Chapter 21 Midnight Howl Finished Only sixteen days remain until the Blood Moon Conclave . I don't have much time left to gather a witness circle , pack members who will , with their hearts , offer their support to me during the Severance . As I walk to the vast terrace of the Queen's Wing , I wonder if calling a Midnight Howl tonight was a mistake . But then my gaze drops to the courtyard beneath , and my heart stills . 1 count carefully . There are nine werewolves already gathered . Nine . That's how many I needed to successfully attempt the Severance . But ... I don't know how many of them truly respect me , and don't just fear the change that has started to occur in this pack . I'm sure some have come only out of curiosity . Tamsin's here . And Brin . Jax is not there yet . But he will come . With bated breath , I wait , and one by one , wolves walk in , filling the courtyard lit only by torches in the night . I can barely believe this is really happening . That I'm attempting something no Luna has attempted in two decades . Letting out a long sigh , I make my way down the stairs . Frost silvers the grass at the borders , and torches burn low . Tamsin falls in step beside me . " Word spread faster than we expected . " " Good , " I say . Jax meets us halfway across the yard . His posture is careful . " Alpha doesn't know yet . " " He'll know soon enough , " I answer . Jax nods . He understands what I mean : this is not a rebellion . It's a reminder . The wolves shift and murmur , restless . Some bow their heads ; others don't . I recognize many faces - warriors I healed , omegas who stopped meeting my eyes a long time ago . They stand in the cold now because their Luna called them . I climb the low ridge that overlooks them . The grass crunches under my boots . When I reach the top , I remove my cloak and let it fall . The cold bites into my skin , but it sharpens my voice when I speak . " Silvercrest wolves , " I say . " You remember the last time the moon called us together ? " No one answers . Only the wind moves . " Twenty years , " I continue . " Twenty years since a Luna stood before you and spoke to the moon 1/4 21:36 Wed , Oct Chat Mrtought Hack first . Since a woman led this pack without waiting for permission . " A ripple runs through them . Nyx stirs beneath my skin , her growl a low drumbeat I lift my chin . " Tonight , I don't ask for loyalty . I demand instinct . You know what that means " f walk along the ridge , meeting eyes , testing them . " When the Alpha commands , you obey When your Luna calls , you answer . Those are the laws of Silvercrest . They are older than the lady of the house , older than me , older than every false smile in our keep . " Tamsin stands behind me like a wall of iron . " They hear you , Luna , " she murmurs . " I know . " I let Nyx push forward until our breaths mingle , until the pulse of the pack hums in my blood . Then I raise my face to the moon and let the howl tear through me . It's not soft or pretty . The sound cuts the air like thunder , shaking the torches , carrying through the valley . It's the voice of a Luna who's done being silent . For a heartbeat , the yard holds still . Then the first wolf bows its head and howls back . Another joins . Then ten . Then thirty . The sound spreads outward , rolling through the trees , through the hills , through every vein of this cursed land . I can feel them - their hearts syncing to mine , the bond knitting back together where it had been poisoned and frayed . Nyx roars in triumph inside me . " They remember where they come from . They remember they are connected . ' I lower my head , my breath coming out ragged . The howls keep rising , carrying our scent , our strength , our defiance . When the noise finally fades , the wolves drop to one knee , heads bowed . The silence that follows is heavier than the noise . I step forward , voice even . " You have answered your Luna . Remember this feeling . The Moon Goddess favors those who do not cower , " A young warrior - barely out of training - speaks from the front . " Will the Alpha punish us for this ? " " If he does ," I say , " he punishes loyalty to the pack . This is not a rebellion that I'm stirring . This is me reclaiming my position , reminding you all that I'm your Luna . " Jax crosses his arm over his chest , bowing low . " Luna . " Kade forbade everyone from using the title , but now his most loyal beta does it 214 21:36 Wed , Oct 15 Chapter Midnight Howl 零 心 The others follow , one by one , until the entire front half of the field is on their knees . The rest -those who came only to watch - don't move . I don't force them . I just meet their eyes and say , " You'll come next time ." I pick up my cloak , sling it over my shoulders , and walk down the ridge . As I pass Jax , he leans close . " You've taken half the pack back tonight . " I shake my head . " Not half . Enough . " [ NARRATOR ] From the balcony above . Kade watches . He had come when he heard the howling - first one , then many - and thought it was a hunt gone wrong . But when he stepped onto the balcony and saw her , saw the circle of wolves below . his breath locked . Freya stands on the ridge , her hair wild , her stance unflinching . She moves like she was born to command , not ask . But he'd known that when he first met her , didn't he ? Izel stands behind him , trying to peer over the railing . " What is she doing ? " she hisses . " Calling a rebellion ? " Kade doesn't answer . Because even from here , he can feel it - the bond . The pulse of pack magic . He'd thought it broken or at least weakened beyond repair when his father passed away , but it isn't . It's alive . It's thriving . It's answering her . " She's defying you , " Izel says sharply . He turns his head just enough to silence her . " She's reminding them what a Luna sounds like . " The admission surprises even him . He watches as the wolves kneel . She marches with confidence , and for a moment , she looks like the stories his father told him - the High Lunas who could command storms with their voices . He'd seen Freya naked often when they made love , so he had noticed the mark on her back- the crescent shape that mirrored the High Luna in the mural of the Queen's Wing . He'd dismissed it as a coincidence . But now he isn't sure anymore . Something cracks open in him , small and painful . " She has no right ," Izel spits . 324 21:36 Wed , Oct 15 tec Midnight How #Coished Kade's voice is quiet . He knows she has every right . When he looks again , Freya has already descended from the ridge . The crowd parts around her like water . Wolves bow as she passes . He realizes with sudden clarity that he's watching not his wife , but the Luna he once swore to serve - and he no longer knows if he still deserves to . Send Gifts