THE LUNA WHO CONQUERED DEATH novel Chapter 31

Episode 21-1

THE LUNA WHO CONQUERED DEATH

Chapter 21: Aftermath

The Pack House was in chaos when we returned.

Word had spread faster than wildfire. The Moon Goddess had manifested. Aldric Thorne had been stripped of his wolf. The artificial bonds had been severed. And Luna Sera had been declared the true Luna by the Goddess herself.

Wolves lined the hallway as I entered, and one by one, they bowed.

Not the submissive bow demanded by hierarchy. The respectful bbw given to someone who’d earned it.

I made it to my office before my legs gave out.

Marcus caught me, guiding me to the couch. “Easy. You just went head–to–head with the Council and won.

You’re allowed to be exhausted.”

“I feel like i could sleep for a week.” I leaned back, closing my eyes. “Did that really just happen? The Moon

Goddess actually manifested?”

“She did. I have about fifty witnesses and several recordings to prove it.” Katherine entered the office, Elena behind her. “Though I imagine those recordings will become legendary in werewolf history.”

“Great. Just what I wanted. To be a legend.” I looked at them. “What happens now?”

“Now you should rest for a few days,” Elena said, sitting across from me. “Let the shock settle. Let the pack adjust. Then you start the real work of restructuring.”

“And Damien?”

The question hung in the air.

“He’s in his quarters,” Marcus said quietly. “He hasn’t come out since the session ended. i think losing the artificial bond hit him harder than he expected.”

“Good.” The word came out harsher than I intended. “Let him feel what I felt when I discovered the truth.”

“Sera,” Katherine’s voice was gentle. “I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But eventually, you’ll need to decide what to do about him. He’s still the alpha of this pack.”

“For now.” I met her eyes. “But an Alpha who betrayed his Luna, who participated in Council corruption, who planned to reject his mate publicly… that’s not someone who should lead.”

“You want to challenge him for the Alpha position?” Elena asked.

“I don’t know what I want yet,” I rubbed my temples. “I just know I can’t keep pretending everything is normal. The pack can’t heal with him in power.”

< Episode 21-4

A knock at the door interrupted us. Lucas entered, looking grim.

“We have a problem. Vivian Cross is here with her father. They’re demanding an audience.”

Of course they were.

“Send them in.” I straightened, pushing exhaustion aside. “Let’s see what they want.”

Claim

Vivian entered first, her usual confidence shaken. Beta Cross followed, his expression carefully neutral.

“Luna Sera,” he began. “We’ve heard about the Council session. About the Moon Goddess’s… intervention.”

“You mean you heard that your plan to have your daughter replace me as Luna just fell apart?” I kept my voice level. “What do you want, Beta Cross?”

He had the grace to look uncomfortable. “I want to apologize. For my part in the conspiracy, for encouraging the relationship between my daughter and your mate, for…”

“For trying to steal my position?” Vivian cut in, her voice sharp. “Don’t prettify it, Father. That’s what we did.”

I blinked, surprised by her honesty.

Vivian moved forward, and for the first time, I saw her without the mask. She looked tired. Scared. Young.

“I wanted to be Luna,” she said. “I wanted the power, the position, the respect. And I let Aldric Thorne

convince me that the best way to get it was through Damien.” She swallowed hard. “But when the Moon

Goddess severed the artificial bond today, I felt something break in me, too. A bond I didn’t know existed..

One Aldric created to make me obsessed with Damien.”

The room went silent.

“You’re saying your feelings for Damien were manufactured, too?” Marcus asked.

“I think so. I mean, I was attracted to him before, but after Aldric approached me two years ago, it became… consuming. All I could think about was getting him, keeping him, destroying anything in my way.” Tears streaked down her face. “Including you. And now the bond is gone, and I can see clearly for the first time in years, and I’m horrified by what I’ve done.”

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