The medical facility was unusually quiet the morning after the Moonrise Festival, most of the pack still recovering from the late-night celebrations. Luna arrived early, hoping to lose herself in routine tasks and avoid thinking about Damien's kiss, his declaration of love, and the way her body had responded to his claiming touch.
She was updating patient files when Seraphina knocked on her office door, carrying two steaming cups of coffee and wearing the bright smile that had been Luna's comfort through countless difficult moments over the years.
"Good morning, sunshine," Seraphina chirped, settling into the chair across from Luna's desk. "You disappeared pretty early last night. I was hoping to catch up with you."
Luna accepted the coffee gratefully, noting that Seraphina had prepared it exactly the way she liked—two sugars, a splash of cream, a hint of cinnamon. Such a small gesture, but it reminded her why Seraphina had become such an important part of her life.
"Thank you. I had an early morning today, so I didn't stay long." Luna kept her voice casual, though she wondered exactly how much Seraphina had witnessed.
"The Alpha King seemed quite taken with you," Seraphina observed, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You two certainly made quite the impression on the dance floor."
Heat crept up Luna's neck, but she tried to maintain her composure. "He was being polite. I'm sure he danced with several pack members."
"Mmm." Seraphina sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "Though I don't recall seeing him look at anyone else like he wanted to devour them whole."
"Seraphina," Luna warned, but her friend just laughed.
"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you didn't feel it too. The chemistry between you two was practically visible." Seraphina leaned forward conspiratorially. "So what's the story? Old flame? Secret admirer? Don't tell me our composed Dr. Nightwood has been hiding a scandalous past."
Luna's hands tightened around her coffee cup. She'd never told anyone about her history with Damien, had buried those memories so deep that sometimes she could almost pretend they belonged to someone else. But looking at Seraphina's eager face, she felt an unexpected urge to confess.
"We... knew each other. Years ago, before he became king."
"Knew each other how?" Seraphina's eyes widened with delight. "Luna Nightwood, you secretive thing. Were you lovers?"
"It's complicated." Luna stood abruptly, moving to the window that overlooked the pack training grounds. In the distance, she could see some of Damien's guards sparring with pack warriors, their movements precise and deadly. "It was a long time ago. A different life."
"But he still wants you." It wasn't a question. Seraphina joined her at the window, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I saw the way he kissed you last night, Luna. That wasn't the kiss of a man remembering old times. That was the kiss of a man staking a claim."
Luna's cheeks burned, but she couldn't deny what Seraphina had obviously witnessed. "You were spying on us?"
"I was worried about you." Seraphina's hand settled on Luna's shoulder, warm and comforting. "You disappeared with the Alpha King, and after what happened with Marcus, I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Marcus?" Luna turned to face her friend, surprised. "What does he have to do with anything?"
"He came to see you, didn't he? Two days ago, after the treaty meeting?" Seraphina's expression was carefully neutral, but something flickered in her green eyes. "I saw him leaving the medical facility looking like someone had kicked his favorite puppy."
Luna sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to hide what half the pack had probably already guessed. "He wanted to apologize. To try again."
"And?"
"And I told him it was too late." Luna returned to her desk, suddenly exhausted by the weight of everyone's expectations and curiosity. "I'm not the same person I was five years ago, Seraphina. I won't settle for someone who only wants me after they've realized what they lost."
"But you'll risk everything for a king who could destroy you with a single political decision?" Seraphina's voice carried a note of concern that made Luna look up sharply.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying..." Seraphina sat back down, her fingers drumming nervously against her coffee cup. "Men like that, men with that much power, they don't think the same way we do. To him, you might just be a pleasant distraction during a boring political visit. But for you? This could change everything."
Luna felt her wolf bristle at the implied criticism of their mate. "You don't know him."
"And you do? After one dance and a stolen kiss?" Seraphina's voice grew sharper. "Luna, I love you like a sister, but you're being naive. Alpha Kings don't marry pack doctors. They marry other royalty, other political allies. You're setting yourself up for heartbreak all over again."
