BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 277: THE TRANSITION

Chapter 277: THE TRANSITION

{"Innocence and instinct dance in their eyes, one blink away from beast, one breath away from becoming."}

We spent the better part of the day indoors, planning and later that evening Elle leaned into my side, her head resting against my shoulder, legs stretched out along the wooden steps of her cabin. The air smelled like pine resin and cooling earth. Crickets had started their song. In the distance, wolves called to one another across ridges like old stories echoing through the trees.

We were quiet, but not the kind of silence that hangs heavy. This was the kind that settles deep and stays. Her fingers traced idle circles on my forearm. My beast purred low under my skin, content.

The mountain called to me. I could feel it not metaphorically, not emotionally. The summons was real. A thread of instinct tugging at my bones. Ancient magic laced in the wind, pressing into my skin like a heartbeat I had not heard in years.

The mountains were waking, and it was like we were coming.

"I used to think I’d die out there," I murmured. "Before I ever found something like this."

Elle tilted her head up, brow lifted slightly. "You mean peace?"

"No," I said, glancing down at her. "You."

She gave me that small smile, the one that did not show teeth, but softened the sharp angles of her face. Then she closed her eyes and sighed against my chest.

Then, just as the stillness began to wrap itself around us, we sensed the presence of Rolan and Qadira. No scent carried on the wind. No footfall. Just a sudden shift in the air power powering the edges of the night. Rolan stood at the tree line, tall, solid, shadowed by the dying light. His mate, Qadira, stood beside him, veiled in mist and midnight, her eyes glowing faintly gold.

Elle sat up instantly and welcomed them, and then Rolan moved closer to me.

"You felt it too," I said quietly.

He nodded. "The mountains stirred. The old ways are shifting. The stone sings your name again, Rou."

"It’s time," I said. "They have summoned me. They have summoned us."

Qadira stepped closer to Elle, offering a respectful nod. "I felt it too. As Rolan’s mate, the mountains also summoned me.

I turned to Rolan. His gaze lingered on me, questioning but patient. He knew what I was about to say. He had known before I did.

"I’m not coming back," He said." I am going to the mountain," He continued. "And when I step before the elders with my mate and the mountain, I plan to pay homage to them for being away for so long.

"I want you to take the mantle, Rolan. Alpha of the Rogourau."

His jaw tensed, his golden eyes narrowing. "Would you walk away from what you built?"

"I’m not walking away," I said. "I am passing it on. To someone I trust. Someone strong enough to hold the line... and wise enough to lead without war as his first answer."

"I’m not you," he said.

"No," I agreed. "You are better. You still believe in peace before blood. That is what they need now."

Qadira placed a hand on Rolan’s shoulder, her expression unreadable. But I saw the approval in the way she stood at his side, unwavering.

Finally, Rolan nodded. "Then I will take it. For the clan. For the future you are claiming."

I clasped his forearm, and he clasped mine, the old warrior’s grip firm, respectful. Binding.

Then he looked past me at Elle. "Take care of him. He forgets he is worth keeping."

Elle smiled faintly, deadly calm. "He won’t get the chance to forget."

Qadira laughed quietly, and for a moment, everything felt exactly as it should and the stars above, the scent of pine and firelight, the promise of legacy handed over, and a new one just beginning.

Two days later, early in the morning ,just as we planned to leave for the mountains, I felt them before I saw them. The air outside the cabin thickened. Controlled footfalls on packed earth. Heavy boots and synchronized breathing. Elle was by the hearth, braiding her hair with an absent-minded grace. When I stood, she smiled but did not turn.

"Your family is here," I whispered.

"I know."

She tied off the braid. "Don’t pick a fight with them."

I gave her a dry look. "You are expecting me to?"

"Depends on how loud they raise their voices."

Before I could answer, there was a knock, and I chose to walk over and open the door. General Mortas stood on the porch like he owned the territory, eyes sharp, silver at his temples, his military jacket still creased from travel. Behind him stood a younger man, tall, broad, with Elle’s jaw and eyes that burned with suspicion, Enforcer Troy.

