The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Vivian’s POV

I crossed the grand room toward the table where that sorry excuse for an alpha was sitting. He was deep in conversation with an older she-wolf, smug as ever. When his eyes landed on me, he tried flashing a charming smile, the kind probably meant to melt naive hearts. It did not even touch mine. I kept my expression completely unreadable.

"Are you the alpha of the Crawn pack?" I asked, my voice calm and steady.

He puffed up like a bloated rooster. "Why, yes I am. What can I help you with, sugar?"

Ugh. The way he drawled that word made my skin crawl. I could practically taste the sleaze rolling off him. The old perverted wolf probably thought I was about to perch on his lap like some eager little thing. But I was not here for games. I did exactly what Zahliver had told me to do I reached out and pressed my hand flat to his chest, right over his heart.

The change was instant.

I felt the heavy thump of his heartbeat leap like it was desperately trying to escape through my palm. His eyes widened, all the blood draining from his face as the energy shifted. Raw power surged from him into me, a deep, ancient current pulling itself free of his body like it no longer belonged to him. His entire form trembled, his skin going a blotchy shade of dark purple as I drew out the bloodline power that marked his rank.

I held on tightly until I felt the absolute edge of something dangerous his body beginning to give completely under the pressure. Only then did I lift my hand. He collapsed back into his chair like a puppet with its strings cut, and for the first time, he truly understood what had just happened. Heavy tears spilled from his eyes as realization set in. He was not an alpha anymore. Not even close.

Turning away from him, I walked back to where Theo and Melly were still picking up the food they had dropped earlier. Theo immediately stepped between me and Melly, shielding her, though I could see deep confusion flicker in his eyes.

But I did not stop for Melly.

I stopped directly in front of him instead.

Without saying a word, I placed my hand on his broad chest and focused. The intense heat that had built up in my palm collected ancient, pure, and powerful and I released it all into him. His body jerked violently in response. He gasped out loud and dropped straight to his knees with a low groan, shuddering like his very soul was being rewritten. Melly’s cry of fear rang out as she dropped down beside him, holding onto his waist, calling his name over and over.

Then, it all stopped.

The wild shaking stilled. I felt deeply drained, like something huge had poured out of me, but it left behind a strange sense of complete rightness.

Theo’s eyes snapped wide open. He blinked up at Melly and... grinned.

She looked at him like she did not dare believe what she was seeing. He stood up slowly with her help. Then he looked down at his own hands, turned them over, and looked up at me.

"Congratulations, Alpha Theo. And Luna Melly." I offered them a soft, genuine smile.

And then I walked away, leaving the completely stunned pair behind me.

I headed straight toward the grand stairs, suddenly in desperate need of a chair to sit down. But just as I started to climb, a low groan reminded me of the girl I had floored earlier. I paused mid-step, let out a soft sigh, and turned back around.

She was still curled up on the ground, mostly healed except for the dark bruised spot where my fist had landed. I crouched down beside her and tapped her shoulder twice. She stirred, groaning softly, stretching out like a lazy cat with her eyes barely open.

I leaned in very close, enough that there was zero chance she could ignore my words.

"Listen to me carefully. If you keep walking around with that awful attitude, life is going to knock you down a lot harder than I just did. You can keep being bitter and completely alone, or... you can deal with whatever is eating you up inside and find real connections. Real friends. It is entirely your choice, but I would choose the second option if I were you."

I did not wait around for a reply.

I stood up and made my way straight up the stairs, where Zahliver was already standing and waiting. His dark eyes met mine, glinting with immense pride.

"What do you say we end this party, love?" he asked, his deep voice low and pleased.

He stepped over to the balcony railing and wrapped his broad hands around the metal bars, waiting until the vast room below finally quieted down.

"The party is officially over," he said, his voice echoing loudly across the hall. "Go home. All visiting alphas are strictly expected at tomorrow’s meeting. If you do not show up... do not worry. I will personally come find you. And I promise, you will not like how that ends. Good night."

The heavy wolves stationed by the entrance stepped aside and unlatched the large doors, letting all the guests stream out into the night.

Zahliver took my hand and led me through the private hallway with clear urgency. I opened my mouth to ask why he was in such a massive rush, but then he stopped dead in his tracks and tapped the snake band on my arm twice. When I blinked, Venom appeared right beside me.

"Thanks for your help tonight, Venom. I will speak with you tomorrow. Good night," Zahliver said quickly.

"Good night, Venom," I added with a small wave of my hand.

He returned the gesture with a simple nod.

I barely had any time to wonder what on earth was going on before Zahliver opened our bedroom door, pushed me gently inside, and slammed it shut right behind us.

I spun around fast, completely ready to scold him, but the very second I met his eyes those dark, glinting, endless black eyes I knew I was not getting a single word out first.

His lips curled into a wicked, dangerous smile. "Now... what shall I do with you first, my love?" he purred.