Chapter 2 He Was the Heir

I still remember the day Kane told me about his injured wrist. We were at Blue Stone Academy, and after months of dating, he finally shared the story that had shaped his life.

"I was eleven," he'd said quietly, fingers absently rubbing his right wrist. "The youngest warrior ever sent to the northern front." His werewolf abilities had been extraordinary even then -- raw power that outstripped seasoned warriors in the entire pack, even when he'd been a child.

Because of this, when war broke out in the north between the Silver Moon Pack and the Bear Clan, he was sent to the front lines. Though his talent was immense, he lacked the years of training that other soldiers had. He fought hard and well, felled many foes. But his inexperience too often led him into situations he might have otherwise known to avoid.

Once, he followed an enemy deep behind their lines, straight into a trap. Only with the sacrifices of so many others was he able to escape, but not without injury. Over time, most of the wounds had healed. All except for his right wrist. That's why I spent weeks crafting the black armband with protection runes, hoping to guard what couldn't be fully healed.

Amber nudged me, pulling me from the memory. "Elena? Are you even listening?" My eyes instantly fixed on the screen, unwavering. I wasn't interested in the Luna Selection rules being announced, but I needed to see clearly -- was that really my black armband on his wrist?

My heart stopped. The heir wearing my handiwork... it couldn't be.

The camera zoomed in, and I heard Amber gasp beside me. "Isn't that... Kane?"

The world tilted beneath me. The boy I'd fallen in love with at Blue Stone Academy was an heir, born and bred to lead the pack.

She leaned forward, squinting at the screen. "I mean, he looks different, but that's definitely him, right?"

Different was an understatement. He had matured, filling out his previously lanky teenage figure.

Skinny arms had widened with muscle, his broad torso tapering into a narrow waist. The boyish features I remembered had sharpened into angular planes, authority etched into every line of his face.

When his eyes met the camera, I instinctively looked away, as if those eyes could pierce through the screen directly at me. "Amber, please turn it off," I urged, my voice barely a whisper.

But before she could reach for the laptop, Kane's voice filled my apartment: "As we face uncertain times at our borders and economic challenges, Alpha seeks to renew our connection with our people." His tone carried the weight of leadership and responsibility, so different from the playful cadet I'd known. "The ancient power will choose twenty-five candidates, and three will become our life partners."

My hands trembled as I reached for my coffee mug, trying to steady myself. The Luna Selection -- a tradition older than the pack itself, where the Moon Light Bloodline chose worthy mates for the Sterling line. And now, after fifty years of silence, it was returning in the midst of our pack's darkest hour.

Later that evening, I was picking up Elva's scattered toys when Amber stormed into the living room. She'd been unusually quiet since the announcement, which should have warned me something was coming.

"Okay, I've made a list," she declared, waving her phone at me. "First, the Luna Selection prize includes access to the Silver Moon family's resources. Second, they have the best healers in the entire pack – healers who might actually be able to help Elva."

I froze, the stuffed wolf in my hands suddenly heavy. "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend you haven't noticed," Amber said softly. "The way she sometimes burns up with fever but the doctors can't find anything wrong. How she heals faster than any normal child should. Elena, she needs answers that regular hospitals can't provide."

The familiar ache of my missing wolf stirred in my chest. "I'm a single mother who can't even shift anymore," I said quietly. "The ancient power would never choose someone like me."

"You're being ridiculous, Elena!" Amber's voice rose with frustration. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Selection hasn't happened in fifty years! Are you really going to let your fear stop you from getting Elva the help she needs?"

"It's not fear," I protested, but my voice wavered. "It's just... everything's so uncertain. The competition, the unknown, facing him again..."

"Listen to me," Amber insisted, her eyes intense. "You're always putting Elva first – and right now, this might be exactly what she needs. The ancient power doesn't care about our limitations. It sees who we really are, what we're willing to fight for."

"And who am I?" I whispered. "A broken wolf? A woman with too many secrets?"

"You're Elena," Amber said firmly. "An amazing mother who would do anything for her daughter. If anyone deserves this chance, it's you."

I looked down at the stuffed wolf in my hands, thinking of all the nights I'd watched Elva toss with unexplained fevers, all the questions I couldn't answer.

The word 'compete' sent a shiver down my spine. Compete for what? A position as Luna? A place beside the man who had been just Kane when I loved him, who was now the Silver Moon heir he'd been born to be? Or perhaps a chance to finally understand what had really happened three years ago?

That night, the nightmare came.

I was running through endless corridors, clutching a feverish Elva to my chest. My bare feet slapped against cold marble as I desperately called out, "Please, don't hurt her!" My voice cracked with terror as a shadowy figure pursued us.

Elva's small body burned against mine, her breathing shallow. I could feel her life slipping away with each step I took.

"Someone help us!" My footsteps echoed off marble floors, but no answer came. Only darkness and silence greeted my pleas. "Please..." The familiar pain started to spread through my chest as I struggled to protect my daughter. "It hurts... make it stop..."

I turned a corner and found myself trapped, facing a wall of shadows with glowing eyes. They reached for Elva with clawed hands. I tried to shift, to summon my wolf to fight, but nothing happened. The emptiness where my wolf should have been ached like an open wound.

I clutched Elva tighter as the shadows drew closer. A cold whisper followed: "This is what you asked for."

"No!" I woke with a silent scream, sweat clung to my brow. My hands automatically reached beside me, finding only empty sheets where Elva sometimes crawled in for comfort.

“Elva? Elva!”