GabrielI sat cross-legged in the center of my private office, the green glow of the computer screens filling the space with an eerie light. I breathed in deeply, letting my mind reach out until I could feel the electric tingle of destiny surrounding me like a force field.Deep anger stirred within me. "You feel it getting stronger, don't you?" my inner wolf growled. "Elias is getting the pack to fall apart by denial of Lyra as their Luna!""Yes..." I rumbled, feeling waves of savage joy flow through me. "But, they should do whatever they want. My decision is final. Lyra would be my Luna and in the next coming full moon, Lyra will give birth to my pups and the blaze of unstoppable power. Our rise to dominance is no longer just a possibility, but an immutable certainty that bends all other packs to our will."A wild grin split my face, my fangs gleaming like polished blades ready to rend our enemies. I could already feel rival wolves, lesser creatures, and packs that didn't even exist

GabrielI tightened my grip on Lyra's arm, pulling her closer as I shielded her from the hostile pack's suspicious glares and mocking whispers.This was meant to be her night - the crowning of her as my Luna and pup's mother. Yet even now, there were treacherous forces undermining us from the shadows.Catching Kira's concerned gaze over Lyra's trembling shoulder, I gave the barest of nods. The aging woman may have been Lyra's sole friend here, but she was still first and foremost my trusted adviser. With a look, I entrusted the scared young woman into Kira's motherly care."Stay with her," I murmured under my breath, just loud enough for their preternatural hearing to pick up. "Keep her safe while I root out these snakes slithering in the shadows."Kira inclined her head fractionally in understanding as I released Lyra, giving her shoulder one final reassuring squeeze before turning away. "I'll be right back." I uttered.Although unshed tears glistened in her luminous eyes, the girl

Gabriel"But I never left the halls you see." He mocked. As ever the old bitch has it figured out. "The former beta was but a simple decoy, Alpha - a fragile illusion to scatter your focus while the true play began here."My head whipped around at that, cold realization lancing through me like a blade between the ribs.Of course... It all made sense now in a horrific, inescapable way.This means one thing!A shifter!A true skin-walker capable of transcending their physical formOne of the most feared, powerful classes of our kind. And here, in the center of my heart, I feel pain.When did it escape me?How did this vile creature walk unnoticed amidst my pack, sowing its seeds?"Talon!" I barked over my shoulder, barely keeping my fury leashed as the pieces fell into place. "Initiate a full security lockdown and have your hunters brought in! We are dealing with a shifter - a skinwalker of immense power bent on-"My words cut off as I spun back to confront the shifting tide of mali

Lyra The ceremonial words still seemed to linger in the air like the residual charge after a lightning strike. I stood there, Gabriel's possessive grasp on my arm the only thing keeping me tethered as the world spun dizzyingly around me."Let them talk all they want, you have now crowned Lyra as your Luna!" He let a small smile at me, soothing my worries."Congratulations, my Luna." Kira was the first to break through the crackle of that numinous silence, gliding forward with her ageless elegance. Her warm smile brimmed with genuine affection as she reached up to caress my flushed cheek. "You've embraced your sacred destiny as the Blackmoons Luna.""Indeed," Talon's granite rumble followed like a rolling thunder-peal. The towering Beta dropped to one knee before me in an unmistakable gesture of fealty. "The crown Luna of our pack. My claws are yours to command, Luna Lyra."I felt the weight of this pivotal transition like an almost physical burden settling across my shoulders.Weeks

LyraThe next day, I was in the garden with Kim and Zara when Kira's gentle voice pulled me from my reverie. "My dear Lyra, may I have a word?" I turned to find the old advisor regarding me with maternal concern. "You seem preoccupied this morning. Is everything alright after your ascension as our new Luna?"A faint smile tugged at my lips as my palm drifted over the small baby bump of Gabriel's heirs growing within me. So much had happened so quickly since that fateful ceremony."I'm simply...adjusting to the profound shift my life has taken, Kira," I replied honestly. "One moment an outcast omega scorned by all, the next raised as the sacred vessel ushering in the Blackmoons' new heirs. You can understand my lingering sense of vertigo, I'm sure."The older woman's features softened with sympathy as she nodded. "Indeed, the path uplifted before you is a daunting responsibility, made more arduous by...certain skeptical voices."My brow furrowed at her meaningful undertone. Before I