"May I have everyone’s attention?" Zayn’s voice echoed loud and clear.
After bidding farewell to the visiting Alpha King and Alphas, Zayn called for the attention of the entire pack. Hundreds of eyes stared back, all eager to hear their Alpha’s announcement. Zayn clasped Lily’s trembling fingers firmly.
"As many of you have already heard by now," Zayn’s deep voice carried across the courtyard, I have chosen Lily Brightpaw to be my Luna. Those rumors are true."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, followed by angry murmurs. Lily felt her heart hammering against her ribs. The weight of their stares made her want to hide.
"This is madness!" someone shouted from the back.
"She’s a Brightpaw! The enemy’s daughter!" another voice called out.
Lily struggled to keep her composure. Her palms grew sweaty against Zayn’s grip. She quickly wiped her free hand against the soft fabric of her blue dress, trying to appear stronger than she felt.
She straightened her spine and lifted her chin, just as Martha had taught her for formal occasions.
But when her gaze landed on Victoria, Lily couldn’t help but look away. The woman’s face was contorted with rage, her perfect features twisted into something deadly.
Lily flinched instinctively. Everything happened so quickly that she barely had time to react. Zayn’s hand shot out, catching a jagged rock inches from hitting her on the forehead. Blood dripped from his palm as he crushed the stone to dust.
"Who threw that?!" he roared, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Who attacked your Luna?"
The crowd fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances, but no one moved. No one breathed. free\we\bnov(e)(l).com
"I asked a question," Zayn growled, his voice dropping low. "And I expect an answer."
Lily felt like she couldn’t breathe. She had endured the stares, the negative comments. But few had ever tried to hurt her.
"I will not ask again," Zayn warned as he scanned the crowd. No one dared look him in the eye.
After a few seconds dragged on, the crowd parted. A burly man with a scarred face stepped forward. Lily recognized him. He was Johanson, one of the warriors who had guarded the fields where she’d worked.
"I did," Johanson declared, his chin raised in defiance. "And I’d do it again. She is no Luna of mine."
"You admit to disrespecting my Luna?" Zayn growled.
"That Brightpaw bitch will never be my Luna," Johanson spat on the ground. "None of us will accept her. Not after what her family did to us."
The crowd echoed in agreement. Even some of the former Thunderpaw pack members nodded along, their loyalty shifting to whoever held power.
Zayn’s face hardened.
"Guards," he commanded, "seize him. Twenty lashes for his insolence."
Two warriors immediately grabbed Johanson by the arms. The crowd erupted in protests, shouting. Some pushed forward to defend him.
Lily watched on in distraught with a lump in her throat. This was all happening because of her.
"Alpha, please reconsider!" someone shouted.
"We won’t stand for this!" another yelled.
Zayn raised his hand, silencing them all with a single gesture. "I am your Alpha," he declared.
"For Obsidian Moon members, I am the leader you chose to follow to freedom. For Thunderpaw, I am the Alpha who promised to treat all of you fairly despite our history. I ask you to trust me. Everything I do is for the survival and strength of our pack."
Zayn looked every single one of them in the eye. He placed a hand over his chest.
"I meant every word I said, and I will do everything in my power to uphold my promises to all of you. Lily is the Luna I have chosen. Our union will secure the future of our pack."
He turned to Johanson and the warriors who had him in their custody. "The punishment will proceed. Let this be a warning to everyone."
The guards dragged Johanson to the whipping post. They tore his shirt off, exposing his scarred back. One of the guards unfurled a leather whip.
Lily couldn’t breathe. Images flashed through her mind. She recalled how her brother and father would punish her for the littlest of things. No matter how she pleaded, they carried out the punishment regardless. The blood. The pain. The humiliation.
Before she knew what she was doing, Lily tore her hand from Zayn’s grip and rushed forward. She pushed past the guards and threw herself in front of Johanson just as the whip came down.
The leather bit into her back. Pain rippled across her shoulder blades, tearing through the delicate fabric of her blue dress. Lily’s mouth opened in a silent scream, her voiceless agony echoing in her head.
Gasps erupted from the crowd. Zayn stood frozen, his face a mask of shock.
"Stop!" he commanded, rushing toward her. "What are you doing?"
When he arrived by her side, Lily grabbed his arms while shaking her head. She opened his palm, writing furiously over and over again.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
She pointed at herself, then at Johanson. She forgave him. She was pleading with Zayn to let Johanson go.
Martha, who was standing nearby, came forward to help.
"She says she forgives him," Martha explained, her voice thick with emotion. "She’s asking you to spare him, Alpha."
Blood soaked through Lily’s dress, the blue fabric darkening to purple where the whip had struck. Despite the searing pain, she stayed on her feet, her eyes pleading with Zayn.
He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. Something shifted in his expression—surprise, confusion, and something else she couldn’t name.
Zayn turned to address the stunned crowd.
"Do you see now? This is the woman you refuse to accept as your Luna. The daughter of your enemy just took a lash meant for one of you, for someone who tried to harm her."
The opinions of the crowd shifted. Confusion replaced anger. Even Johanson looked shocked, his defiant posture slumping in confusion.
"Lily Brightpaw is under my protection," Zayn continued, his voice carrying across the crowd. "She is to be treated with respect. Anyone who harms her will answer to me. Next time, there will be no mercy."
Seeing as no one dared say anything else, Zayn dismissed all of them, "There’s nothing more to see here. You’re all dimissed."
The crowd began to disperse. Johanson was released and let go. Zayn placed his hand gently on Lily’s shoulder, careful to avoid her wound.
"You need medical attention."
He moved to carry her, but Lily stepped back, shaking her head. Despite the blood trickling down her back, she stood tall. She would walk on her own two feet.
"At least let me accompany you to the infirmary," Zayn said, his voice softer than she had ever heard it.
Again, Lily shook her head.
She took a few steps toward the path. But the path she had picked did not lead to the infirmary. It led further out. Zayn immediately knew where she was heading. She was heading towards the shack where she used to stay.
Zayn caught her arm gently, brows furrowed. "Where are you going?"
She pointed in the direction of the shack.
"No," he said firmly. "You’re not staying there anymore. You’re my Luna now, you stay in the packhouse with me."
The words sounded strange to her ears. Luna.
Lily had assumed Zayn had said everything to keep up appearances. With the Alpha King gone, she thought things were going back to how they used to be.
Zayn led her back to the packhouse instead.
They walked in silence, Lily’s back burning with each step. By the time they reached the second floor of the packhouse, her vision was starting to blur. They continued walking towards Zayn’s bedroom but paused at the door before his.
Zayn opened it to reveal a spacious bedroom decorated in soft greens and blues. "From now on, this will be your room," he explained. "It’s right next to mine."
At first, Lily thought Zayn would put her in the guest room again, just as he had done before. But this was different. This room was right next to his. It was beautiful, far more luxurious than anything Lily had ever called her own.
A large four-poster bed with fresh, clean bedsheets. A writing desk sat beneath a window overlooking the garden. There was even a private bathroom attached.
She couldn’t believe it was hers.
She pointed to herself, then at the room. Zayn nodded.
"This room is all yours," He added.
Lily walked back to Zayn’s side, wanting to thank him for this unexpected kindness. But the room began to spin violently. Her legs gave way.
As her eyes rolled back, the last thing she felt was Zayn’s strong arms catching her as darkness claimed her consciousness.