The Black Alder Series (Books 1-3)

Arabella Pov

“Tonight, under the full moon, our pack acknowledges Luna and our mate. We welcome her into the pack, as she will lead beside us. Lead our pack into greatness with love and fierceness, but also compassion,” Ares said. Ash took over next.

“She has proven beyond a doubt that she has not only earned the Luna position but deserves it, as she has been blessed by the moon goddess Selene herself as proof of it.” He speaks. As she speaks these words, I feel a certain calm come over me. The pack gasps. I hadn’t realized why until I looked up. The moon’s light had shifted, and it was focused exactly on me, bathing me. There was also a glow around me. I could feel the energy Selene gave me as it covered my whole body, making me glow. I smiled up to the moon. I know Selene is showing her approval.

The moonlight shifts off me and back to the stage.

My mates were staring at me in surprise and admiration. I nodded my head for them to continue.

Adonis shifted his gaze from me and looked out at the pack, but everyone’s eyes were still on me.

“We are glad to have not only our amazing Luna, but we are pleased to introduce you to your new beta female as well. She has shown loyalty and compassion to your Luna since long before we recognized her as our mate. I have seen this for myself. Most of you have already met Sam, but I believe it is way past time that we welcome her into the pack, don’t you think? he says, and I hear the pack agree. Sam was beaming with happiness over it.

“In that case, Beta,” Adonis says. Kyle takes Sam’s hand and leads her to the stage. Her confidence is oozing, and I can already tell she will make one hell of a beta female. She holds Kyle’s hand in one hand and gives her other hand to Adonis, who is beaming at her proudly.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Do you, Samantha Elmore, mate of Beta Kyle Reece, promise to uphold and protect the pack, to do right by the pack, to serve in the beta position until such duties are no longer required”?

“I do,” Sam said. I beam in happiness at her.

“Do you also recognize us, Adonis, Ares, and Ash Black, as your pack Alphas?” Adonis asks

“I do,” Sam said. She lets out a sudden gasp and staggers back a little bit.

“Welcome to the pack, Beta Sam.” Everyone claps, cheers for her, and kneels. She giggled in tears of appreciation as Kyle took her hand and took her to the second table on the stage. I know it’s my turn, and, for some reason, I feel nervous.

“Head high, shoulders back, my child. Tonight is for you. You deserve it.” I hear it in my head. I know it’s Selene, though I don’t know how.

I do as she says. Head held high, shoulders back. Confidence is in full swing.

“And now everyone, let’s welcome our mate to the stage,” Ash says, beaming with happiness at me. I smile as both Adonis and Ares meet me at the steps of the stage. I can feel the happiness pouring from them. I grab each of their hands, and we walk hand in hand to the center. Adonis lets go of my hand and gives it to Ash, who has a knife in his hand. He cuts a line across his hand and kisses mine before doing the same. Ash then claps his hand on mine, exchanging blood, and looks me in the eye.

“Do you, Arabella Blue, mate of us three, promise to uphold and protect the pack, to do right by the pack, and to serve in the Luna position until such duties are no longer required?”

“I do,” I told him. He smiles, and I can feel a link starting to form between the pack and me.

“Do you also recognize us, Ash, Adonis, and Ares Black, as your pack Alphas and promise to hold an equal title as Luna?” Ash asks, and I smile.

“I do,” I said louder this time. I can feel the new bonds getting stronger with the pack as I hear everyone in the pack start to talk in my head. “She is beautiful, I heard someone say. “Did you see her when she killed Briana? It was a badass.” “She is amazing.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your LUNA.” He booms and applauds; cheers, cries, and howls can be heard all around as I hear each of them welcome me through the mindlink while they kneel. As the link between the pack and I completes, I feel an incredible rush of energy, and all of a sudden, I’m hit with all of their thoughts through the link. It almost makes me stagger back a bit, but thankfully, Adonis and Ares are on each side. The steady me.

I turned to the pack.

“I am honored to feel the love and acceptance that you have given me as your Luna. I promise, I will always do everything I can to keep you safe and protected. I do not consider you a pack. Yes, we hold titles and such, but you are all so much more. You are all family, and now you are all my family. I will always protect my family. I look forward to meeting every one of you tonight,” I told them. They cheer and nod at my speech. I know they can feel that I speak the truth. My mates each hug and kiss me.

“I want to go on a pack run,” I tell them.

“Your Luna now; you don’t have to ask. Tell them what you want,” Ares says in my heart, putting his hand around my waist. I shrugged him off playfully before turning my attention back to the stage.

“My first order as Luna will be for all of us to go on a pack run together. I have always believed it would strengthen the bond between our wolves.

“If you don’t have spare clothes in the woods, leave your clothes on the chair. Thank you,” I told them. As they get ready to shift, a lady with short blonde hair who looks familiar walks up to me. Everyone’s eyes are on her as she walks close to the stage, even my mates, who put a protective hand in front of me.

“Who are you?” I asked the lady, who I could feel refused to accept me as Luna. Her thoughts were as clear as day.

“My name is Realm.” “I am the mother of Brianna,” she says. I feel stiff. I hadn’t known Brianna had family here.

“State your business,” Ares states, sensing my distress. I moved their hands away from me and walked off the stage in front of her.

“I am sorry about your daughter’s death. She was a traitor to this pack, which plotted to have me and her alphas killed. She even went as far as to kill one of her Alphas,” I tell her. I can feel the bitterness in her. She reaches up and slaps me.

