Chapter 3 THE TRIAL OF MOON

~Verila Crawford~

I ran to the window and threw it open.

The face was gone. In the frost below, I could see a trail of small bare footprints leading across the grass toward the east wing. A glimpse of honey-blonde hair disappeared around the corner of the building.

It was Selene.

*She was spying on you,* my wolf said quietly. *She saw nothing but a faint light in the glass. You covered the mark in time.*

"Is that really true?" I whispered.

*Yes. But now she will be watching you. Be careful, little moon.*

I closed the window and locked it. Then I wrapped a scarf tightly around my head, tucked my hair over my ear, and sat on the edge of my bed with my heart pounding. I had a mate, a title, a talking wolf, and a sister who hated me.

I did not sleep at all.

At sunrise, a maid knocked on my door.

"Luna, the Alpha has asked me to take you to breakfast."

*Luna.* I still couldn't believe it was my name now.

The Alpha's wing was nothing like the small cold room I had grown up in. It had high ceilings, dark wooden floors, and tall windows that filled the halls with morning light. In the dining room, a table was set for two with warm bread, honey, roasted fruit, and a pot of cinnamon tea.

Marcus stood up when I came in.

"Good morning," he said, and when he smiled, his whole face changed from a hard Alpha to a boy who couldn't believe his luck. "Did you sleep?"

"A little."

"Liar." He pulled out my chair himself. "I didn't sleep either. I kept thinking I had imagined you."

My cheeks burned. "You didn't imagine me."

"No," he said, looking straight into my eyes. "I didn't."

We ate quietly, and for a few minutes I let myself pretend that this was simple. I was just a girl having breakfast with the man the Goddess had chosen for her.

Then Marcus set down his cup and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Verila, there's something I have to tell you before the council does."

My stomach dropped. "What is it?"

"The elders have called an assembly for this afternoon. They are not happy about our bond." He took my hand across the table. "Ironclaw has had no Luna for twelve years. They expected someone who could shift and lead the hunt."

"Someone who isn't wolfless," I said quietly.

He winced. "I told them it doesn't matter to me."

"But it matters to them."

"Yes." His fingers tightened around mine. "I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise."

I looked at his strong, warm hand wrapped around mine, and I wanted to believe him with my whole heart.

The council chamber was a round hall of dark stone with seven tall chairs set in a half circle. The elders sat in them like judges, and their pale eyes followed me as I walked in beside Marcus.

My father and mother were standing to one side. Damien stood with his arms crossed. Selene stood at the far end in pale blue silk dress, with her hair loose over her shoulders, and she gave me a small sympathetic smile as if she hadn't been spying outside my window a few hours ago.

I looked away first.

The oldest elder, a thin white-haired man named Corvin, leaned on his cane. "Alpha Marcus, we are here to discuss your claim."

"There is nothing to discuss," Marcus said calmly. "The Goddess chose. Verila is my mate and the Luna of this pack."

"The Goddess chose a body," Corvin replied. "But a true Luna must lead the hunt, run beside her Alpha under the Blood Moon, and stand at the front of the pack when an enemy attacks. She cannot do any of that without a wolf."

The other elders murmured in agreement.

"She comes from a strong Crawford bloodline," my father said quickly.

"She comes from a *wolfless* bloodline," Corvin snapped. "Twenty years, Beta Richard, and her wolf have never spoken. Do not insult this council."

My hands closed into fists at my sides. I knew I should stay quiet, but the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"My wolf has spoken."

The whole room went silent.

"What did you say?" Corvin asked.

"Last night, at midnight," I said, and my voice shook. "She said *mate.*"

For a moment, nobody moved. Then Selene let out a soft little laugh.

"Oh, Verila," she said gently, as if talking to a child. "We all know how badly you want that to be true."

A few of the elders chuckled. My father's face tightened with shame.

"I'm not lying," I said.

"Then prove it," Corvin said.

I froze. "How?"

The old man leaned back, and a cold light shone in his eyes. "The Trial of the Moon. It is an ancient law that has not been used in a hundred years. When a Luna's wolf is in doubt, she must shift in front of the entire pack at the next full moon."

"The full moon is in three days," Marcus said sharply.

"Exactly."

"That is cruel, Corvin."

"It is the law, Alpha." Corvin raised a bony hand. "If she fails to shift, the council will declare your bond false. She will lose the title of Luna and be sent out of the Alpha's wing, and she will be thrown out of the pack, as the earlier ruling demands."

My blood ran cold.

I had only three days to do what I had failed to do for twenty years. If I failed, I would lose Marcus, my title, and my place in Ironclaw, all in the same moment.

*Do not shift in front of them,* my wolf warned suddenly, and her voice was sharp with fear. *If they see what I am, you will be in far worse danger.*

*What are you?* I asked silently. *Why can't I shift?*

She didn't answer.

When the assembly ended, Marcus took me out into a quiet corridor and held me by the shoulders.

"I'm going to find a way around this," he said. "I'll talk to the elders. I'll fight it. I will not lose you."

"And if you can't?" I asked softly.

His jaw tightened, and for a second he looked away. That was when I knew he was holding something back.

"Marcus," I said. "Tell me."

He let out a long breath. "If you fail, the bond will be declared false. Under pack law, I would have to take another mate within the month. The council has already chosen who they want."

"Who?"

He didn't answer. He didn't need to.

At the end of the corridor, Selene was standing by a window in her pale blue dress, with the sun shining on her golden hair. She looked at me, smiled, and slowly raised her hand in a little wave.

The council had already picked my replacement.

It was my sister.