2. The Fall of the Luna

|| Lilac's POV ||

“You witch!” I snarled, my voice a mixture of pain and fury. My wolf howled within me, her grief echoing my own. But Kael’s expression remained impassive, his loyalty firmly with Coco. The woman who had destroyed my life, who had taken everything from me, stood behind him, her smirk a cruel reminder of my powerlessness.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the bodies of my parents, their lives extinguished so callously, so cruelly. The chains that had bound them now seemed symbolic of the chains that had bound me—chains of duty, of love, of hope. But no more. The girl who had once believed in fairy tales, in happily ever afters, was gone. In her place stood a woman forged in fire and blood, her heart a battlefield of sorrow and rage.

The throne room was a cavern of memories, each stone etched with the echoes of my past. The high vaulted ceilings, adorned with banners of our pack’s crest, seemed to loom over me now, a reminder of the heights I had once reached and the depths to which I had fallen. My eyes locked onto Kael, the Alpha King, the man I had once loved with every fiber of my being. He stood tall, his regal posture unyielding, his golden eyes cold and distant. How did it come to this? How had the man I had helped build an empire become the architect of my ruin?

I stared at him, my heart a battlefield of grief and rage. It was me who had stood by his side when he was nothing but a young warrior with a dream. It was my family, the Royal Beta lineage, who had fought for him, bled for him, and secured his place on the throne. My parents, proud and unwavering, had led armies against the dark witches on the border, their sacrifices ensuring the peace of our lands. And what had it earned them? Silver chains and a traitor’s death. What had it earned me? Betrayal. Humiliation. A love turned to ash.

My mind drifted to the day Coco had arrived at the palace. She had been a fragile thing then, her eyes wide with fear, her hands trembling as she knelt before me. “Please,” she had begged, her voice trembling, “let me stay. I have nowhere else to go.” I had been foolish, so foolish. I had seen her as a lost soul in need of shelter, not the viper she truly was. Kael had taken her in, not as a servant, but as his concubine. And though I had been his Luna, his chosen mate, it was always her. Always Coco. Her presence had been a poison, seeping into the cracks of our bond, widening them until they were irreparable.

And now, here I was, kneeling before her. The irony was not lost on me. The woman I had once pitied now stood above me, her delicate features twisted into a mask of triumph. My parents’ bodies lay cold and lifeless behind me, their blood staining the marble floor. The chains that had bound them still clinked faintly, a haunting reminder of their final moments. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to contain the storm raging within me.

Coco’s lips curled into a smirk, her fingers tracing delicate patterns over the hilt of a dagger she had yet to sheath. The same dagger that had stolen my mother’s last breath. My entire body trembled with the force of my fury, but I refused to let her see it. I would not give her the satisfaction of knowing she had shattered me completely. Not yet.

Kael’s gaze flickered, just for a moment, a shadow of something unreadable passing through his golden eyes. Regret? Guilt? I did not know, and I no longer cared. Whatever softness I had once believed existed within him had died the moment he let my parents be slaughtered like animals. My love for him had been an unbreakable chain, binding me to him through every hardship, every storm. Now, it lay in pieces at my feet, as worthless as the promises he had made me.

A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat, raw and laced with sorrow. "Tell me, Kael," I whispered, my voice a ghost of what it once was. "Was it worth it? Was she worth it?" My eyes flickered to Coco, whose smirk only deepened, satisfaction glimmering in her dark eyes.

Kael’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. The silence was louder than any answer he could have given me.

Coco stepped closer, her silk dress swishing against the marble floor. "You should have left when you had the chance," she mused, her voice like honey laced with venom. "But I suppose you were always too stubborn for your own good. Now look at you. Broken. Defeated. Alone."

Alone. The word echoed in my mind, a cruel mockery of everything I had once had. But she was wrong. I was not broken. Not yet. My heart still beat, my lungs still drew breath, and as long as I lived, so did my vengeance. I would not fall. Not here. Not like this.

Lifting my chin, I met Coco’s gaze head-on, letting the fury in my eyes burn as brightly as the fire in my soul. "Enjoy your victory while you can," I murmured, my voice steady despite the turmoil within me. "Because one day, Coco, you will kneel before me. And when that day comes, I will make sure you remember every drop of blood you spilled."

Her smirk faltered for the briefest of moments, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face before she masked it with a scoff. "Empty threats from a fallen queen. How pitiful.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. With a guttural growl, I lunged at Coco, my wolf surging to the surface. My claws extended, my fangs bared, and for a moment, I saw fear flicker in her eyes. Kael was caught off guard, his reflexes slowed by shock. I shoved him aside, my paw connecting with his chest, sending him sprawling onto his back. Coco was beneath me now, her tiny frame pinned under my weight. I glared down at her, my growl reverberating through the hall. This was her doing. She had orchestrated this nightmare, manipulated Kael, destroyed my family. She had taken everything from me.

I could feel the heat of her fear, the rapid beat of her heart beneath my paw. My wolf urged me to finish it, to tear out her throat and end her reign of terror. But before I could act, Kael’s hand closed around my hind leg, yanking me backward with brutal force. I crashed into the corner of the hall, the impact forcing me to shift back into my human form. My body ached, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I struggled to rise.

Kael’s voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and unyielding. “I denounce you as my Luna,” he declared, his words striking me with the force of a physical blow. “And I reject you as my mate. I am severing our bond.” He turned away from me, his attention focused on Coco as he lifted her from the ground, cradling her protectively in his arms. The tenderness in his touch was a dagger to my heart, a reminder of what I had lost.

“What should we do with her, Alpha?” one of the warriors asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

Kael didn’t even look at me as he replied, his tone as cold as the winter wind. “You can have your way with her. And once you’re done, get rid of her.”

His words shattered what little remained of my soul. I had given him everything—my love, my loyalty, my life—and this was my reward. Betrayal. Abandonment. Death. The warriors moved toward me, their eyes gleaming with malice, but I was already crawling away, my body trembling with exhaustion and despair.

My hand brushed against something cold and metallic. A dagger, forgotten on the floor. I clutched it tightly, the weight of it grounding me in the moment. My vision blurred with tears as I the warriors pressed the blade to my stomach.

“Moon Goddess,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“Forgive me. I was not the Luna you expected of me. Forgive me, Mom, Dad. I have failed you too.”

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I closed my eyes, the dagger poised to end my suffering. If I were to get another chance, I vowed silently, I would never walk this path again. I would never trust so easily, love so blindly. I would rise from the ashes of my shattered life, stronger, fiercer, unbroken.

But as the blade pressed into my skin, a spark of defiance ignited within me. No. I would not give them the satisfaction of my death. Not like this. Not while they still breathed. With a trembling hand, I lowered the dagger, my resolve hardening.

Goddess, was this your justice? I fell slowly in a cold dark place.