Banished by My Pack, Chosen as the True Luna Chapter 05

Banished by My Pack, Chosen as the True Luna Chapter 05

“You could’ve died.”

Alexander’s voice was unusually serious.

I sat on a wooden chair inside Maya’s cabin while he wrapped a bandage around my shoulder.

“It was a scratch.”

“It was an arrow.”

“Same thing.”

“No.”

I winced as he tightened the bandage.

“Ow.”

“Good.”

I stared at him.

“Did you just intentionally hurt me?”

“You intentionally jumped in front of an arrow.”

“Because somebody needed to.”

His hands stopped.

For a second, the room became quiet.

Then Alexander looked up.

“So your solution was to throw yourself into danger?”

“You were about to get shot.”

“I would’ve survived.”

I snorted.

“Not if it went through your heart.”

That actually shut him up.

A rare achievement.

I smiled.

Alexander narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t know why everyone’s convinced you’re sweet.”

“Nobody thinks that.”

“Theo does.”

“Theo also thinks goats are government spies.”

Alexander laughed.

A real laugh.

The sound surprised both of us.

For some reason, that made me smile even more.

Over the next few days, something strange happened.

Nobody treated me like a burden.

Nobody called me wolf-less.

Nobody looked at me with pity.

Nobody asked why Ryder rejected me.

Instead—

They handed me work.

Theo dragged me around the settlement.

“This is the storage shed.”

I nodded.

“Okay.”

“This is the well.”

“Okay.”

“This is where we keep emergency supplies.”

“Okay.”

Theo stopped walking.

“You’re not impressed by anything.”

“I just escaped a cult.”

Theo blinked.

“What?”

I pointed south.

“My old Pack.”

Theo thought about it.

Then nodded.

“Fair.”

By the end of the week, I knew everyone’s names.

Old Jacob.

Maya.

Theo.

Lena.

Harper.

Derek.

People who would’ve been outcasts anywhere else.

Here, they belonged.

One afternoon, Maya sat beside me while we sorted vegetables.

“You know.”

I looked up.

“What?”

“People like you.”

I nearly dropped a carrot.

“What?”

Maya laughed.

“I’m serious.”

“Why?”

“You listen.”

I blinked.

“That’s it?”

“Most people only listen while waiting to talk.”

I thought about Silver Fang.

About the Elders.

About Sophia.

About Ryder.

Then I nodded.

“Good point.”

Maya smiled.

“You’re staying, aren’t you?”

The question caught me off guard.

Staying.

I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

I touched my stomach instinctively.

For the first time since leaving Silver Fang—

The answer wasn’t obvious.

Maybe I wanted to stay.

______

Three nights later, I woke up suddenly.

A sound.

Far away.

My eyes snapped open.

The settlement was asleep.

Everything looked normal.

But the sound remained.

Voices.

Dozens of them.

Arguing.

I climbed out of bed.

Then walked directly toward Alexander’s cabin.

A few minutes later, he opened the door.

Half asleep.

Shirtless.

Annoyingly attractive.

I immediately looked away.

Alexander smirked.

“See something you like?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Can I come in?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“Whether you’re here to apologize for almost dying.”

“Goodnight.”

I started walking away.

Alexander grabbed my arm.

“Wait.”

A smile tugged at his lips.

“What is it?”

I became serious.

Immediately.

His expression changed too.

“I hear wolves.”

Alexander folded his arms.

“Where?”

“Northwest.”

“How far?”

I listened carefully.

The sounds echoed through the darkness.

Then:

“Twenty-two kilometers.”

Silence.

Alexander stared.

I stared back.

Finally he said:

“Twenty-two?”

I nodded.

He looked concerned.

Not surprised.

Concerned.

That bothered me.

“What?”

Alexander walked toward a bookshelf.

Then pulled out an old book.

“What are you doing?”

“Research.”

“At midnight?”

“I have questions.”

He opened the book.

Ancient symbols covered the pages.

I frowned.

“What is that?”

“A legend.”

“About?”

Alexander looked directly at me.

“The Moon Chosen Luna.”

Something cold traveled down my spine.

Immediately I remembered the dream.

The Moon Goddess.

You are my Luna.

The only one.

I looked away first.

“I’m going back to sleep.”

Alexander watched me carefully.

But he didn’t push.

Not yet.

Meanwhile.

