Chapter 46 The Luna Celebration Announced 1

Chapter 46: Chapter 46 The Luna Celebration Announced 1

Talia’s POV

The next morning, a knock came at my door.

I had not slept well last night, because every time I closed my eyes, I saw Piper’s face, and I heard her voice saying, ’Vivienne is planning something. The Luna Celebration will be your end.’

The words echoed in my skull like a drum. ’Your end. Your end. Your end.’ I tossed and turned, to the point where the sheets twisted around my legs, and I kicked them off. Then I stood up, and pulled them back, but nothing helped.

The dark was too loud, and the silence was too heavy, so I watched the ceiling until the sun came up.

I climbed out of bed, walked to the door, and opened it.

A servant stood in the hallway. She was young, with brown hair and a face that I did not recognize.

"The Alpha requests your presence in the main hall," she said. "All pack members are required to attend."

My heart skipped. "Why? What is happening?"

She shook her head. "I do not know, Luna. I was only told to fetch you."

I nodded. "Give me a moment to dress."

She bowed and walked away.

I closed the door and leaned against it.

My mind was racing and my thoughts were scattered. I wondered why there was a gathering that all pack members were required to attend. It meant this was not a small meeting, and it was something important.

I walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a simple gray dress that did not draw attention.

I dressed quickly, splashed water on my face, and walked out the door.

The hallways were crowded, as wolves were heading in the same direction. Some bowed when they saw me, some nodded, and some just stared.

But I kept my head high and my eyes straight ahead, not paying any attention to how they behaved.

The main hall was packed when I got there.

The heat from all the bodies pressed against me, filled with sweat and perfume and fur.

I could barely breathe.

I pushed through the crowd, squeezing between shoulders and elbows. Someone stepped on my foot, and someone else shoved me. But no one apologized, and no one even noticed.

It was like I was invisible, just like Cresswood.

I had never seen so many wolves in one place. They filled the benches, lined the walls, and stood in the back. Their voices buzzed like flies, and the sound echoed off the stone walls.

I found a spot near the back, and pressed myself against the wall, where I could see everything.

Alpha Aldric stood at the front of the hall. His gray hair was combed back, and his face was stern.

I had seen him only a few times since our first meeting. Each time, he looked at me the same way, like he was waiting for me to prove myself, and like he was not sure I could.

I wanted to show him I was stronger than I looked. But standing in that crowded hall, I felt very small.

Kaelen stood beside him, with his arms crossed, and his gray eyes scanning the crowd.

The room went quiet as Alpha Aldric raised his hand.

"As you all know," he said, "the Shadowfang Pack has a new Luna."

The wolves murmured as some looked at me, while some looked away.

For a moment, my heart started beating so hard and fast, because I thought Alpha Aldric was about to announce the Luna trials, and when it would officially start.

"A celebration will be held in her honor," Aldric continued. "It will take place at Mooncrest Hall in one week."

The murmurs grew louder.

A celebration. Not the trials. My mind relaxed a bit.

Mooncrest Hall was neutral territory for packs, and I knew because I had heard of it in Cresswood once. It was where packs gathered for ceremonies and negotiations.

But I had never been there.

"The celebration will be an opportunity for the pack to welcome their Luna," Alpha Aldric said. "All members are expected to attend."

He looked around the room, and his gray eyes stopped on me for just a moment. Then they moved on.

"That is all," he said. "You are dismissed."

The wolves began to file out of the hall, as their voices buzzed with excitement.

I stayed against the wall, watching them go. Families walked together, friends laughed, and children ran between legs. Everyone had someone, and everyone belonged somewhere. But I had no one here, except Nora, Piper, and maybe Kaelen, if he ever decided what he wanted.

I wrapped my arms around myself and waited.

"Mooncrest Hall," someone said. "It has been years since we went there."

"I wonder if the other packs will be there," another voice said.

"This is a big deal. The old Alpha has never done anything like this before," a third voice added.

I pressed myself against the wall, letting the wolves pass.

My heart was pounding.

We would go to Mooncrest Hall in one week, and Vivienne would be there, with her plans already made, to do something that would hurt me and destroy me.

I was not surprised or scared of her plans. I was only worried, because I did not know what she was planning.

Fear of the unknown was worse than fear of the known. I knew what Vivienne was capable of, and I had lived it for fifteen years. But not knowing what she would do this time made my skin crawl. Was it poison? Lies? Or violence?

I ran through every possibility, but none of them ended well.