POV Cassidy
After a week of shared sunrises, I woke again cradled against Theo, the sky painting my window a soft rose.
Everything still felt different—my senses sharper, my connection to him deeper than anything I'd experienced as a purely human woman.
"Good morning, Luna," Theo murmured against my hair, his voice rough with sleep and contentment.
"I love hearing you say that." I traced patterns on his bare chest, marveling at how right this felt. "Have plans for today?"
"I plan to build the life we want together. Lead the pack, raise children." His arms tightened around me. "Grow old annoying each other about whose turn it is to do dishes."
I laughed, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. "That sounds perfect."
The peaceful moment shattered when his phone rang. Theo reached for it reluctantly.
"Xander? What's wrong?"
Theo's expression grew serious.
"We'll be right there," he said, ending the call. "The elders want to see us. Both of us."
After hurried showers and the fastest breakfast of our lives, we drove through town wondering what decision awaited us.
An hour later, we stood before the entire pack assembled in the community center. The elders sat in a formal row, their faces grave with the weight of traditions and decision.
"Theo Muray," Elder Patricia Mills announced, her voice carrying across the silent room. "The council has deliberated through the night. We formally recognize you as Alpha of Greywood Pack."
Cheers erupted throughout the gathering. Pack members who'd questioned Theo's readiness now looked at him with respect and loyalty. The transformation was complete—not just mine, but his evolution into true leadership.
"Thank you for your faith in me," Theo said, his voice steady with new authority. "I won't let you down."
He turned to scan the crowd until his eyes found Xander standing near the back wall.
"Xander Muray," Theo called, his voice carrying formal weight. "Will you serve as my Beta? Will you stand beside me as we lead this pack together?"
The silence stretched taut as everyone waited for Xander's response. When he stepped forward, his expression held humility I'd never seen from him before.
"I would be honored to serve as your Beta, Alpha," Xander said, using the title with respect.
The brothers met in the center of the room and embraced, years of resentment finally buried. The pack erupted in celebration.
"We'll have a proper celebration tonight," Elias announced with pride radiating from his weathered features. "It's been too long since this pack had reason to truly celebrate."
After the formal ceremony, the men disappeared into strategy meetings while June whisked me away to help prepare for the evening's festivities.
"I can't believe you're actually Luna now," June said as we arranged tables in the community center. "Though I always knew you belonged here, even when you didn't know it yourself."
"Did you really?"
"Honey, the way those boys looked at you from the start? It was obvious something supernatural was happening." June grinned. "Plus, you handled the first swift better than most people who were born into it."
Her words filled me with confidence I hadn't realized I needed. For the first time since arriving in Moon Hollow, I felt truly ready to embrace my role as Luna.
I spent the afternoon helping with preparations, listening to pack members share stories about previous Alpha celebrations and what traditions needed to be honored.
As evening fell, the celebration began in earnest. Tables groaned under traditional foods, musicians played instruments that had been passed down through generations, and laughter filled the air with pure joy.
"Ready for your first dance as Alpha and Luna?" Theo asked, extending his hand as the musicians began the ceremonial melody.
We moved together across the makeshift dance floor, other couples joining us until the entire pack was celebrating through movement and music. The mate bond made us perfectly synchronized, anticipating each other's steps like we'd been dancing together for years.
"I love you," Theo whispered as he spun me under his arm.
"I love you too."
That's when everything went wrong.
The community center doors opened, and Marcus Blackwood strode in with Tessa at his side and three other wolves flanking them. The music died as conversations ceased.
"Congratulations on your new position," Marcus called to Theo, his voice carrying false warmth and obvious arrogance. "I've come to discuss the alliance between our packs."
"This seems like poor timing for diplomatic discussion," Theo replied carefully.
"Leadership discussions can't wait for convenient moments," Marcus responded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Perhaps your father and I could speak privately? You're very young to be Alpha, and this is your first night in the position. Surely the experienced generation should handle such delicate matters."
Elias stepped forward with dignity intact despite the obvious insult to his son. " We can speak in my study."
As they headed toward the farmhouse, I noticed Tessa and Marcus's companions spreading throughout the room, engaging pack members in seemingly casual conversation that felt anything but random.
"Something's wrong," I whispered to Theo.
Before he could respond, crashes and shouts erupted from the direction of the farmhouse. Glass shattered, furniture overturned, and then an inhuman roar of rage cut through the night air.
Marcus burst through the farmhouse door, dragging something behind him. With horror, I realized it was Elias's lifeless body, blood staining his formal clothes.
"The old Alpha is dead," Marcus announced with savage satisfaction.
Chaos exploded through the celebration. Pack members shifted into wolf form as Marcus's companions revealed their true intentions, attacking anyone who moved to help. Tessa stood near the exit, her face glowing with vindictive triumph.
Theo and Xander shifted simultaneously, their combined fury a terrible sight to behold. Other pack warriors joined the fight, and within minutes, Marcus's companions lay dead on the community center floor.
But Marcus himself had vanished, along with Tessa, leaving only Elias's body and the smell of blood and betrayal.
"I'll kill him," Theo snarled, shifting back to human form with murder burning in his eyes. "I'll hunt him to the ends of the earth."
Around us, pack members were panicking—children crying, elders trying to maintain order, warriors preparing for continued attack. As Luna, I knew my role wasn't vengeance but stability.
"Help me get everyone organized," I called to the pack women. "Children to the safe rooms, warriors to perimeter patrol. We mourn our Alpha, but we don't let fear destroy what he died protecting."
The celebration had become a funeral, joy transformed to grief in heartbeats.
But we were still a pack. Still a family. Still united against those who would destroy us.
The war had begun.