*Landon’s POV*

"Welcome all," Silas says into the microphone attached to the podium. "What an honor it is to have such esteemed members of our pack here tonight, as well as some special guests from the Crescent Sun Pack."

I hear an excited 'whoop!' come from the opposite side of the room before a handful of shushing and giggles, and the voice sends a tingle down my spine. I turn my head, noticing that invisible rope is pulling me in the direction of the voice, but I can't seem to find where the source is. Slumping back down in my seat, I give up my little search for now. Silas clears his throat, silencing the giggles before carrying on.

"Tonight, we crown the Silver Woods Pack's next Alpha, the wolf who will lead us from this day forward. My son, Leon Butler."

Leon steps onto the stage, momentarily taking my breath away with how much he's grown. He's tall, probably taller than Easton was, and he carries the same stoic expression as Silas. Whereas Easton's hair was light red to match Silas, Leon's hair is a much darker shade of red, nearly burgundy, just like his mother. Celeste stands on the stage in the background, hands delicately folded in front of her body. The grace and refinement of her posture alone speaks volumes of the strong woman and Luna she is.

Leon stands before his father, his dark brows sitting heavily as he remains a statue of hard strength. My chest aches to see him in such a state. The Leon I knew was carefree, constantly smiling and enjoying all the wonders the world had to offer. But now, his eyes are dark and cold, no longer twinkling with joy. Gone is the naive boy I used to know; in his place now stands a man, hardened over the unforgiving years.

"The ceremony will now commence with the transferring of my power as the Alpha of the Silver Woods Pack to Leon," Silas announces with a booming voice. A long, slender knife is brought forward and placed in Silas' hand. He drags the blade over his palm before doing the same to Leon. The knife is set aside, and the two firmly grasps their hands, their combined blood trickling down as they recite the age-old incantation. Their green eyes begin to glow brightly, like shards of emeralds reflecting the sun's light. Once the incantation comes to an end, the glowing begins to dull, signifying the completion of the transferring of power.

The crowd erupts in cheers as Silas breaks into a smile and pulls his son into a tug. Leon returns the smile with one that doesn't fully meet his eyes. Once the cheering dies down, Silas turns back to the microphone.

"We will now move on to the blessing of the Luna," he informs the crowd. The Lunas thrives in whatever power the Alpha has. The more powerful the Alpha, the stronger the Luna. Thus, there isn't a need to pass on power between Lunas. Instead, the former Luna gives a blessing to the new Luna to help her in leading the pack.

Celeste steps forward, as does Roselyn. Celeste takes both of Roselyn's hands in hers and looks deep into her eyes. Pain lingers as I recall Celeste performing this exact ceremony with me seven years ago. Although, it wasn't quite like this. Easton's coronation took place when he was eighteen years old; two years before I was able to take my place as Luna.

"Roselyn Garcia," Celeste starts with a voice of silk. "May the Moon Goddess shine upon you for all your days as Luna of the Silver Woods Pack. I cannot think of anyone better suited to be my Leon's mate, nor can I think of anyone more worthy of being this pack's Luna."

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Eyes dart towards me from all corners of the room as the crowd falls into an uncomfortable silence. Of course people are staring. Why wouldn't they? The disgraced former Luna is sitting right fucking here as Celeste goes on about how much better suited Roselyn is to be Luna.

Sure.

Why not.

I manage to hold in my temper until what happens next becomes my tipping point.

It's subtle, and probably goes unnoticed by anyone else in the pack. But I see it, and my blood begins to boil.

Celeste's gaze flickers to me, her dark eyes briefly locking with mine. The breath gets zapped from my lungs as if someone sucker punched me in the gut. That wasn't some innocent speech Celeste had written for Roselyn. No... she worded it that way specifically because she knew I would be here tonight. After all this time, she still can't let go of her hatred for me?

I stand abruptly from my seat, causing the legs of my chair to scrape loudly across the floor. All eyes are now on me as I fume in my spot, but I'm not focused on them. My focus remains on the four people on the stage. Silas, Leon, Celeste, and Roselyn watch me with wide eyes as I glare at them. Everyone waits with baited breath for me to do something, anything. Everything in me wants to scream and cry through the sting of humiliation. Clenching my fists, I storm away from where my family sits and towards the stairwell near the elevator.

The fire in my vein burns through the alcohol in my system. The humiliation tears through me, and feel my claws beginning to elongate.

I need to kill something.

It's painful, so incredibly painful as my body begins to slowly shift for the first time in years. Without the help of Leo, I force my bone to crack and morph, and I release an agonizing scream. The pain blinds me, leaving me gasping for air as my body violently contorts. Even when my large paws hit the ground, my bones still ache with the pain of the transition. Leo snarls in my head as he battles against me, refusing to come forward and take his rightful place in his true form. With no other choice, I give up on trying to hand him the reigns and dart into the woods.

I sniff the air, catching onto the scent of a nearby deer. Dashing in the direction of the delicious scent, my glowing blue eyes lock on my prey. The fight isn't as quick as one would expect, yet I'm not surprised. Without the help of Leo, I'm not nearly as strong or fast as the typical wolf. At last, I'm finally able to overtake the deer as I sink my claws into its soft underbelly. I kill it quickly, not wanting to be cruel despite the rage still pulsing through my veins. I continue this cycle with two more deers until the rage starts to slowly dissipate. I'm about to go for my fourth kill when I'm suddenly tackled to the ground, and I let out a barked yelp.

A light brown wolf pins me to the ground, snapping in my face. Based on his scent, he's only an omega, but his strong connection to his wolf gives him a leg up on me in the fight. He's not on me for long though, as a larger wolf with dark grey fur plows into him, sending him sprawling on the ground.

I scramble to my feet with my sights set on the omega. I take only a step forward when the grey wolf appears in front of me, releasing a low growl as a warning. She stares me down, daring me to come any closer.

"Kai!"

Tingles shoot down my spine and I'm reminded of that voice I heard earlier in the ballroom. The invisible rope has returned, only this time it's much stronger than before. Turning my head, my eyes land on the source of the voice. My knees buckle when, for the first time in time years, I hear the whimpered voice of Leo in my head.

'M-Mate?'