CHAPTER 3 — Two Years of Peace
The journey to Ferrum felt like a dream Selene was afraid to wake from at any moment. Riding beside Liam on a noble black horse, she looked back and watched the trees of Gray Moon disappear into the mist. She was leaving behind Bruna's screams, Maya's cruel laughter, the cold floor where she had slept for years, and the work that had consumed every second of her existence. Her throat felt tight, but she also felt a timid hope glowing like a tiny flame in her chest.
When Ferrum's enormous solid-wood gates opened before her, Selene held her breath. It was a completely different world. The houses there were built from pale stone and fine timber, the gardens overflowed with colorful flowers and carefully tended trees, and the air seemed lighter, purer. People passed by, greeting Liam with respect and admiration, but everyone stopped to stare at the young woman arriving beside the Alpha. There was curiosity in their eyes, yes, and even a measure of suspicion because she looked so fragile and wore such simple clothes, but no one shoved her, and no one spat on the ground when she passed.
Liam dismounted first and held out his hand. The gesture was so gentle that it made her heart race.
“Welcome to your new home, Selene,” he said, his deep, gentle voice meant only for the two of them. His dark eyes met hers, and she felt a sense of security she had never imagined possible. “No one will hurt you here. I swear it on everything I am.”
She took his hand, feeling the warmth of his strong touch flow through her entire body, and climbed down slowly, as though she were stepping onto sacred ground.
The first few months were a constant learning experience. Liam gave her the finest quarters in the fortress: a spacious room with soft beds covered in furs, large windows opening onto the garden, and a fireplace that was always lit. He assigned servants to attend to her, but whenever he could, he was there himself—teaching her to eat the finest foods, showing her the rules of court, and telling her stories about the history of his pack.
He treated her like a rare flower that needed protection. And Selene, who had never received anything but pain, began to open like a flower finally finding the sun. She loved every moment by his side. She loved the way he smiled, the way he held her hand, the way he looked at her as if she were the only woman in the world.
It was one afternoon, as they walked along the river that cut through the territory beneath the golden light of dusk, that everything changed. The sun reflected off the water like a thousand gold coins, and the wind stirred both their hair. Liam stopped, turned to her, and clasped both her hands between his own. There was a seriousness in his eyes that made Selene's heart beat faster with anxiety and love.
“Selene,” he began, his voice thick with emotion as he gently squeezed her fingers. “From the day I saw you back in Gray Moon, working until you collapsed from exhaustion, hungry and cold, yet still keeping your heart kind... I felt something I'd never felt for anyone. Something that pulled me toward you, as if fate itself were screaming at me to come closer.”
He took a step closer, standing so near that she could feel the heat of his body.
“I saw how much you suffered. I saw how they treated you like garbage, as if you were worth nothing. And it destroyed me, Selene. It destroyed me because I knew you were so much more than they could see. You are kind, pure, and strong in a way no warrior ever could be. You survived hell and still didn't let its cruelty into your heart.”
He lowered his head for a second and took a deep breath. When he looked at her again, tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.
“I took you away because I couldn't stand watching you suffer anymore. I brought you here because I want to give you everything you deserve: respect, affection, security... love. Selene, these months by your side have been the best of my life. You brought light to a place that used to be nothing but power and coldness. You showed me what it truly means to be human.”
He knelt before her right there in the tall grass beside the river, and Selene covered her mouth with both hands, stunned and overwhelmed.
“Liam... what are you doing?” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.
He smiled, a smile full of love, and looked deep into her eyes.
“Selene, I don't want to be only the Alpha who saved you anymore. I want to be your protector, your companion, your wolf, for every day of our existence. I don't care what other people say, and I don't care what they think about your strength or your bloodline. To me, you are the most incredible woman in the world.”
He tightened his grip on her hands.
“Selene, will you be my wife? Will you share your life with me, rule by my side, and let me love and care for you for as long as I draw breath?”
Tears streamed freely down her face, clean and sweet. Never in her life had she imagined hearing such beautiful, profound words from someone so important. She smiled, lighting up her entire face, and nodded, unable to speak through her overwhelming emotion.
“Yes, Liam... a thousand times yes!” she finally answered, her voice barely more than a thread. “I love you. More than anything. Thank you for seeing me when no one else did.”
He rose in one swift motion and pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping himself around her as though he wanted to fuse their bodies and souls right there.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her hair. “For existing. For being mine.”
A few weeks later, their wedding day arrived, and it would be remembered forever in Ferrum's history. It was more than a pack ceremony—it was a celebration. The gardens were decorated with white ribbons and wildflowers, the scent of pine and honey filled the air, and every member of the pack, from the humblest worker to the oldest elder, was present in their finest clothes, all gathered before the great ancestral tree at the center of the territory.
Selene was prepared with loving care. She wore a dress of light, moon-colored fabric that fell softly over her body, with long sleeves and details woven from silver threads that shimmered beneath the sunlight. Her hair, once always tied back and dirty, hung loose and gleaming, adorned only with a crown of white flowers. When she appeared, walking slowly beside the oldest servant, every gaze turned toward her. There was beauty in her—a serene, profound beauty that went far beyond appearance.
