Luna Calista's POV
The crystal wine glass broke in my hand. Blood dripped onto my silver gown as I watched my eldest son take that worthless omega as his mate.
Twenty-one years of careful planning, destroyed in a single moment.
"Vaughn," I hissed under my breath, but my husband was too busy playing the loving Alpha to notice my rage. An omega.
An OMEGA as the future Luna of Bloodfang Pack.
I pressed a napkin to my bleeding palm, using the pain to keep my face neutral. Years of political training helped me keep the perfect mask while inside, my world crumbled.
This couldn't happen. I wouldn't let it happen.
"Luna Calista," Beta Marcus approached with his wife Elena, both looking as shocked as I felt. "What extraordinary news."
"Indeed," I answered smoothly. "The Moon Goddess certainly surprises us all."
But Elena's worried face told me everything. She understood what this meant just as clearly as I did. An omega Luna would weaken our pack's position with every neighboring territory.
"Perhaps we should discuss this development privately," Elena suggested quietly.
"Tomorrow," I agreed.
"We have much to consider."
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of forced greetings and fake smiles. I watched Arin stumble through talks with pack elders, clearly overwhelmed by her sudden elevation.
She looked ready to faint every time someone called her "future Luna." Good. She should be frightened.
When we finally returned home, I waited until Vaughn closed our bedroom door before unleashing my anger.
"Have you lost your mind?" I spun around, my carefully controlled mask finally slipping.
"You're actually going to accept this?"
Vaughn loosened his tie, looking tired. "The mate bond was announced publicly, Calista. What choice do I have?"
"Every choice! You're the Alpha. You could reject her claim, demand proof, anything!"
"The mark on her neck was clear. Every wolf in that room felt the bond snap into place." His green eyes, so like Kael's, met mine steady.
"This isn't something I can undo."
"Then make her reject it herself."
Vaughn's face hardened. "I won't force anyone to reject their fated mate. You know what that does to a wolf."
I knew. But I also knew what an omega Luna would do to our pack.
"She's not strong enough," I pressed on. "You saw her tonight—shaking like a leaf, barely able to speak. How will she handle pack politics? Alliance negotiations? What happens when the Northern regions see our 'powerful' Luna and decide we're weak?"
Vaughn sat heavily on our bed. "She'll learn."
"Will she? Or will she collapse under pressure and take our entire pack down with her?"
For a moment, doubt flickered across his face. I pushed higher. "Think about our kids, Vaughn. Kael deserves a Luna who can stand beside him as an equal, not someone he has to guard constantly. And what about Jaxon and Rowan? How do you think they're handling seeing their brother mated to someone so... beneath their status?"
"Calista—"
"I've spent twenty years building relationships with other pack Lunas. Twenty years establishing our image as a force to be respected. One weak Luna can destroy everything I've worked for."
Vaughn was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was tired. "What do you suggest?"
Victory surged through me, but I kept my face concerned rather than triumphant.
"Give her time to show herself. Set tasks, tests of leadership. If she fails..." I shrugged gently. "Then even you couldn't argue she's unfit to be Luna."
"And if she succeeds?"
"Then I suppose the Moon Goddess chose better than we thought." But I had no intention of letting her win.
The next morning, I called an emergency meeting with the other high-ranking ladies in the pack.
Elena arrived first, followed by Margaret Chen, whose son was a promising warrior, and Patricia Stone, mother of twins who'd both shown Alpha promise.
"Ladies," I began once we were all settled in my private sitting room.
"We need to discuss our pack's future."
"You mean the omega situation," Elena said bluntly.
"Exactly." I poured tea with steady hands. "Now, I want to be clear—I'm not questioning the Moon Goddess or the mate bond. But we all know that being fated mates doesn't instantly make someone suitable for leadership."
Margaret nodded slowly. "My grandmother always said the Moon Goddess gives us the mates we need, not necessarily the ones who are ready."
"Precisely. Which means it's our duty to help Arin... grow into her part. Or help her understand she's not ready for such responsibility."
Patricia leaned forward. "What do you have in mind?"
"Traditional Luna trials. Physical obstacles, strategic planning, social situations. If she's truly meant to lead us, she'll rise to meet them."
"And if she doesn't?" Elena asked quietly.
"Then she'll make that choice herself. No one can say we didn't give her every chance."
The women traded glances. I could see them weighing the political consequences, considering their own families' futures.
"What about Kael?" Margaret asked. "He won't like us testing his mate."
"Kael is young and thinking with his heart rather than his head. Someone needs to think practically about this situation."
Elena sipped her tea thoughtfully. "What kind of trials?"
"Nothing cruel," I told them. "Pack management situations. Diplomatic talks with visiting Alphas. Combat training ratings. The same things any Luna candidate would face."
"When do we start?" Patricia asked.
"Next week. I'll speak with Vaughn about making it official pack business. A formal Luna preparation program."
As the women left, each promising to spread word about the "helpful" trials we'd be performing, I felt the first stirring of satisfaction since last night's disaster.
Arin had no idea what she was getting into. An omega who'd spent her life in the dark, suddenly thrust into the spotlight of pack leadership? She'd fall within days.
But as I was clearing the tea cups, my personal maid knocked hurriedly.
"Luna Calista? There's something you need to see."
She led me to the window facing the training grounds, where an impossible sight met my eyes. Arin stood in the middle of the combat ring, facing off against Marcus, our head trainer.
But this wasn't the frightened girl from last night. Power radiated from her small frame as she moved with fluid grace, dodging attacks that should have been impossible for an untrained omega to escape. And her eyes... her eyes glowed silver like moonlight.
"How long has this been going on?" I whispered.
"She arrived at dawn, Luna. Asked Marcus to evaluate her current skills. " As I watched, Arin's hand shot out, stopping Marcus's punch mid-swing.
The massive warrior's eyes widened in shock as she held him easily in place. What kind of omega possessed that kind of strength?
"Find Elder Mava," I ordered quietly. "Tell her I need to speak with her immediately."
"Yes, Luna."
As my maid hurried away, I continued watching the impossible scene below. Either Arin was hiding abilities far beyond anything I'd thought, or something else was happening here. Something that might make my plans much more complex.
But also much more important. Because if Arin truly held hidden power, she wasn't just a threat to our pack's reputation. She was a threat to everything I'd built.