"That's enough." Luna's voice carried enough authority to make Seraphina's eyes widen in surprise. "I appreciate your concern, but my personal life is exactly that—personal."
For a moment, something ugly flashed across Seraphina's face, there and gone so quickly that Luna wondered if she'd imagined it. Then her friend was smiling again, raising her hands in surrender.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I just worry about you, you know? You've worked so hard to build this life, this reputation. I'd hate to see you risk it all for someone who might not be able to give you what you deserve."
The apology felt genuine, and Luna's anger faded as quickly as it had risen. Seraphina was her best friend, the one person who had stood by her through the darkest period of her life. Of course she would be protective.
"I know you mean well," Luna said softly. "But I need to figure this out for myself. Even if I make mistakes."
"Even if those mistakes could destroy you?" Seraphina asked quietly.
"Even then."
They sat in silence for several minutes, sipping their coffee and watching the morning sun paint golden streaks across the pack lands. Finally, Seraphina stood, smoothing down her simple blue dress.
"I should get going. I promised Alpha Rodriguez I'd help coordinate tonight's farewell dinner for the visiting dignitaries." She paused at the door, looking back with an expression Luna couldn't quite read. "Just... be careful, Luna. Men like the Alpha King, they take what they want and damn the consequences. Make sure you know what you're getting into before it's too late to get out."
After Seraphina left, Luna tried to focus on her work, but her friend's words kept echoing in her mind. Was she being naive? Was she setting herself up for another devastating rejection by trusting Damien's promises?
She was so lost in thought that she almost missed the soft knock on her door. When she looked up, she was surprised to see one of Damien's guards—a stern-faced woman named Captain Reese.
"Dr. Nightwood? His Majesty requests your presence in his quarters. He said to tell you it's a medical matter."
Luna's heart began racing, but she forced herself to appear calm. "Is someone injured?"
"I don't believe so, ma'am. But the King was quite insistent that you come immediately."
Luna gathered her medical bag and followed Captain Reese through the pack house to the guest wing where the visiting dignitaries were staying. Damien had been given the largest suite, befitting his status, and Luna's palms grew damp with nervous sweat as they approached his door.
Captain Reese knocked once, then opened the door without waiting for a response. "Dr. Nightwood, Your Majesty."
"Thank you, Captain. Please ensure we're not disturbed."
Luna stepped into the suite, her breath catching as she took in the luxurious accommodations. The sitting room was decorated in rich burgundy and gold, with a massive fireplace dominating one wall and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning view of the pack lands.
But it was the man standing near those windows who commanded all of her attention. Damien had discarded his formal jacket and tie, leaving him in just a white dress shirt that emphasized the powerful lines of his shoulders and chest. His dark hair was slightly mussed, as if he'd been running his hands through it, and when he turned to face her, she saw exhaustion in his golden eyes.
"Thank you for coming," he said formally, but Luna could hear the underlying tension in his voice.
"Captain Reese said this was a medical matter." Luna set her bag down carefully, her professional instincts overriding her personal nervousness. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"In a manner of speaking." He moved closer, and she caught the familiar scent of cedar and storm that made her wolf purr with contentment. "I haven't slept in three days. Haven't been able to eat more than a few bites at any meal. My wolf is driving me insane with the need to claim you, to mark you, to make sure every male in a hundred-mile radius knows you're mine."
Heat pooled low in Luna's belly at his blunt confession, but she tried to maintain her professional demeanor. "Those are normal symptoms of mate bond activation. The intensity will decrease once the bond is either completed or... severed."
"I have no intention of severing it." His voice was rough with need. "Which brings me to why I asked you here."
He moved to a small table near the fireplace, picking up an ornate wooden box that Luna recognized as containing something precious. When he opened it, her breath caught in her throat.
Nestled in black velvet was the most beautiful necklace she'd ever seen. Ancient silver worked into intricate Celtic knots, set with moonstones that seemed to glow with their own inner light. It was clearly old, clearly valuable, and clearly significant.
