Chapter 76

Chapter 76
Chapter Seventy-Six

Selene’s POV

The packhouse felt different the moment I stepped inside. I had been gone only days, but it felt like years had folded themselves behind me. The air carried the familiar blend of pine and hearth smoke, but underneath it was something else, something tighter. A tension I had not noticed before.

Wolves moved around the main hall, trying to act as if everything was normal. They nodded politely when they saw me, and some even smiled, but I could feel the shift in their scent. Fear. Hope. Curiosity. I did not know which was meant for me and which belonged to the uncertainty hanging over all of us.

Kai walked beside me, his hand grazing mine occasionally as if reminding himself I was still here. I wanted to reach for him fully, but the voices around us kept building, a quiet storm forming in the background.

The moment we reached the upper landing, I heard Alera’s voice before I saw her.

“You left without telling anyone where you were going,” she said sharply as she appeared from the hallway. Her eyes flicked to Kai, then back to me. “Do you have any idea how many wolves went looking for you?”

Guilt pressed against my ribs. “I did not mean to worry anyone.”

“You disappeared,” she said. “That worries everyone.”

Kai stepped forward before I could respond. “If you have a problem, you speak to me.”

Alera held his stare for a beat before stepping aside. “Fine. But the pack needs answers. And they need their Luna.”

I tensed at that word. Luna. As if the mountain had not left scars deeper than anyone could see. As if I was not still struggling to understand who I had become.

We walked into Kai’s office, and the moment the door closed behind us, the weight I had carried since the Core released us finally settled in my chest. He turned to me immediately.

“You are shaking,” he said.

“I just need a minute.”

He reached for my hands, holding them gently in his. “You did not rest at all last night.”

Neither had he. His eyes were rimmed with exhaustion, and I could still see the faint bruise on his jaw from the guardian’s attack.

“You should sit,” he murmured.

I sank into the chair near the window. The quiet felt heavier here, as if the entire room waited for something to break.

Kai knelt in front of me. “Tell me what you are thinking.”

“That I feel like I never truly came back,” I said softly. “Part of me is still in that mountain.”

“Then I will bring you the rest of the way.”

My throat tightened. He made everything sound so simple, as if his presence alone could stitch together the pieces that still trembled inside me.

His thumb traced a slow line across my knuckles. “Selene, look at me.”

I did. His golden eyes were warm, steady, and full of something I had longed for without knowing it.

“You are safe,” he said. “And you are home.”

The word home pressed deep. I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his. His hands framed my face gently, as if I were something breakable and precious at once.

For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe.

The door burst open.

Both of us jolted back.

“Alpha,” Ryden said breathlessly as he hurried inside. “You need to come outside. Now.”

Kai was already on his feet. “What happened?”

Ryden hesitated, his eyes shifting toward me. “It is about the pack. They are gathering at the clearing.”

“And?”

“And they want answers from the Alpha and Luna.”

Kai’s jaw locked. “They will get them.”

I rose slowly. “Kai, I can stay here.”

He took my hand before I could step away. “No. If they want answers from their Luna, then they will hear them from you.”

My pulse stumbled, but I nodded.

We walked outside together. The clearing was full, wolves of every rank gathered in a wide circle. Some looked relieved to see us. Some looked afraid. Some looked like they no longer knew what to believe.

Kai stood tall, but he kept me close, his hand warm at the small of my back.

Alera stepped forward. “Everyone is here.”

Kai nodded. “Then we begin.”

Ryden cleared his throat. “The pack demands to know the truth about the mountain. About the Core. And about our Luna.”

The murmurs began immediately. I tried to steady my breathing, but the crowd felt too close, too heavy.

Kai stepped forward. “The mountain is no longer a threat. The Core is sealed. The guardian is gone.”

A voice shouted from the back. “And the power that came with it? What about that?”

Another added, “We saw the glow last night. We heard the tremors.”

Kai’s tone hardened. “There is no danger to any of you.”

I stepped forward before he could say more. “What you felt last night was not a threat. It was an echo.”

The pack fell silent.

“I carried the mountain’s power once,” I said. “Some of it still lingers in me. But it is not growing. It is not changing. It is quiet.”

A wolf to the right spoke up. “How can we be sure?”

“Because I am still here.”

Kai’s hand brushed mine subtly, grounding me.

“I am the one who fought the Core. I am the one who broke the throne. And I am the only one who can feel what remains of it.”

“You expect us to trust that?” someone asked.

“No,” I said. “I expect you to watch. If there is danger, I will be the first to face it.”

The pack stirred at that. Some nodded. Some whispered. Some simply stared.

Kai stepped close. “You will not face anything alone.”

I looked at him, warmth rising in my chest. “I know.”

A smaller figure pushed through the crowd. A young wolf, barely seventeen. His voice trembled. “Are you still our Luna?”

Silence dropped over the clearing.

I knelt in front of him. “Do you want me to be?”

He swallowed hard. “Yes.”

“Then I am.”

The boy nodded, relief breaking across his face.

Slowly, others stepped forward. They bowed their heads. Some knelt. Some simply watched, but their scent shifted. The fear eased.

Alera approached last. “I will hold the pack steady,” she said. “And I will follow your lead.”

I breathed out shakily. “Thank you.”

Kai leaned close, voice low enough for only me. “That was brave.”

“I was terrified.”

“You did it anyway.” His hand brushed my arm. “That is what makes you Luna.”

When the crowd dispersed, the tension in my shoulders finally eased. Kai walked me back toward the packhouse, but instead of leading me inside, he stopped in the shaded path along the gardens.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

“I think so.”

He cupped my cheek gently. “You held them together.”

“You helped.”

He smiled, small and warm. “I will always help.”

The quiet between us softened, turning into something warm and familiar. His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth, lingering there.

“You look tired,” he murmured.

“Then stop distracting me.”

He laughed under his breath. “I am not doing anything.”

“You are doing exactly enough.”

His hand slid behind my waist, pulling me closer. “Then let me hold you a little longer.”

I rested my forehead against his chest. His heartbeat was steady, grounding. For the first time since the Core awakened, the world did not feel like it was cracking beneath my feet.

“Kai,” I whispered.

“Yes.”

“Thank you for not giving up on me.”

His hand lifted my chin so our eyes met. “Selene, I could never give up on you. Not in this lifetime or any other.”

I leaned into him, letting the warmth of his embrace replace the last of the mountain’s cold.

And for the first time, I believed him.