Reset
Book 2: A Choice to Survive
Chapter One- Reset
For the first time in what felt like weeks, silence.
Evandra sat curled on the edge of the bed, her knees drawn up, the moonlight spilling across her skin in pale silver streaks. The echoes of the throne room still lived in her chest—the clash of alphas, the scent of blood, the thunder of her own scream before the world had gone dark. And then…the voice of the Moon Goddess. The impossible choice. The binding decision she had made.
Four mates. Four packs. One Luna.
Her hands twisted in her lap as she exhaled shakily, the thought spiraling through her for the thousandth time. How in the Goddess’s name is this going to work?
After long, heated discussions with Tristan, Balor, Osiris, and Lefu, an arrangement had finally been struck. She would live among them all in turns, three months at a time. Three months in each pack house, three months learning their wolves, their lands, their people. Three months trying to bind herself to each Alpha without tearing the others apart. It was the only way to prevent the fractures that threatened to swallow them whole.
And so she had chosen to begin in Celestia with Lefu—calm, guarded Lefu, who looked at her like she was both salvation and ruin.
But tonight, in the quiet, another thought pressed its claws into her heart.
Children.
Her throat tightened, and she pressed her palms against her temples as if she could block the word out. For as long as she could remember, her wolf had been silent when it came to carrying pups. The healers had whispered their suspicions, and though no one ever said it outright, Evandra had always known the truth: her body was not meant to bear life.
And now she was the Luna of four packs.
Bloodlines ran packs. Every Alpha was expected to have heirs—continuation, legacy, strength. Without heirs, questions of succession always came, and with them…instability.
Tristan already knew. But would the other Alphas forgive her when the truth finally came out? Would Balor see her as useless once he realized she could never give him the son his line demanded? Would Osiris, proud and fierce, turn cold when he realized she could not carry on his legacy? Would Lefu’s quiet acceptance curdle into resentment?
Her wolf, Sage, stirred uneasily inside her, sensing the spiral of panic.
The next morning, Evandra forced herself out of her chambers with a determined breath. Brooding alone wouldn’t bring unity to Celestia. If she was truly to earn their trust, she had to be present.
The Celestia wolves eyed her curiously as she moved through the Alpha House—bowing heads politely, though some still lingered in the corners with wary expressions. Their pack lands were different from Melting Moon’s wide forests; here the trees were older, their roots deep and knotted, as if the very ground carried the weight of long-kept secrets.
Lefu had assigned one of his Betas, Ayo, to guide her through the village that morning. She offered help where she could—carrying baskets of herbs from the healer’s den, listening to the stories of an elder wolf, even sitting with pups while their mothers worked. They stared at her with round eyes and whispered, “Queen Luna.” The title made her throat ache, equal parts pride and unease.
By the time the sun tilted high, she felt the weight of exhaustion but also a small flicker of triumph. They’re starting to see me, she thought. Not just as a stranger dropped into their world, but as someone who wants to belong.
It was when she was helping carry bundles of firewood into the hall that her foot caught on a loose stone. She stumbled forward, arms full, the wood slipping.
“Evandra!”
The deep voice cut through the air just as strong hands closed around her waist. The wood clattered to the ground, forgotten, as Lefu’s body steadied hers.
Her palms braced against his chest—solid, warm, broad beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. For a suspended heartbeat, they simply froze.
His black eyes, usually so unreadable, held hers. A storm of restraint swirled there, but beneath it…heat. Something raw, something aching.
Evandra’s breath caught. His scent—earth and rain and the faintest hint of smoke—flooded her senses. Sage stirred restlessly inside her, pushing her closer.
“Careful,” Lefu murmured, his voice low, almost hoarse. “We can’t have our Queen Luna bruised.”
Her lips parted, though no words came. She was aware of every point of contact: his hands gripping her waist, her fingers curled against him, the faint tremor in his breath as though he were fighting the same pull she felt.
For one dangerous moment, she thought he might close the distance between them. She almost wanted him to.
But then his jaw tightened. He gently released her, stepping back as though the air itself burned.
“You should rest,” he said, the edge of Alpha command in his tone, though his gaze lingered on her a second longer than it should have. “You’ve done enough for one day.”
Evandra’s heart was still pounding as she bent to gather the fallen wood. She didn’t miss the way his hand twitched, as though he wanted to help but forced himself not to.
Something was building between them. She could feel it. And it terrified her how much she wanted to let it.
“You are Luna,” Sage whispered. “You were chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. That is your gift, your power. Not pups.”
But Evandra curled tighter on the bed, clutching the blanket around her shoulders. She wanted to believe Sage, wanted to believe that her worth wasn’t bound to children she could never bear.
And yet the shadow of that truth—that all four packs would be left without heirs—hung over her like a blade.
She was terrified that sooner or later, it would fall.
