Mate Me in Moonlight

Chapter 121

POV: Adeline

My first official act as Luna began with trembling hands.

The visiting delegation from Pinecrest Pack had arrived at dawn—twelve wolves led by their Alpha, a broad-shouldered man named Henrik whose reputation preceded him. He had ruled Pinecrest for thirty years. He had seen alliances rise and fall, had weathered three territorial wars, had built his pack into one of the most respected in the region.

And I was supposed to greet him. Welcome him. Represent Willow Ridge as its Luna.

I stood at the entrance to the great hall, Aiden a steady presence beside me, and tried to remember how to breathe.

What if I say the wrong thing?

The thought circled through my mind like a trapped bird, battering against the walls of my confidence. What if I embarrass him? Embarrass the pack? What if Henrik looks at me and sees what everyone else saw—the cursed survivor, the girl with too many rejections, the broken thing that five packs threw away?

My palms were damp. My heart raced. Through the bond, I felt Aiden's concern brush against my consciousness, questioning.

I'm fine, I sent back. A lie, but a necessary one. I couldn't fall apart now. Not here. Not when so much depended on this moment going well.

The doors opened. Henrik stepped through, his wolves arrayed behind him in formal formation. His eyes found mine immediately—assessing, measuring, weighing.

I lifted my chin and stepped forward.

"Alpha Henrik." My voice came out steady. A small miracle. "Willow Ridge welcomes you. Your journey was long—please, let us offer you rest and refreshment before we discuss the matters that bring you here."

The formal words felt strange on my tongue, but they were right. I had studied the protocols, memorized the phrases, prepared for this moment until the knowledge was etched into my bones. Now, it flowed without thought.

Henrik's expression shifted—surprise, perhaps, at the confidence I projected despite my racing heart. He inclined his head in the traditional gesture of respect between equals.

"Luna Adeline. The honor is ours."

I guided him through the hall, introducing key members of the pack, explaining our recovery efforts, answering his questions about the war and its aftermath. With each passing minute, the trembling in my hands eased. The fear loosened its grip.

I wasn't pretending anymore. I was doing this. Being gracious without being subservient. Strong without being aggressive. Everything a Luna should be—everything I had been terrified I could never become.

The formal dinner lasted three hours.

I sat at Aiden's right hand, engaging Henrik and his advisors in conversation, navigating the delicate politics of inter-pack relations with a skill I hadn't known I possessed. When Henrik asked about our defensive strategies, I answered with the tactical precision of my gamma training. When his Luna inquired about our healing efforts, I spoke with the warmth of someone who understood what it meant to carry wounds that didn't show.

By the time the meal concluded, something had shifted in how Henrik looked at me. Not assessment anymore. Something closer to respect.

He stood as the evening wound down, raising his glass in a toast. The room fell silent.

"I came to Willow Ridge with questions," he said, his voice carrying to every corner of the hall. "About whether this pack had truly recovered. About whether the rumors I'd heard were true." His eyes found mine. "They are. Willow Ridge has found its heart. Luna Adeline—you honor your pack and your position. May your reign be long and prosperous."

The room erupted in approval. My throat tightened, but I managed to incline my head in gracious acceptance, the way I had practiced.

Its heart. He called me Willow Ridge's heart.

Later, after Henrik and his delegation had retired to their guest quarters, Aiden found me on the balcony overlooking the compound.

I felt him before I heard him—his presence through the bond like warmth against my back. When his arms wrapped around me from behind, I leaned into him without thought, letting his strength steady me.

"You were magnificent," he murmured against my hair.

Through the bond, I felt what words couldn't capture. Pride. Deep and fierce and overwhelming. He had watched me tonight—watched me step into the role that had terrified me, watched me become something I hadn't believed I could be—and what he felt...

It glowed. Warm and golden and absolute.

"I was terrified," I admitted.

"I know." His arms tightened. "You did it anyway."

I stared out at the compound below—the buildings we had rebuilt, the wolves we had lost and the wolves who remained, the home that had somehow become mine in ways I still couldn't quite comprehend.

Five packs had rejected me. Five alphas had looked at me and decided I wasn't enough. For years, I had believed them. Had carried their judgment like stones in my chest, letting their rejection define what I could be.

But they were wrong.

I was wrong.

The girl who had stumbled into Willow Ridge—broken, grieving, convinced she was destined to be alone—she couldn't have done what I did tonight. She didn't know she had this in her. This strength. This grace. This capacity to lead.

I was born for this.

I just didn't know it yet.

Aiden pressed a kiss to my temple, and I closed my eyes, letting the truth of it settle into my bones.

Luna. I was Luna.

And I was exactly where I was meant to be.