The transition from the obsidian and gold of the King's palace to the rugged, pine-scented wild of the Moonshine Pack felt like stepping into a different century. The air here was thinner, colder, and bit at Selene's skin with a sharp, mountain frost that the climate-controlled halls of Leo's home had made her forget.
The drive had been quiet, but heavy with unspoken things. Megan and Leah sat in the front, their eyes constantly scanning the tree line as they crossed into the northern territory. They weren't just chauffeurs; they were the King's eyes and ears. Leo had been pacing the throne room when they left, the plush white wolf she had summoned for him clutched in one hand, while the other gripped his phone. He hadn't just sent them to be friendly- he had sent them to ensure that the fragile peace between the Lycans and the mountain wolves didn't shatter the moment Selene stepped onto Nik's soil.
As the car crunched to a halt on the gravel driveway of the Moonshine pack house, Selene saw him. Nik stood on the porch of a sprawling timber lodge that looked as if it had been carved directly from the redwoods. He was dressed in a thick flannel shirt and heavy jeans, the picture of a rugged Alpha. When he saw her, a grin split his face- a look of pure, unadulterated relief and joy.
"Selene! It's been too long," he boomed, his voice echoing off the surrounding peaks. He didn't wait for her to reach the porch; he bounded down the steps and pulled her into a fierce, bone-crushing hug.
Selene stiffened momentarily. The mating tingles were there- the familiar hum of recognition that hummed through her veins, but compared to the electrical storm that Leo's touch ignited, this felt like a flickering candle. It was warm, it was pleasant, but it didn't make her blood boil or her heart hammer against her ribs. She pulled back slightly, offering him a weak, apologetic smile.
"It has," she murmured. Her heart felt like it was being pulled in two directions, but she had made a vow. She was a woman of her word.
Nik's eyes suddenly shifted, his friendly expression hardening into a glare as he looked past her shoulder at the sleek, black car and its occupants. "What are they doing here?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave as he eyed the two powerful Lycan women.
"They're here with me, Nik. Don't worry about them," Selene said quickly, her voice a soothing balm. She didn't mention that Leo had practically interrogated them on defense formations before they left.
Nik gave the girls a stiff, reluctant nod. He didn't like Lycans in his territory, especially not the ones closest to the King, but he wasn't about to start a war on the day his mate arrived. He grabbed Selene's suitcase and led the way inside.
The interior of the pack house was a far cry from the marble floors and silk tapestries of the capital. It was filled with the smell of woodsmoke, wet dog, and home-cooked stew. Antlers hung over the fireplace, and the furniture was made of heavy, dark oak covered in faux furs. It felt lived-in and sturdy.
"I don't suppose it would be too forward for you to stay in my room?" Nik asked as they climbed the stairs. He paused at the landing, looking at her with a hopeful, almost boyish glint in his eyes.
Selene shook her head immediately. "No, Nik. Not yet."
Nik let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly, but he nodded in understanding. He wasn't the "Mad King"; he was an Alpha who respected boundaries, even if his wolf was screaming to claim her. He led them further down the hall to a conjoined suite.
"I wasn't exactly expecting your... friends," Nik huffed, opening the first door to reveal a modest, cozy bedroom with a single quilt-covered bed. "But behind that door is another room with two beds where the pair of you can stay."
"Thank you, Nik. It's perfect," Selene said, stepping into the room. She ran her hand over the rough-hewn wood of the bedframe. It wasn't grand, but it was honest.
"I'll be back for you in a few hours," Nik said, stepping into her space to wrap his arms around her waist. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. His wolf let out a satisfied growl that vibrated against her chest.
"I've got some pack business to settle with the elders, but once that's done, the night is ours. Get settled, Selene."
"Go be an Alpha, Nik," she smiled, patting his arm. He gave her one last, lingering look before disappearing down the hall.
The moment the door clicked shut, Selene let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She turned to find Megan and Leah standing in the doorway of the conjoined room, their arms crossed and their expressions unreadable.
"What?" Selene asked, moving to her suitcase to begin unpacking her "new" royal wardrobe.
"I mean, I know we just got here and the pine trees are lovely and all," Megan said, leaning against the doorframe, "but do you have an idea of who you're picking? Because the Alpha is sweet, but the King... well, he's the King."
Selene paused, a silk blouse from the capital clutched in her hands. She looked at the two women who had become her closest confidants.
"Between you and I?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The girls moved in, sitting on the edge of her bed like eager schoolgirls. "I think I like Leo more," Selene admitted, her cheeks heating up.
