The Rejected Mate novel · Chapter 24 of 24

Chapter 24: Luna

The Moon Stone had never been so crowded.

Ironwood stood on the near side of the ring, and Stormvale stood on the far side, and half of Redmoor had come over the hills to see it.

Children sat on their fathers' shoulders.

Kirk Hartnell leaned on a lantern post with a paper bag of baker's buns, handing them out to anyone who held still.

Willa stood before the Stone in a dress of deep green, with her hair braided down her back and her heart going.

Beside her Caelen had his hand over hers, and neither of them was pretending anymore.

Odette Braithwaite came forward in her grey silk.

She held the plain silver ring between two fingers.

"Pack of Ironwood," she said. "I was your Luna for twenty-six years, and I did the work badly more often than I'd like to say."

"The Moon has named a better one."

"Willa Ashdown, will you carry the pack's trouble and the pack's joy, and answer to both?"

"I will," said Willa.

"Will you sit at the Alpha's side and, when he is wrong, tell him so before the whole pack?"

"Every time," Willa said.

A ripple of laughter went around the ring, and Caelen put his free hand over his eyes.

"He'll need it," Odette said, and slid the ring onto Willa's finger.

It was a little loose.

It would do.

"Luna!" someone shouted.

Then they were all shouting it, Ironwood and Stormvale together, and it rolled out over the dark hills and made the pines shiver.

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