Bound to the Bar. Crowned as the Moon Dance Queen Chapter 04

Bound to the Bar. Crowned as the Moon Dance Queen Chapter 04

I made it to the Shadow Moon Pack without any trouble, and headed straight for my aunt Savanna-sh

taught at Moon Dance Academy.

With her help, I got enrolled in the academy smoothly.

Life at Shadow Moon Pack was harder than I’d expected.

Even though I had a background in artistic gymnastics, the way they engaged their muscles was totally

different.

Artistic gymnastics demanded explosive power and control, while dance called for fluidity and grace.

On my first day of class, the teacher didn’t mince words. “Maren, your movements are way too stiff.

“Dance isn’t gymnastics. You don’t have to nail every single position perfectly.

“Relax, learn to relax. Also, stop tensing those muscles. Dancers need lines, not bulked-up blocks of

muscle.”

But twelve years of muscle memory didn’t just change overnight.

I gritted my teeth and pushed through.

I was always the first one to the studio every day and the last one to leave.

I drilled every move until it was perfect, nitpicked every detail until it was flawless.

Blisters popped on my palms, and my legs were covered in bruises.

My knees swelled up like softballs from hours of nonstop practice.

But I didn’t care.

Compared to the humiliation of being hung on the uneven bars for everyone to gawk at, this pain was

nothing.

Luckily, all my classmates were really nice.

No one called me a loser. No one called me a clingy creep. No one looked at me like I was some sad pity case.

My desk was by the window in the third row.

The light was perfect, and the breeze drifting in from the forest felt amazing.

My deskmate was a bubbly young she-wolf.

“I’m Chloe Jones! Just call me Chloe!”

She had two dimples when she smiled, and her scent smelled like sunshine and pine trees.

‘I’m Maren.”

“OMG, your name is so pretty!”

She was incredibly chatty. As soon as the bell rang, she started spilling all the tea. which teachers were which pack members were easy to get along with, which cafeteria window served the best venison, and where the quietest study nooks were located.

“Our academy’s pretty low-stress. Everyone’s super friendly.

“Was your old pack really strict? You seem so tense all the time. Your wolf aura feels really guarded.”

I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”

I didn’t want to talk about the past.

“No worries, you’ve got me now!” Chloe grinned. “Anyone messes with you, I’ll handle it-doesn’t mat what pack they’re from.”

Warmth spread through my chest.

So this was what it felt like to be treated with basic pack kindness.

No walking on eggshells.

No guessing people’s moods from their scents.

No panicking about being abandoned.

Just simple, honest kindness.

Around the same time, the academy got word that Rhys had completely lost it.