Chapter 12

Weston

The courtyard lay hushed beneath the moon’s pale glow. Before the castle gates, eight hundred warriors of Mooncrest—each one a living testament to our pack’s strength—waited for a single revelation: their Luna. I stood at the crest of the stone steps, not behind Alex but unwaveringly beside her. Because tonight wasn’t about me presenting her; it was about revealing who she already was.

She wore a mask of serene composure, but I felt the tremor in her fingers through our bond. I leaned closer. “You’re nervous.”

Her calm facade cracked. “I’m standing in front of eight hundred wolves.”

“You faced Blackridge once,” I reminded her.

She shook her head, gaze drifting over the crowd. “Blackridge already hated me. Mooncrest’s still deciding if I deserve this.”

I smiled. “They’re not judging you. They’re deciding whether they’re worthy of you.”

Her eyes softened. “You really believe that?”

“I do.”

The ancient bell tolled, its