"This belonged to my mother," Damien said quietly. "And her mother before her. It's been passed down through the royal line for over three hundred years, given only to the true mate of the Alpha King."
Luna's hands flew to her throat, her eyes wide with shock. "Damien, I can't—"
"You can." He lifted the necklace from its velvet bed, the moonstones catching the morning light and throwing rainbow patterns across the walls. "This necklace chooses its wearer, Luna. For the past five years, it's been cold as ice whenever I've touched it. But last night, after I kissed you, it began to warm."
As if to demonstrate, he held the necklace toward her, and Luna gasped as the moonstones began to pulse with gentle light.
"It recognizes you," Damien said, his voice filled with wonder. "It knows you're my true mate, just as I know it. Just as my wolf has always known it."
"This is too much," Luna whispered, backing away from the beautiful, impossible gift. "I'm not ready for this kind of commitment. I'm not ready to be a queen."
"I'm not asking you to be a queen." Damien set the necklace aside and reached for her hands, his touch gentle despite the desperate need she could see in his eyes. "I'm asking you to be my mate. My partner. My equal."
"How can I be your equal when you're a king and I'm nobody?"
"You are not nobody." The fierce intensity in his voice made her look up into his burning golden eyes. "You are the woman who survived rejection and rebuilt herself stronger than before. You are the healer who saves lives every day without asking for recognition or reward. You are the mate chosen for me by the Moon Goddess herself. You are everything, Luna. Everything I never dared hope I could have."
Tears pricked at the corners of Luna's eyes, but she forced them back. "What about your kingdom? Your council? They'll never accept me."
"Then they'll learn to." His hands tightened on hers. "I've spent five years letting other people dictate my personal life, letting politics and duty keep me from the one person who makes me whole. I won't do it anymore."
"And if choosing me costs you your throne?"
"Then it will be worth it." The simple certainty in his voice took her breath away. "I'd rather be a commoner with you than a king without you."
Luna stared into his eyes, searching for any sign of doubt or hesitation. But all she saw was love, pure and unwavering, and the kind of determination that could move mountains.
"I need time," she whispered. "This is... it's everything I've ever wanted and everything I'm terrified of having."
"How much time?" His thumb traced circles on the back of her hand, the simple touch sending shivers up her arm.
"I don't know. A few days? A week?" She felt foolish asking for time when every instinct screamed at her to say yes, to let him place that ancient necklace around her throat and claim her as his own.
"Take all the time you need," he said gently. "But know that I'll be waiting. However long it takes, however much convincing you need, I'll be here."
Before Luna could respond, a sharp knock interrupted them. Captain Reese's voice came through the door, tight with concern.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's been an incident."
Damien's expression immediately shifted from lover to king, all business and controlled power. "Come in."
Captain Reese entered, her face grim. "There's been an attack on one of the border patrols. Three wolves dead, two more badly injured. The survivors say it was rogues, but the attack pattern doesn't match typical rogue behavior."
Luna felt the blood drain from her face. Rogue attacks were rare but devastating when they occurred. "How badly injured are the survivors?"
"Bad enough that Alpha Rodriguez specifically requested your presence," Captain Reese replied. "They're being brought to the medical facility now."
"I have to go," Luna said, already reaching for her medical bag. But Damien caught her arm.
"Be careful," he said quietly, his eyes dark with concern. "If rogues are operating in the area, nowhere is completely safe."
"I'll have guards with me," Luna assured him, touched by his worry. "This is what I do, Damien. What I'm good at."
He nodded reluctantly and released her arm. "We'll continue this conversation later."
It was a promise and a threat rolled into one, and Luna felt heat spiral through her as she hurried from the room. She had wounded wolves to save, a crisis to manage, and a thousand questions about what rogue attacks might mean for the pack's security.
But even as she threw herself into emergency medical procedures, one part of her mind remained fixed on the image of ancient moonstones glowing with inner light, and the man who claimed he would give up a kingdom for her love.
The question was: was she brave enough to let him try?