to whip around and look at her, though he quickly turned his attention back to the road.
“Luna, sweetheart, what do you mean?” I inquired quietly, shifting to see the little girl’s face.
“Selene says I can.” The silver ring I’d noticed in her eyes before was darker now as I brushed away her tears. Her lip trembled slightly. “She says it will hurt though.”
“Pup, this isn’t for you,” Alarick told her gently, stroking her hair. “You shouldn’t even be here.” The dark silver ring moved farther into her irises, and a subtle glow beamed from her skin.
“Uh, I’m thinking she disagrees,” I murmured, my wide eyes taking in the subtle change.
A voice I’d come to recognize as Selene’s whispered from Luna’s lips. “It is too far from the moon for me to help her, my power is only full when the moon is. This power is hers to wield, as is the price to bear. Zeta, Beta, heal her as she uses it to ease her burden.” The goddess slipped from the girl, and Luna shook her head.
“It itches when she does that,” she complained before looking at a shocked Alarick.
“You are pack. He is pack. Touch is just…” She wrinkled her nose, looking at me pleadingly as if searching for a word.
“Helpful?” I suggested.
She nodded, wearing a small smile on her face. “This time, I’ll hold hands for you.”
Ian considered me for a moment before looking at Alarick. “If nothing else, it won’t hurt to try,” he stated sternly. “We don’t have many options.” He placed gentle hands on Luna as I did the same.
“Pup, are you sure?” Raff asked weakly. “I won’t ask this of you.”
“Mm-hm.” There was a slight wobble to her voice, but her chin lifted despite that. “I’m pack.” Her face screwed up tight as she grabbed Alarick’s hand, and an odd look crossed his face as he stared at it.
“Oh!” Raff gasped through the phone.
“I’ll hold,” Luna muttered, her voice high as she concentrated. “You say the words now.” Tears were already gathering in her eyes as they flared bright silver. The strands of her hair began to turn golden at the scalp, the color slowly inching down the longer her power held. Instinctively, I pushed healing energy into her, knowing my eyes would be echoing the bronze of Ian’s who was across from me.
“Fuck, she’s acting as a bridge!” Zev called out, glancing over in shock. “How the hell is that possible?”
I didn’t know, but I didn’t have a chance to ask. I could feel the pain in her little body, a burning and tearing that was almost too much for her to hold. I pushed and pulled at it, trying to drain it into myself, knowing Ian was doing the same thing as she strained to hold the two males together.
Raff’s voice rang clearly through the phone, as strong and loud as when he had sworn me in as beta only weeks before. “As one alpha steps down, another must step forward. One’s knowledge and strength joins the next, following the line to bless the pack, to lead the way for growth, for guidance, for kindness, for hope.” His words echoed in a way that made my teeth ache and my stomach quiver as I pushed more energy into Luna. Even with both of us healing the pup, tears streaked her cheeks, and a drop of blood fell from her nose to land on my lap as she focused hard on what only she could see.
“Alarick Temples, you have acted as beta of your pack for long enough. Now you are called to step forward as alpha. This oath is not to be taken lightly. An alpha offers their strength, their heart, their very soul to the pack—all that they are and will be is breathed into the pack to make it better with every day they lead. It is a position of many trials, but also many rewards. The pack’s pain is yours. The pack’s joy is yours. Never for yourself, but for your pack above all else. For Lupine Hollow, will you so swear?” His voice was a roar in the car now, my wolf howling in support of an oath she instinctively knew despite never having heard.
Alarick’s head was thrown back, his chest heaving as sweat slicked his skin, the glow of his eyes so blue it reflected off the ceiling of the car. “My life for theirs. My soul for theirs. By Selene, I so swear!” Light blinded me,