Silver Fang Pack.

Sophia stood in front of a mirror.

Three servants adjusted her wedding dress.

A smile stretched across her face.

Finally.

Everything she wanted was hers.

The Luna title.

The Alpha.

The power.

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

The door opened.

Ryder walked inside.

Immediately she brightened.

“Did you find her?”

The question escaped before she could stop herself.

Ryder frowned.

A tiny frown.

But enough.

Sophia quickly corrected herself.

“I mean… any news?”

“No.”

The relief that flashed across her face lasted less than a second.

Unfortunately—

Ryder saw it.

His eyes narrowed.

Just slightly.

Why was she relieved?

Shouldn’t she be worried?

Sophia walked toward him.

“We’ll find her.”

Ryder nodded.

But something felt off.

For the first time since their engagement—

Sophia’s smile seemed rehearsed.

Fake.

And he couldn’t stop noticing it.

Later that night, Sophia met two of her friends.

The Luna House was nearly empty.

Nobody paid attention.

At least that’s what she thought.

“What are you so worried about?”

One friend asked.

Sophia laughed.

“Olivia.”

The second girl rolled her eyes.

“She’s gone.”

“Exactly.”

Sophia grabbed a glass of wine.

“If she stays gone, everything is perfect.”

The girls laughed.

One asked:

“You actually love Ryder?”

Sophia nearly choked.

“No.”

The answer came too fast.

All three laughed.

Sophia shrugged.

“Love doesn’t matter.”

“What matters?”

“The title.”

She smiled.

“The power.”

One of the servants outside froze.

Listening.

Sophia continued.

“Honestly, that wolf-less idiot made everything easy.”

More laughter.

“She practically handed me the Luna position.”

The servant quietly walked away.

And by morning—

Half the Pack had heard the story.

Sophia remained completely unaware.

That same night, Ryder sat alone in his office.

The room felt wrong.

Too quiet.

He looked around.

Then frowned.

His reports weren’t organized.

His schedule wasn’t on his desk.

The medicine he usually took before training wasn’t there.

Even dinner had arrived cold.

A knock interrupted him.

“Come in.”

A servant entered nervously.

“Alpha.”

“What?”

“The cooks wanted to know if you preferred lamb or beef tomorrow.”

Ryder stared.

For several seconds.

Then:

“Why are they asking me?”

The servant blinked.

“Because…”

He hesitated.

“Olivia usually handled it.”

Silence.

The servant suddenly regretted existing.

Ryder waved him away.

The moment the door closed, he leaned back in his chair.

Olivia usually handled it.

The words echoed inside his head.

The medicine.

The meals.

The reports.

The schedules.

The meetings.

The small things.

Thousands of small things.

Things he never noticed.

Because they were always done.

His gaze drifted toward the bottom drawer.

A strange feeling told him to open it.

Inside lay an old envelope.

Yellowed with age.

His chest tightened immediately.

He recognized the handwriting.

Olivia’s father.

Slowly, Ryder unfolded the letter.

A single sentence stared back at him.

If one day we are gone, please protect Olivia for us.

The room became silent.

Completely silent.

Ryder read the sentence again.

Then again.

A memory surfaced.

A little girl standing beside two graves.

Crying.

Alone.

Olivia.

And him promising—

“I’ll always protect you.”

His grip tightened around the paper.

The guilt arrived suddenly.

Heavy.

Impossible to ignore.

For the first time since her disappearance—

Ryder wondered if he’d made a mistake.

______

North Forest.

The moon hung high above the settlement.

I sat alone on a hill.

One hand resting over my stomach.

The baby had changed everything.

Without it, I might’ve given up already.

A familiar voice spoke behind me.

“You should be sleeping.”

I smiled slightly.

“You should stop sneaking up on people.”

Alexander sat beside me.

For a while neither of us spoke.

The silence felt comfortable.

Which was strange.

I wasn’t used to comfortable silence.

Eventually Alexander looked at me.

“I think you’re special.”

I laughed.

“My old Pack disagrees.”

Alexander shook his head.

“I don’t care what they think.”

The wind moved through the trees.

Then he said quietly:

“They threw away their greatest treasure.”

My heart stopped.

Not because I believed him.

Because for the first time—

Someone else did.

I looked toward the moon.

And for the first time since my rejection—

I felt something I thought I’d lost forever.

Hope.