Chapter 7: A Crown Bought With Blood

SELENE'S POV

The doors opened slowly.

Two elderly maidens stood on each side of the entrance, their heads bowed low and hands clasped in front of them. They had been waiting for me. They both stood in the hallway like statues, ready to welcome their new Luna.

I stepped through the threshold and into the chambers.

The room stretched before me, larger than I remembered.It looked different from when I stood outside Auren's door pretending to comfort her. The windows spanned from floor to ceiling, moonlight spilling across the marble floor. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting warm shadows across the furniture.

Everything was exactly as it had been.

The same silk drapes. The same embroidered cushions, same painting of Thornridge's founding Alpha hanging above the mantel.

But everything was different now. Same setting just a different Luna in it. The thought of it made my stomach flutter.

The maidens followed me inside, their footsteps soft against the stone.

"The Luna chambers are prepared for you, Lady Selene," one of them said. Her voice was thin and careful, like she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. "The previous Luna's belongings have been removed."

I ran my fingers along the back of the velvet chair by the window.

"And where did they go?" I asked.

The maiden hesitated. "They were… disposed of, my lady. As per tradition."

I smiled. "Good."

The other maiden stepped forward, holding a velvet cushion. A silver circlet rested on top, delicate and gleaming in the firelight.

"The ceremonial crown," she said, bowing her head. "For your Luna ceremony tomorrow. The elders asked us to deliver it personally."

I took the circlet from the cushion. It was lighter than I expected. Cool against my fingers. I turned it over in my hands, watching the firelight dance across the silver.

"Leave it on the table," I said.

The maiden set the cushion down carefully and stepped back. Both of them stood there, waiting, their eyes fixed on the floor.

"Is there anything else you require, Lady Selene?" the first one asked.

"No," I said. "You may go."

They bowed and retreated toward the doors, moving quickly, like they couldn't wait to leave. The doors clicked shut behind them, and I was finally alone.

I walked to the window and looked out at Thornridge below.

The pack was quiet. Most of the houses were dark, the streets empty. The council had announced my position earlier tonight, and the pack had accepted it without question. No one stood up for the woman who used to call herself Luna.

I pressed my palm against the cold glass.

"Did you hear that, Auren?" I whispered to the darkness beyond the window. "They accepted me. Just like I knew they would."

I laughed softly.

"All those years I watched you struggle, I watched you fail, watched you cry because you couldn't shift or give Melvin a child. And still, everyone treated you like you deserved that title."

I turned away from the window and walked through the chambers, touching everything, the silk drapes, the velvet cushions. The heavy wooden desk where Auren had spent so many nights writing letters she never sent.

I sat in the chair by the fire, leaned back, threw one finger in the air and closed my eyes.

"This is where I truly belong” I said aloud. I –"

A knock at the door.

I opened my eyes. "Yes?."

A servant stepped inside, her eyes downcast, her hands trembling slightly. She carried a tray with a bottle of wine and a single glass.

"You ordered wine, my…my lady," she said with trembling lips.

"Yes. Leave it on the table."

She set the tray down carefully, spilling a few drops in her haste. She tried to wipe it up with her sleeve, but I waved her away.

"That's enough. Just leave."

She fled and the door clicked shut behind her.

I poured myself a glass and raised it to the firelight, watching the deep red liquid catch the flames.

"To me," I whispered. "To everything I deserve, to my achievement in just a short time."

I took a sip. The wine was sweet and warm, settling in my chest like satisfaction made liquid.

The door opened without a knock.

I turned, ready to snap at whoever had interrupted me.

Elder Vayric stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

I lowered the glass. "You shouldn't be here…at least not tonight. People will talk."

He smiled and walked toward the table, his hands clasped behind his back. "People have been talking all evening. You are the new Luna, I am an elder. No one will question my presence."

I watched him pour himself a glass of wine. He took a slow sip and nodded in approval.

"Everything unfolded exactly as we planned," he said. "Melvin made the decision we expected, without any stress. The elders accepted you without resistance. Thornridge has its new Luna."

"And Auren?" I asked.

“She's already on her way to death as we speak, every plan went exactly as we discussed."

I set my glass down and walked to the window again. The pack lay quiet below, unaware of everything that had happened tonight.

"And the rogues?" I asked quietly as my index finger traced slow circles across my other hand. "Did you make sure she never leaves that forest alive?"

Elder Vayric took another sip of his wine. He didn't answer immediately. The fire crackled. The silence stretched between us.

Then he set the glass down and turned to face me.

"You worry too much, Selene."

I frowned. "That's not an answer."

"By now, the rogues should have finished the job." He said it calmly, like he was discussing the weather. "They were well paid. Well instructed. She had no wolf and no protection. She will not be coming back."

I stared at him. "Hmmm, I wouldn't want any mistakes in the future."

"I am certain that you need to stop worrying and prepare yourself for your Luna ceremony." He smiled, but his eyes were cold. "You have everything you wanted. Do not ruin it by becoming paranoid."

I turned back to the window. My reflection stared back at me, pale and hollow in the glass.

"Selene."

I looked over my shoulder.

Elder Vayric had finished his wine. He set the empty glass on the table and straightened his robes.

"You are Luna of Thornridge now," he said. "Act like it. The pack is watching, Melvin is watching, One moment of weakness is all it takes to lose everything we have worked for."

He walked toward the door. His hand rested on the handle, and he paused.

"Enjoy your victory tonight," he said without turning around. "Tomorrow, you begin the work of keeping it."

The door closed behind him.

I stood alone in the chambers, the fire crackling softly behind me, the moonlight spilling across the floor.

I walked back to the table and poured myself another glass of wine. The liquid swirled in the crystal, deep red like the blood that had dripped from Auren's arm when she cut herself open for my child.

I raised the glass to my reflection in the window.

"To my glorious and continuous reign as Luna," I smiled.

I took a long sip, the wine tasted like victory.