The Abandoned Luna's Return

　　"I, Alpha Fenris Thorne, reject you, Elara Vance, as my mate and the Luna of the Blood Moon Pack."

　　The words sliced through the crisp night air like a guillotine. I stood on the ritual stage, the heat of the ceremonial fire licking at my skin, but my blood felt like ice.

　　"Fenris?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "The Moon Goddess chose us. You can't just—"

　　"The Moon Goddess made a mistake!" Fenris roared, stepping into the light. His golden eyes, once full of promises, were now sharp with disgust. "Look at you, Elara. You're twenty-one. The daughter of an Elder. And yet, you haven't shifted. You're a lupine defect. A human parasite clinging to my title."

　　A ripple of cruel laughter broke out among the pack members surrounding us.

　　"She's a disgrace!" someone shouted from the back.

　　"A pack is only as strong as its weakest link," Fenris sneered, his lip curling. "And you, Elara, are a broken link. I need a Luna who can lead the hunt, not someone who needs a bodyguard to use the bathroom."

　　I felt the sting of tears, but I blinked them back. "I've served this pack. I've managed the accounts, the healing bay, the logistics—"

　　"You've played house," Fenris interrupted, his voice booming. "Sarah, come here."

　　My heart stopped. My sister, Sarah, stepped out from the shadows. She wasn't wearing her usual modest clothes; she was draped in a silk gown that left little to the imagination, her eyes gleaming with a triumphant malice I'd never seen before.

　　"Alpha," Sarah purred, sliding her hand into Fenris's.

　　"Sarah shifted into a Pure-White wolf this morning," Fenris announced, I'mhis pride sickening. "She is the true Luna of Blood Moon. Not this... mistake."

　　"Sarah, how could you?" I gasped, looking at the sister I'd shared everything with. "You knew how much I loved him."

　　Sarah leaned in, her voice a low, venomous hiss meant only for me. "Love doesn't win wars, Elara. Power does. And you? You're just a footstool I used to reach the throne."

　　She turned back to the crowd, raising our joined hands. "To the Alpha and the new Luna!"

　　"To the Alpha and Luna!" the pack screamed in unison.

　　"Wait," I called out, my voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge. "The pack laws. The Luna's Crescent necklace. It belongs to the chosen mate."

　　Fenris laughed, a dark, hollow sound. "You want the silver? Fine. You want to be a Luna so badly? Have it."

　　He snatched the heavy silver necklace from the altar. Instead of placing it around my neck, he whipped it across my face. The heavy silver pendant cracked against my cheekbone, drawing blood instantly.

　　"There's your silver, Elara. Now, get out. You have until sunrise to leave our lands. If I see you after the sun hits the trees, I will hunt you down myself."

　　"Is that it?" I asked, wiping the blood from my face with the back of my hand. I felt a strange, cold fire beginning to stir in the pit of my stomach—something that wasn't a wolf, but felt much more dangerous. "No trial? No goodbye to my father?"

　　"Your father?" Fenris pointed to the front row.

　　My father, Elder Vance, stood there with his arms crossed. He didn't look at me. "I have no daughter who cannot shift," he said, his voice flat. "You are a blemish on our lineage. Leave before you embarrass us further."

　　The betrayal was complete. My mate, my sister, my father.

　　"Fine," I said, the word ringing with a sudden, unnatural clarity. I picked up the fallen necklace, the silver burning my skin. "But mark my words, Fenris. This pack is built on a foundation of sand. When the storm comes, don't look for me to be your shield."

　　"Get out!" Sarah shrieked. "Begone, human trash!"

　　I turned and walked. I didn't run. I walked through the crowd of wolves who used to call me 'Lady Elara,' feeling their spit hit my shoulders. I reached the edge of the clearing and didn't look back

　　I was barely three miles into the Black Woods when the first howl echoed behind me. It wasn't a warning. It was a kill-call.

　　"They couldn't even wait until sunrise," I hissed, tripping over a root.

　　"Why wait for the sun when the moon is so bright?" A voice mocked from the canopy above.

　　A massive gray wolf plummeted from the trees, shifting mid-air. It was Kael, Fenris's Beta and his loyal lapdog. He stood there, naked and grinning, his muscles rippling with predatory intent.

　　"Kael," I breathed. "The Alpha gave me until dawn."

　　"The Alpha did," Kael said, cracking his knuckles. "But the Luna... well, Sarah thinks you know too many secrets. She doesn't like loose ends. Especially loose ends that might try to claim a share of the family inheritance."

　　"I don't want anything from that house!"

　　"Doesn't matter." Kael lunged.

　　I dived to the left, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Kael, stop! If you kill an unmated female, the Moon Goddess will curse you!"

　　"The Goddess doesn't watch the weak, Elara. She watches the winners."

　　He caught me by the hair, yanking me backward. I screamed as my head hit the dirt. He pinned me down, his heavy knees crushing my lungs.

　　"You always were pretty, for a defective," he sneered, his hand moving to my throat. "Maybe I'll have a little fun before I rip that jugular out. Sarah won't mind as long as you're dead by morning."

　　"Touch me," I whispered, my vision blurring, "and I'll drag you to hell with me."

　　"With what claws, little girl?"

　　He squeezed. The world started to go dark. But as my consciousness slipped, the Silver Crescent necklace—still clutched in my hand—shattered. It didn't just break; it exploded.

　　A pulse of violet energy erupted from my palm.

　　Kael was blown backward as if he'd been hit by a freight train. He slammed into an oak tree with a sound of breaking bones that made me wince.

　　I scrambled up, gasping for air. My hand wasn't bleeding anymore. The silver had melted into my skin, forming a glowing, intricate mark of a crescent moon surrounded by thorns.

　　"What... what did you do?" Kael gasped, coughing up blood. His Beta strength was failing him. The wound on his chest was black, smoking as if it had been hit by lightning.

　　"I told you," I said, my voice sounding deeper, echoing with a power I didn't recognize. "Don't touch me."

　　I didn't stay to finish him. I ran. I ran toward the Silver River, the neutral zone that separated the Blood Moon from the most feared territory in the northern hemisphere: The Shadow Realm.

　　"Elara! Stop!"

　　It was Fenris. I could hear his massive paws thundering behind me. He was in his Alpha form—a black wolf the size of a small car.

　　I reached the cliff overlooking the river. The water was a churning white vortex below.

　　The black wolf skidded to a halt, shifting back into Fenris. He looked furious, but also... confused. "Kael is dead, Elara. What did you use? What silver-poison did you hide?"

　　"I didn't use anything, Fenris! You rejected me! Why won't you let me go?"

　　"Because you belong to the pack! If you have a weapon that can kill a Beta, it belongs to me!" He stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "Give me the necklace, and I'll let you live in the dungeons. I'll even let you see Sarah once a month."

　　"The dungeons?" I laughed, a hysterical, sharp sound. "You think I'm going back to be your prisoner?"

　　"You have nowhere else to go! Cross that river and the Shadow Alpha will peel the skin from your bones! He kills every trespasser!"

　　"Then I'll die free," I said.

　　I looked him in the eye—the man I'd loved since I was a child—and I saw nothing but a greedy stranger.

　　"Goodbye, Fenris. I hope the throne was worth it."

　　I jumped.

　　The wind whipped past my ears, and then—the cold. The Silver River didn't just feel like water; it felt like liquid needles. I was sucked under instantly, the current dragging me toward the jagged rocks.

　　I felt my lungs burning, the darkness closing in. Is this it? Is this how the 'defective' Luna dies?

　　Suddenly, a hand—strong, cold, and massive—grabbed my waist.