"Who is Leo?" Leah asked, her brow quirked in confusion. "And does the King know he has more competition? Because if there's a third mate, Christian is going to have a literal stroke."
Selene stared at them, a slow smile spreading across her face. Then, she started to laugh- a deep, belly-shaking laugh that brought tears to her eyes. "You guys... you seriously don't know?" she gasped between giggles. "Axe's real name- his birth name, is Leo. Leo Axe Moon."
Megan's jaw dropped. She put her hand to her face, shaking her head as if the world had suddenly lost its axis. Leah didn't move, but a small, rare huff of a laugh escaped her lips.
"Leo," Leah muttered, her black eyes shining with amusement. "That explains so much. No wonder he never let anyone use it. It's far too... soft for the image his father wanted."
"How did you not know?" Selene asked, wiping a tear from her eye. "You've worked for him for years!"
"His father always called him Axe," Megan explained, her voice softening as she thought back. "Actually, everyone did. It was like his birth name was a state secret. But I guess it makes sense now. Axe isn't exactly a 'normal' name, but in the Moon lineage, names were weapons."
"His father was..." Selene trailed off, remembering the stories Leo had told her at dinner.
"Kind of an asshole who loved to be feared by his people," Leah finished bluntly.
"Leah! Language!" Megan squealed, though she didn't disagree.
"I didn't know the man, but you shouldn't speak ill of the dead," Selene said, though she felt a chill at the description.
"It's true!" Leah insisted, standing up and pacing the small room. "His father was obsessed with the prophecy. He wanted Axe to be a monster so the world would be too afraid to fulfill it. I'm surprised he didn't name him Nightmare or Murderer. He wanted a 'scary' name for a scary son."
"Was he really that bad?" Selene asked, her heart aching for the young boy Leo must have been.
"Absolutely," they said in unison.
"But Axe... Leo... he was never like him," Megan said thoughtfully, her Earth-magic humming a low, sympathetic chord. "He took a lot of his heart from his mother. She was a saint. She used to walk through the slums and heal the sick with her own hands."
"He has his father's anger," Leah pointed out, ever the realist. "But he's a much more caring ruler. He protects us because he values us, not just because he owns us."
Selene listened as the conversation shifted from the King's traumatic childhood to a heated bickering match about who got the bed by the window. She watched them with an affectionate roll of her eyes, her heart feeling lighter.
"If you don't want to sleep by the window or the door, how about we switch?" Selene suggested to Leah. "I have no problem sleeping by the door. I've slept in a cabin with no locks for a decade; a pack house hallway is nothing."
Leah nodded in gratitude, and Megan cheered. "Bunking together! Yes! This is going to be a great week!" Megan jumped onto the bed, her energy infectious.
But then, Leah's expression sobered. She walked over to Selene, her dark skin glistening in the afternoon sun that filtered through the pine trees outside. She lowered her voice, her tone turning professional.
"On a serious note," Leah said, looking Selene directly in the eyes. "Axe told us to tell you: keep your powers at bay. All of them. He doesn't trust the wolves of this pack. They aren't like the Lycans; they are traditional, superstitious, and many of them still follow the old ways of the Great Territorial War."
Selene nodded, her stomach knotting.
"If you use your powers, only use your invisibility," Leah continued. "Nik already knows about that, so it won't shock the pack. But the The water? The 'glue?' Keep that locked down. If they see you manifesting things out of thin air, they won't see a Queen. They'll see a witch, or worse- the Prophecy Wolf come to destroy them."
"I understand," Selene whispered. She felt like a bird with clipped wings, but she knew the King was right. She was already an anomaly- a white wolf with white hair. She didn't need to add 'sorceress' to the list of reasons for them to fear her.
As the girls began to unpack their own things, Selene sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window.
Thousands of miles away, Leo was probably sitting in his study, holding a stuffed wolf and staring at his phone.
Her heart felt tight, an actual physical ache in her chest.
Her wolf, usually so stoic and calm, was pacing in the back of her mind, letting out small, pitiful whines that echoed in Selene's skull. Missing. Missing him, the wolf seemed to say.
It was unsettling. She was with her other mate- a kind, handsome Alpha who seemed shared her love for the earth, yet her soul was reaching out for the man of stone and fire.
"Shush," Selene whispered to her inner wolf. "Nik deserves a chance. We're going to be fair."
But as she looked at the dark pines and heard the distant howl of a pack member, she couldn't help but feel like she was a stranger in a land she was supposed to call home. She missed the emerald green suits. She missed the sparks. She missed Leo.
And the week had only just begun.