His Moon

X | Luna

"I wanted to show you that I have found my mate," he said, his voice strong and loud, sending shockwaves throughout the room. There was a moment of suspended silence as eyes flicked between Kaleb and his mate. Kaia fought to look regal; she felt that the situation called for some decorum. But she was wearing oversized clothes and hadn't showered. She felt tiny next to Kaleb, and her nerves made her feel even smaller. So her attempt at regality came across more like a stubborn stab at dignity. 

Nevertheless, there were still shouts of approval. Most of those below were joyful, celebrating the arrival of a new member of their Pack. But others were less ecstatic. The ones that stared in eerie silence, still amongst their rioting kin, had realized what few already knew. There was something different about Kaia, whether it be her strange scent or her appearance. Something was missing. 

Kaleb held up his hand, quieting the crowd. The other, still flat against Kaia's back, practically holding her upright, pressed even harder against her shoulder blades. Kaia's skin prickled. Something was wrong. She looked up at him; his jaw was set, a muscle twitching on the side of his face. "There's something else I must tell you," he said, the steely presence in his voice doing away with the last of the cheers. 

The mass below waited, watched. Kaia felt eyes on her yet, but one by one they turned to their Alpha, wondering why he was no longer speaking. Kaia looked up at Kaleb again, wondering just the same. 

What she saw jarred her. Kaleb was slipping. The unbreakable mask he always seemed to wear, his hiding behind anger, suddenly made sense; he wore it for his Pack, to show them his strength, his authority. The soft part of Kaleb, the one that Kaia had to dig for, was too weak to be an Alpha. Alphas, Kaia realized, must be perfect, and, in the world of lycanthropy, perfection meant firm, unbreakable backbone. Kaia's tender wolf would not suit this stage. 

And yet it was her wolf that was starting to appear. Kaleb's eyes were downcast, hiding from the dozens of stares that pierced him. His shoulders were lower than they'd been a moment earlier, his lips pressed together roughly. There was a tiny line of concern between his eyebrows. Kaia had realized the importance of this moment as they'd walked out, emerged as the center of attention to people below them. Kaleb was a leader, and whatever he was trying to tell his Pack was making that burden heavier than it already was; Kaleb was losing his composure. 

So Kaia did the only thing she could to save him. She took her hand from the railing and slipped it into Kaleb's, hidden from their onlookers. And she held it tightly, willing her touch to comfort him, to put some of that strength back in his posture for the eyes of his people. This moment was important. She had to help him. 

Kaleb looked down at her for a moment, understanding painting his expression gentle for a precious, silent second. He took a deep breath, looking into Kaia's eyes. She felt calm, not sure if the quiet in her heart was hers or Kaleb's; she hoped it was his and that she'd helped assuage whatever his worries were. 

Kaleb's beautiful gold eyes turned back to the crowd, the strength flooding back into his appearance. He was tall again, dominant, an Alpha over his Pack. "My mate-"

"Is a human!" shouted a voice. The worst kind of silence followed that outcry. It was the kind fraught with suspense, tinged with fear, filled with unsaid affronts and impending knives of anger, destined to fall if one so much as breathed. 

Kaia didn't understand how three small words could hush so many people. Perhaps it was because of the venom infused in the offending words. Kaia would have liked to think that. But she knew better. It was that last word, dreadful in its finality, that stole the crowds' voices. Human. 

"Is that what you were going to say?" called a voice up to Kaleb. The crowd parted a bit, yielding to reveal Grayson alone on his little island, standing out in the sea of faces.