Chapter 193
AYLA
Jake left just after sunrise.
The moment he pressed his lips to my forehead and whispered, "You’ve got this, Luna," my stomach twisted into knots. I tried to hide it. I nodded, smiled, even gave him a confident, "Go. We’ll be fine."
But as soon as he disappeared into the tree line with four of his top warriors—off to settle a dispute on neutral land—I felt that smile crack. Like the moment he left, the air shifted, and the weight of the title he’d given me truly settled on my shoulders.
Luna.
I wasn't raised for this. I didn’t grow up dreaming of pack leadership. Most days, I still felt like the girl who used to sneak out to steal meat from her Alpha’s cold storage.
But this was Jake's pack now. Our pack. And he left it in my hands.
So, I rolled my shoulders back, put on the Luna hoodie he loved seeing me in, and walked down to the main house like I owned it. Fake it till you make it, right?
The first half of the morning went surprisingly smooth. I walked the perimeter with Sophie, checked in on the injured warriors, and even calmed a squabble between two teens arguing over training grounds. Sophie was her usual sarcastic self, throwing an arm around me every time I looked like I might turn and bolt.
"You're doing fine," she said, flicking a pine needle from my hair. "Better than fine. You're terrifying when you're serious. I like it."
I snorted. "If by terrifying, you mean 'sweating through my shirt,' then sure."
But the real test didn’t come until noon.
The council gathered.
I’d only met them twice before—Jake liked to keep them at arm’s length. A bunch of older wolves who didn’t like change. Or women in power. Or me, probably.
There were five of them, all sitting around the long table in the war room like they’d built it with their bare hands. Harold, the self-declared speaker, stood when I walked in. Tall, silver-haired, and smug.
"Luna Ayla," he said with a curt nod. "Thank you for joining us. We’ve already begun reviewing the patrol schedules."
I blinked. "Without me?"
"We assumed you'd be... busy."
I looked to Sophie, who had followed me in. She raised a brow. You want to shut this down or should I?
I stepped forward. "Jake left the pack in my care. That means all decisions go through me."
Harold offered a polite smile. "Of course. We’ll just continue what we’ve started and fill you in."
Patronizing. That’s what this was.
And it pissed me off.
I tried to hold my ground, but the next thirty minutes felt like being steamrolled. Every time I voiced a concern, they waved it off with lines like, "It’s always been done this way" or "You’ll understand when you’ve had more experience."
At some point, Sophie leaned close and whispered, "They’re testing you."
"I know," I muttered. "And I’m failing."
"You’re not. You just haven’t snapped yet."
I almost did—when they tried to reassign half the scouts to border watch without consulting the tracker lead.
"You can’t do that," I said, standing. "You’re disrupting the rotation without cause."
Harold gave me a look like I’d grown a second head. "With all due respect, Luna, the scouts answer to us."
"They don’t," I snapped. "They answer to the Alpha. And in his absence, to me."
Silence fell. The air got thick.
Sophie grinned like she’d been waiting for this.
Harold stood slowly. "Perhaps it’s best if you take a step back, Luna. This is council business. You’re still new."
I walked around the table, stood toe-to-toe with him. "Then let me make something clear. I may be new. I may not have grown up in this hierarchy, or know all the customs yet. But the Alpha left me in charge. And that means this is my table now."
He opened his mouth to argue, but Sophie got there first. "You wanna try undermining her again, Harold? Because I’d love to watch Ayla put you in your place."
He flinched. Sophie had her father’s reputation and her mother’s fire. No one wanted to go toe-to-toe with her.
I kept going, voice steady. "The patrols stay as they are until Jake returns. Any changes will be run through me. You don’t like it? File a complaint. But if you try making decisions behind my back again, I will remove you from this council myself."
That did it.
They backed down, one by one, pretending to review documents or clear their throats. I sat back down, pulse racing, and looked to Sophie.
She beamed. "Queen sh*t."
The rest of the day flew by. Word spread fast in the pack, and I started getting a different kind of look—respect. Curiosity. Even a hint of fear from some of the younger warriors.
Fatima found me later while I was organizing the scout logs.
"Did you really threaten to kick Harold off the council?" she asked, eyes wide.
I shrugged. "Might’ve."
She let out a delighted squeal. "You’re my hero."
Not everyone was happy, though. A few older members gave me cold stares or refused to bow when I passed. But Sophie stuck close. So did Fatima. And after a while, even that stopped bothering me.
Because for the first time—I wasn’t just holding Jake’s place.
I was leading.
It was dark by the time Jake returned.
I was in the kitchen, eating leftover stew and rereading patrol logs when the front door opened and I heard his voice.
"Where is she?"
I stood as he walked in, dusty from the road, eyes tired—but lighting up the second they landed on me.
"Hey," I said softly.
He crossed the room in two strides, cupped my face in both hands, and kissed me like he’d been starving for it.
When he pulled back, he searched my eyes. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Long day."
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "I heard."
"You did?"
"Harold sent a message. Said we need to talk about ‘boundaries.’"
I snorted. "He’s still mad."
Jake grinned. "Good. I’m proud of you."
I blinked. "You are?"
"More than you know," he said, pulling me into his chest. "You stood your ground. You protected the structure. You acted like a Luna."
I wrapped my arms around him. "I didn’t want to mess it up."
"You didn’t. You made it better."
We stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, the room warm and quiet around us. And for the first time, I felt like I truly belonged—not just in the pack.
But in the role I never thought I’d deserve.
Luna.
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