HONOR AND HUMILIATION
Freya
I blink hard as the wolf peels back, leaving me in my skin again.
Quickly picking up my robe from where I left it on a large boulder, I slip it over my head. My arms burn, but I grab the stag by the antlers and heave. Nyx’s strength drones in my muscles, helping me drag it toward the clearing.
By the time I stumble out of the treeline, most of the hunters are already gathering. Carcasses litter the grass—hares, foxes, even a scrawny boar that Jax managed to find. The pack buzzes with voices as kills are weighed and displayed.
The Hunt Display is no simple sport. It is our way of proving ourselves to the Moon Goddess each year, a ritual older than the pack itself.
The Alpha calls it to measure strength, and to remind us we are hunters first—wolves, humans second.
Each kill is offered to the altar fire, a sign that the pack is fed.
That we can still take what the land offers.
Izel stands at the center, her green gown draped hastily over her shoulders. She cradles her kill—a rabbit so limp and spotless I wonder if it was even alive when she caught it. She tilts her chin high, eyes shining like she’s led the hunt herself.
“The Moon Goddess smiles on us,” she declares, voice clear across the crowd.
Murmurs rise in agreement, though thin.
And then the gasps begin.
Because I drag the stag into the circle. Its body is whole, antlers catching the firelight like golden branches. I let it drop with a heavy thud that echoes across the stone.
“By the Moon…”
“No wolf has brought a stag in years…”
“It’s perfect—untouched…”
Heat flushes my cheeks, but I hold my head high.
Izel’s smile cracks. She laughs too brightly. “Well. Some luck is always needed.”
“Luck?” I answer calmly. “Or blessing. The Moon Goddess deserves no less than the best.”
Her eyes narrow. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
I ignore her. My gaze strays, caught by something small—something that almost undoes me.
Finn.
He stands half-hidden behind a guard, his light hair tousled, his eyes locked on me. For one moment, he doesn’t frown. His lips curve upward, tentatively, like a memory surfacing.
My throat burns. I nearly sob right there. Brin’s charm—the cloth with my scent—is working. My son is remembering.
I drag my eyes away before I break.
Kade takes his place on the throne, bearing that same grim look he has had since the envoy accused me of dealing with rogues. He takes in the pile of offerings. One by one, he acknowledges them—“Well done,” “Strong kill,” “The Moon Goddess is pleased.” His voice remains firm, his nods curt.
And then me. I kneel and lower the stag at his feet. “Alpha. For the Moon Goddess.”
He stares at it, at me, his jaw clenching visibly. Finally, he gives me a curt nod. Nothing else. No praise. No word. No pride. The silence spreads like wildfire, and every wolf watches.
I lift my chin, a smirk tugging at my mouth. Fine. Let him give me nothing. Silence can be louder than applause. And right now, silence is respect.
Izel sneers, clutching her rabbit tighter. I can almost taste the bitterness bleeding off her.
Kade clears his throat, breaking the tension in the air. “The Moon Goddess is honored. The Hunt is concluded. Serve the feast!”
The pack cheers, but it’s not as enthusiastic as usual, and begins to scatter toward the fires.
I stay near the altar, catching my breath, when Brin and Tamsin hurry to my side. Brin smiles with his eyes. “The stag… Luna Freya, you’ve no idea what this will mean to them.”
Tamsin grins fiercely. “You just made half the pack question why Izel stands where she does.”
I almost laugh, almost cry, but the moment doesn’t last.
Kade strides toward me. His hand clamps around my arm, hard enough to bruise. He yanks me aside, into the shadows of the cloister.
“Alpha—” Brin starts, but Kade silences him with a glare.
When it’s just us, his voice drops into a growl. “Do you enjoy this? Do you enjoy making a spectacle? Humiliating her in front of them?”
I jerk my arm, but he tightens his grip. “I honored the Moon Goddess,” I hiss.
“You stirred rebellion,” he snaps. “You think the whispers help you? They make you dangerous. To me. You threaten my hold on this pack.”
Nyx growls deep inside me. ‘Do not cower. Let him know you’re not weak.’
I meet his eyes without flinching. “Maybe that’s what they need. Maybe they deserve someone they can respect.”
His teeth grit together angrily. For the first time, he looks scared of the power I possess. Of the power I can still claim… if only I reach out and try.
As the High Luna.