“No, she can’t go just like that,” Zander’s authoritative voice cut through the tense air before I could even respond. He stepped forward, pulling me protectively behind him, his stance firm and unyielding.
“Alpha King,” my mother replied, her tone calm but resolute. “This is her fate, and we cannot change it. She must go to the Lunar Realm. She belongs there. Her people are waiting for her.”
Her words made me frown in confusion. My people? What did that even mean?
“Mother, I belong where my family is-where my mate is,” I protested, stepping forward. “I understand that the people in the Lunar Realm need my help, but that is not my home.”
My mother didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she smiled softly as if hiding a lot behind that. “Let’s go, Selena,” she said gently, reaching out to hold my hand.
I hesitated but eventually stepped toward her.
“No, Selena, don’t go!” Zander’s voice, raw with desperation, stopped me in my tracks. “My heart says something isn’t right.”
I turned to look at him, and the sadness and yearning in his eyes made my chest tighten and I swallowed, torn between my love and duty.
“But, Zander,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “they need me.”
“We will find a way to save the Lunar Realm. We are stronger together, remember?” Zander said, his voice laced with determination as his hands tightened around mine, grounding me in his unwavering support.
Before I could respond, my mother interjected, her calm voice lacing with reasons. “Alpha King, your mate is the strongest wolf, blessed with the powers of the Moon Goddess herself. She doesn’t need anyone to change the fate of the Lunar Realm and save her people.”
Her words left me speechless. The implications of her statement swirled in my mind, leaving me confused and unsettled.
Why was she repeatedly emphasizing two words? My people?! I belonged there?!
Before I could fully process what was happening, my mother’s hold tightened on my hand and she began leading me forward. I glanced down at my hand entwined with Zander’s. But as I took a step with my mother, my hand slipped from his, the connection breaking with an ache that mirrored the growing distance between us. With each step, it felt as though the world itself was stretching, pulling us farther apart, deepening the chasm between us.
And deepened the gap. Suddenly, a blinding beam of light appeared before us. It shimmered like a portal made of stars and moonlight, radiating an otherworldly energy. My heart raced as I glanced back at Zander, who stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with helplessness.
And then, without another word, my mother stepped into the light, pulling me along. In the blink of an eye, the familiar world around me vanished, and we entered another realm-a realm that felt both foreign and eerily familiar as if it had been calling me all along.
______
It had been a week, yet I found no signs of unusual activity in the Lunar Realm. Everything seemed to flow perfectly as if the realm itself was in a state of flawless harmony. The people here treated me as though I were the Moon Goddess incarnate. They would gather daily at the grand castle where I now resided, offering gifts and seeking my guidance. Their faith in me was unwavering; they believed I could solve their problems simply by existing.
The reverence they showed was both overwhelming and strange to me. My thoughts constantly drifted back to my family-my son, my mate, and the life I had left behind. Here, there was no way to reach them. The mind link didn’t function, and telepathy was restricted to protect the realm’s secrecy from outside interference. It was a lonely and isolating existence.
As the days passed, the ache to see my family grew unbearable. I decided I needed to return to them, if only for a short while.
“Mother, everything seems fine here,” I said one evening over dinner. We sat alone at the royal dining table, a masterpiece carved from the finest marble, unlike anything I had ever seen. “I was thinking of going back to the Moonglow Pack to be with my family. If anything unusual happens, you can inform me, and I will return immediately.”
My mother’s expression darkened, her response firm. “No, Selena, you cannot abandon your people.”
Her words made me frown in frustration.
“Mother, I don’t belong here!” I argued, my voice filled with emotion. “I am the Alpha King’s wife, the Luna Queen, and the pack members of the Moonglow Pack are my people.”
My mother’s expression remained calm, but her words cut through me like a blade. “No, Selena. Zander is your mate, but you do not belong there. His purpose was to strengthen your wolf, protect you, and keep you hidden until the time was right. That was his sole role in your life-nothing more.”
I stared at her, my heart sinking as her explanation continued. “You have to accept this truth, my daughter. Zander was merely a vessel to help you awaken your true destiny. Your fate lies here. You were born to rule the Lunar Realm and care for its people.”
Her words left me shocked and utterly dumbfounded.