Aurora’s POV
New Moon Pack Council Hall
"The border conflict is escalating," Elder Edmund’s fingers pounded the wooden table, his graying beard casting a solemn shadow in the flickering candlelight. "Those Starweave Pack bastards... they’re becoming more brazen by the day."
A few low murmurs of agreement echoed through the hall.
"We need to send a team to mediate," he paused, his gaze sweeping over the room. "To demonstrate both our strength and our sincerity."
My heart began to race.
The opportunity had arrived.
"This kind of important task should naturally be entrusted to the most qualified," Linus’s voice came from my right, dripping with the arrogance I knew all too well. "I’m more than willing to take on this responsibility for the pack."
He stepped forward, his golden hair shimmering in the firelight, his handsome face radiating confidence.
Around him, several young pureblood wolves nodded in agreement, murmuring softly among themselves. The buzzing sound of their whispers swarmed in my ears.
"Linus is indeed the best candidate..."
"Pureblood, strong... he’s the obvious choice."
The portraits of New Moon Pack’s past Alphas hung on the thick stone walls, their eyes seemingly watching me under the flickering candlelight—those eyes judging me, the half-blood who should never have been here.
My fists clenched involuntarily, my nails almost piercing my palms.
A familiar sense of indignation burned within my chest.
No, I couldn’t let them see my anger.
"I’m also willing to take on this task." My voice rang out clear and firm, stronger than I expected.
All eyes turned to me in an instant, the weight of their gazes like thousands of needles pricking my back.
The room fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
I stepped forward, my silver-white hair flowing over my shoulders, the sound of my boots clicking sharply against the marble floor.
Golden eyes swept across the room, meeting each pair of eyes. I saw surprise, disdain, and, hidden beneath it all, a flicker of expectation.
"Aurora, are you certain?" Elder Edmund’s brow furrowed, his aged face etched with concern. "The Starweave Pack has always looked down on us, especially given…"
He didn’t finish, but I knew what he meant.
Especially since you’re a half-blood.
"Elder, I understand your concerns," I lifted my chin and met his gaze directly. "Bloodline is important, but it doesn’t define everything."
Linus scoffed, a cold gleam flashing in his blue eyes. "Aurora, you’re so naive. Your father’s bloodline won’t save you. Your mother’s human blood has already sealed your limitations."
I turned to face him, my eyes burning with fury. "Are you worried that, despite my mixed blood, I might still outperform you?"
His expression darkened in an instant, his eyes flashing with anger. "Are you provoking me?"
"I’m simply claiming my right to the opportunity," my voice remained calm, so much so that I surprised myself. "If you think this is a provocation, then maybe you’re not as confident in your abilities as you think."
A few sharp intakes of breath echoed around me.
Whispers reached my ears:
"How could the Alpha allow her to do this…"
"Human blood…"
"This goes against tradition…"
Each word pricked my ears like a needle.
Yvette—my full-blooded half-sister—cast a complicated look from the corner of the room.
Her deep brown hair glowed softly in the candlelight, and her pale gold eyes—so similar to mine—held a mixture of worry and something I couldn’t quite read.
Linus’s fists clenched, the sound of his bones cracking in his grip. His supporters, a few young pureblood wolves, showed their anger openly.
"Enough!" Elder Edmund struck his staff on the ground with a resounding thud. "This is a council hall, not an arena!"
I took a deep breath, reining in my emotions.
"Elder, please, give me a chance." My voice grew respectful, but still resolute. "I know there are doubts about my bloodline, but what’s needed in a negotiation is strategy and courage."
The room fell silent once again.
Moonlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor at my feet.
Elder Edmund fell into deep thought, his gaze drifting away for a long moment before he slowly nodded. "In that case, I propose that both Linus and Aurora participate in this mission. You will each demonstrate your abilities, and it will serve as one of your trials for becoming the heir of New Moon Pack."
I—the Alpha’s illegitimate daughter, the child of a human woman—would show them all that identity isn’t everything.
"I agree," I said without hesitation.
Linus's expression grew even darker, his fists clenching tightly. As my half-brother, he could not tolerate the idea of me, his "half-blood sister," standing on equal ground with him. But with everyone watching, he could only grit his teeth and reply, "I agree as well."
"Good," Elder Edmund said as he rose to his feet. "At dawn tomorrow, we will depart for the border. Remember, our goal is to resolve the territorial dispute with the Starweave Pack. Everything must prioritize the interests of our pack."
As the council room began to empty, I stood still, feeling the weight of the challenge that lay ahead. I knew this was just the beginning. The real test was yet to come.
Linus brushed past me, deliberately bumping my shoulder.
"Don't think that earning this opportunity means you've proven anything," he murmured in my ear. "In the end, it'll be you who makes a fool of yourself."
I didn't respond, merely watching as his figure receded into the distance. When the last of the others had left the room, I let out a long, steady breath.
Moonlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting a cold glow over me.
At dawn, I sat in the back of the SUV, watching the snow-covered landscape rush by through the window. The engine's roar echoed through the silent forest, and the wheels left deep tracks in the snow. As we neared the New Moon Pack's border, the storm intensified.
The vehicle came to a stop near the designated meeting spot. I opened the door, and the biting wind hit me like a slap, sending a chill through my body. I pulled my cloak tighter around me, and my silver-white hair whipped around in the gusts. The snow was already up to my boots, and each step creaked beneath me. The distant mountains loomed through the snowstorm, like giants shrouded in veils.
This was an open snowfield, surrounded by towering pine trees, a neutral zone between the two packs.
