Moon Bound

(53) Luna Unchained |Scarlet's POV|

Another evening in their presence, the sun sinking down to come back in the morning for a bright new future – a brave new world.

But tonight, it was the Moon who would guide us in resolving our matters.

The luna walking next to her alpha, their hands clasped together, they trekked further into the crowd of people gathered to witness yet another of the dark nights this pack was going to survive when they didn't even know our deception.

Their smiles were deceptive too. There was nothing jovial and bright about them if you looked closely. Fake.

It felt like I'd lived a fake life all this time. My pack, his pack, now our pack... a pack was supposed to be loyal, a pack had to be united and support their leaders, let them do their jobs and lead. Why couldn't they? When did the change start? How did it happen?

Was it my pack that poisoned his when they became one or was it the other way around?

I didn't know. Perhaps the Moon was the only one who did. She was the only one who peeped at us and could see us bare and real through the clouds of illusory bright colors and faked sentiments of joy. Nothing ever stayed hidden from her all-seeing eye.

And tonight the Moon was going to judge them for straying off her path. Tonight, she was going to punish them. The alpha and the luna were mere tools for her.

Shame and iron...

The soft sound of my promise from just a few hours ago still ringing in my ears, I let him lead me with the gentle tug of his hand on mine.

We were slowly making our way into the empty circle in the crowd – a luna and an alpha, walking hand in hand in front of the wolves, in front of my blindfolded to the truth 'friends'. And none of them knew of the bittersweet feelings that floated inside me, except him.

Justice. Punishment that was deserved.

Eyes followed our every move. There was fear in them – fear and awareness that lurked behind the corners of their mouths upturned in traditional greeting of their alpha couple. It didn't escape my notice how the mothers shielded their children with their bodies as we passed by. Afraid.

They should be.

His warm hand engulfing mine was the only anchor that kept me from falling down to my knees and crying out my anger to the Moon. It hurt my pride that I meant and probably had always meant this little for them.

I wished to say that it didn't, that it was simply going through the motions but that betrayal, that sickening knowledge that, even after protecting them last night, they still hated me, was tearing me apart.

And now I wanted to hurt them too. I needed to hurt them.

He stopped in front of the fire lit up in the middle of the circle and whisked me to his side. For several minutes, I listened to our quiet breathing, stayed right next to him, watched darkness slowly creeping.

He turned toward the people who were waiting for his announcement in nervous anticipation. I heard his deep inhale, felt the trembles traveling from his hand to mine and then overtaking the rest of my body just before he let go, breaking the contact so he could stand in his own right.

An alpha ready to judge and condemn despite his luna being right next to him in the quiet yard behind the house, it had to be what they saw, what they believed.

Several feet ahead, the empty field was swallowed by the trees that had grown here for as long as I could remember, this place – just one of the many clearings barren from their wooden sentinels within the forest surrounding the city with the packhouse situated in the very heart of it.