Kiera's POV
The ballroom exploded into chaos the second those words left my mouth.
"The Blood Moon Hunt? She can't be serious!"
"That's ancient law, no one uses it anymore!"
"The Council will never allow it!"
Wolves shouted over each other, some angry, some excited, some terrified. The noise crashed over me like a wave, making my head spin. What had I just done?
Lyra grabbed my arm and pulled me close, her voice urgent in my ear. "Listen to me fast. The Hunt lasts three nights in the Lunar Grounds. Everyone wears masks so no one knows who anyone is. You find your mate by scent alone."
"Lyra, I don't want another mate," I hissed back, panic clawing up my throat. "Three Alphas already destroyed me. Why would I risk a fourth?"
"Because if you find your TRUE fated mate during the Hunt, you're protected by sacred bond law." Her green eyes blazed with fierce determination. "The Council can't touch you. The pack can't exile you. Not even those three bastard Alphas can claim you again. Sacred law beats everything."
My father pushed through the crowd to reach us, his face torn between hope and terror. "Kiera, are you certain about this? The Hunt is dangerous. Wolves have died in the Lunar Grounds before."
"She'll die in the Rogue Lands for sure," Lyra snapped. "At least this gives her a fighting chance."
On the platform, Elder Steelclaw slammed his staff against the floor three times, demanding silence. The crowd slowly quieted, though angry whispers continued rippling through the room.
"The girl has invoked the Blood Moon Hunt," Steelclaw said, his voice dripping with barely controlled fury. "The Council must now deliberate on whether to grant this request."
"There's nothing to deliberate," another Elder said, an old male named Garrett. "The Hunt is sacred tradition. Moon Law is absolute."
"Moon Law," Steelclaw spat the words, "was written centuries ago when packs were smaller and less organized. Times have changed."
"The Moon Goddess has not," Lyra called out boldly from my side. "And neither has Her law. You're the ones who taught us to respect tradition, Elder. Or does that only apply when it's convenient?"
Several younger wolves murmured agreement. I saw a few smiles in the crowd, people who clearly enjoyed watching Lyra challenge the Council's authority.
Steelclaw's eyes flashed with anger, but Elder Helena, the gray-haired woman, stepped forward. "Marcus, the law is clear. Any wolf sentenced to exile may invoke the Hunt. We have no grounds to refuse unless you want to explain to the entire pack why we're suddenly ignoring sacred traditions."
The threat was subtle but effective. Denying me the Hunt would make the Council look weak and fearful.
Steelclaw conferred with the other Elders in low, angry voices. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but their body language screamed reluctance. They didn't want to grant me this. They wanted me gone, exiled, preferably dead.
Why? What had I done besides be born with Oracle blood I couldn't control?
Across the ballroom, I felt three sets of eyes burning into me. I didn't have to look to know it was Damon, Cade, and Ryker. The three Alphas who'd thrown me away like garbage were now watching my last desperate attempt at survival.
Did they want me to succeed? Or fail?
I wasn't sure which option scared me more.
Finally, Elder Steelclaw turned back to face the crowd. His expression was carved from ice, but I saw something ugly lurking beneath it. Something that looked almost like satisfaction.
"The Council has reached a decision." He paused, letting the tension build. "We grant Kiera Ashenvale the right to participate in the Blood Moon Hunt."
Relief flooded through me so fast I nearly collapsed. My father caught my elbow, steadying me.
"However," Steelclaw continued, and my brief hope shattered, "there are conditions."
Of course there were.
"The Hunt will last three nights, beginning tomorrow at moonrise. Kiera will enter the Lunar Grounds masked and anonymous, as tradition demands. If she finds her true fated mate before dawn on the fourth day, her exile will be void and she may remain in pack territory under sacred bond protection."
He paused again, his cold smile growing wider.
"But if she fails to find her mate, or if she attempts to flee the Grounds before the three nights conclude, she will be immediately exiled to the Rogue Lands with no chance of appeal. Furthermore, any wolf who helps her cheat or escape will face exile as well."
The warning was clearly aimed at Lyra and my father. Maybe even at sympathetic pack members who might try to help me.
"Additionally," Steelclaw's eyes glittered with malice, "the Council reserves the right to observe the Hunt to ensure all sacred laws are properly followed. We will have watchers in the Grounds throughout all three nights."
Lyra's hand tightened on my arm. "That's not traditional," she muttered under her breath. "The Hunt is supposed to be private, between the wolves and the Moon Goddess."
"These are unusual circumstances," Steelclaw said smoothly, though I knew he'd heard her. Wolf hearing was too good for him not to. "We must ensure the integrity of the process."
Translation: they'd be watching me. Hunting me. Making sure I failed.
My stomach twisted with fresh fear, but I forced myself to nod. "I accept the terms."
What choice did I have? Accept the rigged Hunt, or accept certain death in the Rogue Lands.
At least the Hunt gave me a sliver of hope, no matter how thin.
Steelclaw raised his staff high. "Then it is decided. The Blood Moon Hunt begins tomorrow at moonrise. Kiera Ashenvale, you have until then to prepare." His smile turned razor sharp, sending chills down my spine. "Three nights to find your mate, or face exile forever."
The crowd began dispersing, voices rising in excited chatter about the Hunt. Some wolves looked at me with pity. Others with contempt. A few with something that might have been respect.
I felt numb, disconnected from my own body.
Lyra hugged me fiercely. "You can do this. I know you can."
My father kissed my forehead, his hands shaking. "I'll help you prepare, sweetheart. We'll get you through this."
But all I could think about were Steelclaw's words: We'll be watching.
They wanted me to fail. The Council, the Elders, probably half the pack. They wanted the cursed girl gone, the Oracle blood eliminated, the problem solved.
As people filed out of the ballroom, I caught one last glimpse of the three Alphas.
Damon stood frozen, his face pale with what might have been regret.
Cade watched me with hungry, possessive eyes that made my skin crawl.
And Ryker smiled a cold, calculating smile that promised nothing good.
But none of that mattered anymore. In less than twenty-four hours, I'd be in the Lunar Grounds, hunting for a mate I wasn't sure I even wanted.
I stepped out of the ballroom into the cool night air, and that's when the scent hit me for the first time.
Pine trees after rain. Wild mountain storms. Something dark and dangerous and utterly intoxicating.
My wolf surged forward inside me, more alert than she'd been in months.
Mate, she whispered urgently. Our true mate is close.
My heart stopped.
No. It couldn't be. Not now, not here, not yet.
But the scent wrapped around me like invisible chains, calling to something deep in my soul. Somewhere in this territory, my actual fated mate was waiting.
And I had three nights to find him before the Council made sure I never got the chance.