My Luna

POV Sage Winters

The words landed like a thunderclap. Ronan's mouth opened and closed twice before he managed, "You're saying... he is the Ashford Alpha?"

I watched my uncle's composure shatter as he looked between Thorne and Elder Marcus, clearly expecting someone to announce this was a joke. They had anticipated a weak, manageable alliance—the violent, wheelchair-bound cripple the rumors described. Instead, Thorne Ashford stood radiating raw dominance that made the air feel heavier.

The rumors about disability had been deliberate, I realized. A convenient fiction that both discouraged opportunistic suitors and gave Thorne grounds to refuse his grandfather's relentless matchmaking attempts.

Celeste recovered first, smoothing her pale blue dress with trembling fingers. Her gaze traveled over Thorne's frame—the carved jawline, broad shoulders, towering physique. Her eyes flickered from pale blue to gold as her wolf Amber stirred. The scent of her arousal drifted across the room.

"Elder Marcus," Ronan said, his voice shifting to false warmth, "this is truly an honor. Please forgive our surprise."

Elder Marcus's expression remained impassive. "My grandson prefers to manage expectations carefully. The rumors served their purpose."

Ronan laughed too loudly. "A wise strategy! Now that we understand the honor, shall we discuss wedding arrangements? Summer would be lovely—"

"Actually," Elder Marcus interrupted, pulling documents from his portfolio, "Thorne has prepared a personal settlement for his intended mate. Ten percent of Ashford Corporation's shares, transferred to her name upon formal engagement."

The room went still. Ten percent represented wealth that dwarfed Silverpine Global's entire value. Ronan's breathing quickened. "That's far too generous—"

"It's decided," Elder Marcus said flatly. "Additionally, the Winterhold estate and a personal trust fund."

Celeste made a small sound. Her eyes had gone completely gold, blazing with raw desire and desperate ambition. She was staring at Thorne like she was imagining being marked by him, bearing his children, wearing Luna title like a crown.

Thorne pulled the final document and crossed the floor in three strides. Then he dropped to one knee before me, extending the papers. "My Luna, this belongs to you."

The title hit like a physical shock. Inside my consciousness, Silver went wild.

I took the document with trembling fingers, sparks racing up my arms. Watching him kneel while my uncle and cousin gaped ignited savage satisfaction.

"Alpha Thorne!" Ronan lurched forward frantically. "There's been a mistake! This is my niece Sage—my daughter Celeste is here—"

Thorne rose without glancing at him. "No mistake. The woman I intend to claim is Miss Sage Winters." He turned to Ronan, Alpha dominance rolling off him. "Any other arrangement is impossible."

Celeste's eyes flickered blue to gold repeatedly, her breathing shallow.

"I don't understand," Ronan said weakly. "We discussed an alliance. Celeste has been prepared—"

"Celeste was never under consideration," Elder Marcus cut in coldly. "Last night at the Moonlight Ridge Overlook, my grandson encountered Sage purely by chance. The moment he saw her, fell for her."

He paused, letting the weight of those words settle. "They marked each other immediately."

Ronan's face cycled from pale to purple. Celeste made a strangled sound, her eyes flooding pure gold—not desire this time, but rage and jealousy so intense I could feel Amber snarling in her consciousness.

I tilted my head slightly, deliberately exposing the crescent-shaped mark on my neck. The silver scar tissue caught the light, unmistakable proof of Thorne's claim.

Elder Marcus straightened, cordial visitor replaced by someone who had commanded one of the most powerful packs for decades. "I came here believing Silverpine maintained honor and integrity. Instead, I discover your daughter was caught in adultery with her cousin's boyfriend last night, violating every pack law regarding fidelity."

His tone could freeze water. "Furthermore, you've controlled your niece's inheritance for fourteen years—forty percent of Winters Global that legally belongs to Sage. Her mother's will specified sacred trust until age twenty, yet you've treated those shares as your personal property."

His eyes blazed with contempt. "You've stolen from your own blood, Ronan Winters."

Ronan's Alpha presence exploded outward, eyes flashing gold. "You don't understand—I had to—"

The words died as Thorne's power crashed down like a tidal wave. The air compressed as dominance radiated in waves that made my knees weak. Ronan's presence shattered like glass hitting stone, and my uncle staggered backward.

Silver melted beneath that overwhelming force, but not from fear—from pure instinctive surrender to a mate powerful enough to protect us. This is what a real mate feels like, she purred.

Elder Marcus looked at Ronan with disgust. "Your reputation preceded you—the capable Alpha who maintained Greywood's prosperity. Behind that mask you're nothing but a thief who exploited a child's grief."

He paused, something shifting in his weathered features as he glanced at Thorne. "When my grandson told me last night he'd marked a girl he'd just met, I thought he'd lost his mind. A stranger from Greywood? Someone with no pack connections or political value?"

Thorne's hand found mine, his grip steady and warm.

"But he told me something that changed my perspective," Elder Marcus continued. "He said he trusted his judgment, trusted a woman who had the courage to punish betrayal publicly instead of accepting it quietly. His wolf Shadow recognized her instantly—that certainty that cannot be faked."

The old man's gaze swept over me with new assessment. "My grandson also told me there have been only two girls in his life who made a lasting impression. The first was a child who saved him during an asthma attack when he was fourteen—someone he's been searching for ever since. The second is standing before me now, and Shadow's reaction to her is even stronger."

My breath caught. Thorne's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around mine.

"Ashford Pack faces internal power struggles," Elder Marcus said, directing his words at Ronan. "My grandson needs to complete the full marking ceremony soon to solidify his position. When he chooses a mate, it must be someone who can stand beside him through those battles, not a decorative piece for political favors."

He turned back to me, expression gentling. "My grandson convinced me you are that person. After hearing how you survived Ronan's cruelty and still emerged strong enough to demand your rights, I'm certain he was correct."

Elder Marcus's voice strengthened. "I'm increasing the settlement to fifteen percent of Ashford Corporation, all registered in Sage's name. Every asset Thorne gives his mate will be protected as her individual property, completely separate from pack holdings."

He met my eyes with respect. "My grandson trusts his instincts about you. I hope you'll prove us both right."

I stood holding the documents, Thorne radiating protective dominance beside me, watching my uncle's face cycle through rage and calculation. Everything we'd planned—the temporary mark, the three-month arrangement—had exploded into something far bigger and more dangerous.

But as Thorne's hand settled warm and possessive on my lower back, and Silver purred deep satisfaction, I felt only fierce, savage triumph.