"The meeting spot is ahead," Elder Edmund's voice came from the front, nearly lost in the howling wind. "The Starweave Pack has arrived."
Through the swirling snowflakes, I could make out a group of dark figures in the distance. The members of the Starweave Pack stood in a neat formation, their discipline resembling that of an army, even in such harsh conditions.
As we drew closer, their features became clearer—most had black hair and dark eyes, their tall frames exuding an air of cold detachment. Leading them was an elderly male with snow-white hair.
"New Moon Pack, I am Elder Marcus of the Starweave Pack, responsible for this negotiation," his voice cut through the storm. "Thank you for coming in such dreadful weather."
"For the peace of our two packs, this snowstorm is nothing," Elder Edmund replied, stepping forward.
I followed the elder, my gaze inadvertently scanning the Starweave Pack members.
Among them, two figures stood out. They were standing closely together, deep in conversation. One of them was speaking softly to the person beside him, while the other stared ahead, his gold-rimmed glasses catching the faint light in the blizzard.
They must be brothers.
When my eyes met the gaze of the one looking straight ahead, he noticed my stare, and a gentle expression appeared beneath his gold-rimmed glasses. I nodded in acknowledgment.
Then, my attention was drawn to the other man—his posture even more commanding, with broad shoulders that made him impossible to ignore, even through the snowstorm. His dark eyes, deep as the night sky, seemed to hold an endless depth.
A unique scent cut through the snow and wind, piercing my senses—cedar and wild mint, along with a wild, untamed presence I couldn't quite describe.
In an instant, my wolf inside me surged to the forefront, a low, guttural growl rumbling from my chest, followed by a deeper snarl, as if it wanted to break free, to lunge at him. Every nerve in my body screamed, every cell shuddered in response.
Even with the freezing wind biting at my skin, my face felt like it was on fire, as if being burned by flames. My heart thudded violently in my chest, my blood pulsing through my veins, bringing with it a dizzying rush of heat.
I unconsciously clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, but the pain only served to heighten the awareness of the fierce craving that gripped me.
And then, our gazes locked.
His dark eyes flashed with the same shock and confusion, but I saw more—his breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling, his eyes never leaving me, as if I were the only thing in his world.
The storm raged between us, but our gazes remained tethered, as though an invisible thread held us together, unbreakable.
An unprecedented longing surged within me—a desire to be near him, to touch him, to—no, I couldn’t think any further.
But my body betrayed me with every step, pulling me toward him. Every cell in my body seemed to cry out for him, even though I had no idea what his name was.
His eyes told me that he was struggling with the same thing.
The shock in those deep eyes gradually faded, replaced by something much deeper—an irresistible pull, a force we both couldn’t understand, but couldn’t deny either.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The wind, the snow, the distant voices of the others—they all disappeared. It was just the two of us, just this overwhelming, nearly painful emotion tearing at my very soul.
A word surfaced in my mind—fated mate.
It was the blessing of the Moon Goddess that every werewolf knew of, the miracle every werewolf awaited. But I never imagined it would happen to me, let alone in such a complicated situation.
"Aurora." Linus's cold voice snapped me back to reality, his tone laced with impatience. "What are you doing? Don’t hold us up."
I jolted, realizing I had stopped without noticing, and the eyes of my packmates were on me.
"N-nothing," I stammered, forcing my voice to sound normal. "I just... feel a bit... warm."
Linus's gaze sharpened, suspicion and scrutiny in his eyes.
"Warm?" he scoffed. "In weather like this? You’d better not mess up at a critical moment, Aurora. We're not here to watch you daydream."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, forcing my eyes away from the figure that unsettled me so much.
The elders of both packs began to discuss the border dispute, and the tense atmosphere stretched across the snowy plains. Just then, a howl pierced the air from the distance—this wasn’t the howl of the New Moon Pack or Starweave Pack. No, this was wilder, more violent, full of bloodlust.
"Bloodfang Pack!" Elder Marcus’s face tightened instantly.
"Report!" A scout from the New Moon Pack ran up breathlessly. "We’ve spotted Bloodfang Pack! Around thirty of them, moving in this direction."
Bloodfang Pack. No respectable werewolf pack wanted to associate with them. They were traitors to the old ways, surviving through violence and plunder.
"They're trying to take advantage of our negotiations to launch a sneak attack!" Elder Edmund analyzed, his fists clenching involuntarily.
"Damn it!" Elder Marcus cursed. "Those bloodthirsty lunatics!"
"It looks like we’ll have to deal with this threat first." Elder Edmund’s face hardened. "Marcus, I propose that our packs temporarily join forces to eliminate this common enemy."
"I agree." Elder Marcus nodded without hesitation. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
The two elders began to quickly discuss battle strategies. I struggled to focus on their plans, but his dark, penetrating gaze lingered, always in the corner of my eye.
"We’ll need to split into groups," Elder Edmund said. "Surround them from different directions."
"Agreed." Elder Marcus scanned the assembled packs. "We’ll each send half our numbers and mix the groups."
Marcus's eyes fell on me. "This one is?"
"Aurora, one of our finest young warriors," Elder Edmund briefly introduced.
"Good. Aurora, you’ll team up with Carson, the Alpha’s son from the Starweave Pack. You’ll flank from the east."
"Understood." I fought to keep my voice steady, though the storm raging inside me was far fiercer than the blizzard outside.
My heart pounded violently against my chest. I clenched my fists tightly, the sharp pain of my nails digging into my palms helping me focus.
Could it be him?
The one who made my heart race?
The one who made the wolf inside me growl with longing?
