Page 47 of Luna's New Reign
“Pledge your loyalty to me,” Mateo continues, his Alpha authority brushing over all of us like a wave. “I am your Alpha now. You will follow my command, live under my protection, and belong to the Nightshades.”
One by one, the wolves speak the vow, their voices soft but resolute. “I pledge my loyalty to Alpha Mateo of the Nightshades. You are my Alpha.”
Mateo steps closer, his gaze burning as he focuses on each wolf individually. His magic crackles through the air, leaving me breathless even though it isn’t directed at me.
The moment the words are spoken, a faint light glows above each wolf’s heart and I watch as the crest of the pack of the Forbidden—the mark that tethered them to Silas, to darkness—begins to burn away. They flinch as it happens, their bodies tense, but none of them make a sound.
Slowly, the mark of the Nightshades emerges in its place. A crest of unity, rebirth, and loyalty.
When it’s done, they all sigh in unison, their bodies slumping forward with something that looks like relief—like they’ve been freed of a weight they didn’t even realize they were carrying. Mateo steps back, his gaze sweeping over them once more. “The magic has seen that your intentions are pure. You belong here now,” he states.
Bo steps forward, his broad frame calm as he tilts his head toward me. “What do you want us to do with them, Asani? They look like they’re barely holding together.”
I sigh, scrubbing a hand over my face as I try to calculate the logistics of it all. “They can’t stay in my clinic,” I mutter. “There’s no room.”
Mateo’s gaze snaps to mine and without missing a beat, he commands, “They’ll use the other pack house.”
“Theotherpack house?”
Mateo nods once. “The one that would have been for Calista and Gael,” he clarifies, his tone dark but steady. “It’s time that house is used for something more than just darkness.”
I feel a pang of something sharp in my chest—grief, maybe. History. That house has been nothing but a monument to old wounds and old battles, a place none of us have used since Gael passed away.
But Mateo’s right. It’s time for something new.
The moment the new wolves disappear into the distance, guided by Bo and Elias toward the second pack house, I feel the shift. It's subtle, a tug on the edge of my senses, like a thread being pulled through a needle, tightening. I can’t explain it, but it’s there—constant. The hum of magic that’s been clawing its way back into the packlands is growing stronger every day, and now? It practically crackles in the air.
Mateo is standing next to me, arms crossed, his gaze locked on the treeline where the wolves vanished. He doesn’t move, doesn’t speak—just stares like he’s trying to see past what’s right in front of him.
I clear my throat, breaking the heavy quiet. “They told me there’s another Alpha. We were right.”
Mateo’s head snaps toward me, his eyes narrowing. “Another Alpha?”
I nod once, crossing my arms over my chest. “The Beta—the one who led them through the veil—he said there’s someone new. An Alpha they’ve never seen. But he’s there. In their heads. In theirblood.” I pause, feeling a chill crawl down my spine. “It’s not just physical, Mateo. This Alpha has them all wrapped up tight—control like I’ve never heard of. It’s not natural.”
Mateo lets out a low growl, his wolf brushing against the surface as he processes the information. He doesn’t say anything at first, his jaw tight as he works through whatever storm is raging in his head. Then he sighs and scrubs a hand down his face. “Maybe that’s who Nepheline is hearing,” he mutters, almost to himself. “The whispers. She’s mentioned that whoever is in her head has her brother more than once.”
I blink, the thought catching me off guard. “You think Locke is tied to this?”
Mateo looks at me, his gaze hard and unflinching. “I think there’s a connection we haven’t figured out yet. And I don’t like coincidences.”
Neither do I.
He inhales slowly, his expression shifting until no emotions are riding on his face. “We’ll introduce the new wolves into the pack as soon as they’re strong enough to stand. No exceptions. The faster they find their footing here, the better.”
I nod, my mind already ticking through what needs to be done. But just as I open my mouth to reply, a ripple of energy cuts through the clearing, sharp and sudden like the snap of a wire.
My wolf bristles immediately, on edge, as the air around us changes—heavier, electric, almostalive.I whip my head toward the source, my heart pounding instinctively in my chest as my eyes land on Maverick.
He’s standing a few feet away, his expression blank, his body swaying faintly. Blood drips from his nose in a slow line, his hand lifting to dab at it with the back of his wrist. His shoulders shake slightly, and he lets out a quiet, nervous chuckle.
“Maverick?” Mateo calls out, but the Alpha doesn’t answer.
His eyes roll back suddenly, stark white, glowing faintly as his body shudders.
“Fuck—Maverick!” I bark, already stepping forward to grab him, but it’s too late.
The magic pulses outward like a shockwave, knocking me back a step as it floods the air around us. My wolf growls, ready to shift, as I stare at Maverick—changing.