Alison’s POV
A cold gust swept through the room, rustling the drapes as I sat in the corner, staring at nothing. The disaster from the other day still fresh in my mind like a broken record. Their faces sneering, judging and burned into my memory. Even now, days later, I couldn’t escape the suffocating weight of it.
Katherine’s scathing voice had been the loudest of them all, piercing through me like a dagger. I should’ve been used to her disdain by now, but her words carried a venom that still stung. Her verdict lingered in the air: You’re not good enough. You’ll never be good enough.
I curled up tighter in the chair, pulling the blanket around me. How had things spiraled so far out of control?
A sharp knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts. I sat up, my pulse quickening. “Yes?”
The door creaked open, and a maid stepped inside, her expression carefully blank. “Good morning Miss Alison, Lady Katherine requests your presence in her quarters immediately.”
My stomach dropped. Katherine? Now?
I nodded stiffly, my mouth suddenly dry. “I’ll be there shortly.”
The maid left as quickly as she had come, leaving me in the throes of rising panic. What could Katherine possibly want now? She hadn’t spoken to me directly since the gathering, preferring instead to let her glares and frosty silences speak volumes.
I stood and headed to the mirror, brushing my fingers through my curls and smoothing out the creases in my dress. No matter how much effort I put into my appearance, it was never enough for her. Always second-rated to her Caitlyn, she’d once sneered at a look I thought was perfect.
Katherine’s quarters were nothing short of intimidating. The dark wood furniture and rich crimson drapes gave the space an air of authority, and the faint scent of lavender and cedar hung in the air, a stark contrast to her icy demeanor.
“Enter,” her voice barked from inside as I knocked on the door.
I stepped in hesitantly, my gaze meeting hers. Katherine sat by the grand window, her spine rigid, hands clasped together in a picture of composed disdain.
“You summoned me?” I said softly, trying to keep my voice steady.
Her eyes flicked over me, assessing, judging, as if I were nothing more than a blemish on the pristine rug beneath her feet. “Yes,” she said coolly, motioning for me to sit. “We need to discuss your future.”
My heart sank.
Katherine’s gaze was sharp as a blade as she spoke. “The events of the other night have only solidified what I and many others in this pack already believe.. you are unfit to be Luna.”
I flinched, her words cutting deeper than I expected.
“You need to understand something, Alison,” she continued, leaning forward slightly. “The position of Luna isn’t just a title. It’s a responsibility. A privilege. And one that requires strength, composure, and intelligence. Qualities that, thus far, you have failed to demonstrate.”
Her words were harsh, but her tone was calm… But coldly deliberate.
“I’m trying,” I murmured, my voice barely audible.
“Trying isn’t enough,” she snapped. “The Nightfang Pack deserves more than a ‘trying’ Luna. My son deserves more.”
Her son. My mate. The one person I thought would defend me, but who had remained silent as his mother tore me apart the other night.
Katherine straightened, her expression unyielding. “Now for my son’s sake, I’m giving you one last chance to prove your worth. The annual Ancestor’s Ceremony is approaching, a sacred tradition in which we honor those who came before us. This year, you will oversee the event to it’s fullest.”
My breath caught. The Ancestor’s Ceremony was one of the most significant events for the pack, I had learnt about it during my training days. The pressure alone was enough to crush me, and Katherine knew it.
“If you succeed,” she said, her voice like ice, “you may yet have a place here. But if you fail…” She let the words hang, the unspoken threat heavy in the air.
I swallowed hard, my palms damp with sweat. “What happens if I fail?”
Her lips curled into a mirthless smile. “You honestly wouldn’t want to know what I’d do if you fail so you better not embarrass me any more than you have”
With fear resonating within me, I swallowed hard and nodded calmly
” You may leave” she announced picking up her phone to signify that she was done with me.
I bowed slightly and turned to my heel
The days that followed were a blur of endless planning and restless nights. I threw myself into every detail of the ceremony from seating arrangements, rituals to offerings, determined to leave no room for error. This wasn’t just about proving myself to Katherine anymore. It was about proving to myself that I could do this.
But no matter how hard I worked, the weight of Kendrick’s Text messages and letters loomed over me like a storm cloud. They had become a daily occurrence, each one more desperate, more threatening than the last.
“You can’t run from me, Alison, you will never be accepted on NightFang.
Reject Xander and return to me.
Each time I read his words, the walls of my resolve cracked a little more. I wanted to ignore him, to toss his letters into the fire, but so many questions gnawed at me relentlessly.
What if he was telling the truth? What if he really did know something about my family?
The thought of not knowing.. was unbearable.
One evening, as I sat at my desk, poring over the last ceremony plans, my phone buzzed. The name on the screen sent a chill down my spine: Kendrick.
I hesitated for a long moment before answering.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You of course ,” he said, his tone low and edged with desperation. “You belong to me do not forget that.”
“I belong here with Xander,” I replied, though the words felt hollow.
“You and I know you do not belong with them,” he said sharply. “You’ll never belong with them. They’ll never accept you, Alison. Not truly. NightFang is one of the most revered packs, having a slave for a Luna is a big flaw Xander would not risk.”
“Stop,” I said, my voice trembling. “Not Alpha thinks like you do.”
“So you think Xander is better than me?,” he sneered. “You’re wasting your time. They don’t want you, Alison. You’re nothing but an outsider to them. You always will be.”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “You’re wrong.”
“Am I?” he challenged. “I heard his controlling mother hasn’t given you a moment of peace, but I wonder why hasn’t Xander defended you against his mother? Yet you are there bending over for a pack that doesn’t even respect you”
His words struck a nerve, but I refused to let him see it.
“Let me be, Kendrick, do not ever call me again” I said firmly.
“You can’t ignore me forever,” he warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You’ll come back to me eventually. You know you will, you doo not belong there”
The line went dead, leaving me staring at my phone, my heart pounding.
I stayed up late that night, torn between the ceremony plans spread out before me and the haunting echoes of Kendrick’s words.
The doubt he planted in my mind was a seed I couldn’t seem to uproot.
Would Katherine or the Pack ever truly accept me?
And most importantly, would Xander be able to fight along side me through this?
The answers felt further away than ever, but one thing was certain, the stakes had never been higher.