My mates growled, jumping off the stage, ready to tear her apart, but I put a hand up to stop them.

“You’re a lying bitch. My daughter loved the alphas. She would never have done anything like that, and you killed her in cold blood,” she tells me.

I could feel my face sting from the slap, but I held my head up. I am Luna now. The time for acting on my anger is over now. I will not look weak in front of my pack. The way I see it, I have two options. I can either punish her and send her to the dungeons, or I can banish her.

Selene, what do I do? I ask. I now know that me and her share a direct link.

“You must open your memories to them. This can be done through the link. You can show her the truth.

I close my eyes and show the pack of my memories. I hear many of them gasp, watching their alphas get killed, even upset because Briana was the one who killed Ares.

TRAITOR I heard someone yell. I look at them to silence them.

“If your memory is true, then how are they alive?” Realm asks.

“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHOSE SONS THEY ARE?” I heard Kayla’s voice boom. I felt her rising anger at this wolf’s disrespect. Everyone bows their heads as her fiery wings come forth and her eyes turn to flames.

“No, my queen,” Realm says, bowing. Kayla may not be a wolf, but she is respected by each of them.

“They have inherited their mother’s phoenix powers,” I said out loud to the pack. I know many of them were probably wondering the same thing. My mate’s eyes were trained on me.

I turned my eyes back to this “realm.”

“This is how they have come back to us. I killed her for being a traitor to the pack. I will forgive you for slapping me, as I understand you are in pain, but make no mistake. IF YOU EVER HIT ME AGAIN, I WILL SHRED YOU INTO PIECES,” I growled at her in my Luna voice. She drops down to the ground on her knees, bearing her neck to me. I look up, and I see everyone else (including my mates and their fathers), all except Kayla, have all bowed to my voice. Well, sh*t, I hadn’t realized I was this powerful. I saw Aiden and Ethan look at me, shocked. I looked down and saw my mates looking up at me with an equally shocked look.

I look back at the realm.

“I am sorry. Forgive me, Luna,” she whimpers. I hate seeing anyone on their knees in fear like this.

“Stand up,” I commanded her, and she got up instantly. Everyone else has stood up but is back to normal since I didn’t use my Luna voice when I said it. She couldn’t even look me in the eye. My heart broke for her. At the end of the day, no matter what, it was a mother who lost a child, and though I had no children, I was empathetic. I hugged her, which I’m sure shocked her. I held onto her until she hugged me back, and she cried in my arms. I held her as she cried, and her tears came to a stop after a while.

“Thank you for your forgiveness, Luna. I do not deserve it,” she says, bowing her head.

“I wouldn’t be Luna if I were without the ability to forgive,” I tell her. She bows to me and heads back to her table. I closed my eyes.

Thank you, Selene, I told the moon goddess. I can feel her smile at me.

You are welcome, my child.

I headed back on stage, feeling my mates behind me.

“Bella”

I turned around and saw the still shocked look on my mate’s faces, so they did have to submit to me. That’s good to know. It will come in handy later.

“Yes,” I giggle.

“You are too fucking powerful,” Adonis says, and I giggle more.

“It would seem so,” I told them playfully. Ares just laughs, but Adonis and Ares both frown. I could feel they didn’t like the fact that I was more powerful than them.

“Awe sucked it up. You three know she was moon-blessed by Selene herself. Of course, she is more powerful than you. She will make an amazing queen one day. I can’t wait to see how strong my grandbabies are,” Kayla said bluntly, and I couldn’t contain the laughter that burst from her words.

“I always knew you were special,” Ash said, scooping me up and kissing me. I kissed him back like there was no one watching before we broke away.

“Well, whatever,” Adonis shrugged and smiled at me. He is such a neutral type of guy. He pulls me into a kiss next, and I turn to Ares. I could still feel Ares’s hesitation. I could tell he was arguing with his Lycan. Most likely, his lycan didn’t care. I stood in front of him and grabbed his neck, bringing his mouth to mine. He grabbed my waist instantly.

“Submit,” I mumbled. After a while, he gave up and sighed. I pulled back. I knew I would win.

Everyone was staring at us, and I blushed.

“Time for the run,” I chirp loudly, and the pack starts walking to the forest, stripping off their clothes, and shifting.

Ares pulled me to the side while everyone on stage was heading to the forest.

“I’m sorry, princess, if I made you feel like I was upset. It’s not that. I’ve never had to submit forcefully to anyone, and I guess it took me by surprise. You are an extraordinary woman and an amazing mate. I am blessed to have you in my life. I love you,” he says, looking into my eyes. I feel like I’m falling in love with him all over again.

“I forgive you. I love you too,” I told him, smiling. He pulls me into a loving kiss, expressing his apology. I see Adonis and Ash running back to us.

“Do you love birds coming or not?” Adonis asks.

“Yeah, Ares was just telling me something important,” I told him.

“Okay, well, the last one to the front of the pack has to make breakfast for a whole month,” Ash bets.

“Oh, you’re on,” Ares says, laughing. I am backing up to let them go. They look back at me.

“Nope. You’re a Lycan now, princess. Our bets include you.” Ares said, pulling me in between him and Ash.

“Ughhhh, fine,” I groan, and they laugh.

“Ready, Bella,” Adonis asks, and I laugh, kicking off my shoes. I knew they were not going to expect my new speed.

“I was born ready,” I replied.

Ready….

Go! P. S

I’m happy to say that I won.

THE END!!!

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