His Reluctant Luna novel Chapter 25

Katherine and Savannah watched in horror as I prepared to fight Eliza for the challenge.

"Why are you doing this, Eliza?" She asked.

"I am the best and strongest female of this pack. Even Alpha Lucian acknowledged that. What is the harm in challenging the Luna? It's fair." She shrugged.

"Are you stupid? You are challenging the mate bond! You cannot take a mate's place through some challenge, stop it immediately! Alpha Lucian will not be happy." Katherine warned.

She was right, but Eliza looked determined. I could smell the jealousy from her. This was the perfect opportunity to step away from the mate bond. Lucian already had an interested candidate. 

I could just walk away, or lose the challenge? But I could not do that. I was not in control anymore... Lana was.

I posed, ready to attack. Without further ado, I burst out of my clothes, shifting into a brown wolf. 

There were yelps and gasps around me. They were seeing Luna's true form for the first time.

"Good God! She is powerful," I heard someone mumble, and it pleased me. I had not hunted anything for a long time, and Lana was longing for it.

Eliza had shifted into a golden brown wolf. She was impressive, but I was the Alpha. We circled each other, waiting for the other to strike first.

Eliza made a run at me. I sidestepped and caught her along the flank. She yelped, licked her wound, and rushed at me again. Eliza was big but slow. But, if she managed to knock me down, I would be done. I was much faster than her, this was my advantage. She came at me again. I waited until she was near enough, I skipped away. I turned to watch her. She stopped, turned, and growled at me. I stood my ground. She came to me, again and again, kept sidestepping her. She kept repeating the same manoeuvre, running at me, stopping after I got out of her way, turning, and coming at me again.

She was not intelligent. All I had to do with this one was let her wear herself out. The growl continued to rumble in her chest. She was their best fighter? Really?

She came at me one more time and tripped over her feet. She pounced,  teeth bared at my throat. Unfortunately, though she was big, she was not agile. I narrowly dodged at the appropriate moment. So, this was her trick. Act stupid, take the opponent surprised. Smart move!

This time I lunged at her, she moved aside but caught my tail as it swept by. I yelped and turned. She let go to leap at my side. I rolled and kicked her in the belly. She yowled as claws caught her in the soft flesh. I came up quickly to tear at her throat.

I clamped my jaws around her neck. I was not putting any pressure on it, though. I wanted to avoid killing her. 

"Submit!" I said mentally, though she could not hear it.

When she did not relent, I increased the pressure on her neck.

"That's enough! Submit Eliza!" Lucian's command resonated through the hall.

The Golden wolf stood defiantly for a minute. I felt Lucian's presence next to me. He caressed my silky head. 

"Let her go, sweetheart, she has submitted." 

It felt nice, his touch, and I released Eliza. She jumped away, tucking her tail.

Lucian had folded his arms and he was looking calmly at us. He was just out of bed and was still dressed in his tracks, hair tousled.

"Alright, get back everyone, the showtime's over." He said to the pack gathered around us.

The people dispersed around while he threw two robes at us.

"You can shift now."  He spoke.

I shifted back and put on the robe. 

"All challenges have to be approved by the Alpha first, that is me. So, why did you challenge my mate, Eliza?" He was asking Eliza, who had shifted back. The scratches on her body were already healing.

"It was a fair challenge, anyone can challenge the Alpha or Luna," Eliza said.

"You cannot challenge a mate bond, Eliza, If I see you trying to harm my mate again? You would be punished for it."

He said menacingly, green eyes flashing with anger.