Liam waited standing beside the leader of the elders. He wore a dark tunic detailed with leather and silver and looked more imposing than ever. But when he saw Selene approach, all the weight of the Alpha vanished from his face, leaving only the glow of a man in love. His eyes never left her for even a second, and she felt his love beating fiercely, like a heartbeat she could hear inside her own head.
When she stopped before him, Liam reached out and firmly laced his fingers through hers.
“Today, before the Moon, our history, and our people,” the elder began in a hoarse, powerful voice that echoed across the entire gathering, “we unite two paths as one. May the strength of the wolf be with you, and may the love that binds you be stronger than any enemy and longer-lasting than time.”
He turned to Liam first.
“Liam, son of Arthur, Alpha of Ferrum... do you accept this woman as your mate? Do you promise to protect her with your life, honor her through your actions, and love her in sickness and in health, in strength and in weakness, every day of your existence?”
Liam looked deeply into Selene's eyes and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, with such conviction that her chest swelled with pride:
“I do. And I promise to do all that and more. The world despised her, but to me, she is my treasure. They treated her as though she were nothing, but to me, she is everything. My life belongs to her, now and forever.”
A murmur of approval passed through the crowd. The elder then turned to her.
“Selene... do you accept this man as your mate? Do you promise to walk beside him, share your life and your heart, and be the peace and strength he needs?”
She lifted her chin with more courage than she had ever possessed and looked at the man who had saved her from the darkness.
“I do. And I promise to love him with everything I am, with every piece of my heart. He gave me a name when I had none. He gave me a home when I had nowhere to stay. I am who I am because of him. And for him, I would give my own life.”
In that moment, Liam stepped forward and sealed their union with a kiss. It was gentle but filled with meaning, before everyone, beneath the watchful gaze of the moon beginning to rise in the sky. The crowd erupted in applause and joyful howls, celebrating the union of the Alpha and his chosen mate.
For a moment, Selene felt like the happiest, luckiest woman in the world. She had everything she had never dared to dream of. She had love, respect, and a place to belong.
And so began the most beautiful two years of her life. Two years of peace, understanding, long nights spent talking, and lazy mornings. Liam was an exemplary husband: affectionate, attentive, and protective. He taught her to read and write and to understand the laws of the pack. They walked through the forest together, ran across the fields, and in every moment, he made it clear that she was his priority.
But there was one detail, a small shadow that slowly grew and that, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, never left her completely at peace: he had never marked her as his Luna.
In wolf tradition, the mark was the definitive bond. It was the seal, made through a bite on the neck, that joined their blood, souls, and power. It was what made a mate officially the ruler, recognized by everyone and by the species' own magic.
On many nights, when they were alone, embracing before the fireplace, Selene felt the urge to ask, but she was afraid of the answer. Until one night under a full moon, when silver light poured into the room, she gathered all her courage and touched his chest, where her husband's strong heart beat.
“Liam...” she began softly, hesitantly. “We're married. We're one before everyone... but we still don't have the mark. You... you don't want to mark me?”
He sighed and tenderly caressed her face, but his gaze shifted slightly away, and that small gesture felt like a knife through her heart.
“I do, Selene. More than anything,” he answered gently, but with a firmness that allowed no argument. “But the mark is for eternity, my love. It unites everything we are. And I want to wait.”
“Wait for what?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears. “Am I not enough right now?”
He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead.
“You are everything to me. But you came from such a dark place and endured so much suffering... I think your wolf, your strength, is still asleep, healing from everything they did to you.” He looked deeply into her eyes, and there, for the first time, she saw the shadow of the doubt he was trying to hide. “I want to mark you when you're complete. When you've truly found yourself. When you shine with all your light, so the mark can be the seal of a queen. I don't want to pressure you. I want it to be perfect.”
But deep down, he had other thoughts—thoughts he never voiced so he wouldn't hurt her, but that hammered through his mind day and night. He loved her, yes. He loved her sweetness, her kindness, the way she looked at him with eyes full of gratitude and love. But he was also an Alpha. He had been raised among warriors and taught to value strength, power, bloodline, and the ability to rule.
And there was one fact he could not erase from his mind: in two years, she had never transformed.
Not once. Not under the full moon, nor in moments of danger or intense emotion. No sign, no growl, no unusual gleam in her eyes. For all intents and purposes, she was merely a fragile human woman who possessed no animal side. The whispers of the council, the voices of the neighboring Alphas, the words of those who disliked her... all of it echoed in Liam's ears: “A mate without a wolf is weak. She can't bear strong heirs. She has no authority to rule. She isn't worthy of being Luna.”
He defended her tooth and nail before the others, treated her with love, and believed in her goodness... but the doubt was there, rooted and slowly growing. With a heavy heart, he thought that perhaps the suffering of her childhood had broken something inside her, that she truly was a “broken wolf,” incapable of awakening her power. And no matter how hard he tried to tell himself it didn't matter, he was a leader, and his responsibility to his people spoke louder.
Even so, those had been the two happiest years of Selene's life. She had a home, a husband who loved and protected her, and peace. She thought it would last forever. That even without the mark, she would be happy by his side.
But she didn't know that outside the fortress walls, fate was preparing a trap. And the peace she cherished so dearly was about to crumble when an unexpected guest arrived with a proposal that would shake the foundations of everything they had built.