Chapter 11 Threats & Beginnings

Chapter 11 Threats & Beginnings
Nyssa POV

The day had barely found its stride when Greta hurried into the Alpha office, clutching a sealed scroll so tightly her knuckles whitened.

“Luna… a message from Bloodpine Dominion. Straight from Alpha Malrick Thorn.”

A ripple of irritation crawled up my spine. Bloodpine was one of the last packs I wanted sniffing around Moonfang. Malrick was the type of alpha who collected territories the way some alphas collected mistresses.

I broke the seal.

Alpha Luna Nyssa Blackwell,
Moonfang has risen. For the stability of our region, I request an immediate alliance meeting.
I will arrive tomorrow.
\-Alpha Malrick Thorn, Bloodpine Dominion

Request. What a generous word. Vianna scoffed. "He means demand. He smells power and wants to clamp his jaws around it."

I dipped my quill in ink, keeping my expression flat.

Alpha Malrick,
Your presence is neither required nor welcome.
Moonfang stands strong without Bloodpine’s interference.
If you wish to prove your worth, you may participate in the trials for the mate hunt.
Otherwise, do not approach our borders again.
—Alpha Luna Nyssa Blackwell

Greta let out a small, strangled squeak. “Luna… he won’t take this well.”

“I’m not here to soothe fragile egos,” I said, sealing the message. “I’m here to build a future that doesn’t involve alphas like Malrick dictating destiny.”

Once Greta hurried out with the reply, the office grew still. Too still. A soft pulse began behind my ribs. A silvery glow seeped into my fingers.

“Vianna?” I whispered.

"She calls," Vianna murmured, pacing inside me. "Let Her speak."

The world dimmed. My breath stilled. Moonlight thickened in the air until it filled every corner of the room. A voice older than the mountains echoed inside my mind.

"Alpha Luna Nyssa Blackwell."

The Moon Goddess didn’t appear physically this time.
She didn’t need to. Her presence alone bent the air like a rising storm.

"The ledger is written. The fifty Lunas have been marked. Now you must summon their counterparts.
Five hundred alphas. Five hundred trials.
You will judge them, bind them, or break them."

I swallowed hard. “Five hundred? Goddess… that many are unworthy.”

"Then they will fall. But wolfkind cannot survive without rebuilding the mate lines. Balance requires choice. Bloodshed has cost too much. Invite them. Test them. Those who pass will strengthen the world.
Those who fail will rot."

The instructions slid into my mind like folded silk unraveling, names, coordinates, sigils of power. Five hundred exact alphas she commanded me to invite.

I whispered, “Why me?”

The answer was simple.

"Because you rose. And because you will lead them all."

The glow faded. The room returned. My heartbeat thundered with raw purpose. Rowan knocked once before stepping inside. His eyes widened. “Luna… your skin is glowing.”

I glanced down. A faint silver sheen still pulsed along my arms.

“She spoke,” I said softly. “The Goddess gave me the list.”

Rowan straightened. Ronan appeared behind him, appearing to sense the tremor of power.

“What list?” Ronan asked.

I sat at my desk, pulled out thick parchment, and placed my fingertips on it. Moonlight sparked beneath my touch.

And then, names began writing themselves across the page in gleaming silver. One after another. Hundreds. Five hundred alphas.

Ronan whistled. “That’s a lot of testosterone incoming.”

Rowan elbowed him. “Show some respect.”

“I am!” Ronan grinned. “Respectfully terrified.”

When the last name etched itself, the ink dried instantly.

“These,” I said, exhaling steadily, “are the alphas who will receive invitations to the trials and mate hunt. All five hundred must come. The Goddess commands it.”

Rowan looked uneasy. “And if some refuse?”

“They won’t,” I said. “Curiosity will drag them. Ego will drive them. Ambition will seal their fate.”

I lifted my hand over the parchment. Silver sigils rose from the page, swirling into the air like embers made of moonfire. Then with a single breath...the invitations vanished, streaking across the world like shooting stars.

Within seconds, Lupinenet buzzed violently in my pocket. Notifications exploded faster than I could read. Ronan peeked over my shoulder.

“Oh Goddess,” he said, his eyes widening. “You broke the app.”

I posted anyway.

Moonfang Pack Announcement
By decree of the Moon Goddess, five hundred alphas have been summoned to Moonfang.
Trials begin one month from today.
The mate hunt will commence under the next full moon.
Prepare yourselves.
—Alpha Luna Nyssa Blackwell

The instant the post went live, Lupinenet detonated.

Rowan muttered, “We’re trending in every region.”

Ronan barked a laugh. “Goddess above… Nyssa, you just declared a continent-wide war.”

“No,” I corrected. “I declared a test.”

Vianna lifted her head, a satisfied rumble echoing in my mind. "Let them come," she purred. "Let them kneel, bleed, or break. The Luna rises now."

Rowan met my eyes, and awe softened his expression. “What do we do next?”

I smiled, slow and sharp.

“We prepare the world, Beta. Moonfang will host five hundred alphas and fifty rising Lunas. We will train. We will build. We will take our place in the new era.”

Ronan cracked his knuckles. “Goddess help anyone who underestimates us.”

I stepped toward the window overlooking my reclaimed territory, with silver threads of the Goddess’s power still humming in my blood.

