The Alpha Kings Forsaken Luna

ted me was the same night I discovered that

e walls, illuminating marble pillars carved with the symbols of the Seven Werewolf Kingdoms. Noble Alphas, their ch

upposed to be

st powerful werewolves in the realm to honor the Moon

was a nightmare dres

ress was too loose around my waist and too tight across my chest. My dark auburn hair had been pinned into an

a small silver pendant

y thing my mot

ously, seeking comfor

inded myself. You survived the Bloodm

words fe

us of the Bloodmoon Pack, had insisted that every member of his household atte

was much

there to serv

alty, I was still the wolfless g

ut of t

es shoved past me. I stumbled, catching my

," I m

't even

iation and stepped fa

ways been

d hear a heartbeat from across a room, smell fear on the wi

none of thos

was what ever

ind. I had never felt the magical connection that other w

s called m

bers called

us called

heir judgment because I had n

ur swept thro

ans stoppe

ersation d

room swung open, and the royal guards str

arrived!" the roya

one b

hem, but I couldn't resist looking u

en I s

g Draven

o striking it seemed almost cruel that one person could possess so much beauty. His black

s eyes that f

shade of silver, cold as win

r been denied anything. Warriors moved aside before him. Alphas bowed

ot merel

oms, a ruler whose commands could start wars and

d him the

ifth birthday. They said he had never shown mercy to an enemy. They

im, I believ

ircase to the royal platform

he st

turned

strils

ent, his silver eye

n they

d seemed

harp pierce

warmth spread through my body. The air filled with the scent

es wea

p inside me, so faint that I almo

a

d at th

o

uldn'

I had spent my entire life being told that I was an empty shel

read pulling at my h

expressio

cond, shock broke thro

around the edge of

s face

nsified, and a foolish, des

oddess had not for

I wasn't

I was allowed to

cended the

directly

owed his progress. I could barely breathe. My hands trembled at my si

less than a

was even more

my head to m

I whispered, l

dn't

s if confirming something he d

w tigh

ur name?" h

phina

r pa

Pack, You

ecognition cro

us's

ach tig

es

ion became

t, neither

his voice dropping so

you feel

ered a little

what he

bo

e connection

truth would bring pain, but I had spent my life being punished for

mate," I

flashed

unding crowd. Someone gasped. Another per

ing had fou

s mate

lfless

l nobod

considered worthy of standin

ting for him to deny it, to

oked at me as if I were somethi

ossi

ruck harder

arely able to spea

len

racked thro

versation

the crowd, his face

e Moon Goddess has chosen to pl

laughs rose fr

od fr

ed back

asked, loud enough for the entire hall to h

ughter

ce bu

the marble floor to open benea

n't look aw

bond was s

t, I could feel the faintes

rt of me still hoped he

stepped

me, Ser

bey

eyes were

it means to be the Lun

ed. "I wo

ven shift into a wolf. You have no standing, no p

an s

e me while every Alpha in this hall whispers that

thered i

ht the

oose this,"

her d

enough to freeze t

to face the a

Draven Blackwood, Alpha King of the Seven King

fell lik

tbeat, nothi

he bon

ded throug

cre

ad reached inside me and ripped out a part of my soul. My knees struck the marbl

d was b

ld fe

rt to his was being severed,

rified fascination. Some looked away

y hel

dy d

inst the cold floor, desp

ase, Moon Goddess. I don't und

ation stirred

ing an

ing fu

ce awaken beneath my skin. It was enormous and po

it va

ce it before another wave

to lift my head, Drav

without a tra

away," h

guards a

y feet before th

on

ak, but the wor

aised an

ngers. My entire body hurt, but I refused to give

I repeated, lookin

lence settled

sn't accustomed t

would do well to remembe

xactly wh

acked, but

ke the heart of someone who

ickered in h

kly that I wondered wh

er," he s

st when the guards escor

every step sent fresh pain through my che

r t

id she

ng deserves

oon Goddess m

rn around and

I kept

years allowing other pe

them another opp

d, I heard a woman's voic

y the bond should be

Evelyne," Dr

face, but I heard the sat

en waiting for

that the Alpha Kin

tting out the light, the music, and t

I stood in the corr

began

lo

ramat

hand and let the tears fall becau

ve. I cried for the young woman who had secretly prayed that the Moon

had looked into my eyes and d

red his thro

you back to your pack," he said stiffly. "Yo

red a

cour

self with the fate of a woman

wed dress and walked to

side. Above the distant mountains, a full moo

ays loved

her stories about the Moon Goddess. She had told me that every c

hispered, you will discover that t

to those wor

rejection, I wondered whether my mother had b

silver pendant

d into the darkness. "Did

rew warm bene

pulled it away

thin line of silver light f

lin

ght wa

of dizziness swept over me. I caught the

hoed insid

a vo

exac

l, powerful enough to make

ked u

's t

tyard wa

al guards stood at their posts, and the wind rustl

ing

eel something

that kne

that had b

om the railing,

r brushed thr

of the forgot

fr

were unm

hear

hing answered with a surge of h

ghtened aroun

ening to me?"

swer

on watched

on that had shattered my life was also

eved he had rejecte

escaped a fate be

y my shame, and spend the rest of my life

as w

rs of humiliation and the silence I had mistaken f

even Kingdoms would learn a tru