"Rou, "General Mortas greeted, voice like gravel ground against stone.

I inclined my head. "General."

"May we speak with you? Alone."

Elle stepped into view behind me. "You came all this way, and you’re not even going to say hello?"

"Later, Elle," Troy said, gaze locked on me.

I felt her hand press lightly to the small of my back, and I let the door fall shut behind me as I stepped outside. We stood in the clearing. Three soldiers, two old, one young,g and the wind rustled the trees.

Mortas got straight to it. "I hear that you’re taking her to the mountains."

"Yes." I responded curtly.

He crossed his arms. "You realize what that means."

"I do."

"Do you?" Troy’s voice was harder, tighter. "Because once she steps onto sacred Rogourau ground as your mate, there is no taking it back. She will not just be your partner, and she will be part of your bloodline.

I met his stare without flinching. "She already is."

Troy bristled. Mortas raised a hand, silencing his son.

"I don’t care if she’s your fated mate," Mortas said evenly. "I care about whether you’ll break her."

The words landed like a cold knife in my chest. Not because they were unfair, but because they were earned. "You think I’ll hurt her," I said. "Because of what I have been. What I have done."

"I know men who have seen it all, especially a Rogourau Alpha like yourself," he said. "They forget who they are underneath. You have been half-beast most of your life. You live in blood, speak in silence, and you have more ghosts in your eyes than most men have bones in their bodies. You think that makes you strong. That makes you dangerous."

I did not answer right away, and I let the silence sit between us like a weight. Then I spoke.

"I am dangerous," I said. "I have killed for less than what you just said to me. But Elle knows what I am. She does not flinch from it. And I will never raise claws or words or wrath against her."

Troy took a step forward, tension radiating off him. "Swear it."

"I just did."

"No," Mortas said, voice low. "Swear it on the mountain."

I nodded once. "Gladly."

"She’s everything to us," he said. "You break her heart; we won’t wait for your beast to make the first move."

"I would expect nothing less."

We stood there another long second and then at last General Mortas exhaled, slowly. His shoulders eased slightly. "We will escort you to the border of the Bay Shifter and ensure your safety.

Troy lingered, watching me like a loaded weapon. "If she cries, even once—"

"She won’t," I said. "Not from me."

Then, finally, he turned and followed his father, and I stood alone for a moment, the wind brushing against my shoulders and then I turned back toward the cabin and Elle was watching from the window. And for the first time in my long, battle-worn life. I felt like I had earned the right to walk toward something better.

I walked back to the house, and I did not expect her to say anything. I half-expected her to have put distance between us to give me space to cool, to pace like the old beast I used to be when I was insulting but she was already in front of me when I turned, her hands sliding up my chest, her eyes searching my face like she was reading the wind.

"You didn’t growl," she said softly.

"I didn’t need to."

"You didn’t challenge them."

"They didn’t challenge you," I said. "That’s what matters."

Her arms wrapped around my waist without hesitation, and she pressed her cheek to my chest. I stood still, letting her heartbeat sync with mine. "Thank you," she whispered. "For holding your ground without tearing theirs apart."

I wrapped my arms around her in return, lowering my face into her hair. "You don’t owe me thanks," I said. "He is your father. Troy’s your brother. They were doing what they thought they had to."

"And you did what you didn’t have to," she murmured. "You could have torn them down with a sentence. But you did not. That is what makes this real, Rou. That is why I chose you."

I held her a little tighter at that and the words did not burn, did not freeze me like they might have once. "I don’t want to fight for you," I said. "I want to build with you. And that means knowing when not to bite."

She pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, her hands warm against my chest.

"Well, now that the men in my family have grunted their peace, it’s time to leave."

I gave a soft grunt of agreement and glanced toward the back room.

We moved and coordinated as we finished packing light, and then we stood in the centre of the room, looking at the space we were leaving behind.

She looked up at me. "You ready?"

"No," I said, and kissed her brow. "But I’m going anyway."

Her lips curved. "That’s all I need."