The Luna Who was Spoiled Novel – Everyone in the Silver Mane Wolf Pack knew I was spoiled rotten by my three mates. I demanded the choicest meat and the softest furs, and I’d fly into a rage at the drop of a hat if things didn’t go my way. I acted recklessly, safe in the knowledge that I was loved and protected. Then a strange she-wolf came to our territory. Her name was Evelyn. Gentle and confident, she was the polar opposite of my sharp-tongued self. Many unmated males in the pack were drawn to her warmth. But unlike me, Evelyn didn’t rely on a mate.
She’d come here alone with a young pup, built a life for herself, and tended a garden that thrived miraculously even in the barren, rocky soil by the river. Slowly, everything began to change. My first mate, Caleb, the pack’s next Alpha, started saying I’d never learned to stand on my own two feet. The day he left, my other two mates stood by my side, seething with anger. “This is your choice, Caleb!” Liam snarled, baring his teeth. “Don’t you dare come crawling back to Zoe!” Caleb just gave me a disappointed look, turned, and walked away. Our bond shattered, cold and unforgiving. It wasn’t long before Liam left too. I remember turning to Finn, the last one left for me. “Finn… do you think I’m hard to get along with?” Finn reached out and ruffled my hair, his touch familiar. “Don’t you dare think that. They’re the fools. They have no idea what they’ve lost.” I believed him then.
Until the day I saw him shift back to his wolf form, trotting meekly behind Evelyn, his tail tucked between his legs, whimpering softly, craving just a scrap of her attention. My stomach churned at the sight of him so diminished, begging for even a scrap of affection from another woman. I turned and ran, bursting into my father’s hut. “Father.” I gasped, “I’ll marry into the Merman Clan. I volunteer.” My father, the pack’s Alpha, stared at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. “Zoe, have you lost your mind? Mermen? Every unmated she-wolf prays to the Moon Goddess she won’t be chosen, and you’re offering yourself up willingly?” I clenched the hem of my tunic until my knuckles whitened, my eyes burning red.
The Merman Clan was powerful and reclusive, living on storm-battered isles with no females of their own. Their survival depended on these alliances. But unlike werewolves, mermen were fiercely possessive. They did not share. No woman in her right mind would want to be sent to that cold, rocky island. “Did those three hurt you?” Father’s voice rumbled, low and dangerous. He stood to go after them, but I stepped in his way. “No! Please, Father, don’t! Let it be.” When Caleb and Liam had left, I’d cried in his arms, begging him to talk sense into them. He’d threatened to drive Evelyn out. But they never came back. Their cold words still echoed in my ears. “Zoe, maybe you should learn to be independent.
Evelyn did nothing wrong, yet she almost lost her place here because of you.” “What are you, without your father’s title?” “I can’t believe I ever loved someone as selfish as you.” That night, I’d cried myself to sleep in Finn’s arms. Now even he was gone, seeking Evelyn’s attention. Father sighed, his voice heavy with regret. “You’re my only daughter. I can’t bear to send you so far away. I’ll give you three days to think it over, then tell me your decision.” As I stepped out of his hut, Finn was waiting for me. He leaned against a wooden post, twirling a tiny yellow wildflower between his fingers.
I recognized it, the very one he’d gotten from Evelyn that morning, tail wagging like an eager pup. He looked up, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Zoe?” I wiped my tears and walked straight past him. “Zoe, where are you going?” he called after me. I didn’t answer. After a dozen steps, I realized I couldn’t hear his footsteps behind me. I spun around sharply. He was still standing by the post, far behind me, his brow furrowed as he cupped the delicate flower in his hands, sheltering it from the wind. My wolf whimpered, a sound of raw agony. “Finn!” I shouted, my voice sharp and broken. “Why aren’t you following me?” Several pack members turned to stare. Finn just lifted his head, the setting sun stretching his shadow long across the clearing. A crippling wave of panic washed over me.
Then Finn spoke. “Zoe… I can’t walk you home anymore.” He turned and walked down the path to Evelyn’s hut. That night, the fireplace in my hut felt empty and cold. Finn had banked the fire that morning; the embers still crackled softly. I reached for a log to stoke it, and a spark flew out, burning my hand. I automatically pursed my lips, ready to complain, when I realized no one was left to care. I tossed the log into the fire and ran. I don’t know how many times I stumbled on the dark path, my knees scraped raw by stones and tree roots. By the time I reached Evelyn’s door, I was covered in mud and blood. I banged on the wooden planks.
It was Caleb who answered. He froze for a moment, his gaze sweeping over my ragged, disheveled form. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice flat and cold.