“Let them come,” I whispered.

Because this time...I wasn’t the Luna they expected.

I was the Alpha they should have feared all along.
\~~~~~

Three days later...

Three days passed in a blur of movement, magic, and planning.

The workers were gone now, every human contractor, every witch who’d stitched a protective ward into the borders, and every mage who’d tested the grounds for sabotage. The sprawling Moonfang territory breathed like a living creature again, wild but fortified, humming with anticipation.

Only wolves remained. My wolves. And this morning, the moment my eyes opened, I knew. Today they come.

The three marked Lunas. Kaela Frostwind. Seraphine Vale. Mireya Solace. Chosen by the Moon Goddess to rise beside me. Vianna stretched luxuriously inside my skin. "They bring change. Power. Fate. Be ready, Nyssa."

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, only to inhale the unmistakable scent of roasted coffee and bacon.

Ronan stood at my bedside, with one hand holding a steaming mug, the other offering a breakfast sandwich stacked like it had been blessed by the Goddess Herself.

His grin was pure sin, his hair was still damp from an early run, and his muscles were on full display beneath a too tight black shirt. “Morning, Alpha.”

“Morning,” I purred.

He blinked. And then I did exactly what Vianna dared me to do...I stood...completely naked.

Ronan made a noise that was somewhere between a choke and a prayer. The coffee sloshed over the rim as his jaw unhinged.

“My goddess…” he breathed. “You have the body of a goddess.”

I stretched languidly, and unapologetically. “Do I now?”

“Holy hells, Nyssa. Cassian was an absolute fuck-tard.”

I raised a brow, amused. “Only took you three days to say what you’ve been thinking.”

He raked a hand over his face, and his eyes darkened to molten amber. “Woman, you’re testing my patience. I’m one wrong breath away from...”

I brushed past him deliberately, my soft skin grazing his rigid muscle. He growled, low, rough, and feral.

Heat flickered down my spine.

“Three weeks to go… mate,” I whispered, dragging out the last word as I reached for my robe. “You can prove yourself then.”

Ronan swore under his breath. “I’m going feral.”

“You already were,” I teased as I tied the robe around my waist. “Now come on. The three Lunas will arrive today. We need their rooms perfect.”

That sobered him. He nodded, straightening. “Then let’s prepare.”

I dressed quickly and we walked through the newly restored pack house, Moonfang’s heart reborn floor by floor. Fresh paint, polished wood, and warm lantern light. Greta’s staff had worked miracles. Rooms that were once filled with dust and decay now hummed with life again.

Three chambers near mine had been chosen for the incoming Lunas until their house was complete. Each was spacious, with carved stone fireplaces, tall arched windows, soft furs, thick quilts, and private baths.

Royal rooms for royal women. Kaela’s was complete with pale blues and silvers for her frost-born blood.
Seraphine’s held darker tones, indigo, obsidian, and velvet. Mireya’s shimmered with soft desert hues, saffron, rose gold, and deep clay red.

Ronan flopped onto one of the beds. “These rooms are nicer than mine.”

“Earn a higher rank,” I teased.

He pointed a finger at me. “Alpha Lunas with a smart mouth are dangerous.”

“Get used to it.”

He grinned crookedly. “Wouldn’t want you any other way.”

We finished our checks. Fresh linens. Food baskets. Water pitchers. Spare clothing. I’d already ordered emergency supply kits for each Luna, knives, salves, enchanted bandages, and moonstones for grounding.

When everything looked perfect, I exhaled slowly.

“They’re close,” Vianna murmured. “I feel them.”

So did I. A pressure in the air. A tug in the chest.
Fate drawing together from three corners of the country. Ronan walked beside me to the front doors, and his presence was steady and grounding despite the constant magnetic pull between us.

“You ready for this?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. “More than ready.”

I pulled open the massive wooden door, and the cold mountain air rushed into the entry hall.

And just as the Goddess had whispered...they arrived. Three vehicles barreled down the winding mountain road toward Moonfang. A rugged truck kicked up snow in a fierce spray, Kaela Frostwind’s energy was icy and commanding even from a distance.

A sleek black sedan sliced through the morning light, Seraphine Vale’s aura was sharp as obsidian. A dusty red jeep roared behind them, Mireya Solace’s presence warm and thrumming with desert fire.

Ronan let out a low whistle. “Well well. The cavalry has arrived.”

My pulse quickened. Not with fear. With certainty.

The Goddess had chosen these women. The future of wolfkind ran in their veins. And the moment their vehicles skidded to a stop before Moonfang’s gate, I felt the land itself stir beneath my feet.

“They’re here,” I whispered.

Vianna growled her approval. Ronan stepped closer, and his shoulder brushed mine. “This is the beginning, Nyssa.”

“Yes,” I breathed. “The beginning of the Luna Age.”

The truck door slammed. A woman with snow-blonde hair and frost-blue eyes stepped out, and her gaze was fierce and assessing.

The sedan’s door opened next, and Seraphine emerged like a shadow-born queen, with her dark hair whipping in the wind.

Then the jeep, Mireya hopped down, and her gold-brown skin glowed under the winter sun, and her eyes were warm but burning with power.

Three Lunas. Three warriors. Three futures intertwined with mine.

I stepped forward, lifting my chin.

“Welcome to Moonfang,” I called.