Chapter 33: The Orphanage

Azura’s POV

I reached out a hand, feeling the furs on the other side of the bed. They were ice cold. Empty. Rhydor hadn’t come back at all last night.

And did I like it? Yes I do.

I lay there for a long time, just staring up at the dark ceiling. I was waiting for that heavy, sinking feeling to hit my chest, the usual dread I felt every morning since I’d been forced into this Luna role.

But for the first time, it didn’t come. My chest felt light.

I sat up slowly and looked around the massive, stone-walled room. Still empty. I let out a long breath I didn’t even know I was holding. Thank you, Moon Goddess, I whispered to the empty air.

I didn’t know where he had gone, and honestly, I didn’t care. All that mattered was that today, I could actually breathe without him breathing down my neck.

****

Liona was waiting for me just outside the main packhouse. She was wearing a simple, brown dress with her black hair tied back in a messy knot. She looked nervous, her fingers twitching at her sides, but her eyes were full of hope.

"Ready to do this?" she asked.

I nodded. "Ready."

We walked through the pack grounds in silence, yeah we couldn’t ride horses knowing the kids would be walking. We passed the training fields where the warriors were shouting and the market where people were already trading furs and grain.

We kept walking until we hit the very edge of the territory, the place where the "forgotten" buildings stood. These were the places no one looked at. The buildings the council had stopped caring about years ago.

Finally, we stopped in front of a huge stone building. It was old and the stone was weathered by years of rain, but it was strong. It stood tall, like it was waiting for someone to notice it again.

Liona turned to me, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

"It’s not a palace," she said softly, looking a bit worried. "But it’s safe. The roof doesn’t leak, and the walls are thick."

I ran my hand along the rough stone. It felt cool and solid.

"That’s all they’ve ever needed, Liona. A place that won’t fall down on them."

Liona smiled, a real, bright smile.

This place had been invisible to the pack for so long. It was forgotten, just like the children I was trying to save. But that was changing today. This will be theirs, I thought, a spark of pride lighting up in my heart. And it’ll be mine, too.

The warriors I’d requested arrived about an hour later. I’d sent word through Liona to bypass the Elders and the Council. I didn’t want their red tape or their judging eyes. I chose soldiers I knew were decent men. They showed up quietly and got straight to work.

And then, the children arrived.

I stood at the big wooden entrance and watched them come up the dirt path. There were dozens of them. It broke my heart to see them, tiny hands holding onto even smaller hands, little kids clutching small bundles of clothes to their chests. Some were giggling, but most were quiet, looking around with wide, scared eyes.

A little girl with tangled, bird-nest hair stopped in front of me.

She looked up, her voice so small I could barely hear it. "Are they gonna send us away again?"

I felt a sharp pang in my soul. I crouched down until I was exactly at her eye level, looking her right in the face.

"No," I said, my voice firm and loud so the others could hear too. "Nobody is sending you anywhere. This house belongs to you now."

She stared at me for a long beat, her lip trembling. Then, slowly, she smiled.

And it belongs to me, I thought. For the first time, I felt like a real Luna.

****

I was walking back toward the front gates to check on the supplies when it happened.

One second, I was stepping over a puddle. Next, the whole world tilted on its side.

There was no warning. No dizzy spell. Just a sudden, violent jerk, like a fishhook behind my navel yanking me into the sky. The world dissolved into a blur of color and sound.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Everything was different.

I wasn’t outside anymore. I was in a dim hallway. Stone walls. Torches flickering. The smell of cedar and old dampness.

I looked down at my hands and gasped. They were huge. Rough. Covered in scars and calluses.

No. Not now. Please, not now!

I heard voices up ahead. I looked up and saw Silas and Axel walking a few feet in front of me. Their backs were turned, and they were talking in low, serious tones.

"The Elders are getting restless," Silas was saying. "They think the Luna is overstepping. They don’t like her messing with the old buildings."

Axel snorted, rubbing the back of his bald head. "When do those old crows not think someone is overstepping?"

They both stopped and turned around to look at me. They froze instantly. Their smiles dropped, and Silas’s eyes narrowed as he looked at my... no, at Rhydor’s face.

"Alpha?" Silas asked, looking confused. "...Azura?"

I didn’t even think. I just nodded once, my jaw tight.

Axel let out a long, frustrated groan. "You’ve got to be kidding me. I really thought the curse was done with."

I didn’t waste time talking. I spun around and ran. My legs... Rhydor’s legs were so much longer and more powerful than mine. I covered the distance back to the orphanage in minutes, my heart hammering against a chest that felt too big and too heavy.

I was terrified. He’s in my body. He’s at the orphanage. He’s seeing everything!

I reached the entrance, gasping for air. I could hear shouting inside. Loud, angry voices. I burst through the doors.

The main room was packed. The Warriors were standing around, looking uncomfortable. The children were huddled together, looking scared. Liona was standing in the middle of it all, her face red with anger.

And standing right in front of her... was me.

My body. My face. But the way "I" was standing, shoulders back, chin high, eyes cold and mean... was all Rhydor. He was arguing with Liona, his face twisted in total frustration.

Everyone stopped talking the moment I entered. The warriors’ eyes went wide when they saw their Alpha. In an instant, every single one of them dropped to one knee.

"Alpha!" they shouted together.

Liona turned, her face going pale. She looked at me in Rhydor’s body, then she looked back at Rhydor in my body. Total confusion washed over her face. She looked like she wanted to faint.

Yeah no one was expecting the alpha to be here, but I had to.

Rhydor stepped forward in my body, his eyes locking onto mine. He was looking at his own face, and I could see the fury bubbling under the surface.

"What is the meaning of this, Azu..." He caught himself, his voice sounding high and strange. He gritted his teeth and corrected himself. "Alpha?"

Liona turned to him, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean? You started this! You were the one who said we were moving the kids!"

Rhydor’s jaw tightened so hard I thought it might snap. He didn’t say a word.

Liona looked back at me. She stared into my eyes, or should I say into Rhydor’s eyes, and I could tell she felt something. She didn’t understand the switch, but she knew something was wrong.

I stood up straight, feeling the sudden, heavy weight of Rhydor’s authority. This body was built for command. It felt like a suit of armor. If the Moon Goddess was going to keep doing this to us, then fine. I was going to use his power to get what I wanted.

I took a deep breath, letting his deep, booming voice fill the room.

"This orphanage is now under my personal protection," I said. His voice echoed off the rafters, calm and absolute.

The warriors started whispering to each other, looking stunned.

I stepped forward, making sure everyone felt the power of the Alpha. "Any omega child, any weakling, or any outcast found wandering the streets will be brought here immediately."

I looked every warrior in the eye. "Any soldier who ignores a child in need will answer directly to me. Do I make myself clear?"

The room went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Then, I said the words I’d been dreaming of saying since I was a little girl cleaning the floors.

"From today on, no child in this pack is unwanted."

The warriors bowed their heads even lower. "We obey, Alpha."

Liona stood there like a statue, her mouth hanging open. I heard her whisper to herself, so quiet only a wolf’s ears could hear. "...Why does he sound exactly like her?"

Rhydor didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He looked like he was about to explode.

I turned and met my own eyes. Rhydor was staring at me from inside my body. He wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t even acting angry anymore. It was something much scarier.

He stepped closer, moving until he was right in my face. He leaned in so close that only I could hear his whisper.

His voice was quiet and dangerous. "What is going on here? And what the hell are you talking about?"

I held his gaze, "Are you that dumb, Alpha?"

I knew deep down that these words were enough to explode his anger, but what could he do? He was in my body and I was in his. I had the upper hand now.