, I’ll have no substantial reason to keep her alive if she ever betrays me.
I will endure the whiplash of the mating bond for eternity if I have to, than allow her to hurt my pack and live.
Besides, my father survived and remained a strong Alpha for decades after her family killed his mate, so I’m certain I’ll manage. Besides I have a child on the way, so she’s of little use to me.
It’s ironic how the Snow family would be responsible for ridding our pack of two Lunas, and this time, it might be a more personal attack. Killing my mate with my barehand.
I walk towards her once I’m done dressing, and an instant smile comes to my face at the sight of her resting figure, wondering how someone looking this innocent could cause great damage to my world.
I place a peck on her cheek, savoring the smoothness of her skin and the warmth that touching her brings me, before standing up and walking out of the room, leaving her to Hera’s care.
I’d rather not see her conscious until it’s time for her to be revealed at the ceremony, I’d rather not know what her reaction to me would be until I’m sure I’ll be at peak composure in front of the crowd, there’s no telling how I’ll respond to it within closed doors.
I walk out of the building to the open field where the ceremony will be held, and it’s as elegant as I expected it to be.
Following our custom, every aesthetic in the field is plain white, from the drapes, which are light adaptable, hung around decorating the platform where Amber and I will stand, and on the grass, making a pathway we’ll walk on, to the wooden platform, which was painted white.
Besides this decor, there’s nothing but open field, no chairs or tables, just vast land, large enough for when we have to shift.
The blood moon has started rising, casting a light crimson glow that makes every touch of white look pink under it. At its peak, the whites will turn blood red, marking the right time for the transfer of authority.
I see that everyone is present, and they sense me before I get close. They are all dressed in grey as required, until they shed their clothes and shift to wolves; they have wide smiles on their faces, and I’m sure they all feel the connection with Amber; they all recognize the presence of their Luna.
Today I introduce her to them, today they’ll officially meet her, but I know they will never fully accept her. Everyone knows who she is and the family she comes from, so basically, she’s as useful to them as a figure they draw strength from for the sake of being part of the pack, but without a bother to personally connect with her.
They bow in respect once I walk through their midst, but my mind is still fixed on Amber’s role in this; she cannot just come out and be treated as a supporting figure beside me. I gave her my word to give her full rights, and in this light, she has a major role to play today.
“Let’s begin,” my father says, but I counter him.
“We’ll wait till my mate gets here,” I state, and my father frowns while the crowd looks confused.
“We don’t need her here to begin; she just has to stand by you once the moon is at its peak, and you’ll get your mantle as Alpha. She doesn’t have to take part in the cleansing,” he says, withholding his disapproving tone.
“No,” I state.
“No?”
“No. She’ll be part of everything as a Luna should be, because she’ll receive her mantle as well this night, right after she’s initiated into the pack.” At my statement, the crowd gasps, but I ignore them, keeping my stare on my father, who looks ready to hit me.
“We are not making Amber Snow a member of the pack, and we are definitely not officially making her Luna,” he says, his tone hard and furious as the veins on his forehead become visible.
“You said I should give her whatever she wants, and this is exactly what she wants, her full rights as a member of the pack and as Luna, I gave her my word,” I say to him before turning to the crowd who look shocked by my statement, “she will be given her rightful seat at the head of the pack, I will not question the moon goddess on this. You are allowed to be displeased by this, but it is happening,” I say authoritatively, sounding my conviction.
“I will not hand over that authority to her,” my father says firmly in obvious displeasure.
“Then I will do it, I will crown her Luna,” I say, and this is when we all feel her presence before we see her.
Everyone instantly turns towards her, and my eyes widen immediately I spot her, marveling at how ethereal she looks. She’s breathtaking, standing in nothing but a white robe that rests on her skin like an accessory, making her look like a walking red diamond under the moon’s glow.
I watch her scan through the crowd, and I realize that everyone's expression is hardened, and she looks unnerved by this.
“It seems everyone is so excited to see me,” she says sarcastically to Hera, whose presence I just noticed.
A frown settles on my face at her choice of words in this moment. She picked now to be sarcastic when everyone can hear everything, down to the breath she takes.
These thoughts fade once her eyes find mine, and my heart misses a beat when she smiles at me, such a simple action that speaks volumes about how she feels, and she speaks again, holding the stare.
“The enemy I know is better than the friend I don’t, right?” I can tell she’s asking Hera, and I wonder if she knows that she’s the enemy in this scenario.
THEY’LL NEVER ACCEPT ME